Chapter 178

Carlos POV

My daughter, My Vee was happy? I admit that I wasn't too pleased about her being mates to Lord Oliver, or mated to any wolf for that matter, but knowing she was happy filled me with the hope for her to have a better life than I, and that was the only thing that kept running through my mind as the full moon quickly approached.

My muscles ached with a pain I had never experienced, my gums throbbed, as if ready for the Lycan teeth that would break through them at any time, and my emotions were even more erratic to control than previously. What had shocked me the most about my body's changes however was the sheer fact that my appetite had increased so drastically that nothing I ate was satisfying me.

The only good thing about all of this was that my meager meal plan had been revoked and replaced with one fit for a Lycan. I was now being given more food in one meal than I had previously received in a week. However even those portions were small in comparison to the hunger my stomach felt.

The mark that had been so viciously forced on my neck didn't provide the same connection as others either, or so I've heard. Instead of pleasure coursing throw me every time my mark is touched by her, I'm shocked with an overwhelming bout of agony, as quickly as she touches it, it disappears, but it did make me recoil a lot of the time. Lorellia hated that I was still defiant, in fact I was even more so than usual, I would never have forgiven her,even before she had forced me to take her mark, now however, that lady who had violated me, and forced me to father an unwanted child, was dead to me.

I told myself over and over again that I would survive long enough to rip her to shreds, baby or no baby. I had endured far too much to not at least try for revenge.

The palace was currently on high alert, the kings father had taken most of the warriors to the closed sector in the west, in order to assist his son in subduing the rebellion. And after the announcement of Lewis's execution, the kings mother wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Lorellias stomach was in simple terms, huge now, she was genuinely looking as if she'd go into labor at any given time. I didn't know how far along she was, I never cared enough to listen to her, but she made me feel it every second she got.

"My lady?" One of the warriors entered our room and looked directly at my tormentor. She sat on the small sofa that rested underneath the windowsill, with a holographic device in her hand, she was flicking through thousands of baby items and checking my them off her list of things she still needed to get. I was sat on a seat, slightly tucked under a table after just finishing my third snack since lunch. Upon the guard entering however, both Lorellia and I allowed our sight to wander to the man stood within the doorway. "Sorry for the intrusion, The restraints you asked for have been prepared in the gardens."

Restraints?

Why on earth would she have requested that restraints were to be set up within the gardens? That was such a strange place to have some secured.

"Excellent..." I eyed her cautiously as she threw her electronic down onto the sofa next to her and stood up, before waddling over to me and holding her hand out expectantly. "Come on my love."

"Why have you ordered shackles to be put in the gardens?" I obviously ignored her stretched out arm and dared not to move. My ass staying firmly on the chair I was sat on.

She didn't answer my question straight away, instead her eyes rolled inside her skull as if her answer would be painfully obvious.

"I can't have you shifting tonight in our bedroom can I?" Shifting? My eyes widened a fraction as I finally realised what she was intending to do. I shot out of my seat only to take several hasty steps backwards away from the insufferable woman.

"You can't seriously expect me to be tied up for my first shift?" However her gaze told me everything I needed to know. She fully intended for that to be the case. "You want me to die in chains?! After everything you have put me through?”

"You're not going to die, but you do need to be out under the light of the goddess, and I can't run the risk of you attempting escape. Not to mention No one knows how strong you're going to be. It's simply precaution, I know you understand that, my love." I most certainly did not understand. I was going to shift, and I was going to shift that night, my first ever shift.

History speaks of a forced marking as a death sentence, and I am already aware of just how lucky I was to have even survived the initial bite. There was absolutely no way in hell I would survive the shift if I was shackled to the ground like a common dog.

"You'll be fine. Now come along..." She grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me along however I snatched my limb back, not accepting her attempt. "My love, it's important to get you into position before the shift starts, now come!" She was getting frustrated by my lack of movement and instead allowed her eyes to cloud over, alerting me to the fact that she was mindlinking someone. Before I could even ask who, two large warriors walked in and stalked towards me causing more fear to shoot through my bones.

"Why are you doing this to me?!" I practically shouted at my so called mate as the two men dragged me out of the room. "Please don’t do this. I won’t run I swear it? Can I please have one bit of peace before I die?" I was acting crazy.

