Chapter Four

AXYL

I was perched at the bar, watching Aliana dance. She’d done it countless times before, but it never lost its charm. I knew her feelings from when she was younger, even before we shared that moment.

I’m good at reading people. I’d be kidding myself if I said I wasn’t drawn to her, but she was a no-go zone. After our conversation, she put on a country song and started singing and swaying near the door.

That’s when ~he~ walked in, his whole club in tow.

The damn Blue Moon MC. I’ve despised them for as long as I can remember. My hatred deepened when they tried and failed to wipe out my family because I sided with Broken Angels instead of them.

Why wouldn’t I? My father is a founder of this group. He served in the military with Westyn and Ali’s dad. All the founders were in the same squadron. I was raised in this club and never considered joining another.

We survived because the club was there in a flash, providing backup. It was more than just the three of us could handle. My father, brother, and I. Braxton was only thirteen then and I was fifteen.

I knew we were just in the way, but there was no way I was going to let my father face them alone.

“Get the fuck away from her,” I growled at Alexander. I didn’t hesitate to pull my gun from under my cut and aim it at his head.

I glanced around to see that everyone in the room had done the same. I quickly refocused on Aliana and Alexander fucking Harris.

“I am not your baby. So, don’t you ~ever~ call me that again,” I heard Aliana tell him. “Get your fucking hands off me before I make you.” She was livid. Her drunken haze quickly faded as Alexander laughed at her.

“Oh, my weak little slut is finally growing a backbone. You won’t do anything. You haven’t all these years. We could have ruled together if you would have just given me the information I wanted.

“Now, be a good little bitch and get your ass out there on my bike,” he said, making my blood boil. No one talks to my Ol’ Lady that way. No one.

“You really shouldn’t have said that to my Ol’ Lady. I’ll fucking kill you,” I growled, grabbing Aliana as she moved away from him and pulling her behind me.

“Now, now. None of that. I just want what belongs to me. I knew the slut would be fucking someone else. I just never thought it would be her brother’s best friend.

“Your Ol’ Lady? You didn’t seem to claim her when it mattered, and now that she’s back you want to claim her? After she’s been claimed by me. Well, not officially.

“Do her father and brother know you claimed her as your Ol’ Lady?” Alexander asked.

“Of course, they knew. They aren’t stupid. Something that can’t be said about you. You fucking tortured her and left her for dead. What kind of man does that to a woman he says he loves?

“Just because she wouldn’t give you information on us. Pathetic. Just like you’ve always been. Now, take your goons and get the hell off our territory before you get a war you don’t want.

“Especially one that you won’t fucking win, and you know it. Not that it won’t happen for what you did to her. I should kill you right now,” I spat.

“She doesn’t belong to you. She never has. A man who lays his hands on a woman and puts her through what you did is no man at all. Just a little bitch.” I knew I’d gotten under his skin when bullets started flying.

I quickly pulled Aliana behind a table I’d knocked over for cover. “Stay here and don’t move.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” she said in a shaky voice, lifting her hand. That’s when I noticed she’d been hit. She was clutching her side and blood was pouring out.

“FUCK!” I yelled, peeking out from behind the table and firing off a few rounds before I tore off my shirt and pressed it to her side. The gunfire died down after a few minutes until there was silence.

The only damage on our side was a few shoulder hits. We managed to take out ten of the Blue Moon crew. “DOC! Get over here and help Aliana! She’s lost a lot of blood,” I yelled at the club’s medic and one of our enforcers.

He rushed over to us and laid her flat on the ground before lifting her shirt to examine the wound. Luckily, it was just a graze, not hitting anything major, so it was easy to stitch up.

She was going to be sore for a while until it healed, but that’s better than her being dead.

“What the fuck happened in here?” Westyn bellowed as he walked into the clubhouse. My father and Robert, Ali and Westyn’s father, rushed in after him. They’d gone to check out one of our warehouses.

“Aliana! What the hell happened to my daughter!” Robert exclaimed, rushing over to us.

ALIANA

“Dad, I’m fine. Alexander came to take me back. I froze and it turned into a bloodbath. I would have been dead if it weren’t for Axyl, or I would have been back in that fucking hell hole.

“When Alex spewed shit from his mouth, I turned around and told him to leave me the fuck alone. He had to let me go, so Axyl came up, grabbed me, and pulled me behind him.

“Bullets started flying and before Axyl could get me behind the table, I got hit,” I explained. I’m so done with this day. I just want to go to bed. I moved to stand up and winced at the pain.

“What are you up to?” Axyl shot me a glare, which I matched with my own.

