Chapter 18

Sophie P.O.V

I woke up to a blipping sound coming from my right. I didn't open my eyes, I was too afraid to look around. I was excited to be able to feel Dove. Her presence was much stronger. I could reach out and touch her. But I still couldn't hear her. It was comfort enough to know she was there.

I moved my hand across my stomach and gently patted it. Was there really a pup in there? I let out a long sigh as my hand pressed lightly to my stomach. An image of a young boy, no more than three, played in my mind. His eyes were a piercing blue, his wavy hair a dark chocolate brown. He looked up at me and smiled before letting a happy giggle escape his lips. A warmth spread over my face and I smiled. I was proud and so in love with him. Was he mine?

I opened my eyes, a giant smile spread across my face. But the room was in darkness and the beeping returned. I felt cold. I sob rose in my throat and I let it out, closing my eyes again. What was I going to do?

"Sophie?" A soft voice called from the corner of the room.

My eye sprung open and I sat up. Over by the window sat a large dark figure, his scent all too familiar. My eyes could make out his strong jaw line and his rich chocolate brown hair stood out in different directions. It looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Eric, you startled me." I confessed. "Why am I here?" I looked around and saw I was in a private room similar to the one Dr Sven bandaged my foot in. There was a vase of flowers on the side table. A couple of petals had fallen off and sat gracefully on the tabletop.

"You've been unconscious for three days." He said standing up. I gulped finally remembering the events leading up to my black out in the hospital. Did he know? "I'm so sorry." He said sitting in the chair next to my bed.

"Why are you sorry?" I didn't understand.

"I did this to you." He put his head in his hands pulling at his already distorted hair.

"What are you talking about? You were nowhere near me when the pain started…" I remembered the pain. The fear that took over my body as I clutched at my stomach. was my baby ok? I was afraid to ask. My hand went instinctively to my stomach. I felt warmth and I felt life.

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" I looked at him. His eyes were full of sadness. The same sadness when he was about to reject me. I must have looked shocked because he placed a comforting hand on mine. "I heard Luke tell the nurse and then I questioned him, and he told me."

"He had no right!" I cried "Besides, I didn't really know myself so what would have been the point of me saying anything to you." Tears rolled down my cheek. "It's not your problem. You have an heir, you don't need me or my baby."

I turned away. I refused to look at him despite my body's pull towards him. The ache for comfort, the desire and need to be in his arms. I would do this without him.

His hand stayed on mine. He stood up and then sat next to me on the bed. He put his other arm around me, and I tried to shrug him off.

"Listen to me." He said firmly. I stopped squirming but still refused to look at him. "I never wanted to hurt you." He began stroking my back. "When my Mother found us, I told her everything. The whole truth. I told her that I loved you and that I planned to make you Luna and not Tatiana." He shuffled uncomfortably next to me. "She… She talked me out of it. She said that Tatiana had 'claimed' me first and that it was the right thing for my child and for you if I rejected you."

"The next part I know. You came to my room, acted like a dick and I ran." I said still refusing to look at him.

"Yes, that's correct but I didn't get to formally reject you, I went back to my Mother and said you had run away. I thought that would be enough, that she would let it go but she didn't." I finally turned to face him; he had a single tear running down his cheek. His Mother was just as crazy as Tatiana and had poor Eric wrapped around her finger.

"What do you mean she wouldn't let it go?" This time I turned my whole body towards him, which was a little difficult seeing he held me tightly with his arm.

"She said if you hadn't accepted the rejection there was another way." Another tear fell and his dark blue eyes penetrated mine. "I swear if I knew you were pregnant, I never would have done it." He looked away again staring at his lap.

"Go on." I urged.

"She insisted that Tatiana and I do a blood bond. Similar to a new member joining a pack but we recite a promise to each other."

"So your bound to Tatiana now. Isn't that what you want?" I was confused.

"No listen. We were halfway through the bond when I felt pain deep inside me. My Mother said it was our mate bond breaking and that Tatiana and my blood bond was working." He looked back at me again, his eyes full of tears. "I could feel everything as if it were being ripped from my insides. I realised you would have been feeling it to and then I heard Luke through the mind link that something was wrong with you. I couldn't bear to see you hurt." His hand that had been on mine reached for my cheek and he began caressing it with his thumb. "I left them to come and find you."

