Chapter 74

Drax and I started sending emails and messages hours ago, the hunched over position I had taken in front of the computer now taking its toll on my back. I absently rubbed my stomach as I looked over the email I had just written to the river tribe further north.
"Dear Alpha Adrian,
I hope this email arrives at a good time, my name is Annalise and I am the Red wolf, graced into existence by the Red Moon Goddess. As you are more than likely aware, the warlock Balthazar is promising to share me as though I am some sort of prize. This can not be allowed to happen.
I offer you my powers to help protect both yourself and your pack if you would be willing to aid us in the upcoming battle against Balthazar and those that follow him.
He sees our kind as nothing but slaves to be used and disguarded when we are no longer needed, and it is my understanding that other warlocks are the same in this view. We cannot as a species allow this to happen, we have to fight back!
I hope that you find it within yourself to help our cause and put an end to our kind being treated as lesser creatures.
the highest of regards
The Red wolf."
I sighed, yawning into my hands as I hit send, hoping that at least half of the alphas I have emailed will respond with a willingness to help us. If we were going to succeed we needed as many warriors as possible to stand with us.
I just hoped that we would get enough following us to make a difference, to end slavery for our kind.
I turned to Drax who was watching me, his eyes lustful and dark. "Don't get any ideas Drax, I will use force to make you leave if I have to."
"I'm simply admiring you." He says, easing his hands in surrender. "Pregnancy looks good on you Annalise, you are practically growing."
I look down at my bulging middle and smile, "I can't wait to meet them, I'm hopeful they'll be as healthy as their dads."
"I'm sure they will be, more so if they are anything like you." He pauses, scratching the stubble on his chin. "Look, I know you probably don't want to heart this but... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have put you through what I did. I guess I didn't really recognise your worth before. I just saw you as a woman I needed to take, not the Red wolf, ajd certainly not an equal." He chuckles, shaking his head. "I'm going to change how my pack does things because of you... I want the women to be our equals."
"you should have done that long ago, and you need to stop your men from abducting women, YOU need to stop kidnapping women. Like me." I stretch my back and sigh, knowing I would have to forgive him eventually, but not willing to do so yet. "If I see you have changed... and I mean really changed, I might consider allowing you back into my life, but until then, you have to keep your distance."
He nods, his voice mirroring his disappointment, "I will respect your wishes, but I can't stand to be away from you, since I marked you the pull between us has only grown stronger... more so than I could have imagined."
I rise from my seat, Drax quickly copying me. "I think I'm done for today, I'm going to get some food from the kitchen, need anything?" I ask, heading towards the door.
"I'll come with you, I'm sure if we put our heads together we can come up with something edible." He laughs, organising the paperwork into a neat pile before following me from the room.
"I'm sure we can, I'm a good cook." I nod, taking the stairs slowly as my back aches.
He chuckles, "I wouldn't doubt it for a second."
I smile, laughing with him. "you better not, or else I might not feed you."
"You know, the way to a mans heart is..."
"through his stomach, I know." I laugh, finishing his sentence for him.
"ah so you are a woman of culture." He chuckles again, helping me down the last few stairs.
it was getting harder and harder to move around with my big stomach, I just hoped that the pregnancy would be over soon and I would meet my pups, I couldn't wait to hold them in my arms.
it would be a new beginning, for us all.