“I’m heading to bed. I’ve had enough of this day. You can either join me or stay out here,” I snapped back. He helped me up and I started for my room, but a wave of dizziness hit me and I collapsed onto the nearby couch.

Maybe I’m still a bit drunk, or maybe it’s the blood loss. Even though the bullet didn’t hit anything vital, I still lost a fair amount of blood. Not enough to warrant a trip to the ER, though.

“Damn. Ali, are you okay, sweetheart?” My dad rushed over to me. “Axyl! You better take good care of my girl. I’m guessing you’re finally getting your act together and going after what you’ve always wanted.”

He questioned, and my jaw dropped. What the hell? “I know you thought she was off-limits, but I’m not blind or stupid. I see the way she looks at you and the way you look at her.

“Hell, the whole damn club could see it. It’s a shame you settled for Lana when you could have had the real deal from the start.”

“I’m fine,” I said, brushing off his revelation for now. “I’m going to grab some orange juice from the kitchen and then find Doc for some pain meds for my side.”

When I got up, I still felt a bit unsteady, but I managed to keep my balance as the dizziness faded. I went to the kitchen, got my juice, and then headed to the makeshift infirmary to find Doc.

“Hey, Ali. What can I do for you, sweetheart?” he asked when I walked in. I smiled and walked over to him.

“I’m feeling dizzy and a bit sore, so I was hoping you could give me some pain meds.”

“Sure, but I need to ask you a few questions before I can give them to you,” he said, and I just groaned out a ‘fine’ and sat down on one of the beds. “First off, when’s the last time you had sex?”

I nearly choked on his question. I hadn’t told anyone about the last time I had ‘sex’, if you could even call it that. The last and only man I’ve ever willingly slept with was Alex.

At first, it was consensual, but after he threw me in the cells…not so much. He joined his men in taking me against my will.

“Um…well…a month ago, when I was last attacked…unfortunately,” I said the last part quietly, hoping he didn’t hear it, but of course, he did.

Not that he didn’t know what happened to me. He was in the room when I went over everything.

“I know you were raped, Ali. I was there, but I need to ask. I’m guessing you weren’t on any birth control and I’m not sure if they used protection, so I need to know,” he said.

The only man who never used protection was Alex. He wasn’t shy about asking, though. Even though he already knew, I still didn’t expect him to bluntly ask me when my last period was. Well, the last time I had sex was.

“Why do you need to know when I last had sex? I just came in here for some painkillers,” I said, getting a bit irritated. I wasn’t mad at Doc, just this whole messed up situation.

“I ask that question before I ask when a woman had her last period,” he said, and honestly, I don’t remember the last time I had a period. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately and I was left for dead.

“I…I don’t remember. I’ve been under a lot of stress and after being left for dead and taking some time to heal before coming back here, I haven’t kept track,” I said honestly. Oh God…I can’t be…can I?

No. It’s not possible. If I was, then what they did to me would have…I can’t even finish that thought.

“Well, I’m going to give you a pregnancy test and you can take it now. I won’t give you any painkillers if you are pregnant. It wouldn’t be good for the baby,” he explained before going to the cabinet and pulling out a box.

He handed it to me, and I took it with shaky hands. “The bathroom is right through there. Just in case you didn’t remember,” he chuckled. I just glared at him and got up from the bed. How can he find this amusing?

I’m freaking out! I went to the bathroom and ripped open the test. I can’t be pregnant. There’s no way. If I was, there’s no way the baby would have survived what they did to me.

I took the test and went back out to sit on the bed. God, I’m tired. I handed the test to Doc, I couldn’t bear to look.

God, what am I going to do? My life is a mess right now. I should have just gone to bed, then I wouldn’t be dealing with this right now. I’m tired of everything going wrong.

Not that a baby is a bad thing, I just thought I’d be married and happy before having kids. Not having a child from the man I loved who turned out to be my worst nightmare.

I mean, he didn’t let any other guys touch me like that until the last few months I was in his trap.

“Well, Ali…I don’t know how to say this, but you are, indeed, pregnant,” Doc said. I didn’t think I could get any paler. Why is this happening to me?

I just got up and walked out of the infirmary and headed to my room, feeling like a shell of myself.

“Ali. Are you okay?” Axyl asked.

“Sweetheart?” My dad said.

“Sis?” My brother said.

“I’m not okay. I’m...” I pause, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I’m pregnant. And the father...” My voice trails off, anger seeping into my words. “The father is the man who tormented me, who raped me whenever he felt like it.” With that, I turn on my heel and head for the sanctuary of my room.