"But did you finish the bond or not? I don't understand what you're getting at?" I was getting a little pissed.

"After I spoke to Luke, the doctors informed me that you were pregnant but that your mate was trying to severe the mate bond. They said if you hadn't been as strong as you are, they wouldn't have been able to save the pup." His trembling hand moved to my belly. I stared at his hand not sure what to make of his revelation.

"You're telling me that you tried to severe our bond so you could be with that bitch and you didn't care if it hurt me?" I jumped off the bed. Eric just sat there glowering into the dark space around us. "You almost killed my baby!" I yelled. He turned to me and jumped off the bed after me.

"I swear if I'd known I would never, ever have hurt you like that. Please." Eric was practically on his knees, trying to grab my hand which I kept slapping away. Luke and a nurse came running through the door.

"Leave her alone." Luke shouted.

Eric turned around and growled. "This is none of your business!" He roared and barrelled straight for Luke.

I raced towards them not really understanding why and placed my hand on Eric's shoulder as he was about to punch Luke. He stopped mid swing and looked at me. His face was full of so many emotions before it relaxed back into sadness.

I smiled at Luke and he relaxed. "Luke I'm ok. The Alpha was just leaving. I have informed him I will be leaving as soon as my bags are packed." I withdrew my arm and walked back to my hospital bed letting the nurse take my vitals. I looked back at the carnage that was outside my door. Both men stood there with their mouths wide open.

"Nurse, please shut the door." I instructed. I couldn't look at them anymore.

Eric P.O.V

I couldn't believe what I just heard. I stormed off towards my office Luke right behind me.

"Hey!" He called after me. 'You're not going to let her leave, are you?"

I wheeled around and stood right up into his face. I glared down at him. I was seething with anger.

"Watch it." I said through gritted teeth. "You want me to put you on your arse again? Because there's no guarantee I'll stop this time." He took a step back and hung his head signalling his submission. "If she wants to go, I can't stop her. I don't need her. I have a mate who is pregnant with my child and who soon will be your Luna!" I yelled.

"Tatiana is not your mate." He spat at me.

"She will be. She'll be my chosen mate and she's pregnant with my pup. The sooner Sophie is gone the better!" I took off towards my office again. I didn't care if he followed or not. Blaze cowered at my words. I could feel him even behind his semi-permanent mind block.

"She's not pregnant with your baby." Luke replied quietly.

I stopped. "What did you say?" I took several steps back towards him.

"I said she's not pregnant with your baby." He stared at me with a stupid smirk on his face. "Tatiana's baby is mine!" I saw red and punched him right on the nose. The sick fuck just laughed even with blood running down his face.

I mind linked with James asking him to meet me in my office and stalked off leaving Luke to clean himself up.

***

I only had to wait ten minutes when James showed up at my office door.

"What's up boss?" James sauntered in and sat himself down opposite my desk.

"Luke just told me he's the father of Tatiana's baby." I stared out the window behind my desk. The sun was beginning to rise. The soft pinks and purples caressed the distant hills and I sighed. Everything was a mess, and I had no idea how to fix it.

"Are you sure?" James asked

"Damn right I am." Luke said strolling into the room. He hung back near the door probably scared I would put him on his arse this time.

"Luke, I need you to tell me everything." I said sternly.

I knew there was something wrong with the way Tatiana and Luke were acting. She was the biggest flirt around. What surprised me was I wasn't jealous, even with my pup supposedly growing inside her, I couldn't feel anything. Luke on the other hand was always moody and appeared jealous. Now it was beginning to make sense.

Luke moved further into the room but still far enough away so he could escape if he wanted to. "Tatiana and I had always been close as children. Our parents always hoped we would end up mates. Funny how the Moon Goddess answered their prays. When she was 16, she changed. She became bratty and stuck up. She'd sleep with whoever and it made me jealous. She would even come to me after a bad breakup giving me the whole sop story about why guys couldn't be more like me."

