“As I was telling Lara, I’m fine, Vivianne. Really. There’s a lot of work to be done, and if I stay home, I’ll just worry more.”
The older witch gave her a smile. “Everything seems to be healthy, though. I can’t wait to see my grandniece or nephew.”
“You and me both,” Cady said wryly.
Vivianne walked over to the couch and sat next to Lara. “Darling, how are you? You seem pale? Have you been sleeping?”
“Just tired, Mother.”
“There’s something odd about you…” Vivianne narrowed her eyes and tried to put an arm around her. .
Lara tried to brush her mother off, but it was too late. As her mother’s arm touched her shoulders, she felt the zing of power. The older woman’s eyes widened and her hand immediately went to her Lara’s flat belly. “Darling? Oh my! This is the best news!”
“What is it?” Jade asked as she lifted her head up from the book she was reading.
“Mother, please!”
“Darling, how far along?”
Not knowing what else to do, she got to her feet, batting her mother’s hands away. “I’m not!”
“Not what?” Cady asked.
“Oh Lara, I’m so happy! I knew it!” Vivianne embraced Lara. “I knew it when he came to the compound!”
“Who came to the compound?” Cady and Jade asked at the same time.
“Mother, don’t—”
“Why, Liam Henney of course!” Vivianne said matter-of-factly. “And now Lara’s going to have his baby. Another True Mate child!”
“What?” Jade jumped to her feet and grabbed Lara’s arm. “Is it true?”
Before she could say anything, Cady let out a cry. “Oh my God, my water just broke!”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The news of the impending birth spread throughout the Fenrir offices. Lara immediately called Nick, and the Beta rushed to his wife’s side. He carried her all the way down to the waiting car that whisked them back to the Enclave, where Dr. Faulkner’s medical team was preparing the delivery room.
Lara was relieved that the excitement over Cady’s baby had taken everyone’s attention, even her mother’s. Jade had been giving her strange looks, but she ignored her friend, not wanting to deal with this now. Someone from the security team called Jade, asking her to supervise the cleanup of the lab, so the Lycan scientist quickly left, but the look in her eyes said she was going to get an explanation, one way or another.
She collapsed on the couch in Cady’s office. Her day couldn’t possibly get any worse.
“Lara!” Alynna’s head popped through the door.
“What is it? Is Cady OK?”
“She’s fine! But your day is about to get more exciting! Meeting in the conference room. Now!”
Ugh, really?
Lara dragged herself to her feet and threw Cady’s office door open. As she was leaving the office, she bumped into a solid wall. However, the familiar citrusy scent told her it wasn’t a wall.
“Lara!” Liam caught her before she fell flat on her ass. “Finally! I was looking all over for you. Look, I’m so sorry. You’re right, I was hiding you away, but it’s not because I’m ashamed of you.”
“Liam, please.” Lara pulled away from him. She had to get away from him now. “What are you doing here?”
“I wasn’t going to just let you go, you should know that by now,” he growled.
“You should!” She pushed at him. “I’m not good for you!”
He caught her wrists and pulled him towards her. “Listen here, Lara-”
“Hey!” It was Alex Westbrooke. He was standing outside his office, arms crossed over his chest, leaning casually against the door. “Everything OK here?”
Liam dropped Lara’s hands. “Yeah, we’re good.”
Alex gave Lara a concerned look, watching her intently as she slunk away from Liam. “I’m not asking you. Lara, are you all right?”
“Mind your own business, Westbrooke,” Liam stepped towards the other Lycan.
“Oh yeah?” Alex stretched up to his full height, tipping his chin up. “Make me, Henney.”
“Stop it!” Lara put her hands up and pushed the two men away from each other with her powers. They both stumbled back but quickly regained their balance. “C’mon, Alynna says we have a meeting now!”
She ran past them in a huff, pushing the conference door open with such force it slammed against the wall. Several pairs of eyes swung over to her. “Sorry,” she murmured, and sat in the empty chair between Jade and her mother.
