Chapter 183 183
Aurélie POV
“Are you nervous?” I ask softly, lifting the cup of tea Damien made for me and taking a slow sip.
“A little…” Florence admits. Her gaze drops, and her fingers twist together, betraying the anxiety she’s trying to hide.
“Don’t be,” I reassure her gently. “Only packs from our alliance will be attending. They know Fabrice, and they want nothing but the best for both of you. These are our friends, Florence.” I offer her a warm smile, hoping to ease the tightness I see in her posture.
Fabrice reaches for her hands, drawing them up to his mouth and pressing a tender, supportive kiss against her knuckles.
“Aurélie is right,” he murmurs. “There’s nothing to fear.”
I consider telling Fabrice about Damien’s father about the photograph and the quiet threat it represents but I stop myself. Tonight needs to be about them. About Florence feeling welcomed, cherished, and secure as part of this pack… this family.
“I actually need to check on Émilie and Théo,” I say instead. “See how she’s doing. Are you both okay keeping an ear out for the children? I won’t be long.”
I need to know whether Théo might be able to come with us, help keep a closer watch on the children.
“Of course,” Fabrice replies, barely looking up from the report in his hands. Whatever is written there seems to have his full attention.
As I walk toward Théo’s and Émilie’s house, regret settles in the moment I knock. Even through the door, I can hear Émilie’s sharp, labored breathing and it immediately sets me on edge. This doesn’t feel right. Shouldn’t she be back in the hospital by now?
“Alpha…” Théo greets me when he opens the door, surprise flickering across his face at my unannounced visit.
“What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to see how Émilie is doing,” I reply calmly.
“Come in… she’s doing well,” he says quickly.
Hmm. I don’t believe him.
I find Émilie stretched out on the sofa in front of the television, a blanket pulled tight around her. She’s propped up awkwardly with a cushion, her face pale, her breathing uneven.
“Alpha…” she wheezes, trying to sit up when she sees me.
“Shh, don’t move,” I tell her gently, moving closer. “Émilie, how are you really feeling?”
“I’m fine, Alpha,” she insists weakly.
“Émilie,” I say softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear, “I’ve been pregnant. I know exactly how this stage feels and that was without a serious accident. You don’t need to pretend with me.”
“She’s strong,” Théo interjects quickly. “She’ll give Roland a run for his money.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I reply evenly.
But inside, unease coils tighter.
I don’t like her condition, Fabrice. She’s weaker than I hoped, I mind-link him, urging him to come and see her before we leave. I know what’s happened they’ve kept her declining state hidden from us, knowing the hospital has been overwhelmed since the rogue attack. The realization makes anger flare hot in my chest.
“I think you need to return to the hospital,” I say calmly to Émilie, already knowing this means Théo won’t be able to come with us to watch the children.
“Oh no, Alpha, that’s not necessary,” Émilie protests, trying to soothe my growing irritation.
“Beta Fabrice is on his way,” I say firmly. “He’ll assess you, and I will make sure you have a bed. You shouldn’t have kept this from me.”
I turn my gaze to Théo, not bothering to hide the sharp edge of my aura as it presses against him. He stiffens, then lowers his head slightly in submission.
The child may be theirs, but I have a sacred duty to protect every member of this pack. That duty extends even to the lives still growing in the womb.
Damien POV
Something was weighing on Aurélie’s mind. She’d been quiet the entire journey to the Saint Wolf pack too quiet. She hadn’t even showered. I could still smell myself all over her.
My thoughts drift back to this morning my mouth on her, the way I’d made her come, how I’d spilled myself across her firm, perfect breasts. Even the memory makes me twitch in my pants.
I can’t wait for the moment I finally mark her when I’ll be able to feel her emotions as clearly as my own, when nothing will be hidden between us ever again.