Apprehended Ch. 25

Ethan chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Goodnight, my female."

I smiled, feeling high and dazed. "I love you."

I fell asleep.

But not before his whispered reply. "I love you more."

***

I awoke the next morning in a state of sexual sated bliss. My body ached in all the right places, reminding me that Ethan and I had joined bodies over eight hours prior. I got off the bed and stretched, heading into the bathroom to wash away last night's pool water. I dressed and headed downstairs at a neutral pace, fully intending to explore the estate with Lily later. I also wanted to speak with her about the whole wolf thing; gauge where she was.

Breakfast was in full swing. Clan members were laughing and talking loudly as the staff served trays of food, narrowly missing a football that nearly landed on a platter set in the middle of the long table. The game room was pumping music, the bass making my teeth vibrate. It too was filled; clan members either watching television or playing pool. The foosball table was crowded, with scattered plates placed precariously on the lip of the bar. Even drinks were being poured.

There was quite a lot going on. I assumed that Ethan had yet to tell anyone of Dina's unfortunate death. Otherwise, everyone would have no doubt been in mourning.

As if reading my mind, Ethan snuck up behind me, slipping his arms around my waist to whisper into my ear. "I'm letting everyone get settled. It's been a long time since we've been here. I don't want to ruin that with a funeral at the moment."

Understandable. However, Ethan didn't need to clarify any choices he made concerning his clan. He was the Alpha. I was his mate. I knew nothing of leadership. "You tell them in your own time," I whispered back. "It's not my place to offer any type of feedback."

"Of course it is," he said, shoving his head into the space between my neck and shoulder. He pressed a kiss against the curve. "Every action is justified with you. You're my pillar just as much as I am yours."

I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck and scrunching up my nose. "I beg to differ," I teased. "You take care of me more."

He grinned widely. "Oh, you do plenty," he said with a wink. He leaned in to add another whisper. "The pool."

I snickered and blushed, hiding my face in his chest. He smelled good. I took a deep inhale and hugged him. He was so warm.

"Are you...sniffing me?" he asked, his voice laced with mirth.

I nodded, sniffing again. "You smell good. Can I hug you forever?"

He laughed. "Sure. But how about you eat first?"

I pulled away to glance at the food and grimaced, feeling nauseous. "I'm not that hungry."

He whispered once more. "You can sit on my lap."

I grabbed his hand without another word and headed straight for the table. Ethan laughed as I pulled him along. I waited for him to sit down first. He separated his large thighs, patted them in invitation and opened his arms wide.

I sat down in a fit of giggles, shoving my head once more into him. This time, it was his neck. He smelled good there too. I kissed it and hugged him, melding our bodies together. "I love you," I said.

He eyed me strangely. "I love you too, baby...what do you want?"

I frowned. "Huh?"

He smiled. "You're being awfully affectionate. Which I am all for. But that's not really your thing. Is there a particular reason?"

I feigned insult. "Excuse me. What happened to simply wanting affection from my man?"

He cocked a brow in amusement. "Oh, I'm your man, am I?"

I nodded vigorously. "Yes. My very handsome one."

He barked out a chortle. "Swaying me, are you?"

I rolled my eyes and began fiddling with the collar of his button-down, crisp white shirt. His muscles were on full display, straining underneath the fabric. "Is it working?"

He continued to laugh and kissed my forehead. "You sway me by simply being in the same room." He patted my thigh lightly. "What do you want, sweetheart. All you have to do is ask and it's yours."

I grew serious. "I really don't want anything. I only want to be close to you."

He lowered his head to look at me properly. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

He took a gentle hold of my stomach and rubbed softly with his large palm. "How are my precious young?"

"They're fine."

He kissed me softly on the lips, treating me like delicate glass. "I want Baldrige to check on you today."

That gave me pause. "Why?"

"It's been over a week. I want to make sure you're healthy and safe. That the young are thriving. That's all."

I decided to indulge him. "Alright." I had no idea what caused his sudden need to ensure that we were alright, but I wouldn't deny him. He had every right to care about our safety. I glanced around the busy dining room as shifters milled about. "Where is he anyway?"

Ethan waved a hand in the air, staring at my stomach and rubbing it in slow circles. "Somewhere."

I didn't push. I placed my hands on his instead. "Are you okay?" I asked.