Alex and Liam followed behind her, the tension between them palpable. Alynna rolled her eyes at her husband as he sat next to her, while Vivianne shot Lara a confused look. She ignored her mother.
“All right, we’re all here,” Grant began. He sat at the head of the table, with Alynna on his right and Vivianne on his left. He turned to Liam. “I’m glad you’re here, Liam. We could really use all the help we can get.”
“Glad to be here.” The San Francisco Alpha nodded. “Like I said, I want to take down those mages.”
“Excellent. So sorry for the short notice, but we have some new developments. Alynna.” He turned the floor over to his sister.
“Let’s get this show on the road, folks.” She cleared her throat. “This morning, there was an explosion in Jade’s lab. We thought it was an accident, but upon further investigation we discovered it wasn’t.”
“How?” Lara asked.
Alynna picked up her tablet and with a tap of the screen the lights dimmed and the large monitor behind Grant pulsed to life. Milly’s picture flashed on the screen. “Mildred Foster. She started working as Jade’s assistant a few weeks ago, right after the previous assistant quit. She last clocked out at 9 p.m. last night, which was right around the time she left the ultrasonic cleaner on. Didn’t show up to work this morning, and when HR went to her apartment…well.” Alynna took a deep breath. “I’m afraid she’s dead.”
Jade went pale. “What happened?”
Alynna shook her head. “We don’t know yet, but we suspect foul play. I went there myself and collected her phone and laptop. I had my friends hack into it.” She tapped the tablet again, and a map popped up. “At first glance everything seemed clean, but they found messages and calls on her phone and email to one device. They tracked it all the way to the Adirondack Mountains.” A different picture flashed on the screen. It was a large mansion built right into the side of the mountain.
“What are you saying?” Alex asked.
“Milly was a spy,” Alynna said. “The mages got to her. She’s not a witch or mage, as far as we can tell. I’m putting my money on either blackmail or plain old greed. Anyway, she’s been feeding information to the mages. That’s probably how they found out about what we were doing, and about you.” She looked at Jade. “I’m sorry.”
The scientist went pale. “What do we do now?”
“Well, we think the mages are in that mansion. Although our prisoner hasn’t been cooperative, when I showed him the picture, he practically peed his pants. He told us everything in return for protection. Apparently, he’d rather take his chances with us than with Stefan. He confirmed that the mansion was where Stefan and his cohorts are currently hiding out. He’s also giving us some incredible intel about their defenses.”
“Now,” Grant spoke up. “This is our chance to strike back. Alynna, Alex, and Nick have been coming up with various plans in case we ever had such an opportunity.”
“This is our best chance to really hit them hard,” Alynna said. “And possibly capture Stefan and put an end to this.”
“The bracelet!” Jade interjected. “We tested it before the explosion! It was working.”
“Yes,” Lara confirmed. “It dampened my powers. I couldn’t use them, which was why I couldn’t push the cleaner away.”
“Fantastic!” Alynna said in an excited voice. “Jade, I could kiss you! This changes things. I think I know which plan we should put into action. The bracelet
will simplify things and put less risk on our people.”
“Do we have enough people to put your plan into action?”
Alynna looked around the room. “With Nick gone, I’m not sure, but we could adjust.”
“Grant,” Liam spoke up. “I’ll take Nick’s place, whatever you need.”
Lara’s pulse ticked faster, her eyes staring at the image of the mage stronghold. There was something about it that was bothering her.
“That would be awesome, Liam,” Alynna said. “That will make things easier. Now, let’s get the details ironed out.”
As Alynna began to explain the plan, Lara tried to listen, but she couldn’t concentrate. She had a gut feeling, and it wasn’t a good one. She stared at the picture until her vision went blurry.
Oh God.
Her dream. The large circular room overlooking the mountains. Liam falling to his death.