I was kicking and screaming as I was dragged very awkwardly down about fifty flights of steps and out into the gardens. My sight met that of the large hedged maze and the single silver colored cuff that was deeply embedded into the ground and with it my heart sank.

"You're going to be fine my love..." she paused feeling yet another bout of Braxton hicks, which are essentially false contractions. Her hands went to her stomach to cup the stretched skin, before looking back up at me as I was thrown onto the floor. "The full moon will be out in an hour or two, and I'll be here with you until the shift actually starts."

The cuff was secured around my ankle and I sighed, something was off about the whole thing though, the second the metal touched my skin a searing pain took over, as if the shackle had been heated and was now burning my flesh.

"Fuck!" I whispered out, my hands moved to attempt to get it off but it resulted in my finger tips being burnt. "This is silver?! You’re chaining me up using actual silver."

"Well, I didn't think it would affect you until you completed the shift. Don't worry my love, I am more than confident that you will survive. The moon goddess put us together for a reason, and it wasn't for you to die a month after I marked you." I growled a little, the sound a bit more animalistic than I had thought it would be, I hated feeling this way.

I was basically stuck in limbo. I wasn't yet a wolf, but I was no longer human. And I knew I wasn't. My hearing was better than it had ever been, my reflexes were faster and silver was now one of my weaknesses. I was a mutant.

I wasn't at all as confident as she was, in fact the only good thing to come out of all this would be the definite end of my suffering. All these years of being held captive by a lady who couldn't care if I was suffering, would come to an abrupt end.

At least I was able to speak to my Vee one last time.

"At least it is a clear night. It isn't likely to rain until early hours." Lorellia then winced and held her swollen stomach yet again, Braxton hicks my ass, the woman had gone into labor, and I imagine her waters to break any minute now.

"You're in labor, I remember the signs from my first child." I spoke with nothing but confliction  pouring out of me. I truly didn't know whether to feel worried for her and my forced unborn child or if I should just leave her to it and pray I die before the baby is born.

"You shouldn't be thinking about your old life at a time like this..." she screamed at me before releasing a gush of water from her lower parts, I knew she would go into active labor soon. "Your first child, was a mistake, and should have never been born. This child is born out of our mate bond, out of our love. It is Vastly different.”

My Vee was the best thing to happen to me. She was the furthest thing from a mistake. I frowned, feeling tears begin to prick my eyes as Lorellia released a small wince yet again.

“My lady, you should go to the hospital.” One of the men who dragged me out here spoke, holding his arm out for the bitch, hoping to escort her to the hospital wing. A place I was now, all too familiar with.

“Who would have thought both you and your son would be born tonight.” Her excitement was not something I shared as she came over to me to kiss my cheek. “I will see you in the morning my love and Hopefully we can both meet our boy.”

A growl built up in my chest as I watched her walk away, leaving me with two guards and a burning ankle. I really didn’t want to be a father again, especially not to that woman’s child.

I sighed and sat on the damp floor, waiting for the pain to surge. I was alone and more vulnerable than ever. I couldn’t help but wish Dylan was here to talk me through it. She had a way of making you believe in the impossible.

“Moon Goddess… if you’re real… please, give me your strength.” I whispered as I looked at the ever slowly rising moon.

I admit, I wasn’t at all expecting my prayer to be answered, but I was suddenly engulfed in A bright flash of pure white light that blinded me for half a second. The two guards that were present instantly fell to the floor in heavy slumber, and the chain around my ankle came loose. My eyes widened even more when a woman stood ceremoniously in front of me in the palace gardens, floating above the ground, her grey dress flowing in the warm breeze that had taken over the air.

“My strength, is yours to feed off of, now and forever…” Her voice deeper than I expected as I blinked, trying to regain my senses. I must have finally succumbed to the pressure of isolation. I was now experiencing hallucinations.

“I’ve finally cracked!” I mumbled to myself but was met with an airy chuckle.

“You are not crazy… I am here to offer you my aid, my child.” Child? I was an almost 50 year old man. “The road you travel is paved with much pain, that you alone will have to face… your counsel is needed in order to bring about change. Persevere, and you will be blessed… but remember… innocence is the beginning of a much brighter world!”