Chapter 10

**Six weeks later**

Thalia groaned as she pushed her hair out of her face, her mouth still watering as she blindly fumbled for the handle on the toilet. She had heard morning sickness could be a bitch but she was now learning just how much of a bitch it really could be. It had only been six weeks since the night the small life inside her womb was conceived and yet it still felt like a strange dream.

The exact details of that night were hazy in her mind but Thalia remembered being unable to control herself as she agreed to Dante’s surprising request. In reality it wasn’t that strange. Women all over the world acted as a surrogate for other people all the time but to have six women be surrogates for one person was unheard of. Also, Thalia couldn’t help but shake the feeling that, while she hadn’t been forced to agree, she certainly had been coerced in some way which really wasn’t any better.

Sinking back against the side of the bathtub, Thalia rested a hand over her belly absentmindedly, her throat still burning as exhaustion rolled over her.

The process had been very clinical from what Thalia remembered. After she agreed to Dante’s request, Dante had led her to the doctor’s office where, unsurprisingly, Doctor McKinley and Ms Thorton had been there to greet them. Thalia remembered not being concerned by this and she had giggled like a drunk schoolgirl when Dante had lifted her and carried her bridal style to the examination bed. His lips had been hot but soft against her temple as he settled her down like sleeping beauty on the cool pleather bed.

“Will it hurt?” She remembered asking as she gazed up into Dante’s brilliant blue eyes.

“You might feel some discomfort.” He murmured, brushing her hair gently. “But I’ll be right here with you.”

With the nausea now gone, Thalia sighed and forced herself up, taking stiff steps to the bed and sinking onto the mattress. How had this happened? Surely she was drugged because Thalia was certain she would have at least hesitated in agreeing to having a complete stranger’s baby if not completely declined. However she remembered all too well that Dante had offered her something in return, something that Thalia had been desperate to have since the day she was taken from her family; her freedom.

Just two weeks after the procedure, doctor McKinley confirmed it had been a success and Thalia was indeed pregnant.

“Your body is still recovering from the years of abuse so you need to take it easy.” Doctor McKinley had explained as he handed her a bottle of folic acid. “Take these. They will help you as well as the baby. If you get morning sickness then drink some ginger tea, that’ll soothe the nausea but if you have to be sick, try not to fight it.”

The other girls were currently reacting in a range of ways although perhaps more positively than Thalia was feeling. Only Laila seemed upset by what had happened. When Thalia questioned her, Laila had explained that she worried that her family and community would shun her for having a child out of wedlock. Thalia could honestly say the same. The packs in Greece were very traditionalist, believing they were the direct descendants of the first werewolf. It was practically unheard of for wolves to have children without being mated. Some of it was also to do with their culture as a whole but a lot of it was to do with how the werewolves of Greece regarded themselves. How would her family react to finding out Thalia had given birth to a child that wasn't from her mate's seed?

A sharp knock on the bedroom door let Thalia know Ms Thorton was coming in before the woman even said a word. Only Ms Thorton came in. No one else seemed permitted and Dante never stepped past the threshold even if he had come to the door on different occasions.

"Good morning, Ms Georgiou." Ms Thorton greeted with her usual clipped tone as she moved to open the curtains and windows to let some fresh air in. "Oh my dear, you don't look too clever. A bit green around the gills as my mother would say."

Thalia had no idea what that phrase meant but indeed, she felt unwell and looked the part too. Whoever said pregnancy gave a woman a glow had clearly never seen a pregnant woman before.

"I think it's just morning sickness." Thalia groaned, remaining prone on the unmade bed.

"Well isn't it just good luck that you are seeing the doctor today?" The older woman replied. "After that Mr Connaught has asked to see you."

"Why?"

"Oh I don't know, perhaps because you are the mother of his unborn child." Ms Thorton sighed.

"And the other girls are not?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.

This was perhaps the first time Ms Thorton showed an ounce of emotion outside of her professional politeness that held all the authority of a headmistress in a Catholic girls school and patience in equal measure. For a brief moment frustration flickered across her features before it was gone like a whisper.

"I assure you that Mr Connaught cares for all his girls greatly and loves his unborn children in equal measure." Ms Thorton explained. "However, your child is special and Mr Connaught has taken a shining to you in particular. Now, we must get going so follow me."

Thalia had already decided she was in no mood to mess around and the sooner she got this appointment over with, the sooner she could lie down again. Following Ms Thorton slowly, Thalia raised an eyebrow again when the blonde led her to one of the many doors along the hallway that they had never used before. Stepping through, the she-wolf found herself instantly transported to the doctor's waiting room where, much to Thalia's surprise, the other girls were waiting.

"Thalia!" Laila was the first to perk up, a smile spreading across her features.

"Hi Laila." Thalia smiled back at the girl, taking a seat next to her. "How are you doing?"

"Oh you know...everything is making my tummy turn." The young woman smiled. "And my breasts feel so tender I had to put an ice pack on them last night."

Thalia laughed at this, all too familiar with the ailments Laila was describing.

"Ladies," Doctor McKinley spoke up, his nervous eyes shifting amongst the small group. "If you could follow me this way, we are just going to take some reading and perform a quick scan. I’ll start with Miss Georgiou, please.”

The other girls were distracted along with Ms Thorton by a few nurses leaving Thalia to follow the doctor.

She didn’t need to be a wolf to pick up on McKinley being more nervous than normal. It had been clear to Thalia from the first day they met that the doctor didn’t like being here and that there was a chance he was as trapped here as she was.

“How are you feeling today Thalia?” He asked as he grabbed some gloves and gel for the scan.

“Okay. I had some nausea earlier.” Thalia replied, settling on the bed. “Is everything okay, doctor? You seem a bit jumpy today.”

“Oh it’s nothing…” The old man smiled tightly before the smile faded and his face seemed to drop, suddenly the mask slipped to reveal his fear. “Actually it’s not nothing. You and the other girls are in danger.”

Thalia frowned. “What do you mean?”

McKinley sighed, glancing nervously towards where Ms Thorton stood with the other girls who were making enough noise to disguise their own conversation. He quickly looked back at Thalia who squirmed a little as an uncomfortable sensation settled in her gut. In her mind, Maeve was suddenly on high alert as if sensing that something important was about to happen.

“You must have already worked out Mr Connaught is not all he seems,” McKinley muttered. “Have you ever noticed there are no exits? That you could walk for what feels like miles and never find a door to the outside world or if you open a door it takes you to another part of the house. That’s because Mr Connaught and most of his minions are far more dangerous and wicked than you could ever imagine. He’s a demon, Thalia. A very powerful one at that. This place is a prison. Yes it’s beautiful but it’s a prison and Mr Connaught controls it all which is why you can never find a way out unless he wants you to.”

Thalia’s eyes went wide. How was that possible? Were demons real? Obviously Thalia was aware of supernatural creatures; she was one after all! But she had never heard of demons before. She glanced at her stomach, cold dread curling its icy fingers around her spine. Her child was a demon?

As if sensing her sudden terror, McKinley rest a hand over her reassuringly yet his eyes were deadly serious.

“Despite what Mr Connaught is telling you, he has no intention of letting any of you go.” The doctor carried on in a hushed tone. “He’s building an army and your children are his soldiers. You’re not the first group of girls to come here, be promised freedom only to be turned into breeders. You and the other girls are in great danger and so are your children.”

“So what do we do? There is no way out!” Thalia whispered in a panic.

“They plan to move you all in a few days.” McKinley explained. “If there is any chance of you escaping it will be then. Any chance you get, you take it. You run and don’t look back.”