Chapter 126: A Home No Longer Mine

Chapter 126: A Home No Longer Mine
Lottie POV

"Seems we can't have one peaceful morning," Knox grumbled, dragging a shirt over his head. The bitterness in his tone wasn't aimed at me—but at the world, maybe. I reached out, brushing my fingers over his hand as he adjusted the hem.

"Soon, we'll have all the time in the world." I tried to smile through the heaviness that had settled over us. He turned and gave me one of those half-grins that used to make me weak.

"Need help getting up?"

"I'm pregnant, not paralysed." I grunted, swinging my legs off the bed. Goddess, I felt like a whale. My ankles screamed as soon as I touched the floor. Still, Knox hovered—his shadow against the morning light. And I let him.

He followed as I waddled over to the overnight bag Adam had left, muttering under my breath at the silver chains and crap he'd packed like we were headed into a war zone. I tugged on a pair of Knox's old sweats—they drowned me. A walking tarp, that's what I looked like.

"You trying to seduce me?" Knox's voice broke through the quiet like silk and sin.

I looked up. And froze.

He was sitting back on the edge of the bed, one elbow propped on his knee, head tilted like he was watching art. No, not art—his obsession. His entire damn universe.

"Stop it," I muttered, heat rushing to my cheeks as he drank me in with a look that could burn cities.

"Never." That crooked smile slid across his lips as he licked them slowly. "You in my clothes, baby? It's a fucking crime. We need to leave before I tear them back off." My stomach flipped like it didn't house two humans anymore.

"You're disgusting," I stated, pretending not to enjoy every second.

"And you're glowing. Round. Divine." His hand ghosted over his chest as if he had to physically stop himself from touching me. The knock downstairs shattered the tension.

"Let's go see what the chaos is this time." He groaned, running a hand through his hair. As we crept into the hallway, voices climbed the staircase—fast, clipped, on edge. My heart stuttered.

"Breathe," Knox murmured, drawing me closer. His hand found the small of my back without prompting. Always there, even when I pretended I didn't need him.

"How do you always know what I need?" I asked, trying to sound casual even as anxiety clawed at me.

"Because I love you." He said it like it was the easiest truth in the world. I blinked. Lips parted.

"Dick," I muttered, caught completely off guard. He chuckled. We descended the stairs and paused by the kitchen door. I heard Laura's voice—sharp and commanding—followed by Kane's, then Adam's. The words "under attack" and "Alpha Leigh" struck like ice against my spine.

"A trap?" I uttered suddenly, feeling breathless. Knox squeezed my hand.

"Should we… just walk in?" I whispered, my palm resting against my belly. The twins kicked. A reminder that I wasn't just here as Lottie anymore. I was something more. A mother. A Luna. A fucking heir.

Knox's eyes dropped to my hand, but I didn't reach for it. Respect. Restraint. Or maybe fear. Either way, I noticed. Then, with zero warning, he shoved open the door. Kane, Adam, Liam, and Luna Laura all turned. Adam was mid-scowl. Kane looked like someone had pissed in his cereal. Liam looked… worried.

"Mind if we join you?" Knox asked, all confidence and cocky charm like he hadn't just shattered their privacy.

"Knox! Thank goddess—" Laura's face lit up. "You look..."

"Grubby? Drunk? Pathetic?" Kane snorted from the corner.

"Tired," Laura corrected stiffly, brushing her hand over Knox's cheek. Her eyes misted.

"Bit early for your bullshit, Mother." Knox arched a brow and pulled me into his side. The air froze. Then—

"Well, I see your personality is intact." Liam smirked. I rolled my eyes. Was this the family I was meant to raise my pups with? Knox kept an arm slung around my waist like he didn't even realise he was doing it. But I did. Every second. The room felt tight, like everyone had something to say but didn't know how to say it.

"I'm getting water," I muttered, needing something to do. My back ached. My hips screamed. I was one emotionally frazzled breath away from punching someone.

"I'll get it." Liam moved toward me, brushing his knuckles across my forehead with a frown. "You're hot."

"She's fine." Knox growled.

"No, she's not." Liam handed me a glass and held my eyes with a warning. He wanted me to play along. My gut twisted.

"Tired. I miss home." My voice cracked.

"This is your home," Laura offered, her tone biting.

"It stopped being my home when Kane and Knox rejected me," I snapped, heat rising fast. "There's no space for bastard children here. You know that better than anyone."

"Lottie—" Laura began, her voice cracking.

"Laura-" I replied using her tone against her.

"Sit. We need to catch you up." Adam moved a chair out with a sigh, gesturing for me to sit. I sank down, finally letting myself sag.

"Leigh's gone dark." Liam paced behind me. "The pack's on edge. Someone's calling them to arms without checking in with us. That stinks of a setup."

"Or a power move," Adam added. "He wouldn't leave without cause."

"Unless he was taken." Knox stiffened beside me. The word hung there, sticky and horrible.

"No one touches Leigh without him letting them." Kane snorted softly, masking something behind his folded arms.

A lie.

I watched the way they all avoided each other's eyes, speaking in half-truths with too much ease. They weren't strategising. They were pretending. Pretending they didn't know what he'd done. That he'd turned on us all. That he'd sold pieces of our lives for power. That he'd let himself be consumed by something dark… to trap me. To kill them.

Only Laura didn't know.

And they were all hellbent on keeping it that way. I shifted uncomfortably, the world feeling too thick around me. My skin burned.

"She's flushed," Liam muttered behind me. "She's burning up." I groaned, trying to wave him off, but he crouched beside me, fingers brushing over my temple. "Lottie, you're too hot. Seriously. You need water. You need—"

"I've got it," Knox said sharply, already moving. He nearly ripped a cupboard door off its hinges in his haste to get something. His wolf paced behind his eyes, frantic.

"Knox Maddox, be careful." Laura's parental warning rang through the room.

"Laura... fuck off." He replied in a dangerous warning of his own. I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples to clear the headache forming.

"Look at me, Princess," Kane was suddenly before me too, kneeling in front of me. "Are you dizzy? Tell me the truth." he said softly, fingers brushing against my knee.

"Just tired. It's the room. All the… tension." I nodded. Knox returned, pressing a cool cloth to my neck, his fingers trembling more than they should've been. His thumb brushed the edge of my jaw. That familiar burn lit up my chest, spreading wider than I wanted it to.

When I opened my eyes, Laura was watching us—watching me.

I felt the weight of her stare before I saw it. The way her hands twisted in front of her. Her lips trembled slightly before she spoke.

"Are you… back together?" Her voice broke on the words. It was hope and history and a mother desperate for something whole.

I didn't answer.

I didn't even breathe.

Because I already felt the shift in the air before the voice came. That deep, cold echo that rooted me to the spot.

"I would like to know the answer to that, too." Leigh said from the doorway.

Every head turned. And the room fell to silence.