Chapter 15

(Santiago’s POV)

Layla tells me she’s pregnant with my child. All I can do is shake my head. I don’t believe her at all.

“Bullshit,” my wolf says in my mind.

“I’ll remind you, Layla that even lies should be realistic. It’s been a long time since we had sex. So, if you are actually pregnant, if I were you, I’d be looking to your current husband.”

But she points out that one night I went feral and lost control.

“That’s the night we conceived,” she says.

I can hear her smug smile through the phone.

I did meet with her that night, to sign the divorce papers.

“The feral state comes from longing and desire for a mate. I don’t want Layla,” my wolf growls.

I know better than going out that late. I drank before I went, which only means there are holes in the timeline that I can’t fucking remember.

I recall wanting to meet her at a restaurant or the bar. She insisted that her hotel room would be more comfortable for her.

She met me at the door with a full face of cosmetics, complete with red lipstick and black lace lingerie. I remember sitting at the round table and showing her the papers and where to sign.

The next thing I can remember is waking up at home.

Being around Layla aggravates my wolf. Even when we were mate bound and married. It never felt quite right.

My wolf only calms down in Isabella’s presence.

I don’t believe this child is mine, but her evidence points toward me.

Layla sobs softly. With a raspy voice she says, “Please, can we get back together? I can’t lose you. I was only with Jesse to provoke you,” she says while sniffling into the phone. “I just couldn’t stand your coldness during our marriage.”

I look down at Bella. She’s the polar opposite of Layla. She walked away from her marriage just like I did and for the same reason.

And now, she’s fighting to get her birthright back. I need her to help me with my feral condition, but I am obligated to help her get her pack back too.

I will stand by the promise I made Bella.

“Layla, I’m an Alpha. I have responsibility for the pack. I’ve always been busy managing the pack, but regardless…I respected you, Layla. I treated you as the true Luna. You had all the power and position that you deserved in that role! You cheated on me. You gave your body to another man. Despite everything I did for you, you still chose to betray me.”

All that betrayal did was make me distrust mate bonds even more.

“A baby deserves both parents. Your heir needs us to be a family,” she says.

“We absolutely will not get back together, but I will do the right thing and take care of you during your pregnancy.”

“Will you go with me to my prenatal check-up?”

“Yes, I will do that,” I say.

(Isabella’s POV)

It’s been a few days, and my wounds have mostly healed. I am finally ready to be discharged. My body aches and I will need to avoid shifting for a little while.

Regardless, I am happy to be going home.

I haven’t had a proper shower in what feels like forever. I’m dying to wash my hair and put on my pajamas. The nurse comes in, flushes and removes my IV. She gives me one last dose of medications.

“These will kick in in a couple hours and are intended to help you sleep. Get home and comfy. Is there someone who will be there to help you?” the nurse asks.

“Yes,” I answer. “My friend Ariana has agreed to help me.”

I don’t know why I want Santiago. I haven’t even seen him since I woke up.

“Perfect, she says as she completes one more round of vitals, then removes all the monitoring equipment.

The doctor comes in and completes the discharge procedures with me.

“Alpha Isabella, I want to remind you to be careful. We are still waiting for test results to come back. Silver blades seem to have a special effect on you. You need to exercise precautions to avoid them.”

I thank him and agree to be careful then leave the hospital.

At the entrance to the obstetrics department, I run into Santiago and Layla.

Layla glares at me. My gaze settles on her stomach. She isn’t showing yet, but thinking about her pregnancy physically hurts me.

I find myself wondering if the baby belongs to Santiago.

“The child is his, there is no doubt,” my wolf says with deep conviction in her voice. “Why else would Santiago accompany her to the obstetrics department?”

Suddenly there is heaviness in my chest. I feel like my heart is a concrete brick weighing me down.

My wolf has the audacity to chuckle at my struggle. “You’re jealous,” she says.

I roll my eyes and deny it.

“Truthfully,” I say, “I am only worried about our partnership with Santiago. He only needed me because of his feral condition. But now that Layla is pregnant, it’s obvious that they have reconciled. The logical next step is to terminate our contract.”

I can’t explain why the thought causes tears to well up, but I suck in my breath and force them to dry up.

Of course, if or when he ends our contract, I will have to find evidence on my own that I can appeal to the Elder Council. This will be much harder without him.

“Worry about all that later, Go to Arianas. Right now what you need is rest. We both do,” my wolf says.

Once I get back to Ariana’s house, she has cooked me all my favorite foods and made my room even more comfortable with extra pillows and blankets.

After lunch she insists on helping me get a bath and wash my hair. I’m thankful for her help as halfway through my bath my meds start kicking in and exhaustion begins to take over. After I get dressed, she leaves so I can rest.

I look at myself in the full mirror on the back of the door. Most of the cuts and abrasions have healed. Broken bones are set.

My ribs, while still sore, have almost completely healed. Bruises at varying degrees of healing cover my face and body like an abstract painting. I lift my pink pajama shirt with the red strawberry pattern across it and look at my back.

Each cut from the silver blade has left three-to-six-inch scars where I was slashed. They look like I’ve been branded. Right in the center of it all, the stab wound still looks open.

It penetrates the flesh and muscle between my ribs and oozes.

The doctor told me that the blade barely missed puncturing my lung.

I’ve always healed exceptionally fast, more so than other pack members. What is it about silver that causes a reaction this severe?

I put my shirt down and decide I am done with my excessive worrying for the day. It’s bedtime.

I no sooner get comfortable when the phone rings. My heart pounds in my chest as a wave of nausea washes over me.

What if he’s calling to terminate the contract?

I climb out of bed and go to the phone. I stare at it with wide eyes and let it ring for a long time. My hand shakes as I pick it up. I put it back down. My fingers fidget as it rings some more. Finally, I answer it.