Bound to Change: A Limited Edition Spring Shifter Romance Collection

by Margo Bond Collins

  The need for blood only got worse. To the point that I only vaguely noticed pressure lifting off and burning on my arms and legs then eventually something shoved in between my snapping teeth. Cognizant of being moved, I couldn't tell where I was going, but a short time later, a cold rush of fluid in my overheated neck gave way to a blissful floating.

  Snippets of conversation occasionally intruded my serenity, but I couldn't make sense of them. Until suddenly, I could.

  A woman's voice reached me, distorted but understandable. "She's definitely carrying. I performed the test twice and ran a sonogram. I'd estimate six weeks give or take a few days. I'm hypothesizing that her condition is a direct result of the fetus. She's highly anemic and should have a better diet as well as supplements. You know our females have a high risk from the short pregnancies as just yesterday I explained this to your mate. Uh, first mate. Apologies, Alpha." The voice sounded scared at the mistake.

  "Find out what she needs and speak to no one of this. Do you understand?" There was a brief pause in which I imagined the woman nodding. "Keep her here and if my first mate shows up, do not let her find this one. Gods, she was supposed to conceive first." I finally found the will to crack my eyes open in time to see the Alpha rubbing at his forehead.

  "Yes, Alpha, I understand. One last thing though. It was odd, but in addition to the anemia, she appears to have suffered blood loss. I couldn't find any source of internal bleeding or bruising, and once the IV was started with a transfusion, she calmed further. Pregnant women, shifter or not, should have a larger blood volume than normal, nearly double." The woman, who I assumed was a doctor, chose that moment to glance my way and stopped speaking on the matter. "Well, how are you feeling, Mari?"

  After a quick look at the Alpha, I answered with a brief, "Fine." I tried to shift my slowly-waking body but found a band around my chest holding my torso to the bed. Matching ones held my wrists, and when I tugged on my legs, I found my ankles secured as well. My wolf was whimpering at being further restricted, and I had to agree with her. This was torture.

  "How much did you hear? Wait, Anna, you're dismissed. I'll have a guard fetch you when I leave." He waited until she departed, leaving the exam room to us alone. I was fairly certain we were still in the manor as the area smelled the same under the antiseptic odor.

  I warily answered his question. "I know I'm pregnant, and likely that it's well ahead of your mate’s." I didn't recognize myself as his mate and wouldn't acknowledge it either.

  He understood my slight if the thunderous expression was anything to go by. "You will keep this information to yourself, Mariana.” I scowled but nodded anyway. “The maid has been disposed of, and your room will be set to rights by the time you return.”

  “What are you going to do about the baby?” I didn’t want to be pregnant with his child, but it was mine too, and I’d tear anyone apart that tried to take it from me. He must have seen the warning in my eyes as he answered carefully.

  “For now, you will receive the care you need, and everyone involved will remain silent on the matter until I come up with a solution. I will not have chaos in my home.”

  I nodded again and turned my head away from him, closing my eyes as I did so. For whatever reason, the normally cruel Alpha let my behavior go and left the exam room. I slipped back into a fitful rest; this time unaided by any drugs.

  “I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND it. There isn’t any trauma or bleeding that I can find, yet you have needed two blood transfusions and a double dose of iron over the last three days. I have to be missing something.” The doctor was talking, mostly to herself, as she tried to puzzle out what was going on with me. “I want to try another internal sonogram; maybe the answer lies with the pup.” And thank goodness it was only one. Apparently, the Alpha’s mate was carrying a litter of three. No thank you.

  I submitted to the exam, getting into position and ignoring the probing until the doctor started tapping rapidly on the screen and pushing hard enough on a spot inside to be uncomfortable. A look at the blobs on the screen didn’t reveal anything to me, but it apparently made sense to her. Or maybe not from the puzzled expression she had.

  “Is something wrong?” My question snapped her out of her daze.

