Chapter 17

After Luke left, I spent the day crying and sleeping. I didn't know what I should do. If I were pregnant how could I tell Eric? If Eric were the reason for me being sick how would I overcome that? What if it was a combination of both? I couldn't be pregnant at 18! What would Mary and Gary think?

By six o'clock my eyes were all cried out and my throat was dry. I sat up and noticed my headache had returned. Sculling some water, I thought about taking two pain killers but wondered if I were pregnant would I hurt the baby.

A knock sounded at my door and I got up reluctantly. I thought I must have been Luke coming to check on me and I wasn't in the mood to talk right now.

Opening the door, I started my 'thanks but no thanks' speech "Luke I'm sorry but..."

I looked up to find Eric staring down at me. "Expecting someone else?" He snapped.

"Yes actually." I was in no mood for his mood swings tonight.

"Can I come in?"

"Nope." I went to close the door, but he pushed it firmly forcing me back with the door. "Hey!"

"Your boyfriend won't be joining you tonight, he's on nights this week and next." He huffed as he strolled into the room.

I slammed the door and moved as far away from him as possible. I felt hurt and betrayed by him, but my body was betraying me and still craved his touch.

"What do you want Eric?"

He sat himself down on the sofa and smiled at me. That smile made me weak at the knees, but I would not give in to it.

"I wanted to see how you are. You look like crap by the way." He grinned kicking his feet out in front of him.

"Thanks. Why do you care?"

His smile faded. He looked serious now. "I wanted to apologise." He got up and moved towards me. "I never meant to hurt you." His hand reached out to my face and like an idiot I let him cup my cheek. I closed my eyes. "But I've made my decision."

I didn't like where this was going. His other hand was now around my waist. Our bodies were only centimetres apart. I opened my eyes and looked up into his. They were full of sadness. I shook my head; I knew what he was going to say. I didn't want to hear it.

"Please don't." I whispered. "I can't bare it."

"I have to." A tear rolled down his cheek.

His eyes suddenly glazed over, and I saw my chance. I ran from him. I took off down the stairs two at a time. I had to get away from him. I had to get away from everyone. Everyone had let me down and I couldn't bare another minute in this place.

It was dark outside but with the slow return of Dove my senses were beginning to heighten again. Off to my right were the woods Luke and I had walked through, and I raced off towards them. I darted around the trees and suddenly felt Dove's presence stronger than ever. I kept running as fast as I could until I reached a clearing next to a small boggy lake. I collapsed down onto my knees. I hadn't noticed the tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Pretty little Princess, why are you crying?" Purred an oily voice.

I looked around but couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" I called out.

Out from some bushes emerged the black wolf. His eyes glowing dark his hackles raised. I gasped but I didn't run.

"Not so frightened this time are we?" The wolf leered. I stood up and walked over to him. On all four he was taller than me.

"How can I hear you?" I asked reaching up to touch his face. He pulled back and growled.

"Tsk. Tsk I don't want to give my secrets away."

"Did you take away my wolf?" I asked.

He began circling me. I let him, I stood tall and didn't let him see my fear.

"Why yes I did. She's fisty that one." He lunged towards me, but I managed to jump out of the way. "A woman in your condition shouldn't be out alone. Where's your mate, Prince Charming?" He began circling me again.

"I don't have a mate. He was about to reject me. So, I ran." I had not reason to lie anymore. I was staring death in the face.

His powerful hind legs pushed the ground making dents into the surface. "Does he know that his pup grows inside you?"

"No." I wouldn't give the wolf the satisfaction of knowing anymore.

"Pity." He lunged for me again. This time I wasn't as quick, and he grabbed my arm between his jaws. I let out a scream as he flung me to the ground. "You would make a wonderful mate. I bet you love to scream. Maybe I should keep you, make you mine." I cried out as I saw a glint in his obsidian eye before his giant paw crushed my wrist into the ground.

"Hey!" called a voice from the other side of the clearing.

The black wolf looked up and growled. He charged at Luke who had come running towards us. With his monstrous paw he swiped Luke across the back which made Luke land flat on his front. The black wolf padded slowly towards us, stopping in front of me.

"Your worth more than these pathetic wolves. I have big plans for us Sophie." Before I could respond he vanished into the bushes.

I crawled over to Luke and saw that he was still breathing. The wound on his back looked deep and I hoped his wolf would help heal him soon. He moaned and tried to roll over.

"No, don't. You don't want dirt in your wound." I did my best to help him stand. My wrist was completely shattered, and I didn't want to move it anymore than I had to.

"Who the hell was that?" Luke rubbed the back of his neck, wincing at the pain between his shoulder blades. He turned around and hugged me. "Never, ever run away again. If something happens, come find me." My tears started flowing again as I was reminded why I chose to run.

"I promise." I blubber.

He grabbed my good arm and we hobbled off together back towards the pack house.

"Why did you run?" He asked after several moments of silence.

I sighed feeling like an idiot. "I had a fight with someone."

"Who?"

He wasn't going to let this drop, was he? "With Eric." I mumble.

We walked again in silence. "Is the pup Eric's?"

I stopped "We don't know if I am pregnant."

"Well, that black wolf was pretty certain. You didn't answer my question." He grabbed my hand and we continued walking.

I shook my head "Even if it was there's nothing I can do about it." I wasn't going to say yes, because then I would be admitting the truth and I didn't want to say no because I didn't want to lie to Luke.

He nodded knowingly, deep in thought.

"Look its none of my business but what are you going to do?"

"Actually, I have no idea. I don't think I can stay here. I was thinking of going to a different pack. Raise my pup there… if I'm pregnant that is." I added.

"What if you didn't have to leave?" He looked at the ground shyly.

