Chapter Thirty-Six

Alia’s Decision

Something was wrong. She felt it in every fiber of her being. Alia couldn’t just sit in her luxury suite and wait while Edgar risked his life to rescue their child. She had to do something as well.

She changed into a pair of jeans and wore a jacket over her T-shirt. Her body had healed miraculously after giving birth; she didn’t feel an ounce of pain or dizziness. Now, all she needed to do was find out where Edgar and their child were. She paced her suite. Would the internet help? No. Magical beings didn’t exactly broadcast their magical business on the internet.

She closed her eyes, focused on her breathing, and counted to ten. If she could still throw out powerful force fields after she had given birth, did this mean that the Alpha’s heir had left a bit of magic inside her? She smiled. This had to be a good thing. If she still had a piece of her child’s abilities inside her this meant she shared a powerful connection with it. If she tried hard enough, she was sure she’d be able to connect with her child and find out where both Elena and Edgar were.

Alia let her mind relax and thought of her pregnancy, and the times she’d spoken to her baby. Her baby had loved listening to stories, and whenever she reached an exciting point in the story, the baby would kick excitedly. She smiled at the memory.

“Where are you?” she whispered as she imagined her baby smiling up at her.

“Arizona!”

Alia jumped. Who said that? The baby was far too young to speak. Still, she didn’t want to waste any more time; she needed to leave for Arizona immediately. If only she could magically travel there, she thought. She rushed out of the mansion. She’d found car keys in Edgar’s study, along with the location of his private planes and helicopters. She hadn’t flown before, but she was sure she’d figure it out. How hard could it be?

Alia drove as fast as she could without attracting the attention of any cops.

Her heart raced when she reached the airport and spotted Edgar’s planes. She didn’t need a plane, she decided—the helicopter would do. She’d designed a robotic helicopter in high school so she had a pretty good idea of how it operated. Within minutes, she was flying. Thoughts of Edgar and their child fueled her courage. She was determined to reach Arizona and claim their baby back. Elena couldn’t do this to them. She’d figured out now that Elena had probably known about the prophecy all along. She’d known that if she disappeared Edgar would be forced to hire a surrogate and have his baby to keep the peace between packs. She’d tricked him and the entire race of werewolves. She'd been after Edgar's heir all along so she could use its power for her own selfish needs.

Alia concentrated on flying as she neared Arizona. Thankfully, her flight had gone smoothly. She wondered how his search for their baby was going. She sensed Edgar had probably gathered his allies to help him with the search, but every time she blinked images of Edgar gathered outside a huge fort with all sorts of magical creatures appeared in her mind. She didn’t know if they were real or figments of her imagination. How would she know where to find Edgar or their baby now that she was in Arizona?

“Mom.” Another image flashed in her head; this time she saw their child inside the fort holding out its hands towards her.

“Where are you?” Alia whispered.

“Evening Club,” the baby whispered.

Evening Club? She’d never heard of the place. “Lead me to where you are.”

She jumped when the helicopter increased speed—some sort of magical force was controlling it. The helicopter circled above a fort and Alia looked out of the window. Below, she saw figures scattered outside the fort that had appeared in the images flashing in her mind.

“Edgar,” she whispered. She landed the helicopter beside them and searched the beings for Edgar. Some of them were hurt. Shamans and druids were attending to the injured beings. Had Edgar led this army here to rescue their child? Her heart overflowed with love and respect for him. Alia hoped he wasn’t injured. She looked at each face being treated for injuries and was relieved when she didn't see Edgar's face among them. After what seemed like an eternity she spotted him at the front of the army, close to the gates. Just then, her belly filled up with a familiar sensation.

“Watch out!” she screamed as a force field of energy headed for them. It was too late. Alia glimpsed the blinding bands of light headed for them. She had to stop it. She held up her hands and stopped the force field.

Both force fields froze mid-air.

“Wow!” the army exclaimed.

“Alia?” Edgar rushed towards her. “What are you doing here?”

Joy filled her heart at the sound of his voice. Alia threw her arms him. “Edgar, I couldn’t let you do this alone.” She glanced at the force fields, releasing him from her embrace. “We have to hide before those force fields collide.”

The army rushed for cover just as the force fields crashed into each other above the Evening Club. The ground shook. Behind the gates, buildings trembled before crashing to the ground. The air was thick and black with sand.

“How did you do that?” Edgar asked.

“Yeah, what happened to you?” Celine asked. Alia recognized the witch.

“Nothing happened to me. I guess my baby left a little bit of itself inside me.”

Celine smiled. “This could work in our favor.” She pointed at the gates. So far none of us have been able to open those gates. Do you think you could give it a try?”

Alia nodded. “I’ll do anything to get my baby back.”

Celine nodded. “I know.” She looked at Edgar. “Where’s that magical wolf beta of yours?”

Harry emerged from the army. “I’m here. How can I help?”

“We’ll cover Alia while she sees if she can open those gates for us,” Celine said.

“Okay.” Harry followed Celine and Alia to the gates.

Alia held her breath as she stared at the gold lettering on the gates. What was she supposed to do? Hold up her hands and yell “open”? That seemed a little too fantastical for her. What if she just tried to open the gates like a normal person? Alia pushed the gates, and moments later, they swung open.

The army gasped. Alia rushed inside just in case the gates closed again. Edgar’s army followed her inside just as Elena’s army opened fire.

***