The Moonmarked Wolf

Chapter 2

One Month Later. . . .

Eleanor races to the bathroom, hand over her mouth. She leans over the toilet and retches. Lear races in and starts vomiting in the sink. Between puking, he asked, "How long does this morning sickness last, and why do I get it too?" Eleanor stands up, wipes her face off, and says, "I don't know; maybe we need to go see a pack dr . . ." Lear looks at her and says, "I don't think a doctor is what we need; we need Rayna." As soon as Lear says her name, there's a knock at the door.

Eleanor walks over to the door, opens it to their bedroom, and Rayna walks in. Eleanor looks puzzled and says, "What are you doing here?" Rayna just smiled. "I figured you may need my help, dear. After all, this ain't no ordinary pregnancy." Lear pokes his head out of the bathroom and says, "I kind of figured that whatever she feels, I feel, and whenever she gets sick, I do too."

Rayna motions Lear over, and he stands beside Eleanor. She places her hand over Eleanor's small bump and closes her eyes. "This is a very special child indeed." Rayna opens her eyes. "I shall be your midwife, and be warned: this is not an ordinary pregnancy. Your due date is set for December."

Eleanor and Lear look at each other, shocked. Rayna grabs Lear's left hand and Eleanor's right hand and joins them. "You two have an unbreakable bond, and since you both have alpha blood, both of you have a deeper bond than most, so whatever Eleanor feels, Lear, you will feel, and vice versa."

Lear claps his hands together. "Great, but I don't want to go through 3 months of feeling all this." Rayna chuckles. "I will give Eleanor something for the morning sickness." Lear says, "It's more like all-day sickness." Rayna pulls out a small vial from her pocket; it contains some purple liquid. "Here, put a couple drops in some water; it will relieve you of being sick." Eleanor takes the vial and nods appreciatively.

Rayna turns towards the door. "I must take my leave. I will be back next month to check on you. In the meantime, get plenty of rest and lots of fluids. Farewell, Alpha and Luna." Rayna heads out of their bedroom and to the exit.

Lear looks at Eleanor. "Go take a couple of drops of whatever that purple stuff is. I want to be able to eat. I've got some pack-work that needs to be done. I will see you later, sweetheart." He rubs her belly. "And you, my little princess, stop making Mommy sick." Lear kisses Eleanor and heads out the door.

Eleanor does as Rayna orders, puts two drops in a cup of water, and starts drinking. She instantly feels relief. "I feel a lot better, but I need some air. I think I will take a walk."

Eleanor heads outside and walks around the packhouse grounds, but suddenly she feels dizzy and passes out. At the same time, Lear starts feeling dizzy and hollers out, "Eleanor." And he passes out as well.

At the sound of Lear hollering out Eleanor's name, Beta Derek and Delta Joey barge in and see him lying on the floor unconscious. Joey says, "Alpha." Derek looks at Joey. "We need to get him to the pack hospital." Joey nods in agreement. They scoop him up and race him to the hospital.

Meanwhile. . . .

Eleanor stirs, but something is wrong. All she feels is cold and damp; beneath her is rock, and it's pitch black. The only light is coming from a lantern hanging on the wall. She stands up, but her legs feel unsteady. She heads towards a passageway but is instantly stopped by an invisible force. "Hello, is anyone there?" But all she hears is her echo. Her eyes adjust to the dark; she looks around, and in the corner of her prison she notices what looks like a hospital bed.

Pack Hospital. . . .

Joey and Derek rush Lear in, and Derek shouts, "Dr. John." John rushes in and tells them, "Place the Alpha here on this bed." They place him on the bed. Dr. John hooks him up to the machines to take his vitals and make sure everything is okay. After a while, Dr. John goes and tells them, "Everything looks okay; it's like he's just asleep."

Derek and Joey look at each other. Dr. John says, "Where is Luna? She may be able to wake him up." Derek says, "I will go and fetch her." Derek runs out to find Luna Eleanor.

The Cave. . . .

Eleanor heads to the hospital bed and rubs her swollen belly. "What in the world is going on? Who brought me here?" Then, in the distance, footsteps grow closer and closer. Fearing who it might be, she runs behind a rock pillar. Eleanor hollers out, "Who's there?" The person behind the footsteps rounds the corner. Eleanor's eyes go wide, and shock washes over her face.

Pack Hospital. . . .

Derek runs into the hospital, saying," We have a major problem. The Luna is nowhere to be found. No one has seen her all day." The nurses and Dr. John look shocked. Derek turns to Joey and says, "Until the alpha wakes up, I'll take over. We can't let the other pack members know of these events. Joey, go get the guards and patrol the land. I'll stay here in case our alpha wakes up." Joey nods and heads out of the hospital. Derek turns back to Lear and whispers in his ear, "Lear, please wake up. The Luna needs you." Suddenly, Lear's eyes open.

The Cave. . .

Eleanor can't believe who rounds the corner. "Rayna, how could you do this?" Rayna rounds the corner and starts laughing. "You know you are way too trusting, but I don't want to be compared to my goody-goody of a sister." Eleanor looks confused. "Very interesting. My sister never told you the story or warned you about me. That could be because of the powerful shield I put on her cave. Unfortunately, good overrules bad, so it should be wearing off soon." Eleanor backs up slowly as the Rayna lookalike closes in.

Pack Hospital. . . .

Lear's eyes suddenly open, but they are all black. He jumps off the bed, fangs bared. Derek says, "John, get you and your staff back. Kane, his wolf, is taking over." Kane, in a deep, raspy voice, says, "Where is my mate?" Kane/Lear heads out the door. Derek pulls out his phone and calls Joey: "Hey, we have a bit of a problem. If you see Lear, keep your distance; he's gone off the handle. I'm going to keep an eye on him. I'll keep you updated. Bye." Derek runs out the door.

Cave. . . .

Eleanor, backing up against a big stone rock, says, "Who are you? What do you want from me?" The lookalike smiled and said, "Well, first of all, I'm Layna, her twin sister, and second, it's not you that I want; it's that baby you're carrying." Grabbing at her belly, Eleanor tries to bring her wolf, Lyra, to the surface, but she can't feel her or sense her at all. Eleanor's face fills with fear. "What? How can that be my wolf? She can't go away."

The Pack. . . .

Kane/Lear heads into the forest, trying to track the scent of their mate and unborn child. It seems like he is running in circles until he breaks through to the clearing the meeting place of humans and wolves. He sees that there is nothing there, his heart racing, thinking he has lost her forever. He howls out in pain. Kane retreats, leaving Lear there, staring into the distance. Derek breaks through the trees and stares at him. All Lear says, with pain in his eyes, is, "She's gone. I can't sense her." Suddenly, he falls to the ground and passes back out.

.