He finally focused on my face, opening his mouth to reply when he caught sight of Garrett passing by with a tray of food. "Hey Garrett?"

The older gentleman placed the tray on the table and approached Ethan, bowing low. "Yes, Master Dune?"

Ethan smiled. "Can you do me a favor and bring my beautiful female her prenatal vitamins?"

Garrett straightened and nearly keeled over, stuttering and bumbling about after realizing the implications behind Ethan's question. "Master Dune!" he said in merriment and astonishment. "Your Luna is with young! I hadn't realized! Forgive me!" He bowed low again and Ethan stifled a chuckle.

"Please," he said in warmth. "Don't worry about it."

The poor guy didn't know what to do with himself. Ethan seemed to think it was hilarious. I, on the other hand, felt a little sorry for him. He appeared genuinely perturbed by his lack of information.

I turned in Ethan's lap and grabbed Garrett's gloved hand. "It's fine, really."

The older man blushed fiercely and lowered his head, pressing his forehead against my knuckles. "My dear Luna. It is wonderful to hear such glorious news. Young are quite rare amongst our people. I am simply overcome with joy that such blessings have been bestowed upon you and our Alpha. He is most deserving."

Wow.

He released my hand to look directly at Ethan. "Your mother would be most proud, Master Dune."

I stole a glance at Ethan, who had to clear his throat several times and look away before speaking. "Thanks, my man."

I nearly laughed but bit my tongue. Leave it to Ethan to demolish any form of etiquette.

"Does my Luna require aught else?" Garrett continued.

Ethan went at it, listing off more vitamins, nausea pills, ginger ale for my stomach, crackers, water, warm soda, and a multitude of other crap I wasn't in the mood for. When he was done, Garrett rushed off on a mission while Ethan refocused on me, a scowl etched into my face.

His brows shot up. "What?"

"I don't want any food, Ethan. I'm not hungry."

He blinked...then shrugged absently. "I'm not about to let you starve. You're eating something and that's final."

I glared, but he continued sitting there in comfortable silence, unwilling to accept no as an answer. However, the minute Garrett began bringing plates of steamed rice and crackers, the sight and scent of the food made my stomach rumble. Ethan heard it and chuckled quietly, snarfing down a plate of bacon and eggs. He didn't say anything but he didn't have to. His smirk was enough.

The bastard.

I made a move to get off his lap but he dropped his fork and held me in place. "Where do you think you're going?"

I bit back an exceptionally rude snide comment and pointed to the nearest chair. "I'm going to sit down and eat. Like you demanded."

He grinned. "I didn't demand anything, love." I opened my mouth for a dry retort but he interjected. "Eat on my lap, my petal. I'll feed you."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I stood silent...and let him feed me choice morsels from random plates after swallowing down at least a million pills. Over and over, he lifted food to my lips, waiting patiently until he was fully satisfied that I couldn't eat anymore. During which, I seriously considered vomiting.

"One more bite," he urged, holding out a spoonful of rice.

I shook my head and put a hand on my stomach. "No. I'm full to bursting. Any more food and I'm going to be sick."

He stared, watching me closely until he finally gave up and pushed the rest of the food away. It seemed the three plates he tried to have me consume were enough to placate him. I wasn't even sure how much I ate. I only knew that I wouldn't be eating for a month after consuming half the food on the table.

Ethan sat back in his chair, lifting me a bit higher to cross a leg at the knee. He tangled his fingers through my hair and began kneading my scalp, pressing my head against his shoulder. We stood that way for a while, simply relaxing as life continued all around us. I heard his heart beat, the rhythm soft and soothing against my ear.

Eventually, I began to doze and I snuggled into him, feeling weary. I vaguely heard him speaking quietly with clan members as the staff cleaned the dining room. I wasn't sure how long we sat there, but Ethan picked me up and carried me to the sitting room, placing me on one of the plush couches for a nap.

I awoke under different circumstances. Deep voices rang throughout the large space, yelling and screaming in anger. I got up quickly, nearly falling off the side of the couch in a tangle of blankets and pillows. I walked to the edge of the room and froze underneath the doorway.

