I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks. Where are we going?"
"Italy. We leave in two weeks."
I smiled to myself, "You really the best husband."
"No I'm not. I've treated you-"
"You have treated me better than anyone ever has before. My parents never wanted me. They made it very clear they were only watching over me until Andre was willing to take me. My brother hasn't said a single word to me in seventeen years. You and Christian and Adrian are the only family I have ever had," I said.
"I may treat you better than you biological family but I still have a lot of room for improvement."
"I don't think so," I insisted.
He groaned, "Liz, trust me on this. I have been a shitty mate. From now on, we tell each other everything, deal?"
"Deal."
This is not the end!!!
********
I'm thinking about sharing my twitter information with you guys. I don't know. What do you think?
I bolted upright to the sound of Christian wailing. It had to be around three or four in the morning when Titus and I raced into Christian's room, terrified something might be wrong this time. Instead, we found him alone like we had every night for the past three days. His nightmares were getting out of control. He hadn't slept a solid night since Andre took me and it was starting to wear on me and Titus as well.
Titus sighed and rubbed the sleep from his face as he sat next to Christian to tuck him back in.
"Nightmare?" Titus guessed.
Christian nodded and wiped his eyes.
"Why do you think you keep having them?" I asked.
"I'm scared of this room," he said softly.
Problem solved.
"Why don't we move you to a more grown up room," I suggested.
Christian perked up at the idea of moving from his light blue boy room to a more grown up room. Maybe it was time he moved from next door to us.
"Can I tomorrow?"
"Yeah. We'll do it tomorrow," Titus said, clearly tired and wanting to go back to sleep.
"Go back to sleep," I said to Christian and kissed his forehead.
I took Titus's hand and pulled him back to our room. Once we were under covers, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me as close as possible to his solid body.
"I hope moving him stops these late nights," Titus mumbled.
"Me too."
Out of nowhere, my stomach clenched. I instantly felt sick, something I hadn't felt often. I pushed Titus off of me and ran into the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet when I expelled everything I ate for dinner. Titus was at my side pulling my hair away from my face and rubbing my back.
As quickly as the nausea came, it passed. I sat on the floor and wiped my mouth with a sheet of toilet paper.
"Are you okay?" Titus asked, clearly worried.
"I don't know," I responded weakly.
I had been feeling exhausted the past couple of days but I didn't think I was sick. Wolves almost never got sick; I mean, it happened but it was so rare.
"I've been really tired but that's it," I said as I tried to stand. Titus pulled me up the rest of the way, refusing to let me walk on my own back to bed.
"I'm going to grab you some water," he said as he laid me down in bed.
He disappeared downstairs and returned shortly with a glass of cold water. I drank only enough to rid my mouth of the foul taste but that was it. I was afraid if I drank too much it would just come back up. I hadn't been sick in years and I certainly did not relish the feeling.
"You haven't been feeling sick at all?" He asked.
I shook my head, "No I've been fine. I have no idea where that came from."
"Maybe you should have Anne check it out tomorrow," he suggested.
I nodded absently as I ran down the list of possibilities. Ulcers, cancer, parasites...wait.
When did I have my last period?
I missed it. In all the crap going on, I hadn't even realized I was late by almost two weeks.
"I think I might be pregnant," I mused.
"Really?" He was instantly more awake.
"Don't get excited yet. I'm a couple weeks late but that could be the stress of everything."
"Do you think you are?"
"I'm showing signs but I won't know until I run some tests."
He rolled his eyes, "You're so analytical."
I laughed, "Well I am a doctor."
"I hope you're pregnant," he said as he pulled me into him, wrapping his arm around me to rest his hand on my stomach.
"I do too."
I settled in and drifted off to sleep with Titus tracing gentle circles on my stomach.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Titus sat in my office, waiting for my tests to process. It was a simple blood test just to make sure but after another round of morning sickness, I was pretty convinced I was pregnant.
"Well?" He asked as I looked at the results.
I nodded a little, "Yep. Definitely pregnant."
"Seriously," he asked, excited.
I showed him and explained how to read it. He wrapped his arms around me and slightly lifted me from the ground. I laughed at his clear happiness for the situation and couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"So how far along are you?"
"I don't know. I'll have to have Anne do an ultrasound but my guess is about a month."
"Are you happy?" He asked.
"Very. I had this awful feeling I was sterile."
He smiled and moved a blonde lock over my shoulder, "I wouldn't have cared if you were. I love you, Lizzy."
"I love you, too," I said with a smile, "How do you think Christian will take it?"
"Should we tell him tonight?"
"Probably. I don't want him to think we're keeping it from him."
"Very true."
"Why don't you take the day off," Titus asked, "We can go to lunch and pick up Christian later."
"You don't have to go in?" I asked.
He shrugged, "Not really. I can if you want though."
I shook my head and laughed, "No that's okay. I am hungry."
