Chapter 117: The Nursery
Sierra's POV
The security guards left to find Evelyn. Adrian knelt beside me, his hand gentle on my shoulder. "Come home with me," he said quietly. "Please. I need you somewhere safe." I looked down at Emma, still curled against me, her small fingers gripping my shirt.
Rachel wiped her eyes and nodded. "Go. Thomas is coming to get us. Emma's already given her statement. You need to protect yourself and your baby now."
I didn't want to leave them, but Adrian was right. Every second I stayed here made me an easier target. We said goodbye to Rachel and Emma, promising to check on them tomorrow.
Ben locked up the office behind us. The drive home felt long, even though it was only fifteen minutes. Adrian held my hand the whole way.
When we pulled up to the pack house, something felt different. Adrian's jaw was tight, but there was something else in his eyes. Something soft beneath all that fear and anger.
"I have something to show you," he said. He led me upstairs, past our bedroom, to the room at the end of the hall. The one we had talked about using for the baby but hadn't started on yet or so I thought.
Adrian opened the door and I stopped breathing. The room glowed with soft yellow light from a lamp shaped like the moon. The walls were painted the palest blue, like the sky just before sunrise. A white crib stood against one wall, already made up with blankets covered in tiny stars.
There was a rocking chair by the window, a changing table with everything we'd need, shelves full of books and toys. It was perfect. It was ready and it felt real.
"When did you..." I couldn't finish the sentence. Tears filled my eyes, spilling over before I could stop them.
Adrian wrapped his arms around me from behind, his hands resting on my belly where our baby kicked and turned. "I've been working on it for weeks," he whispered against my hair. "Every free moment I had. I wanted it done before things got worse.
I wanted us to have this. Something beautiful that's just ours." I turned in his arms, looking up at him through my tears. His eyes were wet too. This strong, fierce Alpha who had just sent guards to hunt down a woman who threatened our child. Here in this soft yellow light, he was just a man about to become a father. Scared, hopeful and in love.
I walked to the crib, running my fingers over the smooth wood. "It's perfect," I said. My voice broke on the words. Adrian came to stand beside me. "I keep imagining what the baby will look like," he said quietly. "If he or she will have your eyes or mine and definitely your smile and strength."
He touched the mobile hanging above the crib, tiny moons and stars that turned slowly. "I wonder if this baby will be calm like you or stubborn like me.
I laughed through my tears. "Probably everything." We stood there together, hands intertwined, looking at the empty crib that wouldn't be empty much longer. For just a moment, the fear melted away. This wasn't about Evelyn, Marcus, Dominic or threats. This was about us. Our family.
"We need to pick a name," Adrian said suddenly. He pulled me to the rocking chair, settling me in his lap like I weighed nothing. "We can't keep calling them 'the baby' forever." I leaned back against his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady and strong.
"What if it's a girl?" I asked. Adrian was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Luna," he said finally. "It means moon. She could be our little moon." I shook my head, smiling. "Too obvious." He laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest. "Okay, what about Stella? It means star." I considered it, letting the name roll around in my mind. "I like it. But what if it's a boy?"
Adrian's arms tightened around me. "James," he said. "After my father." I turned to look at him. His father had died when Adrian was young, killed defending the pack. He rarely talked about him. "James," I whispered. "I love it."
He kissed my cheeks, soft and lingering. "James or Stella. Either way, they're going to be so loved." We sat there in the peaceful quiet, rocking gently. The baby kicked against Adrian's hand and he smiled, that rare full smile that made him look years younger.
Outside, the sun was setting, painting the room in shades of pink and gold. For just this moment, everything was perfect. Then Adrian's phone rang. The sharp sound shattered our peace. He answered it, his whole body going tense beneath me. "What do you mean she's gone?"
I sat up, my heart already racing. Adrian's face had gone cold, that deadly calm settling over him again.
"Check every exit. Review all camera footage. She can't have just disappeared." He hung up and looked at me. The fear was back in his eyes, sharper now.
"The security team got to the hotel. Room 412 was empty. Evelyn checked out twenty minutes before they arrived. Like she knew they were coming." My hands went to my belly, protective and afraid.
"How could she know?" Adrian stood, setting me carefully in the chair. "Someone tipped her off. Someone in the pack is feeding her information." The room suddenly felt too small, the walls pressing in.
"Adrian," I said, my voice shaking. "If she knows we're onto her, what will she do?" He didn't answer right away.
When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "She'll strike before we can stop her. Soon." A sound from downstairs made us both freeze. Footsteps. Fast. Running. Ben appeared in the doorway, his face was pale. "Alpha, Luna.”
"What is it?" Ben stepped into the room, keeping his voice low. "Border patrol spotted movement on the eastern edge. Three rogues. Maybe more. They're not attacking, just watching from the tree line." My heart started pounding.
Rogues didn't just watch. They planned and waited for the right moment to strike. Adrian's jaw clenched. "How long have they been there?" Ben checked his phone.
"Twenty minutes. Our guards are being positioned around the perimeter, but..." He hesitated. "But what?" Adrian's voice was sharp. Ben looked at me, then back to Adrian. "They keep looking toward the pack house. Like they're waiting for something or someone."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. I stood up. "Evelyn," I whispered. "She sent them." Adrian was already moving, pulling his phone from his pocket and barking orders.
"Full lockdown. No one in or out. Double the guards on every entrance." He turned to me, his eyes full of fear he was trying to hide. "You stay inside. Do you understand? You don't go near any windows or doors." I nodded, but my mind was racing.
The rogues appeared right after Evelyn disappeared from the hotel. This wasn't a coincidence. This was planned. Timed. Like she knew exactly where we'd be and when.