Pregnant And Rejected

Charta 19.3 -Lockdoen

Selene

I’m woken by the sounds of blaring alarms, the sound so shrill and horrible | slam a pillow over my face before I can stop to consider what the sound might mean. It’s not until my bedroom door swings open and a young servant girl pokes her head in, that I lower the plush implement. She pulls me out of bed and helps me into a robe while my head spins.

An alarm. I think hopefully, that’s bad for Blaise.

And what’s bad for Blaise can only be good for us. Luna answers slyly.

“What’s happened?” I ask the girl helping me.

“We‘re going into lockdown, miss.” the young servant an swers, breaking the silence her station usually demands.

“What do you mean, lockdown?” | question, “What’s hap pened?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never heard the alarms go off before, but the Alpha’s orders were unequivocal. The entire above ground is locking down, so it can’t be a fire or flood.” She rea sons, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

“Did you speak to him yourself?” | ask, trying to figure out exactly what’s going on. If it’s just a lockdown and he doesn’t know where I am, I might be able to get away. But if she was specifically sent to retrieve me, I probably can’t escape with out endangering her.

com “No.” She shakes her head, “This is just standard proce

dure. I’m taking you to one of the safe rooms.”

“Wait!” I cry, pulling her to a stop. “What’s your name?”

The girl replies

here, Clara?” I inquire, already imag ining making a break for the dungeons. If the city is on lock down all the guards will be called away to help, and I’m always strongest first thing in the morning. This could be my chance to free myself, Bastien and my father at once. Helene’s voice rings in my ears, urging me to be

understand.” Clara murmurs

to get out of here before it’s too late.” I declare, “I don’t want to get you in trouble and I don’t know what you might risk by running, but | want to give you the chance to escape with me

escape?” She

his guards are more distracted

– I can’t.” Clara whimpers, “I

beg, tak ing her by the shoulders. “Do you know where the

just past the park, but you can’t go

off my robe and nightgown and pulling on a pair of maternity jeans, a black top and flats. “Please, promise me

of limp, her jaw slackens, and she

dashing out

use one of the many secret passageways lining the Pack House for emer gencies, but Blaise hasn’t trusted me enough to tell me about any such precautions in his mansion, so

first few corridors are clear, and I have to think that they’ve all gone to handle whatever disaster spurred the alarms. I’m trying to be as quiet as possible, but I’m also painfully aware that my

to assume that most of Blaise’s security force have gone to the guard house beside the front courtyard. I have to pause at every other corner I reach, waiting for neat rows of march ing sentries

shadows as I run, concealing my presence in the dim light of early morning and blinding the few guards I do encounter. The rising sun blinds me when I fi nally break out into the fresh air, feeling a rush of exhilaration to

feel a brief moment of hesitation as I worry I might be mistaken for one of Blaise’s devoted followers and make

or someone huge grabs me from behind, lifting my feet off the ground as I yelp in surprise. Struggling to escape the man holding me, I kick and claw and his beefy arms, so preoccupied with getting away that I’m not

I jerk my head up at the sound of someone clear ing their throat, my eyes going wide as’l see a line of guards circling myself and my captor. There at their center, is Blaise, watching

into my stomach, plummeting so quickly! feel sure I’m going to be sick. No. I think desperately, no, no, no. He can’t win that

But clearly he can.