The game room was in full rage mode. Clan members were furious, talking all at once and chaotically attempting to get a word in. I caught sight of Ethan, standing at the head of the crowd, his face calm and in control. Gavin was standing in a corner with Lily, both quiet and still. I had no idea what the fuck was going on.

"SILENCE!" Ethan boomed, his voice strong and steady.

I shuffled inside the room, lightly tapping a few shoulders to pass. Unfortunately, everyone bowed their heads in respect and parted, creating a pathway for me...straight to the front of the room beside Ethan, who looked like he was losing the last bit of patience he had.

His face softened immediately upon seeing me and his shoulders visibly sagged at my arrival. He glanced around the room with a scowl. "You woke up my Luna," he said dryly.

There were a few mumbled apologies, but otherwise, everyone now appeared to be on their best behavior. I surmised that was due to Ethan's bellowed commandment of silence. He offered a hand, his face breaking out into a warm smile despite the tension in the room. I walked up shakily, nervously accepting his palm as he pulled me into a warm embrace, followed by a gentle kiss to my temple.

Then things went back on track.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner," he continued, staring at each face in the room. "But circumstances didn't allow it."

A male clan member by the name of Michael spoke up, looking as fierce as every strong, able-bodied male in the group. "Moving is one thing, my Alpha. But neglecting to tell us of the traitor's death is quite another."

I expected Ethan to offer an explicative answer for his actions. One filled with empathy and reassurance. I was highly mistaken.

One minute, Ethan was beside me, holding me to his side. The next, he was directly in front of the shifter, a thick hand wrapped around his neck and his fangs bared. He forced the male down to his knees, making him bow in submission.

"I don't have to tell you my reasonings, Michael," he said in a level voice. "I tell you in my own time. In my own fucking way. She died on the way over. That's all you need to know. Traitor or not, that's all there is to it. There was no hinderance of information. There were no cruel intentions involved. I wanted to you all to have a normal day. Just one." He glanced at every member again, their heads all lowered in respect. "I think we all deserve that. We've already uprooted again. I only wanted all of you to settle. We've been through enough. Adding a funeral to that only brings down morale."

The room fell into silence as everyone processed his words.

He released Michael with a hard shove, causing the male to land hard on his ass. Only to offer a hand and help him up, clapping him on the shoulder roughly with a sad smile. "I did it to protect you," he added. "All of you."

That seemed to do the trick. No one else objected.

Ethan stepped back. "We start rotations tomorrow evening. Equal shifts. Schedules will be prepared on Beta's command. If you have any questions, you ask him. If he can't help you, you come to me. You know what to look for. You will be paired into groups of three. Again, you know why. No one hunts alone. No one separates. Any sign of danger, you get back-up. You do not engage alone. Baldridge will be available in the mobile unit. Speaking of, he requested help within these walls. We will be interviewing several candidates for medical positions. Richen will take point on that. Now go. Enjoy your time off. You're going to need the R&R."

Everyone scattered, either lounging around or heading up to their rooms. Michael stood on the periphery and Ethan lowered his head to speak with me quietly. "I'll be right back, okay baby?"

I nodded in understanding and watched him talk to Michael, no doubt discussing their disagreement. Sometimes, clan dynamics were perplexing. During certain circumstances, Ethan would have to be aggressive, expressing his dominance. Other times, his empathy would override his Alpha, offering exactly what he was now: an apology to Michael, as well as an explanation for his actions. He may have been a dominant leader, but he was far from heartless.

I smiled warmly as the two males clapped palms and turned to make my way into the foyer...where I froze and focused on the door. I glanced briefly at a line of random coats; followed by a row of boots in various sizes.

Without conscience thought, I bee-lined for the door, grabbing an oversized coat and clumsy boots that made me stumble. I needed air. I needed the ice-cold breeze to numb my face, to cool away my racing thoughts of Alphas, shifters, wolves, shadows and monsters.

I opened the heavy wood, barely noting Ethan's mother's carved artistry and headed outside at a fast clip. I inhaled sharply, appreciating the cold burn of winter as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

And I gasped in astonishment.

The outside of the estate was just as magnificent as the inside. A fountain sat idly in the middle of the expanse, waterless and covered in snow. Rows of cars were parked to the left and right of the fountain, igniting the grey in a splash of sleek, glossy colors. Above, eerie statues roamed a towering roof, wrought-iron spiked railings separating the ghoulishly dark figures. The ground was covered in pebbles with evenly spaced patches meant for gardening in the Summer. A few bags of fertilizer and gardening supplies were strewn about. I could only imagine how beautiful it would be when the snow melted and gave way to Spring.

