Page 99 of The Librarian and Her Alphas

“Oh shit,” I say, too stunned to do anything except stare at the growing puddle.

“What?” Annabelle asks anxiously. “Are you okay?”

I look up at her and Paige with wide eyes, panic starting to creep in. “I think my water just broke.”

Annabelle and Paige glance down at the floor and then back up at me, their expressions of shock mirroring my own.

“Oh my God,” says Paige.

“I can’t believe this is happening right now!” I say in a panicked squeak.

“You shouldn’t have been messing around with your man so much,” says Annabelle, panicking, making me laugh and then groan in pain, my hand flying to my stomach as the first contraction hits.

“Do you need me to call an ambulance?” says Paige frantically.

“No, it’s okay,” I gasped, shaking my head. “The contractions literally just started, so I have time. I need to call Gunnar.”

Annabelle hands me my phone, and I dial his number, grimacing as another contraction rolls through me.

“Hey, baby,” he answers smoothly. “I missed you.”

“It’s happening!” I whisper-yell into the phone, trying to be mindful that we’re still in the library. “My water broke!”

“Oh fuck!” he exclaims. “Okay, just hang tight, love. We’re coming to get you.”

“I’ve got the hospital bag!” I hear Max yell as Damon curses in the background, urgently barking out orders.

Gunnar ends the call with a quick “I love you” and then hangs up. I smile at their readiness. In the last few weeks, we’ve practiced our ‘go’ moment about a dozen times. I want my delivery day to be perfect, and my alphas have been more than accommodating, catering to my every need.

“Do you want to sit down?” Annabelle asks nervously, touching my elbow. “We can go to the break room? Or you could just wait here?”

“Here is fine,” I say, giving her a reassuring smile. Paige wheels my chair around the desk to where we’re standing, and I’ve barely taken one step toward it when the library doors burst open violently, slamming against the walls with a resounding crash. The people at the bookshelves nearest us cry out in alarm, the books in their hands dropping to the floor.

I turn in the direction of the doors, and my heart stops. It’s not my alphas.

Aleks and Raul are standing in the doorway. Their gaze is locked on me, their eyes cold and cruel, and I barely notice the silver daggers in their hands until Raul waves one at me.

“My, my, little omega… how you’ve grown,” he sneers and takes a menacing step into the library as the people dash for the exit, screaming.

“Aleks... Raul…” I croak, my voice tight with terror. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Did you think we wouldn’t know what happened to Zorin?” Aleks snarls, approaching me. “We came to finish the job that he started.”

I feel my pulse race frantically, panic flooding through my veins, and my eyes dart toward Annabelle and Paige. They’re standing frozen in fear beside me, their faces drained of all color.

“Why now?” I ask, stalling for time. Maybe keeping them talking long enough will give Damon, Max, and Gunnar enough time to get to the library.

“Why not now? This is the perfect time to destroy your impending happiness.”

“We’ve been watching you for quite some time,” Raul says. “Your pups will belong to us after you give birth. You owe us that.”

A sense of déjà vu passes over me so strongly that I feel like I might vomit. I can’t believe this is happening again. Raul and Aleks have always been cold and cruel, but seeing them again chills me to the bone. A pack isn’t supposed to be without a leader, so Zorin’s death must be affecting them negatively.

They’re coming apart at the seams, and there’s no stopping it.

Raul moves swiftly toward Annabelle and Paige, and the women shrink back in terror. He grabs them both roughly by the arms and pulls them away from me.

“Go with Aleks,” he snarls at me, his canines extended. “If you don’t, I’ll kill your friends here—and everyone else in this fucking library.”

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