The Bite of Revenge

Chapter 19

I awoke in the early hours of the morning to my pack howling. I immediately got up and headed out to the front porch to find one of my wolves standing at the foot of the steps. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Derek and his troops are on the move," the young man said, "they're now staying in a Days Inn not far from here, but it seems that they've lost the trail and your scent."

"What's your name beta?"

"Conrad," the young man answered, "I should also warn you that Derek's in one of his bad moods and the Argents are getting impatient and are pressuring him to find you as quickly as possible, preferably before the full moon."

"Did you figure out why they want me by then?"

"They believe that they can break your mating bond with Peter, but they have to do it before the full moon."

"Have you heard anything from Mr. Montgomery?" By now another wolf, this one female, had joined us. She introduced

herself as Lea.

"Mr. Montgomery told me to tell you that things are a lot more dire than what we originally thought," Lea answered. "Unfortunately, the Bone Yard is still on complete lockdown as a safety precaution, because the Argents have threatened war against all supernatural creatures if they don't turn you in the next twenty-four hours."

"What the hell does he expect us to do then?" I asked angrily, joining them at the foot of the steps. "Obviously, I can't turn myself in because they'll either kill me or force me to bond with Derek."

"Mr. Montgomery has done an extensive amount of research on the bonding of mates and he's absolutely certain that breaking a mating bond, especially one like yours, is impossible," Lea reassured me.

"But how can he be so sure?" Lea then looked a little uncomfortable and I raised my eyebrows at her questionably.

"Conrad, can you give us a few minutes?" Conrad nodded in understanding and took off into the trees and once he was out of sight and earshot, Lea continued, "when a mating bond is made, both wolves bite each other while they're still in their human form, but if they, you know, 'mate' and bite each other while they're um mating, the bond becomes even stronger, so strong in fact that, more often than not, the female wolf is blessed by Lupa, the wolf goddess."

"Blessed in what way?" I asked, playing along because I knew that I had inherited Lupa's gifts and powers after she named me her successor.

"Most of the time it's a pup of your own."

"Excuse me?"

"I know it's none of my business alpha, but when was your last menstrual cycle and how long ago did you and Peter seal your bond?" I held up my finger to silence her as I did a mental count in my head and when I came up with an answer, I had to double and triple check to make sure my math was right.

"Oh s**t," I thought as I turned around and ran back inside without another word and almost collided with Peter on the way to the bathroom.

"Hey babe you all r___."

"Not now," I snapped as I walked past him and headed into the first floor bathroom and locked the door behind me. "Leah has to be wrong," I thought as I slumped to the floor with my back to the door. "There's no way I could be pregnant, but it wouldn't be a bad thing would it?" Before I even wrap my head around the possibility, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Babe, please open the door," Peter begged. I could hear the worry laced in his voice. "Whatever happens, we can work it out together."

"Can you go get Alison and Taylor?" I asked, trying to sound calmer than I actually was. "Tell them it's important." I heard Peter hurry away, and before I knew it, there was another soft knock at the door.

"Anna?" Alison said worriedly, "Can we come in?" I immediately got up and unlocked and opened the door to find Alison and Taylor standing on the other side, both of them looking extremely worried. I ushered them in quickly and locked the door behind them.

"What the hell is going on?" Taylor asked, looking me up and down. "When Peter came to get us, I thought something had seriously happened to you."

"I'm late," I muttered.

"Come again?"

"I'm late," I said, a little louder this time.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Alison asked. I nodded with a faint smile.

"Have you taken a test?" Taylor asked.

"I was hoping one of you could get one for me."

"Don't worry, I got you girl," Taylor said and disappeared into the shadows.

"I'll go get you some water," Alison said, also disappearing and then coming back a few seconds later with a pitcher of water. "Peter is worried sick about you, but I assured him that you were fine, but I don't think he believed me though."

"Of course he didn't believe you," Taylor said, stepping out of the shadows with a Clear Blue pregnancy test. "I give it a minute before he's back here knocking on the door." I let out a light laugh as I drank the water and by the time I was half-way done with it, there was another knock on the door.

"Babe, please let me in," Peter begged as I silently read the instructions on the box. "At least tell me what's going on."

"I'll be out in a minute," I called out, and then I whispered, "I need to pee." Alison and Taylor nodded and disappeared outside the door.

"Can one of you please tell me what's going on?" Peter asked as I peed on the test.

"She's taking a piss," Taylor said. I could hear the eye roll. "I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't want an audience while I'm using the john."

"I'm telling you, something's wrong." By now, I had set the test on the sink and had set an alarm for one minute and was impatiently pacing back and forth. "Amna, baby, please let me in."

"Oh for gods sake, you need to learn some patience," Alison said with a sigh. "You Hale men are unbelievable." My alarm finally went off, and I rushed over to the test and saw that it clearly said PREGNANT and I had to hold back a cry of shock mixed with joy as I clutched the test to my heart and unlocked the bathroom door. As soon as I opened the door and stepped into the hall, Peter rushed over to me and cupped my face in his hands.