  “Well, I’m not sure.” At my palpable fear, she clarified, “The fetus appears fine, but what it is doing isn’t normal, and it looks like there is a second, smaller umbilical cord wrapped around the other.” I peered closer at the screen, trying to understand and push down my fear. “See how there are these small gaps indicating space between the cords?” I nodded even though it didn’t look like anything except varying shades of white and gray with red and blue spots showing up and disappearing. “The red and blue are the blood flow. The fetus, I think, is absorbing the blood, but the volume is too much for the size. I need to call someone in for a second opinion.” She removed the wand, and the image on the screen disappeared. After helping me get settled back in the bed, she excused herself.

  A short while later the Alpha appeared, less than pleased, followed by the doctor. “What is so important that you interrupted me in the dining hall? The entire point of this setup is to avoid my mate who is now suspicious.” The doctor screwed up her courage and proceeded with her request anyway. “I need a second opinion. I don’t understand what I’m seeing on the scans or the bloodwork. Nothing like this has ever cropped up in my career.”

  “Absolutely not. No one else is to even know she is carrying yet. Tell me what the issues are.” The doctor relayed everything from over the last few days. “Are there any other tests you can perform to figure it out? Or would it be better to terminate?” The doctor's gasp echoed mine. Shifters did not abort. If there was something wrong with the baby, my wolf should have detected it and expelled it already. He had to know that. At the threat, a sensation moved through me. One I hadn’t felt in weeks.

  “He will not harm the infant. I will not allow it.” The entity spoke in my head, and my wolf cowered from it. White light, tinged in black began to glow around my still-flat belly. It got brighter, catching the attention of both the Alpha and the doctor until a halo surrounded it.

  "What is that?" The Alpha pointed at the glow. The doctor was just as surprised.

  "It said you won't hurt the baby. It won't let you." My answer was fierce.

  "Alpha, I believe this may be something peculiar to being the Heir. I would need to consult the Elders—" The doctor was cut off by the hand around her throat.

  "You will not be contacting them or anyone else. The Elders already denied my right to the transference; I won't let them take a second chance. Monitor her and report any changes immediately." The Alpha dropped the doctor and stormed out of the room.

  The doctor took a moment to catch her breath and met my terrified stare. I didn't know how, but I wouldn't let him hurt my baby.

  The next three months passed much the same; stuck in my room, blood transfusions — and conversations with the entity.

  It reassured me that the baby would be fine but wouldn't tell me how it knew or what the anomalies meant. I had been permitted a monitor so I could ring the doctor for any concerns or changes even though she monitored me with daily visits.

  There was one perk to it all. The nightly visits from the Alpha stopped. Seemed he was wary of what the entity might do to him.

  It was in the middle of the night when a gush of hot fluid woke me from another uncomfortable rest. I'd only just gotten asleep, it seemed, and I was annoyed that my bladder had finally given up to the pressure on it. I heaved myself out of bed, huffing with irritability, and on that heavy breath realized it wasn't urine that I smelled. The cramping that soon followed heralded the realization that I was in labor. It wasn't unexpected as wolf shifter pregnancies were much shorter than humans, but still, I wasn't ready to face my baby being outside my body and unprotected. The entity had already explained it couldn't transfer to it.

  I grabbed the monitor off of the bedside table and pressed the button that
would alert the doctor I needed assistance. Hopefully, she responded quickly as she knew my time was near. The guard wouldn't open the door for me as had been proven time and again when being contained in the room had driven me to the brink of sanity, and I'd begged to be let out.

  Using the time in between the cramping, I managed to shower and strip the bed before I heard a key turning the lock. The doctor entered followed closely by Alpha Larimer. The fitted sheet was halfway on, and she rushed to help finish it, directing the Alpha to get towels from the bathroom.

  "How far apart are the pains?" she asked as she helped me onto the pile of towels.

  I hesitated to expose myself under the scrutiny of the Alpha. Besides being highly uncomfortable, I'd taken out a sanitary napkin in my underwear to catch the fluid that continued to come out.

