CHAPTER 65

"I think you are with child," Rose replied slowly.
It was no hunch really. She had known immediately she striped the girl naked. There was no doubt that she carried Asher's cub. Rose wanted to weep for joy but had opted for her nervous chatter.
It was a blessing in disguise. Her pregnancy was exactly what was needed to help the dying marriage and she believed so because a new life always brought joy.
But she had been holding out on telling Shana because Rose did not know how the girl would feel about it, seeing as her husband, and father of the child was estranged from her.
"No." Shana's reply was firm. "No," she repeated with a wild shake of her head. "I'm not pregnant. I can't be, not right now."
Her eyes were wild and frightened as her hands went to wrap around her abdomen protectively.
"I told you, it's just a hunch I've. You'll need to see a doctor for us to be certain."
Shana wanted to believe it but she could see the truth in Rose's eyes. "This shouldn't happen right now," she said with eyes swimming with unshed tears. "He doesn't even want me. How's he going to want a child that belongs to me? He barely looks at me nor have anything to do with me anymore. A child is only going to complicate everything," she said sobbing.
Rose took her in for a hug. "That's never going to happen. Asher would never neglect his own child. He's too honorable for that, no matter how pigheaded he is being at the moment," Rose said stroking her hair soothingly.
"You can't be so sure Rose. He hates me. You should see the look in his eyes whenever he looks at me," Shana countered.
"That's because he's hurting right now," Rose replied her.
"Hurting? He isn't the only one hurting right now," Shana replied vehemently. "He has no reason whatsoever for treating me the way he's been doing."
"Shana," Rose said gently as she held her soothingly. "What do you want to do now?"
"I don't know for now. And remember it's just a hunch. You can't tell anyone about it, not even Asher," Shana pleaded with her big, brown eyes.
It was not exactly what Rose had pictured. She had imagined the Luna running to Asher with the news and she had pictured her hard grandson going soft and accepting his pregnant wife back.
But it looked like he was going to be kept in the dark about the whole process. "But...,"
"Please Rose. It's just for a little while before we confirm if I'm really pregnant. You've to promise me you won't say anything about this to him."
Rose nodded reluctantly. Shana's pregnancy was confirmed already even if she did not know it yet. So, her wait before Asher found out was going to be short.
"OK. I promise to keep my mouth shut if only you come down this minute and have something to eat. I can almost see your bones poking out your skin."
★★★★★★★★★
"The errant wolf in my pack has been taken care of," Collins said in a chilling voice into the phone.
Thomas' hand shook momentarily at the other man's tone. There was really nothing left to the imagination about what had happened to the 'errant wolf' and Thomas could not help wondering if that was going to be his fate soon. Or it could be one of his children.
He shook involuntarily at the later thought. It was a miracle Collins still didn't know that their trump card was in the mud.
"Now, tell me about the Luna and her Alpha. Is everything going on well in paradise?," he asked scoffing.
"Oh yes. Everything is going just fine," Thomas replied shakily.
"Then we should move up my plans a notch. You've your men inside you say?"
"Yes, I do."
He knew what was coming next and he had been anticipating it but the reality of it made him scared.
Thomas was just a simple coward whose greed for power was bigger than any other thing. Without a man like Collins with him, he was nothing.
He dropped the phone and returned to the sitting room to see his daughter glancing in his direction nervously.
Adele shifted uncomfortably as her father's watchful eyes trained on her.
"What is wrong with you?," Thomas asked sharply.
"Nothing. I'll just like to go up to my room now," she said getting up.
"I know you heard all I said and I also know Mark put you up to watching me," he said as she made to leave.
Adele stopped dead in her tracks. She had believed she was really subtle about the whole thing.
"I've never reported back to him. Believe me father," she implored with her heart in her eyes.
"I know," he replied with a smile. "You should know I'm doing all these for you. You want to be Luna, remember?" Adele nodded numbly.
When she got to her room, she contemplated the wisdom in what she was doing. Like her father said, she wanted to be Luna,so she wanted the Crier out of the way. But from the conversation she overheard, her father was never going to stop with the Crier. In fact, she was just a pawn in the game her father was playing with his unknown friend.
But still, she reasoned it was better to keep her mouth shut like he wanted.
In the end, all that truly matters to her was that the Crier would be gone.
★★★★★★★★★★
"Mila?," Rose called at the shadow darkening her room. "What are you doing here?"
She had smelled the girl almost immediately but she was not alone. It was late and Mila had no business coming to her at that time, especially while she was in bed.
"How did you get in here?," she asked the pressing question. Someone should have seen her and alerted Rose.
"I brought her in," a masculine voice answered from behind her.
"And who are you?," she asked testily.
"My name is Cole. I'm here to help your Alpha. I heard I could get to him through you?."
The man materialised from the shadows and Rose could finally see his handsome face.
He looked regal and at the same time, rough and dangerously hard, like someone who had witnessed his own portion of sorrow. The scar running down his face added more character to the man instead of just destroying the handsome face. The scar looked at home, like it belonged.
Rose relaxed a little bit. He looked cold but he meant her no harm. She could see that in his eyes and Mila looked really calm and relaxed with him, nothing like someone who was abducted like Rose first thought.
There, she had almost been certain for a moment that it was her end and she would never see her great grandchild. Her insides rejoiced whenever she thought of Shana pregnant. She could not wait to shout the news to the whole world but she still had to respect the wish of the Luna to keep it to herself.
"What do you want?," Rose asked as she sat up in bed. "Your appearance at a time like this is so rude for someone who is helping me. I feel trapped already," she said lightly.
"I must apologize ma'am. This was the only way I could get to you."
Rose gave a nod in understanding. It was the truth. He was obviously not a member of the pack and any move he would have made would be trespassing. He was currently trespassing but she wanted to hear what he had to say. "Let's hear it."
"I understand a member of your pack is making plans with my twin brother from the Bleeding Moon pack to usurp your grandson. The Alpha needs my help to take him down. I'm the only one who knows him well enough to help."
"Your twin is Collins?," Rose asked as her eyes widened in shock.
Collins was Thomas's ally? She could not believe her ears. Thomas was making bigger plans than she thought.
"Why would you want to take your brother down?," Rose asked conversationally. She had her answer already but she could not resist asking the young man before her what had really happened. The stories about Collins could have been overrated and he could be just like any greedy villain. Or so Rose hoped for.
"Because I've to pay him back for all he has done. Take for instance, this," he said with his hand pointing at the scar on his face.
His eyes were sad and Rose could only imagine the pain he went through daily because of what his brother had done. "I can't help you. I'm sorry."
Cole's eyes darken suddenly. "You can't or you won't?"
"I can't. I'm not the best person to approach the Alpha right now. I'm sorry Mila," her eyes went to the silent girl in the room.
"Why is that?," Cole asked impatiently.