"Good."
We made our way out to his SUV and as usual, he opened my door for me. I could always count on Titus for chivalry. Aria had pounded it into his head while he was growing up and I would do the same for Christian. I wondered if I would have a boy or a girl. I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about the baby, genetically. It was possible that the way I was genetically modified in the womb would affect the way my baby developed. I was an anomaly and I didn't know what would happen. The thought terrified me but all I could do was hope for the best and try to stay healthy.
"What's the matter," he asked as he drove to our favorite restaurant.
"I'm just worried. What if my DNA affects the baby?"
"You seem pretty healthy to me," he said, "Whatever happens, happens. As long as you're fine and the baby is healthy, I couldn't care less about its genes."
I nodded absently. His assurance did help ease my concern but it would be in the back of my mind for the whole pregnancy.
"So, we do need to talk about Claire," he said carefully.
I stiffened at her name, never wanting to see that bitch again. She was a disgusting, selfish person and I hated that Titus had ever been involved with her.
"What about her?" I asked clearly annoyed.
"We need to decide how she will be punished. She committed treason but she also involved the human court system in this."
"I don't care what happens to her as long as she goes away."
"Well, Zac had her locked up in the cells but we can't keep her there forever."
"Why does it matter?" I asked, irritated.
"It matters because she hurt you. You know the law."
I rolled my eyes. I knew the damn law. They expected me to decide her punishment. An
eye for an eye. But I honestly just wanted her to go away. I didn't care if she was banned, killed, whatever, just as long as she never bothered me or my family again. Banning her wouldn't stop her from going back to the Order because it was vampire owned and operated.
"I know. I don't care what happens to her."
"Well, think about it. She can't be put to death but we can ban her."
"Oh, you mean like I've wanted to do this entire time?" I asked sarcastically.
He tossed me a pointed look, "I said I was sorry. I know that doesn't mean much but I was trying to keep everyone's best interest in mind."
I grunted in response. I knew he felt guilty about it and I had forgiven him but I couldn't just forget everything that happened. If he had just listened to me in the first place, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't have to be deciding what to do with her. She would be gone and marked and not my problem. I would be able to enjoy the discovery of my pregnancy.
"Just think about it, Liz."
******
We ate in silence. I was irritated about life in general but happy at the same time. My emotions were everywhere and I knew that but I couldn't stop it.
I picked at my food as I felt Titus watching me carefully.
"What," I asked without looking up.
"What's really wrong, Liz? I know it's not just Claire."
I shrugged and met his eyes, "What if I'm not good at this?"
He laughed, "You've already raised one just fine."
"Yeah, but I didn't give birth to him. I might do something wrong and mess everything up."
"You're putting too much thought into something this natural. Thought of any names?"
"Not really. Have you?"
"I don't know. I'm not good at this," he muttered.
"You named Christian just fine," I pointed.
"My mom helped me name him," he said.
"Okay, well, what about Cade for a boy?"
He thought about it for a moment and absently nodded his head.
"I like it. What do you think of Rose for a girl?"
I half smiled, "See, you're not half bad at this."
He laughed lightly, "I guess. What do you think Christian is going to say?"
"I hope he's happy. I think he will be."
"My concern is that he just found out you're not his biological mother. I think he's going to resent the baby."
I considered that for a moment but shook my head, rejecting it.
"No. He's more mature than that. He knows we love him and I think he's going to be happy," I said confidently.
"I hope you're right. With everything going on, I just don't know."
I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. We should be happy right now, not depressed and stressed. I wanted to enjoy this time with him but without a final decision from me, we would have Claire looming over us.
"I, um, I made a decision about Claire."
"Yeah?"
I nodded slowly, "I don't feel right putting her to death. I want to...I just can't make that call," I admitted.
"I can make it for you."
I shook my head, "No. I don't want to stoop to her level. I almost feel bad for her."
"What," he asked as if disgusted by the thought.
"She lost her mate. You know what that does to someone," I said softly.
I knew if I lost Titus I would lose my mind. I knew Claire wasn't in the right state of mind but I also knew she could control herself a bit more. She was selfish and clinging onto anything that once gave her some happiness. I was certain she and Titus were happy for a little while at least, even if he didn't love her. She was lost and confused but that didn't change the fact that I still hated her. I knew I couldn't make the call to put her to death because it would weigh on me for the rest of my life. Then what would happen if Christian found out I made that decision? He would hate me forever even if he never wanted anything to do with her. When I thought about everything she had put Christian through, I wanted to kill her but for his sake, I refrained.
"Yeah but that doesn't excuse everything she has done."
"No it doesn't. But I won't have another person's death on me. I want her banned and exiled so she can't come back."
He sighed, "Fine. I will set it up."
"Thank you."