  "Mari!" The doctor snapped her fingers in front of my face. "How far apart?"

  Focusing on only her, I gave my best answer. "Ten minutes or so? Sometimes longer or shorter? I'm sorry, I wasn't keeping track while I cleaned up."

  "No, that's okay. As long as they're not back to back, we can move you down to the clinic." She only had to do a brief check to see my water had broken and shielded me from the Alpha as she did so. "Let's get a robe on and move you downstairs."

  "Wait, I need the basket from the wardrobe." The Alpha crossed the room to get it, annoyance in his manner despite his lack of complaint. When the doctor saw the contents, she glared at him before giving me a look of pity.

  I didn't understand why she would be concerned about baby clothes. I'd handmade several gowns and blankets in white and yellow from the supplies I'd begged the maid for. I wasn't sure when the Alpha had planned to get supplies for the baby, and it had helped occupy my time.

  "Okay, slow and careful. The delivery room has been set up all week, so it’s ready. It'll only be me and the Alpha unless something goes wrong." Her warning was blunt, but at least she was prepared.

  "We will not be calling for assistance. As soon as she delivers, my first mate will need to be hurried along. It's the only way to ensure this pup isn't my heir." The doctor was appalled.

  "You want me to induce your mate prematurely? Do you know the risks? Of course, you don't." She didn't even give him a chance to talk. "It's dangerous enough with Mari. She's been allowed no exercise, has had issues that still require transfusions and higher doses of iron, and I have no assistance if she or the pup go into distress." The Alpha glared until she cowered in submission under his dominance, baring her neck to him.

  "You will handle it. All of it." The doctor nodded her head at his decree. It was then I realized I'd never felt the urge to submit to him. Meaning he wasn't dominant over me and couldn't force me in that manner. My musing didn't last as another cramp hit, and I had to brace myself when my legs didn't want to work

  "Yes, Alpha. We need to get her to the clinic."

  We made our way past the guard who played dumb. They all did. There was no way the entire pack wasn't aware of what was happening, but there wasn't anyone brave enough to address it.

  SEVERAL GRUELING HOURS later, a baby's cry rang out. Followed momentarily by a gasp from the doctor.

  "Her eyes!" The doctor shakily placed the towel-wrapped infant on my chest. "Alpha, the child—" A sharp motion from the Alpha silenced her. I held my arms out, wanting to see her myself.

  "It's a girl?" I ignored the answer if she gave one as I checked the tiny body. She was definitely a girl, and she even had the same moon and star marking I had. Except hers was on her ankle. My finger traced it while the doctor bustled around and mumbled to herself.

  She did something to the umbilical cord, and I was able to snuggle my baby girl better, and that's when she opened her eyes for me. They swirled with silver around her pupils before settling down to be solid.

  "So, you fornicated with the Vae himself." The Alpha was furious, and I clutched her to my chest. "There will be no need to accelerate my first mate's pregnancy. If the half-breed lives, it won't be eligible to rule anyway. The plan still stands. See that it's carried out." The last was directed at the doctor who paled but nodded anyway.

  "What did he mean?" I dared to ask after he'd gone.

  The doctor didn't answer, continuing to finish the birthing process and clean-up. She avoided my eyes even as she helped the baby latch and got me settled before she left, promising to come check after she’d handled a few things.

  "STYLIANA ETHARI. THAT's her name," I informed the doctor when she came back. "Stella for short. It means luminous star. Well, it's a bit backward but close enough. My little Stella." I stroked my daughter’s soft cheek even as her little lips pursed in reflex, searching for food.

  "Mari. I have some people I'd like you to meet." The audible strain in the doctor's voice had my hackles rising and my wolf growling. I resisted when she tried to take Stella. "I need to check her over." Reluctantly, I relinquished her even as I eyed the strangers, a man and a woman, standing just inside the door.

  My attention was split between the doctor checking Stella and making sure the strangers stayed away. They appeared to be a couple, and I wasn't sure why they would be here when I'd been in isolation all this time.

