“It will be alright,” she told him as she cradled him like a child. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Katrina squeezed into her bed next to Zachary with a warm cup of calming tea. They had decided to migrate upstairs to her room where the damage wouldn’t be a reminder of the current turmoil in their lives.
It was a small room for the two of them, but it was cozy. She couldn’t imagine leaving his side at the moment anyway. She pretended like the threats against her didn’t bother her, but deep down, she was worried.
“So, the police report is made, and the cops left. I called the insurance to let them know and faxed them a copy of the police report. The staff is downstairs getting things cleaned up. I let them call in a couple of friends. I hope you don’t mind. It is a mess, and I really didn’t want them trying to do that all by themselves.”
Zachary smiled over at her and placed his hand lovingly on her thigh.
“I love that you’re so caring and you’re always taking care of me. But right now I think you need to scoot over here and lay your head on me and let me take care of you for a change.” She patted his shoulder, and she leaned down, setting the cup of tea on her nightstand before landing her head against his collarbone. Zachary placed his arm around her, making her feel much warmer and calm than the tea did.
“This is nice,” she admitted while looking at the wall across from her like something might suddenly show up there; some message or form of entertainment. With everything that was going on, anything was possible. She would probably be waiting for the other shoe to drop for a long time.
"I think there are some explanations I owe you," he whispered before kissing her pleasantly on the forehead. "I didn't tell you everything before because I was still trying to protect you, but I think that instead, I might have done you a bit of a disservice. It's been hard being who I am and being alone, staying uninvolved with others so that they wouldn’t find out what I was or what I was involved in and either run away screaming or get taken away.” Katrina listened quietly and intently, ready to know every detail about his life.
“I’ve always been a weapons engineer. I’ve told you I was a Marine for some time straight out of high school. I was intelligent with a lot of mental energy and nothing that interested me. So, it was the best way to go. I learned incredible things in the military. When I came home from my first tour I went on to work for them and their outsource companies and began developing ideas for weapons. I also did some repairs and revamping of what was already there. I had a pretty stable life, making my parents proud and all that.”
Katrina felt him take a long breath and she wondered if he could hear her heart pounding.
“At that time I was even in a great relationship. Her name was Sarah.” He said the name as if it held a lifetime of baggage for him. “I was actually going to propose to her when I got called on my second tour.”
“The one where you were attacked?”
Zachary nodded. “I came back changed, more than just war wounds, I was a monster, half beast. This was right before other people like me came out in the open, so I didn’t understand what was happening to me.”
Katrina has felt a pain run through her body. Sarah, her name had been Sarah. Did he still love her? Katrina felt a spasm of jealousy flood her body.
“What happened to… the woman?” she asked, unable to bring herself to say the name. He smiled bitterly before continuing.
“She was waiting for me when I came home. But I was a changed man. I couldn’t tell her what happened to me, what was continuing to happen to me. A couple weeks later, when the big worldwide announcement came from the werewolves, I understood. I packed my bags that day and disappeared. I left her a note, I said the war had changed me, but she must have already known that. I never saw her again. I just couldn’t tell her the full truth or have myself around her when I was becoming a monster. I settled myself out here. I had served out my time in the military so I became a contractor. I was able to work far from anyone else while still experimenting on myself.”
He paused letting the silence hang around them for a long minute.
“Really, I wanted to die. I hurt, and I felt I didn't deserve to live as such a creature. But then I realized I could use what I was too hurt the others, the sort who first attacked and killed the men I was with that night. I did enough experiments to create some new weapons and then approached the government with my proposal.”
He shrugged his shoulders, and Katrina gave him a kiss on the cheek. He had been through so much to get to where he was now, and she felt like she really knew and understood him now more than ever. She could see all the layers, and she loved them, no matter how dark or bitter they were.
“Where are your parents now?” she asked.
Zachary shook his head. “I haven’t seen them in years. I can’t bear to let them see me like this…a monster.”
“You’re not a monster.” She felt like she had to let him know, as she made circles with her fingers on his chest. She loved being so close to him. “So how did they find you and find out what you were doing?” she threw the question out into the silence.
“We have a smell and can easily find each other. It’s supposed to be for our protection so we can find a pack to join or know when enemies are near. I used to wander much farther than I do now in my wolf form and ended up running into this rural pack that you had the unfortunate luck of meeting. At first, they were friendly and helpful, trying to get me to embrace this life and join with them. But when I resisted they began looking into me and stalking me. They easily discovered my line of work after observation and became infuriated. They think I am betraying my own nature and people. That’s when the threats and attacks began, and they escalated over time. My last assistant went missing after trying to leave and get out of here. That was the first time they became so directly violent and threatening and revealed themselves to anyone other than myself. I really don’t know what happened to her. I hope she managed to make it out alive and disappear like she wanted.”