"Anna, please tell me you're alright." I could only nod as I handed him the pregnancy test with a small smile.

"I'm fine," I finally managed to say as Peter looked down at the test in confusion, "Actually, I'm more than fine."

"Anna, is this what I think it is?"

"Yes," I whispered, a tear escaping from my eye and running down my face, and before I could say more, Peter scooped me up and kissed me passionately.

"This is the best news that I've heard all day," Peter said, setting me down and cradling my face in his hands, our foreheads touching. "Do you know how far along you are?"

"If my math is right, my guess is about three, maybe four weeks, but I would have to get an ultrasound to be sure."

"I'll have Stiles reach out to Dr. Nelson, she's the Bone Yard's OBGYN and labor delivery doctor."

"Can she be trusted?"

"Absolutely, she's the best of the best, and she's been loyal to the Bone Yard for ten years, so you'll be in good hands."

"But what if she can't make it here?" I asked as we made our way into the living room. "Lea said that the Bone Yard is on complete lockdown as a safety precaution, no one will be able to get in or out."

"That won't be a problem," Stiles said reassuringly. "Each safe house under the Bone Yard's protection is equipped with an emergency portal room and even during a lockdown, we can get someone here in less than a second if we need to."

"Stiles, can you send a message to Dr. Nelson and let her know that Anna needs a check-up and if it's not too much trouble, see if she can spare one of her nurses, preferably one with a lot of experience, to come stay here at the house?" Stiles nodded and hurried off.

"Well, this certainly changes things," Alison said as we all took our seats around the coffee table.

"How so?" I asked as Peter pulled me onto his lap.

"If the Argents find out that you're pregnant, they might change their minds about keeping you alive."

"Alison's right," Taylor said. "But you being pregnant is also good news because, under the mated pair law, no other wolf or werecreature can lay a hand on you unless they're suicidal."

"Meaning what exactly?"

"Meaning that if Derek attacks you, I've got every right to defend you by any means necessary," Peter answered. "But hopefully it won't come to that because the scent of a pregnant she-wolf is very distinct, and it's very hard to miss, but to the mate, the scent is intoxicating." To prove his point, Peter leaned into my neck and took a deep breath in. "Mmmmm," he growled as he rubbed his nose up and down my neck. "Like roses on a spring day."

"Jesus Christ," Taylor muttered, pretending to gag. "Get a room, you two." By now Stiles had returned and he was smiling.

"Dr. Nelson has agreed to come and she's bringing two of her most trusted nurses as well as any equipment that they'll need for the coming months."

"Won't Dr. Nelson be needed at the Bone Yard?" I asked with concern. "I don't want to inconvenience her if she's needed elsewhere."

"As soon as I explained the situation, Dr. Nelson canceled all her other appointments because she explicitly said that the survival of you and your pups are the number one priority, so she and her staff should be here in an hour or so." I nodded my thanks just as a wave of nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. I rushed into the kitchen and I barely got to the sink just as the contents of of my stomach came back up.

"Are you okay babe?" Peter asked, pulling my hair back as I heaved into the sink.

"Supper," I muttered as I wiped my mouth with a paper towel. "Just peachy." Peter chuckled as he led me back to my room, where two women in scrubs were setting up an ultrasound machine.

"You must be Anna," one the women said, coming over to shake my hand. "I'm Dr. Nelson and this is Melissa. She's my nurse and will be assisting me for the remainder of your pregnancy.

"Nice to meet you," I said as I shook their hands in turn. Dr. Nelson then indicated for me to lay down on the bed. I then lifted my shirt so that Melissa could start the ultrasound.

"Everything seems to be as it should be," Melissa said as she looked at the screen. "And it seems to me that you guys are going to have twins." She then pointed to the screen and indicated two blobs sitting right next to each other.

"Melissa's right," Dr. Nelson said with a smile. "Congratulations to you both."

"Can we get a copy of the ultrasound?" Peter asked eagerly.

"Of course," Melissa said with a smile. After that, she took some more pictures of both fetuses, labeling them baby A and baby B, and then printed them out for us.

"According to the ultrasound, you're about three weeks along," Dr. Nelson said as I pulled my shirt back down. "And considering that you're carrying twins and that you're an alpha, it's paramount that you take your safety into account because if Derek and the Argents find out, they won't hesitate to kill you."

"Why would it matter to them if I'm pregnant?" I asked as we headed back to the living room to tell everyone the good news.

"You're the alpha of the hell pack and your pups will most likely be hell hounds as well, so to the Argents your children are abominations and Derek will see it as an inconvenience." I nodded in understanding as Peter proudly showed off the ultrasound while I was deep in my own thoughts. If Derek and the Argents wanted to take my children away from me, they would have to kill me first.

"Bring it on, Derek," I thought fiercely. "Bring. It. On."