  "Anna, who are these people, and why are they here?" I asked the doctor. I wasn't interested in being polite; my wolf was upset, and I was inclined to agree with her.

  The woman's expression soured, and the man looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. He vaguely reminded me of one of the guards outside my room, and I inhaled to better catch his scent. Yes, he'd definitely been in the vicinity of my room before. It wasn't like I’d seen their faces often.

  "We people are the ones that have been directed to care for your abomination of a whelp. I would advise you to watch your tongue." The woman didn't know she'd just enraged not only myself and my wolf but the entity that hid inside me as well.

  "You will not touch my daughter. Leave. Anna, give me Stella back." When the doctor hesitated, I darted to her and snatched my daughter off of the warming station where she'd been examining her. "She is mine!" The snarl was punctuated with a partial shift, and I checked to make sure I hadn't hurt the baby.

  The guard interrupted while I edged to a corner of the room furthest away from them all.

  "Anna, has she not been informed?" Anger resounded in his voice.

  "It's a delicate situation, and I followed our Alpha's orders. Just like you do," the doctor pointed out.

  "Informed about what? Someone explain!" I was rapidly losing the struggle with my wolf who wanted me to put Stella down and attack the occupants of the room.

  The doctor sighed. "Mari, this is Angela and Corbin Ambrose. The Alpha has decided it would be best if the baby was cared for by them." Her gaze was sympathetic, but she didn't appear inclined to disobey the Alpha.

  My heart rate picked up until I felt it would crash through my chest, tearing a hole through flesh and bone.

  "No, they can't! She's mine! There's no reason to take her from me. Tell them, Anna, tell them I haven't done anything wrong." Tears coursed steadily down my flushed cheeks as I tried to find a way out of this.

  The woman ran out of patience and crossed the room with her intention plain. "For heaven's sake, girl. We all know you're the Alpha's concubine, and no man wants a crying baby getting in the way of his time with his whore." She reached out as if she fully expected me to hand Stella over.

  Before I could react, the glow that had surrounded my belly weeks ago bloomed to life, encompassing me and the baby. The woman, Angela, fell back with a screech as her fingertips touched it. The doctor and her mate rushed to help her, wary of the glowing nimbus. Angela let the doctor pull her hand out to examine it, revealing already-healing burns.

  "Filthy witch," Angela accused, glaring in my direction from between the other two. "The Alpha will hear of this!" Not letting the doctor examine her further, she swept from the room in righteous indignation.

  The guard, Corbin, looked between me and the door, worry e
vident in his mien. "I'm sorry, but we weren't given a choice either, little Heir." He followed his mate out the door, leaving me with the doctor.

  "Mari, you know—"

  "No, they can't have her." I wasn't budging on my stance, and the doctor only nodded her head and followed the couple through the only exit to the windowless room in the heart of the manor. Which I was sure was blocked by another guard.

  I eventually settled down, as did the glow, and moved back to the bed to nurse the baby.

  SOMETIME LATER, THE Alpha showed up with the doctor. We had the same standoff, and he had no choice but to relent. He wasn't letting me stay in the clinic any longer, instead ordering me returned to my room.

  Dressed in one of the sleeping gowns and wrapped in a blanket I had made, I packed the baby up to go back to my room. At least now I knew why the doctor had given me that look when I asked for the basket; it had already been decided to try to steal my Stella. My little star.

  We were taken back up through the servants’ stairs and avoided almost everyone except a few stray staff who kept their eyes averted and necks partially bared as the Alpha passed with us.

  He left me at the door, and the doctor followed me in to assure me a maid would bring supplies for the baby when she brought my dinner. I only then noticed night was falling through my window. Time had been a fluid thing over the last couple of days.

  I made a roll out of sheets at the head of my bed for Stella to rest in and laid down beside her to get some myself.

  THE TURNING OF THE key in the lock woke me immediately, and I faced the door, hovering protectively in front of Stella. I wasn't stupid enough to think they wouldn't try again.