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

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,

understand.” Clara murmurs in

a nightmare and I have 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 –

to escape?” She

don’t know what’s going on right now, but I guarantee Blaise and his guards are more distracted than they’ll ever be. So yes,

Clara whimpers, “I have a

start.” I beg, tak ing her by the

but you can’t go out there!” She insists, “the city might be

and nightgown and pulling on a pair of maternity jeans, a black top and flats. “Please, promise me you won’t

goes sort of limp, her jaw

dashing out

in Elysium I might have been able to 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

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 scent is leaving a trail behind me and anyone seeking to find me will be able to

have to pause at every other corner I reach, waiting for neat rows of march ing sentries to pass by before I continue on. Something seri ous is definitely going down

blinds me when I fi nally break out into the fresh air, feeling a rush of exhilaration to think I’m finally out of the Alpha’s palace. It almost feels too easy, but I can’t stop to overthink

and I realize my hopes must be correct. Someone is attacking the Calypso leadership, and I doubt it’s another pack. I feel a brief moment of hesitation as I worry I might be mistaken for one of Blaise’s devoted followers and make my

huge grabs me from behind, lifting my feet off the ground as I yelp in surprise. Struggling to escape the

of guards circling myself and my captor. There at their center, is Blaise, watching me with the sort of twisted hunger he always gets when he

sure I’m going to be sick. No.

But clearly he can.