Titus paid for our food and we left the restaurant just as quietly as we entered. I felt rather somber despite my want to feel elated. I just couldn't be happy in that moment for some reason. I had Andre's death still weighing heavily on my conscience. He deserved it and I was forced to do it but I couldn't deny that I liked it. The surge of power I felt when I killed the man that had forced me to fend for myself as a child was exhilarating. He had planned to keep me in captivity until I produced the children he wanted then he would dispose of me. Still, I had never killed anyone and never wanted to do it again. Even if I wasn't the one pulling the trigger on Claire, I would still be responsible.
"Can we just take care of this now?" I asked.
"Are you sure you want to?"
I nodded, "I want this finished. I want us to enjoy this time."
He made a right, heading to the holding cells where we would deliver Claire's punishment.
"Call Zac and have him meet us there."
I pulled out my phone and did as Titus asked. After a few rings, an out of breath Rachel answered the phone. To say I was shocked was an understatement. In the years I had known Zac, no one ever answered his phone except him. Sure, there had been a couple girls here and there that he messed around with but none ever lasted more than a few days and there was certainly never anyone serious enough to answer his phone.
"Hey, it's Elizabeth. Is Zac around?"
"Yeah but he's in the shower. Want me to get him?"
"Uhm yeah, sure."
"Okay, hold on."
I looked over at Titus and mouthed 'what the hell.' He shrugged, just as bewildered as I was.
"Hey, Liz," Zac said as he answered the phone.
"Hey, um, could you meet us at the cells? Titus is handing down Claire's punishment."
"You don't want it to be public?"
"No. I just want this entire thing to go away. I want her banned and exiled."
"If that's what you want," he trailed off.
"Yeah," I responded.
"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Thanks, bye."
I turned to Titus, confused.
"What was that about?"
"Who knows. That's bizarre. I mean, I never thought I would see the day he showed another female attention."
"You should have seen him in my office. He was genuinely concerned about her well being."
"I haven't seen him like that since Eva."
"Weird," I said, "Do you think he's finally serious?"
"Maybe. She seemed like a nice girl. Young," he commented, "How old is she anyway?"
"Nineteen."
His eyes widened slightly, "Wow. Really young."
I shrugged, "I'm younger than you."
"You're only a few years younger than me. They're eleven years apart."
I hoped Zac really did care about Rachel. I wanted to see him happy but at the same time, any woman he chose to be with had to be considered for the position of Luna. If she and Zac became serious, she would have to grow up quickly and help him run the pack. It was not a position I envied in the least but I had a good feeling about Rachel. She was young and naive which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It could be the breath of fresh air this pack needed after Claire's escapades.
********
I never liked the cells. They were modern- the walls were coated in silver to prevent wolves from escaping- but they were depressing. Of course, they weren't meant to be a happy place but it was so bleak. If one was spending time there, said prisoner would know something awful was going to happen to them. Claire was getting off easy, in my opinion. She would be sent to a heavily guarded, pack owned island off the coast of Alaska. She would be given a place to
live though it would be far from what she was accustomed to and she would work twelve hour days of manual labor for the rest of her life to earn her food. There would be no electricity, no way to communicate with the outside world but she would live. She would be denied any contact with other inhabitants and live her days out in solitude. It was a rough life but a life nonetheless.
"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Titus asked before we walked inside.
I half smiled at him, "I'm positive. I want this done."
"Okay," he said reluctantly.
Zac met us outside of the building with a small, apologetic, smile. I knew he felt bad for me but he didn't need to. I didn't want anyone's pity, especially not his but Zac was close to Titus so that made Titus's problems into Zac's problems. The two were thick as thieves; I mean, Zac was the best man in our wedding and he's Christian's godfather. I wanted Zac to just worry about himself for once. I wanted him to focus on whatever this was with Rachel and hopefully let it grow. I knew he was still hurt from the loss of his mate and Rachel could never make him feel the way Eva made him feel but he could care about Rachel and even love her. Mates are a one time thing and when someone finds theirs, things move quickly because just like humans, we die. It's better to have a short time knowing one's mate rather than not knowing them at all. Even though Zac's situation was sad, he was making the most of it.
"Hey," Titus said casually.
Zac nodded at us and opened the door for me to walk through. I glanced around the sterile front room. Not even my practice looked this barren.
We followed Zac down a hallway lined with heavy doors to the end and made a right. I counted three more thick doors and we stopped. Zac entered his code into the keypad and the metal clicked open.
Inside, Claire sat on the thin cot, glaring at me. She clearly blamed me for this situation even though she did it to herself. She should have never come back. Once she realized Christian and Titus were happy, she should have left but she decided to sell me out to the worst man on the face of the planet.
"We have decided your punishment," Titus said confidently.
Her eyes fell on him and her glare dropped. I couldn't tell if she was genuinely in love with him or if she just wanted him. I did feel bad for her but he was my mate and I wasn't going to give him or Christian up.
"Please, Titus, stop her," she begged.
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