Page 99 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter
“We won’t have to find out,” Javi says. “I’m getting you out of here, Peach. I won’t let anyone hurt you or our baby, even if it kills me.”
I gaze into his eyes, using him as an anchor when the world feels like it’s spinning out of control. I feel like I have to preempt him—to make it clear that he can’t just rescue me. There is no me without him, not anymore.
“You have to come with me,” I say. “I won’t leave without you.”
He holds me close, but he doesn’t say another word.
And as usual, I dread where his sense of duty will take us.
23
JAVI
Something is strange on the Rig today.
Not only with me—even though I just found out I’m going to be a father. There’s an air of apprehension around us all, tense and foreboding, the storm clouds on the horizon casting a strange greenish light on the Rig like a hint of what’s to come.
Time is of the essence now that she’s pregnant, especially when I don’t know how long it will be or if there are any doctors here. I want her somewhere safe and comfortable with people that will care for her, not in this dystopian nightmare.
I watch from the window as alphas mill around while the sun sets, clearing crates, supplies, and piles of nets from a large space on the deck. Peaches sleeps in our bed, surrounded by as many of my clothes as she can find, the blankets in a circle around her. She lays on her side, one of my t-shirts wrapped around a pillow and held in her arms like a teddy bear.
I’m going to be a father.
It’s hard for me to understand that—to process it.
It brings unwelcome memories to the surface.
I picture my own father, a man I hardly ever knew. He was a bastard—used to beat the hell out of my mom. She refusedto leave for years, stuck in the Heavenly Host-controlled city of Miami, unable to get home to Puerto Rico.
He was the first man I ever fought—the first man I ever killed—but not before he’d given me more than a few black eyes.
I turn to lean against the wall and watch Peaches sleep. She looks so peaceful, but I guess she’s exhausted after throwing up for the better part of the morning. I know she’s disturbed by everything that’s going on, scared of what will happen, anxious about the baby. I wish I could set her at ease, but I’m just as lost.
My father was cruel. His blood runs hot in my veins, and I’m terrified of how I’ll treat her when I’m a father…and I wonder if she would be better off without
me.
A plan is already taking shape in my head, but it would require me sending her off with someone else and staying behind to ensure they didn’t go after her. She won’t leave without me—she’s made that very clear—but if I could sway one of the betas working in the mess hall to my side and offer them safe haven with Peaches’ pack…
I don’t have any other ideas. Boyd was always the planner, while I was the muscle.
It’s all I’ve ever been.
I’m useless to her.
What the hell am I supposed to do with a child? What can I teach them?
Peaches stirs, her eyes meeting mine as we both sense someone coming down the hall. I scent Ephraim a moment later, then the knock comes at the door. I open it only a crack, hoping to keep her scent masked. Ephraim doesn’t seem to notice anything amiss, and he doesn’t even try to look past me. I don’t think he likes this situation much more than we do, and from what Peaches says, he just wants us all gone.
“You’re needed on the dock,” he says. “We have guests coming.”
I narrow my eyes. “Who?”
“The Angels,” Ephraim says. “Our Prime wants to introduce you.”
I glance back to exchange a look with Peaches, and find her eyes wide. It’s been years since I’ve even seen an Angel, though a couple used to frequent the pits in Miami. I don’t know if Peaches has ever seen one at all.
I swallow hard and nod at Ephraim.
