Chapter 77

Annette POV:

Having learned that this enemy would take anyone who could fight Grayson called up Darren, Steven,

and Moore the alpha of the Crescent mountain pack.

They decided to set up a prison camp in the middle of where all our territories meet. I made sure to

encourage fair treatment and Grayson dutifully agreed.

He wanted to treat them well so their loyalty would waver. He hoped when they saw how everyone here

lived it would open their eyes.

Grayson knew that killing the enemies Delta as well as one of their higher warriors would send a

message, he wasn’t

wrong.

Any decorum they had was now gone. They attacked civilians. Three fishermen from the river phase

pack. They cut them down and then strung them up to hang.

And then my husband left me. Again.

We both knew that this time it would be much longer than before. We didn’t say it I’m sure he didn’t

want to acknowledge the time he’d lose.

The night before he left we locked ourselves in our room. He touched me like I was sacred, his hands

lingered everywhere. I kept myself close to him holding onto him the whole night even when it felt

overwhelming.

“I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can but I need to put him down for good,” he spoke and I’d seen his

thoughts drift off away from the moment we’d had.

“You’ll do what you have to, but you’re not there right now,” I’d told him.

I kept his focus on me and he relished it. Once morning came even if it killed me I said goodbye to him.

All I’d wanted was to lock him back in the house but he left.

The words Jessica spoke to Elizebeth played in my head on repeat. I thought constantly about if there

were others who hated me and blamed me for all this danger.

I could hear whispers where there were none all day long.

“You are a good Luna and everyone is grateful for you,” Elizebeth furrowed her brows and encouraged

nie.

“Jessica said someone else hated me. They want me gone,” I shook my head and rubbed my belly.

“Even so, everyone else adores you. They are all so appreciative of you, especially during this dark

period you’ve been light itself,” Ella rubbed my back.

Now Ella and Charlotte had been told to stick to my side. If I had little to no alone time before I was now

watched all hours of the day. My mother had even taken to checking me while I slept.

It didn’t matter if Matt or Brian stood outside my door. She came in once or twice a night to check on

me.

He’d been gone five weeks when he called me on the sat phone.

“I need Charles to come out. They’re getting better the closer we get and I need him out here,” He told

me. I knew he was asking because he had no other choice.

Charlie left the next day and then my father came. Theo and Cea as well. He’d left the family pack in

the hands of our beta and came to me.

pup,” he came out of the car and k*ssed my forehead. “You leave it all to me,”

My worries increased and decreased at the same time. My father being there could have only been at

the request of my husband, if my husband had swallowed his pride to do so he may be in mortal

danger. But the feeling of my father arriving was the sweetest relief.

“Oh thank the goddess!! Cea jumped onto me squashing me in a hug. She even got a bit of pushback

from my protection.

The Luna is pregnant,” Elizebeth sternly reminded my childhood friend.

“It was just a hug I didn’t smack her stomach,” Cea glared.

I was aware bed ever met that my bubbly, d*rty–minded, best friend and my traditional, honor–bound

protector wouldn’t get along.

“Not our land darling.” Theo pulled back his wife with a k*ss on the cheek and an arm around his waist.

“My sister is a Luna now,” he raised an eyebrow.

“But she’s still my sister,” he came over and gave me a hug that eased everything. “And she needs our

support, to grow my nephew,”

“The Luna hasn’t announced a gender,” Aarron quirked an eyebrow.

No, I hadn’t I was waiting for Grayson to do that but all my feelings were true. I was indeed having a

boy, a strong male heir for the pack. I wanted his father to be there when I announced to the pack I had

done my duty.

I wanted him here, I had a round belly now and I had no husband beside me. It was hard to fight off the

loneliness or the desperation to be beside him. At least once a day my mother for Elizebeth would grab

my hand when they saw the emptiness in me.

“He’s without you as well, send him your love,” my mother would tell me.

And I would do it. I’d think of him and search for him and reach out with all I had and I would feel the

ghost of him

dance about me

“I love you

My father took over the defense and switched a few things but said he was impressed with Grayson’s

plans.

I still found myself looking over everyone I spoke to. My family was all beside me and yet without my

mate, I found myself completely exposed.

With the baby that was growing in my belly, I couldn’t fight for myself I had to depend on others and the

foreign. feeling disturbed me.

I kept track of everyone I passed, anyone who gave me weird glances, or any form of attention I made

a mental note

1. of.

“Stress isn’t good for a baby.” Cea told me as she combed my hair.

Everyone told me that every day once a day or twice a day however many times they saw me look

about and question the faces my eyes lid upon.

I was undone without him, and the worst part was I could picture him without me. That wild, bloody,

tarnished beast

he was when he’d come home.

He would be unkempt, unbarred, unchecked and I could not help him now. I would do my duty and lead

by example. even though all I wanted to do was go to him and leave everyone else behind.

The next chapters are going to come in a burst it’s going to take me awhile to write them but I want

them to be one cohesive portion, I am very busy this next week but I will hopefully be able to get them

done after that. Thank you for reading.

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