He shuffled his feet and ran a hand through his hair. He was nervous but I needed to find out what was going on. Sensing my impatience, he moved to the sofa and sat down.

"Our birthdays are only a week apart and when I turned 18, I knew she was for me. I couldn't wait for a weeks' time when we'd finally be together as mates. She seemed so happy when she turned 18 and found out we were mates. But she also had her eye set on you." He pointed towards me.

I cleared my throat. I remember how she ways hung around me, flirting with me until she pestered me into sleeping with her.

Luke nodded knowingly. "We fucked, multiple times. I couldn't get enough of her and she couldn't get enough of me. But what pissed me off was she started fucking you as well. It made me so angry, there were so many times I wanted to lay into you. It fucking hurt as well. I felt when you fucked her and believe me it cuts deep." His eyes were fixed on mine. I felt a hot heat spread from the back of my neck, up over my cheeks. Tatiana truly was a manipulative vixen using people as she went. I never knew I was hurting one of my closest friends.

"Then she finds out she's pregnant. She told me it was mine because you'd used protection. Honestly, I was willing to look beyond her fucking you knowing she was carrying my pup. I thought she'd settle down and I could mark her and claim her as rightfully mine." His fists were balled up and he looked as if he was about to explode. "Then she hatched some batshit crazy idea to trick you into believing the pup was yours so she would become Luna. She convinced your mother and Luna Bianca told her she needed to be 'honest' with you." He laughed before sniffing and wiping his nose on the back of his hand. A little blood had started to trickle down. James handed him a box of tissues. "Thanks man. I told the bitch I was going to tell you the truth. But she threatened my family and said she would make everything alright. That she would make me Alpha somehow." He laughed again shaking his head. "Man, I fucking fell for it. The mate bond makes you do fucking stupid things. But now I feel nothing. You see before you began your little blood bond ritual she came and fucked me and then rejected me! She claimed you were her 'rightful' mate and that the little 'slapper' you had in the room next to yours was as good as dead."

Luke stood up and began pacing. He was seething with anger now, his body shaking with rage. "James get back." I called. I could see the whites of Luke's eyes turn black. His wolf was in control now. I had to use Blaze to get him to calm down.

I could sense Blaze just behind his mental block. He was listening to the conversation and I could feel him eagerly anticipating my need to go and grab Sophie and claim her as mine.

"Blaze, Titan has taken over Luke we need to calm him down before he rips into James and I and anyone else nearby. Luke won't be able to live with himself if he hurts innocent people."

Blaze dropped the block.

"I told you that fucking whore was using you!" he yelled into my head.

"I know bud, I fucked up. I swear we will do whatever it takes to get Sophie back, but I need you right now."

We only had seconds left before Titan went full werewolf. Blaze took control and we growled our dominating Alpha growl. He resisted at first, trying to tempt us into a dog fight. He held his ground. I was impressed just another reason why I'd chosen him as my Gamma. Blaze snarled before deepening our growl and Titan finally began to submit.

"That was intense." James said as Luke flopped back on the sofa.

"I'm truly sorry for my part in this Eric." Luke said, his arm over his face. "Please don't let Sophie suffer for Tatiana's selfishness."

I went over to Luke and patted his shoulder. "It's ok man. Thank you for being honest with me. I know it must have been hard."

"Stupid bitch didn't realise that once she rejected me, I would feel no obligation to keep her secrets." He ran both hands through his hair before looking up at me. He looked exhausted. "What are you planning to do?" He asked.

I thought for a moment. Do I confront her? Ask for a paternity test? That wouldn't stop my Mother going through with her crazy scheme. Mother. She was the key to unravelling this I was sure of it.

I walked back over to my window. The sun was peeking behind the hills now. The sky was full of oranges, reds, and pinks. It was beautiful. I turned to face my men who had sat there silently waiting for me to speak.

"We don't say anything yet. My Mother has something to do with it I'm sure. I need to find out what she's up to."

I tapped a pen on my desk trying to think of a way to confront my Mother. But my thoughts were very much occupied with the one person I wanted to be with. I just hoped she would still want me.