Chapter 370

Alannah shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No, Ternen.”

But I rubbed her side and slid the phone over to him. “He’s right, Alannah. He would be the first person to notice if you disappeared. You are tied, and your wolves would feel it. He needs to know so that he can come find me, or Rick.”

She shook her head again as he grabbed the phone. Her hand shot out, and she begged, “Please don’t think less of me.”

I growled softly. “Never say that again.”

She turned to me with confusion in her eyes. “What?”

“Never, ever act like something done to you lessens you.” I nodded to the phone. “What is there is vile. So vile that it made me want to vomit.” Another tear fell, and I wiped it off as a growl slipped from Tern. “If, and goddess forbid, it actually happened to you… but if it happened, it would not lessen you. You would be a victim, and that disgusting act would have no bearing on your worth as a woman, as a mate, as a mother.”

Rick nodded. “We would help you heal, protect you, and make sure it never happened again.”

Ternen looked up from the phone, and with a soft whisper, he looked up at me. “Is this serious?”

I turned to Rick and lifted a brow. My stomach dropped when he nodded. “If a female omega becomes pregnant without the permission of the alpha, then the alpha, beta, and any ranked member that wants to be involved will enact the punishment.” He had to cough into his hand as if he was stopping vomit from coming up. “The punishment is as listed.”

Ternen covered his head with his hands. “Vince and his cronies will force themselves on Alannah until she loses the baby.” His words were dead, as were his eyes. Alannah let a sob escape, but it was Rick’s sad nod that broke him.

Ternen grabbed Alannah and started crying with her. Tears slowly fell from their eyes silently as they huddled together. “It’s okay. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever change the way I feel about you.” She pulled back, and he wiped her tears and she wiped his. “I love you, now and forever. No one would ever come close to loving you as completely and as purely as I love you. My love doesn’t hinge on anything other than my utter devotion to you.” He kissed her.

I opened my mouth, and then bells jingling started around us. “Happy, happy birthday!” The staff sang, and for some reason, that broke through the morose feeling at the table. Once they finished, they slid the cakes in front of us and then left the check on the corner of the table, once again leaving us to our bubble.

I lifted my fork and took a bite of cake, groaning at the cream cheese frosting. “It won’t happen.” I waved my fork.

They all turned to me with hopeful eyes. “Really?”

“How far along are you?” I took another bite.

“I don’t actually know.” Alannah took a bite of her own cake, and for the first time since I blurted out about the baby, she smiled. “My last heat was about a month and a half ago. Why?”

I nodded as I polished off my cake. “Because it gives me a timeline.” I calculated the time in my head. “Vince isn’t a strong alpha, and his sense of smell is trash. Do you have a perfume you like to wear?”

She nodded. “I enjoy vanilla enough; I can wear it, but Ternen prefers my natural scent, so I stopped.”

I turned to him. “You are going to have to suffer for a bit.” He nodded.

“I don’t care. I will do whatever I have to do to protect her and our pup.”

“Good.” I held up my fingers. “I have my ‘mating’ ceremony scheduled in four weeks. Even Vince would scent a pup by then, but by personal experience, it will be close. If we can extend the time by covering your scent with vanilla, have you wear baggier clothes, and have Rick or I pick you up and drop you off at home, we can do this.” I did the math again and nodded. “We can make it to the mating ceremony.”

“Why the mating ceremony? Are you seriously going to mate him?”

I scoffed. “Absolutely not. But Brandon needed to think he had me hook, line, and sinker, so I agreed to the mating ceremony. And because I find it poetic to leave him at the altar like the humans do in the movies.” I snorted.

“Are you going to kill him, then?” Rick leaned in.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe I’ll let them suffer a bit. But my plan is to uncover everything and then disappear.” I grabbed Rick’s arm and Alannah’s. “Now, I’m just taking a few more people.” I smiled as the server came over the last time. I paid and then turned back to everyone. “So, how does everyone feel about camping?”