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Needless to say, this was an even worse fallout. But as I spent the next few months recovering at Harry and Ashley's packhouse, I knew I'd done the right thing. I could never let Brody in again, not when he'd revealed his true colours so shamelessly.
In any case, it didn't matter whether or not I'd done the right thing; with me having removed myself from yet another former pack's base, Brody now had the freedom to go to war with the Keystone pack. As Micah had predicted, this did not sit well with their allies, and the further revelation of Brody's true character had further inflamed old hatreds between the Saltwaters and Keystones.
As for me, I had problems enough of my own to worry about. Being pregnant was bad enough, but being pregnant with Brody's cub was even worse. And it didn't help when GiGi and I found out that Sarah had actually been right.
It was not a pleasant feeling.
Small wonder some days I felt like I was drowning.
But this made me more determined not to go back. How Brody had managed to spread such lies about himself - and by extension his pack - was anyone's guess. GiGi was angry at herself for having fallen for the lies.
"Had I known, I would never have asked you to swear to them," she said as we sat by the pool. The weather was starting to turn, but such was the packhouse construction I could relax in a bikini, thanks to the enclosed area. And it was just what I needed.
"Don't beat yourself up over it," I told her, squeezing her hand. "Let's just focus on keeping me out of their clutches. Can you trust Barry?"
GiGi hesitated and then shook her head. "I'd rather not take the risk," she said sadly, and my heart broke. Knowing she'd fallen in love with him, this situation was clearly killing her. Mercifully, she herself hadn't ended up with cub to him, as I'd first thought several months ago, so her loyalties wouldn't be tested.
Mine, on the other hand, were getting a beating.
"I don't blame you," I said. "But we've got bigger problems to worry about." I gently touched my swelling stomach and GiGi winced. If this war went in Brody's favour, he'd lay claim to my cub. And I knew he'd cast me aside and not let me raise him or her. And that was something I was determined to prevent.
But I was also determined not to let another male in, not after the way Brody had betrayed me.
GiGi, it seemed, had picked up on Barry's ability to read my mood. "You can't leave that cub fatherless," she said. "I know you've had jack of males, but Brody will not let you or your cub roam free. He won't wait until the battle, either."
I grimaced. "You're right," I admitted, though the words stuck in my throat. "But who can I ask?"
"I'm sure the answer will come," GiGi assured me. "But you'd best pray it comes sooner rather than later. The full moon is almost upon us. And you're due in only a month or two. Time won't wait this time."
"Fair enough," I said reluctantly.
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I'd been at the Darkshard packhouse for two months when Brody himself came. Harry and Ashley were determined to keep him from me, but I refused to let myself be wrapped in cotton wool. Ashley did, however, insist that she and Harry stick around, for which I was grateful. GiGi, on the other hand, refused to be anywhere near where the confrontation would take place, and I didn't blame her. She'd taken herself out to the poolhouse on Harry's suggestion.
"You need to come home," Brody told me, his face impassive. Gone was the young male who'd been so kind to me, and I shivered. This was the real him, and I didn't like it one bit. "You've been away for too long, and your pack is wondering where you are."
"I renounced my ties to the pack two months ago," I said firmly. "You were there; I'm not going back."
Brody took a step towards me, but Harry intervened. "That's quite far enough," he warned. I was once more reminded of just how stern Harry could be underneath his mild exterior, but, for the first time since I'd moved into the Darkshard packhouse here in Liverpool, I actually felt reassured, rather than frightened. Harry and Brody certainly weren't much different, being the Alphas of two rather fearsome packs, but Harry just proved to me that he was definitely not two-faced. And that was actually quite comforting; I felt for the first time I could trust him not to turn around and reveal a darker side, not when his darker side was, at that moment, determined to protect me at all costs.
Brody glared at him. "Step aside," he warned.
"Or what?" Harry asked. "In case you forgot, young man, you're in my packhouse. You don't give the orders here; I do. And when I say that's quite far enough, that's quite far enough."
"Are you to be my enemy, then?" Brody asked in a dangerously soft voice.