Katrina thought she saw him fighting himself, trying not to tear up. It greatly affected him that he had hurt these people and even that he had hurt the others in some indirect way. Deep down, she could tell he cared about that more than he let on, and she hoped, in time, that she could help him overcome his hatred of himself, even if he did not like the way others used the supernatural gift they had been given.
“I love you,” she said without thinking.
She hadn’t meant to say it so soon or to even be the one to say it first, but ever since they’d had sex she’d felt closer and closer to him like a magnetic pull.
“I know you do, I can feel it. You really are my mate,” he answered in a whisper, rubbing her leg up and down. “And I love you too.”
Chapter Nine
Dear Katrina,
It pains me even as I write this letter, but my conscience would not be clear unless I gave you this offer from my heart. I love you truly, and I know that you love me too, or at least think you do. Becoming my mate will do strange things to your head and your heart and pull you to me whether it is your will or not.
I know you are a strong woman, and I want you to use that strength to look inside and find your true feelings outside of the forces surrounding us and think logically. If you stay here with me I cannot guarantee how long, we could be happy together because something might happen to one or both of us. But I think that if you leave there might still be a way to save you. And I am going to give you a week to think about this before I will accept an answer.
If you leave and go very far away, the wolves may change their minds about you and see you mean nothing to me and I nothing to you. They could not use you against me. You would be safe and happy, and I would give you all the money you could ever need or want to survive elsewhere. You will have a new life and get to start over and be safe. You won’t have to worry about any of these troubles here anymore.
I hope you think about this and realize that it
is out of my love for you that I am doing this. Take your one week, and I will give you space to do so. I won't kiss you or try to pursue you so that you can really think about it.
Your Zachary
Katrina clutched the letter in her hand and read it over and over again.
She had discovered it the morning after he had finally revealed everything. It had been on the pillow next to her, and he had been nowhere to be found. He had stuck to the plan and not had any contact with her other than what was necessary for her work as the ache for him in her chest had just gotten stronger. She was not sure she could separate her feelings as a mate and her feelings as Katrina any longer. She was almost certain they were one in the same, which made thinking logically near impossible.
And now, in her other hand, she held a piece of paper with another bomb written on it; one she never would have expected. But it served to confirm the fact that she was not going anywhere.
She had to stay and fight with Zachary because she was pregnant with his child. And she knew she had to break their silence and tell him before she got any sicker. She had no idea what the child she was carrying was genetically and how it might affect her body, but what she did know was that her growing sickness had been what had prompted her to go into the local clinic in the first place and that the baby was not only definitely in there but was showing to be almost three months along already when it had only been a little over a week since she’d had sex for the first time in over a year.
Scared and in tears she got out of her car and walked into the mansion, knowing what she had to do and feeling scared to death about it. She didn’t know if Zachary would embrace the situation or feel sickened by it. After all, he hated his nature, and that could very well mean hating the child too.
But she already felt like they were a family, and she loved this child no matter what it was. All she could do was hope that he would feel the same way.
“Zachary!” she called out into the house, obvious tears tainting her voice. “I have to talk to you!”
Zachary came out of his room, trying to look neutral like he was ready to be civil with her as he had been for the past week, but then she could see his face shift as he looked at her, really looked at her. Katrina was already in tears and stained from those she’d shed earlier, and she had noticeably gained some weight already. He had to know looking at her that something was up.
He brought her into his room and shut the door.
Before he could say or do anything, she collapsed into his arms in tears, blubbering as she told him what she had found out.
“I am not leaving. I just can’t. I love you dearly, and I just found out from the doctor that I am pregnant. Three months by her count. What is going on?” she wailed. She felt him take a sharp breath, but otherwise, he remained calm and strong for her.
He pulled her back a bit to look in her eyes, and she could see his beautiful eyes were teary again.
“You’re having my child?” he asked, incredulous. She nodded, studying him.
“You’re having my child.” This time it was a statement as the full weight hit him. “I feel so many different ways about this. This is another thing that they can use against me, against us, Katrina. You must know that. And it isn’t going to be a normal pregnancy. He or she will be born in just a couple months and will already be part of what I am.”
Katrina felt her heart sink at his words.
“But for some reason, I can’t help but be happy. I never thought it would be possible for a woman I loved to carry my child; not after what has happened to me.”
He began to break down, and they held each other in happy and scared silence for a long time. No, there would be no leaving for Katrina. They were a family now.
Chapter Ten
Night after night the two sat there, trying to live life as normal while she dealt with the morning sickness that seemed to be worse than any case she’d heard of and they waited on the wolves to come for them.
They were curled up together on the couch with Zachary rubbing her belly when they both sat up straight. A howl could be heard cutting through the night, and they both knew it was time.
