Chapter 48

NATHANIEL

"It took a long while to find you, but here I am. Three long decades since we last saw each other," Knox said with a smile.

"Why are you looking for me?" I asked.

His lips twisted into a smirk. "I'm hurt, Nate. And here I was thinking you'd welcome me to your little island with a feast.

I sighed, scrubbing my hand down my face. "My bad. I've just had a lot on my table for a while."

"I heard. You're fucking Zachary's sister." He leaned back in his seat, propping his feet on my desk. "Does he know?"

"I'm not fucking her. She's my mate."

He shrugged. "Same difference."

Supernaturals didn't age as quickly as humans did, so after ten years, Knox still looked the same with his honey-colored eyes and dirty blond hair. The only thing that changed about him was the length of his hair and the scar that ran from his temple to his jaw.

I first met him when I was pack hopping with my brothers. He ran away from home to escape his controlling father - his words, not mine - and he somehow ended up in a Hunters' camp.

Only a few humans knew about the existence of Supernaturals, and they made it their life mission to wife all of us out with werewolf and vampires being their main focus.

When they found out Knox wasn't just any wolf, but an Imperial wolf, the one who was set to rule as the Supreme Alpha after his father, they weren't too nice when they dealt with him.

We found him lying in the woods, beaten to an inch of his life, and since then, he promised he was indebted to us.

"Where'd you get that new scar?"

His smile widened. "A huntress. She freaked out after I fucked her, and her blade was the closest thing she could reach for." His face turned thoughtful. "Seems like they've amped up their silver weapons to inflict injuries on Imperials."

Imperial wolves were triple the size of a normal Alpha, and they had the speed, enhanced senses, and quicker healing time normal wolves could only dream of. They were also rumored to have the strength of three Alphas combined.

"If you weren't an Imperial, you'd be dead by now."

"I like to live my life on the edge. Now that I've been renounced as crown prince, I figured I'd come see an old friend."

The news didn't shock me one bit. Knox was reckless and impulsive. These weren't the qualities of the leader his father wanted.

"Rumors are finally spreading around," he said with a smug smile, clasping his hands behind his head.

"What rumors?"

"The rumors of your family being demon hybrids. I mean, I expected them to have found out since, but it seems werewolves aren't smart. How hard is it to pick up a book that speaks about demons? Your lineage is at the front of every demon book..."

I tuned Knox out. Werewolves now knew my true identity. That was why a few of the packs I reached out to for backup refused.

"Fuck!"

"Anything the problem, Nate?"

"If you've been hearing rumors, you know about the war, right?"

He nodded, his carefree look disappearing. "Yeah. Every Supernatural is talking about it right now. They're even placing bets on who'd win. From what I heard, Benjamin was somehow able to take control of one of the strongest packs in the North. They've all been infected with Wylim, but they're still sane enough to follow his orders. I've been doing some research with my team."

So, that was why they were making the poison. They didn't want to use it against my pack as I originally thought. Benjamin wasn't smart enough to carry out this plan. It had to be Ryker. Fuck!

"Relax, Nate. That's why I'm here. We'll deal with this together. My men arrive in a few hours."

"How many are they?"

"Twenty-five. All of them are fully developed."

Twenty-five times three. They had the strength of seventy-five Alphas. That was a good number, and it'd help a lot during the war.

"You'll help?" Knox was famous for joking around, and I hoped now wasn't one of those times.

"Of course, I will. What do you need me to do?"

***

AYRA

Was it possible to be tired immediately after waking up? I'd barely opened my eyes, and I wanted to go back to sleep.

The clock on the nightstand read ten minutes past one in the afternoon. Great. I'd wasted half of the day.

I rolled on my stomach, and I immediately jumped out of bed when it felt like I'd rolled on a hard ball.

Holy fucking shit of everything holy! I had a freaking bump!

Not a tiny bump, but a full pregnant stomach like I had twins in my womb. This had to be a joke.

"Deep breaths," I told myself. "This is probably just a nightmare. You'll wake up soon, and see that none of this is real."

I took deep breaths in, counting to ten seconds before I pinched myself hard. I wasn't having a nightmare. I raced into the bathroom to wash my face for added measure. You could never be too sure, right?

I splashed some water on my face, slapping my cheeks to bring some life back to them. I took a few more deep breaths before opening my eyes.

The bump was still there, poking forward in my baggy t-shirt. The baby had grown overnight, and I looked like I was close to delivery any hour from now.

I burst into tears. If you asked me why, I would have no answer to give. I just knew I needed to get it out. So, here I was on the bathroom floor. Getting it all out.

In my freak-out session, I hadn't heard Nathaniel come in until he spoke.

"Why are you crying?" He asked, lowering himself to the floor in front of me. "Did something happen in my absence?"

I buried my face in his chest, squeezing his torso with my arms. I expected him to ask more questions, but he just held me, letting me get all the tears out.

"Are we done crying?" He asked when my tears seized all of a sudden.

I pulled away from him, wiping the tears off my cheeks. "Yes."

"What happened?" He asked.

"The baby grew!"

He finally noticed the bump, and his reaction was the same as mine. He flew backward, his eyes bulging out of his head.

"What is that?" He asked, pointing at my stomach.

I burst into laughter. Now that I was done with my theatrics, the situation was hilarious. "The baby! It grew overnight."

"Am I interrupting a little family time?"

"Knox!" I exclaimed when I heard the voice before I could think of what tumbled out of my mouth.

I froze when the man came into view.

"How do you know him?" Nathaniel asked, a look of puzzlement crossing his face.

"His name is Knox?" I asked, bewildered. Looking at him now, I had no recollection of ever meeting him, so how did I know his name?

"Yes. Have you two met?" Nathaniel asked Knox.

"Yes. She was my girlfriend when we were younger." Knox laughed when Nathaniel scowled at him. "I'm kidding. We attended the same school with her asshole brother, Zachary."

"Seems like there's a lot to unpack here. Why don't we take this to the kitchen?"