Page 36 of Forever Bite

Owen looked down at her, seeing her hands trembling, tears pouring from her eyes. Reika’s chest heaved as she fought for every breath, and he could almost see the beat of her heart in the pulse at her throat. Without a second thought, Owen shifted, bending down in front of her. Reika grabbed fistfuls of his fur, understanding what he wanted. It took her a few minutes, but she managed to hurl herself onto his back and cling to him as he sprinted into the forest.

Owen knew it was a long shot, but he decided to make for the same cabin where Mateo had taken Reika the first time. It seemed an obvious place to hide, but he hoped that his pack would ignore it for exactly that reason.

We are out of choices.

His paws ran lightly across the ground as he darted through the trees, coming up on the cabin quickly. He could feel Reika slipping from his back, her hands too tired to grip his fur. He shifted right in the doorway and picked her up just as she fell unconscious.

Owen put her in the bed, covering her with extra blankets. As the night passed over their heads, he watched her sleep, his every sense tuned to the forest around them as he waited to be attacked.

Even as the night rolled into dawn and the day marched on, Owen kept himself on edge, ready to fight. Reika could not get out of bed the next day, which only made him more nervous. The slightest sound of a bird flitting from branch to branch was enough to send him to the nearest window, searching for his enemies and waiting for the attack.

The day wore on, and still, nothing happened. No one came. Owen didn’t dare fall into complacency. He still assumed they would come. He cared for Reika, helping her regain her strength. He could tell by her worn expression that she hated being a burden to him, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

She should be rejoicing, laughing with her friends, and looking at baby clothes, not hiding terrified in a dusty cabin!

Even though Owen was furious, he kept himself calm for Reika. As the days passed, she relaxed a bit more, and finally, he saw color returning to her cheeks, and she had the energy to move around a little on her own.

He sat by her bed, stroking back the hair from her forehead while they watched the stars turning outside the window. Owen was exhausted, afraid, and living with the kind of fury that could split a man’s heart in two, yet he couldn’t regret any of it, not a single moment. Especially not when he was looking into his mate’s beautiful, pale green eyes and seeing billions of bright stars reflected within them.

He had his mate, and she was carrying his child. He would never regret what had gone on because this was his destiny … Reika was all that he had ever wanted.

We just need somewhere to be safe. Somewhere to have the baby in peace. Once she has delivered, she’ll be stronger. We can travel farther then, and both of us can fight if need be.

“What are you thinking about?” Reika asked. He looked into her face and smiled, giving her a quick kiss.

“I’m thinking about what it will be like when our baby is born,” he said. “I’m thinking of all the places we can go.”

“That sounds wonderful,” she breathed, closing her eyes as she relaxed into the pillows. “I can’t wait for the day. But before that, we need a safe place for our child to be born. Will we be safe here?”

Owen shook his head absently. “No. We’ve been lucky so far. I wouldn’t want to push that luck any further than we already have. Now that you’re stronger, we should think about moving on.”

“But where?” Reika asked. Owen’s heart ached as he heard the desperation in her voice. The poor woman had more than enough trouble for a lifetime.

How I wish I could make it up to her, somehow.

“I think there is only one place to go,” he said, sighing. “At least for now. We can travel anywhere we want once the baby is born, but we have few options now.”

He sighed again, stroking Reika’s forehead. “We need to return to Farallon Island.”

TWENTY-EIGHT

REIKA

Reika was keen to get back to the island, and there was a driving need inside her to get as far from Raff territory as possible. Even though she still had concerns about delivering the baby on her own, she knew it was far more dangerous to stay in the cabin.

Her weakness weighed heavily on her spirit, not just her body. She longed to feel her old strength, to not be a burden to Owen. She knew, though, that her body was giving her baby every last drop of energy, and that was how it should be.

I will do anything for my child to be born healthy!

She couldn’t blame her body for constantly failing her when she was putting it through so much. Still, she suggested that they move out the very next day, even though she was still very tired.

They headed to the nearest road and found a cab to take them to the dock. On the way there, Owen watched her with concern hiding deep in his eyes.

“You are worried, my love,” he said.

She nodded. “I want to get out of here … I can’t stand to be separated from you again. Your pack will never allow us to be together, even if they would protect our child. My pack would see it dead.”

Reika felt a terrible sorrow seeping through her as the words left her lips. Owen reached out and touched her hand.

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