A cold shiver ran down the length of my body and I began to move, walking passed the rows of cars and catching sight of the impenetrable wall that was staggeringly magnificent and horrifying at the same time. Yes, it was meant for protection. But it also felt like a prison; the large cement blocks obstructing anything beyond the estate and encasing anyone or anything within.

I huddled into the coat and continued moving, following the path of the wall and turning little by little until I was led to the back of the mansion, which was just as striking as the front. There was a covered pool, the blue tarp flapping lightly in the cold breeze as I neared. It was desolate here. Quiet. I imagined swimming with Ethan in the waters below during the hot months, lounging and eating.

High, trimmed trees lined the entire estate, spaced every few feet apart between smaller shrubs that held the promise of bloom. I made my way towards a random shrub, leaning in and noticing ripe, red berries. They looked plump and sweet.

I thought about the last time I ate and my mouth watered. Considering the time I dozed off, I surmised that it had been hours since eating. My last meal did nothing to deter the hunger pains now-which was shocking considering how much I ate. Without thought, I reached out and plucked the reddest one I could find, popping it into my mouth. An explosion of flavor coated my tongue, the juices reminding me of strawberries. I snagged a few more and straightened, making my way back to the front of the estate...

Where I screamed.

***

Horrendous would scarcely describe what I saw. A monster waited for me by the fountain. A monster that vaguely resembled bigfoot. It's maw drizzled, blood and spit mixing together and falling to the ground where it fell like acid. The pebbles below disintegrated and I took an instinctual step back.

It followed my movements, at least twelve feet in height. Its body was covered in manes of tangled black hair. The ears were pointed and large, moving side to side as it no doubt heard every hitch of my breath. Its legs were misshaped and oddly contorted, with razor sharp claws and long arms. It was thin, but brimming with untamed aggression.

I froze, my body trembling like a leaf.

I wondered if Ethan had heard my screams and I automatically assumed he'd come to my rescue within a few minutes. But he was taking longer than expected. I took another step back and the animal followed, its narrow, feral eyes holding me captive. It's yellow glare frightening me to my core.

If it attacked, I wouldn't survive. I wasn't even sure how it managed to bypass the impenetrable walls. I glanced down at my stomach, making a move to wrap my arms around my belly to protect my unborn. If I was going to be attacked, I'd take the full force of it, doing everything I could to shield my young.

I waited, unwilling to run. It would no doubt chase. Even now, it moved lithely, its muscles tensing and waiting to spring in the event I ran off.

Luckily, I didn't have to.

"Annie?"

I shrieked in fright, jumping into the air as Ethan came into view, his face etched in worry. "Whoa, whoa. Calm down. What's wrong? What happened?"

Breathing heavily and on the verge of hyperventilating, I turned in a panic, gripping his arm as tears fell freely down my face. "Look!" I cried, pointing to the creature.

Only...it wasn't there.

It was gone.

"What?" he asked, following the direction of my finger. "What are we looking at?"

My mouth opened and closed like a fish, unable to process how the actual fuck the nightmarish creature managed to get away in seconds; how it managed to get over the wall; how it managed to completely go undetected by Ethan-a wolf.

"It was there..." I breathed. "It was right there, Ethan."

He looked at me and lightly put my hand down, cupping my face in his warm hand. He whisked away my tears. "There's nothing there, baby."

"There is," I said, turning in his hold. "It was a...a..." I examined his face and glared, pushing at his shoulders suddenly. "I screamed! Why didn't you come?!"

He stiffened. "What?"

I pushed again. "I guess you don't have good hearing after all. Do you, kitty?"

His brows shot up. "Kitty?" He looked at me peculiarly. "Uhhh...I have no idea what you're talking about. You didn't scream."

I gasped and made a move to kick his shin. He stepped to the side quickly to avoid my boot. "You're a liar! I hate you!"

His face went stark white. "What?"

I leaned in, casting him a suspicious scowl. "I know your secrets."

He stood there, silently hearing my tirade for a few minutes before he grew concerned. "Why are you acting like this?"