Harry shrugged, but I wasn't fooled; he was coiled, ready to spring. "You tell me," he said. "If you're determined to try and take Charlie against her will, then yes, I suppose I am to be your enemy. But if you're willing to see sense and let her stay here, then no, I won't be your enemy. The choice is yours, son."
Brody bristled. "Charlie is my mate," he snarled. "I did not give her leave to go!"
"Uh, you were the one who told the pack to escort me to my room so I could get my things and leave," I said, annoyed. "Your exact words were, 'Get her out of my sight before I do something I regret.' Unless, of course, I was mistaken?"
"It was only temporary," Brody insisted. "I didn't mean for you to leave permanently."
"Yeah, well, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere," I said. "None of your pack have any claim over me; you felt the ties snap the day I renounced them. Unless you're willing to start a second war on top of the first one, I suggest you back off and leave."
"And what if I don't?" Brody askes, his voice silky smooth. He chuckled. "My house is right now anchored in Liverpool Bay. And unless there are rules preventing me from doing so, I'm going to stay right here until you see sense. You carry my cub, Charlie. That ties you to me until such time as the cub comes to maturity. Then you'll be free to go wherever you wish."
I shivered. Memories of Ben's refusal to let me go were flooding back in, and I felt as helpless now as I had then. But the growing cub in my belly reminded me I had a reason to not give in. "This is my cub," I said firmly. "And what if he or she is born human? I have no wolf, remember?"
"That doesn't matter," Brody said, waving a dismissive hand. "You are the child of werewolves. I am a werewolf, and so are you. My cub will be born a werewolf, and I shall teach him to be as strong and as merciless as I am."
I sent a mental apology to Sarah once again; it didn't excuse her methods, of course, but I could now see where she was coming from. Surprisingly, this time, I felt a response, and it carried no malice, just sadness and bitter regret. 'Do what you have to do to get out of there,' she told me. 'We can talk later, if you want. I've had a lot of time to think, and I realise now how stupid I was to treat you the way I had. I know you can't ever forgive me, and I don't blame you, but know that I will do all I can to make up for the abuse I handed out to you.'
'We'll talk,' I said, wary, but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. I then turned my attention back to Brody. "In that case," I said, "I pray it's a girl."
Brody's face darkened with rage. "Then I shall see to it that it is ripped out of you," he snarled, taking a step towards me again, but once more he was stymied by Harry, who stepped behind me and put a protective hand on my stomach. I blinked, shocked, but once more, he proved himself so much different from my one-time mate; Harry was ready to fight tooth and nail for me and my cub. Stunned realisation followed; Brody had never once shown such protectiveness over me. Even when I'd been in threat of losing my cub to Sarah's wiles, he'd never once shown he cared much for my safety, and I stored this for later. Right now, I had a dangerous situaiton on my hands, and I trembled in Harry's arms, well aware he was all that stood between me and Brody's rage.
But I soon noticed the rest of the pack stepping up to stand beside us, and I was floored when Ashley stood on my right, with Jonah, Andy, Billy, Christian, and Darcy stepping up beside her. Their faces said it all, and I let myself relax ever so slightly. These were the Five Beasts of the Apocalypse; Harry's deadliest warriors, and they all looked ready to rip Brody apart. Billy and Darcy looked especially ready to do murder; as Harry's Beta and Gamma respectively, they had a fearsome reputaiton between them, and the scars on their faces and arms said they'd earned that reputation. "Try it," Darcy warned, making sure his scarred face was on display; he'd lost an eye, and a nasty gash ran down his face and through the eye socket. He normally wore an eyepatch, but this time, he wasn't, and Brody looked ready to be sick.
"I suggest you leave," Billy added. He had a near matching scar on his face, but unlike Darcy, he hadn't lost the eye. Even so, it was a chilling sight to anyone who didn't know him well, like I did; he was in actuality a teddy bear, but when you crossed the line, you really knew about it.
Brody swallowed, but when he opened his mouth, Andy raised an eyebrow. That was all he needed to do; Brody swallowed again, this time cutting off whatever he'd been about to say. "Thought so," Andy muttered. He was from Glasgow, and he had the temper to match.