"I can't stay Luke." I let go of Luke's hand this was far to awkward and I felt I was giving to much away.

"Be with me." Luke murmured.

"What?"

He looked up and grabbed both my hands. "Be with me. I'll help you raise your pup. I'll love him or her as if they were my own. We'd be happy together." He smiled at me and I could see how me being with him would mean the world to him, but I couldn't while still tied to Eric. Maybe I should accept his rejection.

Suddenly, at the thought of Eric rejecting me my whole body ran cold. Pain seared through me and I cried out clutching my stomach.

"What's wrong?!" Luke yelled.

He picked me up and started running with me in his arms. I couldn't speak the pain was too intense.

"Hang in there ok?" Luke looked frightened and I nodded.

It wasn't long before I could see the lights of the pack house getting bigger. He raced me into the pack hospital screaming at nurse to get a doctor.

"Please help her!" He cried out.

Nurses surrounded me while others tried attending to Luke, but he shrugged them off. From the corner of my eye, I saw Eric approach from behind Luke. I tired to warn him. I tried to tell Luke not to say anything, but it was too late.

"Please just help Sophie, she's pregnant." Luke told a nurse who was insisting on helping him.

Eric stopped mid stride. His eyes, full of alarm found mine, and then everything faded to blackness.

Eric P.O.V

Pregnant? My mate was pregnant? What? How? I couldn't think straight. All I could see was red. How could she? How could he!?

I grabbed Luke by the back of the neck. I had to get some answers. I didn't care if he was hurt, he fucked my mate and now he'd got her fucking pregnant! I had doctors and nurses screaming at me to let him go. They followed us as we made our way to my office.

By the time we reached the staircase we had an entourage of trainee doctors, nurses and admin staff. I'd had enough so I turned around and roared.

"Leave us!"

They all stopped dead in their tracks, heads slightly bowed not moving.

"It's alright everyone I'll be back in a minute." Luke put his hands up. He gestured to me to keep walking and I released my grip on him. We rounded the corner of the executive rooms before we arrived at the Alpha's office.

"After you." Luke said which only made my blood boil again. I smacked my hand back behind his neck and pushed him into my office. He stumbled and fell to the floor. "Ok. Ok I get it. Your pissed." He pulled himself up onto the low ottoman seat I had in the corner.

"Pissed doesn't even cut it." I walked to my desk slamming my fist down on the solid oak table. "Why didn't you tell me you got Sophie pregnant?" I had no idea how much Luke knew about Sophie and me and I planned to find out.

"I didn't know you were behind me." He winced as he tried to straighten up.

"So the pup is yours?" I yelled.

"I wish it was." Luke sneered. "Her mate was talking about rejecting her." I jumped up and started pacing in front of my desk. Was that what she'd told him?

"I didn't think she had a mate." I murmured.

"Yeah. Well, she does and don't ask who it is cos she hasn't told me. But I have my suspicions." He was glaring at me and I stopped pacing.

"What's your problem Luke? You've been acting strange ever since Tatiana moved into the pack house." I narrowed my eyes at him. It was true, James was right.

"More like what's your problem Eric. James told me he saw you coming out of Sophie's room."

I held my breath. "I was making sure she was comfortable. Its my job as Alpha." I spoke slowly, this could all go wrong very quickly.

"Whatever you say." He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned forward. The pain must be getting worse. I was concerned that his wound had failed to start healing.

"What happened out there?" I lent back on my desk trying to control my racing heartbeat.

"That black wolf appeared. It was speaking to Sophie…. well, kinda speaking. It was like I could hear him in my head. It was a projected voice." He paused remembering what happened. "He mentioned something about 'Prince Charming' knocking her up then said some crude things about making her scream and that's when I lost it."

This black wolf was starting to get on my nerves. Dr Sven, Gary, and Gavin were no closer to finding out anything. Especially since he was here, and they were beyond the territory.

"Why weren't you in wolf form?"

"I didn't want to scare Sophie. I know the whole wolf thing is new to her."

Fuck, why did he have to be so gentlemanly? I hated how good he was for her. Perhaps she would be better off with someone like him. At the same time, I wasn't comfortable with him. Luke had been lying to me and I didn't like it.

"That wolf is a freak of nature. He knew she was pregnant before she had even confirmed it. He also knew who her mate was, that's for sure." He was staring at me now, trying to read my expression.

I stared right back at him. We stayed like this for several minutes each one not making a move.

"We should get you back to the hospital." I said breaking the silence. "After your patched up we need to have a proper talk." I got up and made my way over to him. He didn't move, his eyes still fixed on me.

"It's you isn't it? You're her mate." He jumped up. "You were going to fucking reject her. Did you start to reject her? You're the reason she's in hospital!" His fist landed on the side of my cheek causing me to stumble back. It wasn't a hard punch.

"I had to reject her!" I yelled trying to grab him without thinking what I was saying.

"No, you didn't. You had a choice, and you chose my mate over your own!" What did he just say? "She doesn't deserve you! Neither of them do!" He came charging at me and rammed me into the wall.

"What are you taking about!" I roared. But he wasn't listening. His fists flew at me hitting me in the stomach, shoulder and once on the jaw. I couldn't stop him. I used my Alpha strength and threw my fist at his head. He fell to the ground and I knelt down to check he was still breathing. I used the mind link and told a doctor to come and collect him from my office.

I sat on the floor next to him. I was completely in shock. What did he mean when he said I had chosen his mate? Was he talking about Tatiana? Was that why he was acting so strange?

Next thing I knew James walked in. "What the fuck happened here?" He said standing in the doorway.

"He went for me after I questioned him about the wolf he and Sophie saw in the woods."

"But why?" James was next to me now checking Luke's pulse.

I shook my head " Honestly, I'm not 100% sure myself."