A wave of nausea hit her, and she shot to her feet. She ran out of the conference room, barely making it to the bathroom.
After losing her breakfast in the toilet, she washed her mouth out and leaned her forehead on the cold tile wall. It was happening all over again. Jonathan. Now Liam. There had to be a way to stop it and save Liam.
She wiped her hand on her shirt and took a deep breath, preparing to face the others.
“Lara, darling, are you OK?” Vivianne was waiting for her outside the bathroom. “How bad is your morning sickness?”
“I’m fine, Mother. It’s not…I haven’t.” God, what was she supposed to say to her mother?
“Lara.”
She froze. Turning around slowly, she faced Liam, looking up into his electric blue eyes. His handsome face was etched with worry. “Are you all right?”
“Liam! She’s fine, it’s all normal you know.” Vivianne swept past Lara to enfold him in a hug. “Oh, I can’t tell you how happy I am.”
Liam looked confused. When Vivianne let go, he finally spoke. “Normal for what?”
“A woman in her condition, of course!” Vivianne laughed, placing a hand on Lara’s belly. “Oh. Wow. I never thought such power…but of course it makes sense! A Lycan and witch as True Mates, this changes everything!”
“Lara?” Liam’s face went white as a sheet.
Vivianne looked at Liam and then at Lara. “Oh dear. You didn’t know?”
Liam shook his head slowly.
“I’m sorry…Lara, darling, please forgive me! I didn’t mean to ruin the surprise.”
“It’s OK, Mother,” Lara whispered. “Please, can you give me and Liam some privacy?”
“Of course. I’ll be back in the conference room.”
Vivianne gave her a weak smile and left. Lara looked after her mother, waited for her to disappear around the corner before facing Liam.
“Did you know?” Liam’s voice was cold and emotionless.
She couldn’t lie. “I suspected. But I wasn’t sure.”
“And yet you left me? Let me think I was being selfish?!” Liam’s face twisted in anger. “You knew. You could give me pups, and you let me think…I was ready to give up everything for you! I told my mother I didn’t care about being Alpha and that I was in lo-”
“I don’t want your pups!” she shouted, then put her hand over her mouth. She knew what he was going to say, and she had to stop him from saying those words. So she thought of the only thing that could make him hate her. She lied to him, so she could save him.
A myriad of different emotions seemed to flash across Liam’s face at lightning speed. Surprise, hurt, regret, anger, and then nothing. The last one was the worst for Lara. His eyes turned cold and unfeeling, his lips set into a tight line. “So,” he spat. “I’m good enough to fuck, but not to be the father of your pure witch children?”
His words tore her to pieces. If he had ripped her beating heart out of her chest it would have hurt less.
“That’s not…Liam!” she cried out as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall.
“Did you have fun slumming it with a dirty dog like me?” He leaned down close to her ear, his breath hot. His legs nudged her knees apart, and he pressed his hips to hers, the desire there apparent, despite his obvious hatred. “Is this what you want, Lara? What would you do to have it again, I wonder?”
Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, but she swallowed it, along with the hurt. “Let go of me, Liam.”
“I told you, sweetheart.” He said the endearment sarcastically. “I’m never letting you go. This,” he grabbed her stomach, “is mine. There’s nowhere on Earth you can run from me.”
“No!”
“I thought you didn’t want pups? Oh, don’t worry, I only want my heir. Once you’ve done your duty, you can go ahead and spread your legs for any man who comes along, I won’t be around to service you. Maybe that Wesley-”
“Asshole!” God, how could he be so cruel? But this is what she wanted, right? For Liam to hate her. She wrenched free of his grasp. She would not cry in front of him.
“Liam? Lara?” Alynna called out from the conference room. “Everything all right?”
“We’re good!” Lara called out, keeping her face away from the other Lycan.
“We need to get started on our plan. We leave tonight for the Adirondacks.”
“Great,” she answered, wiping the tears from the rim of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she walked away from Liam and back into the conference room.