They had prepared, and he had stocked up on all the weapons he had made; both chemical and mechanical, in order to fight them off the best they could. They had a family to protect, and there was just no choice but to find a way to win the impossible battle.
Katrina felt fear coursing through her veins as other strange sounds came from all around them, and Zachary started pulling out weapons and stationing them everywhere around the house.
Then, he handed her a gun, filled with silver bullets and a needle. The injection would paralyze one of them permanently. She hoped none of them would get close enough for her to have to use it but doubted her hopes were turn into a reality. They wanted blood, and they were going to get it at any cost.
He sent her up the stairs to wait and watch from above as he stood near the door, armed and ready to keep them from ever making it up that far.
“No!” he cried as he sniffed the air just before the door cracked open with a horrible splitting sound. He screamed in anger at the intruders before unloading a round of bullets into them.
They were so fast; Katrina’s eyes could barely follow them. The wolves came busting through the newly repaired windows, their bodies lithe and agile.
Bullets flew and so did knives, swords and far as the whole house was turned upside down in chaos. No one had reached her yet, and few had even noticed her. They focus was on taking out Zachary and his weapons, which were at least beginning to be mildly effective.
Some of them were getting smart to the fact that there were weapons everywhere and began trying to get to them and destroy them; some getting injured in the process.
Katrina kept her stance at the top of the stairs as a last defense even as she watched them begin attacking the man she loved. They moved on him in groups, tearing his body up, ripping flesh.
It was time for her to step in.
Katrina stood up and aimed the gun precisely each time before she shot, trying to be as careful as possible to hit them in the right place as not to waste bullets or endanger Zachary. But even as it was taking many down, many more attacked, and the worst part was others were noticing her and coming for her now.
She had given herself away. Was there any hope?
She unloaded bullets into three wolves galloping up the stairs at her as Zachary latched on with his teeth to pull them down. They flew across the room, but others advanced. He launched a desperate attack, which left him thrown to the ground unconscious. Katrina was alone and running out of ammunition as some of the pack was surrounding him for the kill.
She had to act fast.
Katrina unloaded the rest of her bullets in the wolves and took out another with the needle.
The leader and two who were injured were left. She took a fighting stance, desperate to find a way to fight them and save the child growing inside of her.
Her hands went to her round belly, and she said a quick, silent prayer.
They stopped. With a growl, the leader bowed his head and whimpered. Katrina watched, disbelieving, as he got down on the ground like an obedient dog.
Then, the leader turned around and seemed to bark an order to all those recovering from injuries and the others still poised and baring their teeth. And, without warning, they all whimpered to the ground just as he had.
Her eyes darted down to Zachary’s body where she saw him stirring and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe, just maybe, they would both survive this thing.
“Why did you stop?” she asked, trying to read the deep brown wolf that was staring her down curiously.
It came up to her, and she stood as still as a statue while it sniffed and gestured to her belly. It had something to do with the baby, but what? Then, the wolf became a man, a naked and handsome man who still held the deep brown eyes of the beast. He had some kind of wild look about him like he had been a wolf far too long and di
d not know how to be a man.
“We will be leaving, and we apologize for the attack. We still do not agree with what he is doing, but we cannot turn our back on the family that has produced a great alpha. He grows in you right now, and we swear our allegiance to him and will always keep him safe from harm. Make sure that he does not cross us again.” The wolf-man looked down at Zachary with disdain before morphing back into a wolf like it was nothing and leading the rest out of the mansion.
Katrina was stunned for a moment, soaking in the words before running down to meet Zachary who looked bloodied and in pain, but alright.
“Did you hear that, Zachary?”
“I did,” he choked out, crawling to her and laying his head on her swollen belly. “I think I will have to stop hating what I am so much because it sounds like this bundle of joy is going to be one too, and he’s the reason we’re safe.”
Katrina smiled and ran her fingers through his hair, taking her first clear, deep breath in some time.
“Thank you,” she whispered to her stomach as she stretched her hands across it.
Chapter Eleven
“Did you remember the apple pie?” Katrina asked Zachary as he closed the car door behind him.
He let out a groan and got out of the new Porsche SUV. Katrina smiled despite herself. The day had been stressful already and it was only just beginning, but she was happy and she knew that Zachary was too.
Zachary handed Katrina the pie dish before he got back into the driver's seat. It was her first attempt at making a pie and it had taken hours. She'd watched videos, scoured recipes, and finally, it had produced what she now held in her hands.
He started the car but paused as he began backing out of the long driveway that led to the mansion.
“What is it? Did we forget something else?” Katrina asked.
Zachary’s dark eyes turned to hers and she saw the worry and fear that lingered there.
“Hey, they love you, this is going to be great.” Katrina put her hand over Zachary’s and gave him a squeeze.
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