Jonah and Christian folded their arms, and again, Brody found himself with nothing to say. I felt Harry's arms tighten around me, and though I was scared witless right now, I'd never felt more safe than I did right then. In his arms, I felt like nothing could touch me, and I gripped his hand tightly where it still rested on my stomach. "I strongly suggest you take your pathetic little houseboat and leave," he said, his voice so calm it raised my hackles. "I see you within ten miles of the place, I'll have my Beasts pay you and yours a visit. It won't be pretty."
"This isn't over," Brody warned, though he did go pale when Darcy raised an eyebrow at him. It didn't stop him, though. "You are my enemies, now," he added, his voice wavering slightly, but still full of thwarted rage. "You choose to stand against me and keep my lawful mate from me. Very well. So be it. When I've finished with the Keystones, I'll come after you."
"I am not your mate," I snapped, and just like that, something else snapped. I hadn't even realised tonight was a full moon; though it wasn't due to rise for a few hours yet, its power had clearly been strong enough to snap the final tie between Brody and I. I did feel a sting as the broken bond gave me a mild etheric whiplash, but that was nothing to the pain on Brody's face. I felt a moment's guilt, but when his face contorted in a mask of pure animal rage, that guilt got snuffed out, and Harry held me even tighter. "I reject you, Brody of the Saltwater pack," I added, feeling more confident now. "I renounce all ties that I had to you, and I stand before you as a solitary wolf. My cub shall never know you as her father, nor shall she ever know your face. You are nothing to her, and you are nothing to me."
Brody was white by the time I was finished, but the anger was still burning in his eyes. "I accept your rejection," he said coldly. "You are hereby banished from the mind and memory of the Saltwater pack. When I bring my revenge against the Darkshard pack, you will stand among them as my enemy." With that last salvo, he turned and stormed out, and I sagged, Harry's arms the only thing keeping me on my feet.
"Follow him," Ashley told the Beasts. "If he tries anything, knock his teeth out."
"Yes, Luna," Darcy said, and they left, all of them still bristling as Ashley hurried over to me.
"God, that was frightening," she said, taking my face in her hands and kissing my forehead. "How are you holding up?"
I took a deep breath. "I feel sick," I said, but it wasn't a physical illness; rather, it was the backlash of my final confrontation with Brody, and the final breaking of our bond which accounted for the etheric nausea I was suffering. "I need to lie the fuck down before I pass the fuck out."
Harry gave me a gentle squeeze before letting me go. It seemed he did so reluctantly, and I glanced at Ashley in worry, only to see her looking at me with equal concern. "Then lie down you shall," she said, taking my hand. "Harry, take GiGi out for a coffee, please. I know she's been worrying herself sick, and she needs a distraction."
"Good idea," Harry said, finally relaxing as he kissed us both on the lips. I blinked after getting my kiss, but decided not to worry too much about it. Ashley certainly didn't seem bothered, and she smiled at her mate.
"Get yourself one too," she added. "You could do with it after putting yourself in the firing line like that."
"I'm the Alpha; it's my job to put myself in the firing line," Harry protested, but he was smiling now, and the tension had finally left him as he gave us another kiss, before leaving the room, muttering to himself. Ashley took my hand.
"Let's get you comfortable," she said. "I'll have you checked over later to make sure that stress didn't harm the cub. But... are you sure it's a girl?"
"I have no idea," I admitted, as she led me down the hall. "But if there's someone out there listening, I hope it is a girl. Anything to give Brody the shits is good news in my book."
Even so, I knew Brody was going to do something stupid. Like Ben, he would never let me go, not unless I did something drastic once more. And as I got comfortable once Ashley had seen me settled, I thought back to Harry's protectiveness over me and my cub, and I realised that maybe, just maybe, all my problems had been solved in one fell swoop.
But as GiGi had said the day before, time wasn't going to wait for me this time. Brody was still smarting over today. And there was never a more dangerous man when he was backed into a corner with nothing to lose.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Bb1f7qMhy