***
Liam stared at Lara as she walked away. That cruel, cold-hearted bitch.
His wolf was howling, scratching and clawing at him, wanting to be let out. It wasn’t that it was angry. No. His wolf was in pain. Lara’s rejection sent his inner wolf into a downward spiral, and he struggled to control both his wolf and his emotions.
Had Lara been playing him all along? What was her game? Why sleep with him in the first place if she knew she would get pregnant? The condoms. That’s why she insisted. Except that one time. They were True Mates, after all.
Confusion. Hurt. Fury. His mind was in a jumble, his heart threatening to break apart. And to think, he was ready to give up everything for her. His mother had been furious when he came home after Lara had left. Of course that big-mouthed Belinda had called her right away. He had never seen Akiko so angry, shouting at him about family and honor and duty. But he defied her, told her he was in love with Lara and he was going to pass along the Alpha title to Takeda’s son.
He gave a bitter laugh. Well, joke’s on him. Lara. Sweet, beautiful and gorgeous Lara. So kind and nurturing. But deep inside, she was cold-blooded as a snake. Using him for fun, toying with his feelings. Rage burned through him. He was itching to let his wolf out and rip apart some mages. The wolf would welcome the fight, anything to relieve the pain burning a hole inside him. He swallowed down all of the emotions. Don’t worry wolf, he said to his inner animal. You’ll get a chance to bleed something soon enough.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The mountain mansion was an intimidating sight, even from a distance. It was monstrous, taking up about half the face of the cliff. To get to the front gate, one would have to hike about twenty miles through thick forest. The front side of the property was protected by an electrocuted fence, plus various magical wards, while the back side was edged towards the cliff with a thousand feet drop.
This is crazy, Lara thought, looking up at the looming structure. But the plan had to work. This might be their only chance for victory and to end it all. She pushed away the doubt and fear, along with her other feelings, and prepared for the task ahead.
They prepared all day and all night. Lara stayed away from Liam as much as she could, not that it was hard. The Lycan obviously didn’t want to be around her. Who could blame him, after all? And now he hated her, and that was the point. If he didn’t love her anymore, then the curse wouldn’t affect him. Liam would live and the price she paid would have been worth it.
By evening time, they had the final plan in place. First, they would split u
p into two groups. One team would be comprised of their best fighters and fake a sneak attack on the front. They would disable the fence and distract the dozen or so men guarding the front, and fool the mages into thinking they had caught the Lycans. Meanwhile, a smaller team would sneak in through the secret tunnel their mage prisoner, Marcus, told them about. Then they would have to find Stefan and put the bracelet on him.
Grant was leading the front attack, with Vivianne assisting in disabling the magical wards placed by the mages. Alex, Meredith, and two of the Lycan security team members would be with him for their fake attack. Nick would stay behind in their command center at The Enclave. Cady had given birth to a healthy baby boy hours before, but he was reluctant to leave his wife and child. Since Liam had offered to take his place, the San Francisco Alpha was now in charge of the smaller team, which consisted of just Lara and Alynna. If he objected to being teamed with her or her participation at all, Liam didn’t show it. A slash of pain went through her, thinking that he didn’t care about her, but she pushed it deep down inside her. She was invulnerable anyway, thanks to the baby growing inside of her. And this was much more important.
Now here she was, waiting with Liam and Alynna on the east side of the mansion. It was still dark, dawn would arrive soon. Marcus told them where to find the entrance to the secret tunnel but warned them about magical wards placed on it. Another reason why she had to go with the team. The mage said that it was the usual protection and warning spells, so Lara was confident she could disable them.
The three of them walked up the outer wall, which was covered with vines. Lara closed her eyes and opened her senses, trying to feel the magic around her. The rush of power came at her quick, making her stagger back.
“What’s wrong?” Alynna whispered.
“I found the wards. Stand back,” she said. The Lycans moved behind her, and Lara began to chant softly, placing her hands over the wall.
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