Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 47

“I don’t really remember a lot of what happened,” Ronnie said as she sipped the tea, I gave her.

We had returned to my home in Sabrebite a few hours ago and I had Ronnie resting on the couch with Erick beside her. Anderson was pacing back and forth like a mad man, anxious that this meant a new revolution was about to break loose.

He wasn’t far off.

With Jonathan in Blackcrest and still no word from him, I feared the same thing.

“I just remember that woman…” she whispered.

Ronnie had told us Elijah slaughtered an elder woman right in front of her using a butcher knife. She couldn’t get the sounds out of her head and every time she closed her eyes, she could see the woman’s face.

“You don’t remember anything Elijah said to you?” I asked, sitting down on the other side of her.

She shook her head, staring down at the cup of tea in her hands.

“No…” she said hoarsely. “Next thing I remembered I was in Dr. Beverly’s office.”

“We are just glad you’re alive,” I told her softly.

Tears began filling her eyes as she rested her head on Erick’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry for going to Blackcrest alone. I should have never done that. I just wanted to…” her voice trailed off.

“I know,” I told her, knowing what she was about to say. “You just wanted to prove yourself. But Ronnie, sometimes proving yourself doesn’t mean to throw yourself in the middle of a battle. It was a suicide mission. It won’t prove you’re on our side if you die.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“What Jess said…” she whispered.

“Was hurtful. We know,” I told her, finishing her sentence. “But it was just one person. I don’t feel the way she does. Neither does Jonathan and definitely not Erick.”

She glanced up at Erick who kissed the top of her forehead and tightened his arms around her. She closed her eyes and soaked in his comfort.

“Does my mom even know I’m here?” Ronnie asked. “Does she know what happened?”

“I told her, yes,” I said. “She seemed to be in her own little world though.”

Ronnie rolled her eyes.

“of course she has been,” Ronnie muttered. “What about Jonathan? Any word on him?”

We all fell silent. I stared at my feet and tugged at my fingers.

“Not yet,” I told her.

She sighed.

“I can’t just sit here and wait for something to happen,” Anderson snapped. “I need to go and help him.”

“He wants everyone to wait here,” I reminded him.

“He wants us to make sure you are safe. Which you are. Erick is here now. I need to go make sure Jonathan isn’t lying in a ditch somewhere,” he argued.

“What about Marian? Wouldn’t she be worried if you just left?” I asked.

“Marian will be fine. She’s been all about her work lately. Now that you aren’t in the office, she’s been doing twice the work and it’s been driving her insane.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what she did before I started working there.

Anderson started to storm towards the door.

“Anderson, please be careful,” I called after him. He didn’t respond; he just slammed the door behind him.

Soon a sharp pain went through the side of my stomach; it was something I’d been feeling the last 24 hours but kept ignoring due to everything going on around me. However, up until that point, it’s been mild and easy to hide. But in this case, I made a sound of distress and placed my hand in the sensitive area.

Ronnie sat up, alert, and Erick was staring at the side of my stomach I was touching, both frowning.

“What’s wrong?” Erick asked.

I really didn’t want them to worry about this right now, with everything going on.

“It’s nothing,” I told them. “Just a little pain.”

“How long have you been in pain?” He asked; he was more concerned than I thought he would be.

“The last day or so,” I told them.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked, releasing Ronnie, and standing to his feet so he can stand closer to me.

“I…” I tried to say, but another sharp pain shot through my body. I g*****d again and pressed into the side of my stomach with my fingers, trying to massage the area.

“Arina?” Ronnie asked, she also looked concerned.

She pulled my fingers away from my stomach and gasped as she saw the light purple bruise in its place. Erick looked almost ghost white at the sight of the bruise.

I didn’t even know it was there; I tried not to look worried.

“I’m fine, you guys. I promise,” I said, but I knew the fear was lingering in my words and my confidence didn’t meet my eyes.

“You don’t look fine at all,” Ronnie said as she placed the back of her hand on my forehead. “You feel a bit hot too.”

“Ronnie…” I said, swatting her hand away.

“Arina, you should go lie down in your bed. I’m going to call Dr. Beverly and see if she can make a house visit,” Erick told me as he took out his phone.

“Actually, do you think you can get a hold of Dr. Emily instead? She knows a bit more about my pregnancy and will probably be more useful,” I asked.

“Even after knowing what Rock and Melissa had done? You still want their doctor to care for you?” Ronnie asked.

I nodded.

“Even so, she’s updated on my condition. That way I won’t have to fill Dr. Beverly in on anything. Plus, I still need that box of my mother’s stuff. I need to abide by Rock’s rules still until I can get my hands on it,” I explained.

As painful as it was, I needed to know the truth about what my mother was going through. I know there was more to the story besides what I’ve been told. I also wanted her ashes so I can give her the burial she deserved and wanted. She doesn’t deserve to be kept in an urn and stuffed in a box.

Ronnie helped me off the couch and into my bedroom. Slipping into bed, I began feeling a bit light-headed. I noticed I was a bit warm earlier, but I figured it was due to the stress of not hearing from Jonathan and being worried about Ronnie. But then once the pain started, I knew Ronnie and Erick were right to be concerned.

I wasn’t supposed to start hurting like this for another few weeks, which meant the baby was growing rapidly. I noticed I started to get a little plumper around my stomach area and my sides were swelling up. Now there’s a light purple bruise around my ribcage and it’s tender to the touch.

Another painful sting coursed through my body and this time it nearly took me out; I g*****d out in agony and rolled over to my side to try to ease the tension. It almost felt like an electronic shock that went down the side of my body.

“Arina!” Ronnie said, placing her hand on my back to support me.

“I’m fine,” I assured her through gritted teeth; I was trying to suppress my pain.

Erick’s head came popping in the room moments later.

“Dr. Emily is on her way,” he told us. I nodded my thanks to him and then he added, “Rock is coming with her.”

Of course he was.

I could feel Ronnie’s tension from beside me.

“We have to play nice,” I whispered to her, giving her a reassuring smile.

Erick joined her at my bedside.

“And if he doesn’t play nice with you, I’ll play nice with his throat,” Erick teased as he kissed the top of her forehead. I saw her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she chuckled.

…

Dr. Emily came in an hour later holding a duffel bag of her medical equipment. Rock came in shortly afterward. He looked around the room, with almost disgust on his face. His eyes eventually found Ronnie’s and his top l*p curled up as a small snarl escaped his lips. Erick nobly stepped in front of her, snarling in return.

Rock looked at him, confusion clear on his face but then he turned away from them and towards me.

“What happened?” He asked, with his fake concern lacing his tone.

“I started feeling pain in the side of my stomach,” I told them.

Dr. Emily removed the blanket that was covering the side of my stomach and I heard a light gasp as she examined the light purple bruise. She touched her fingers to the bruise, and I winced in pain.

“How long has this been here for?” She asked.

“It just appeared today,” I told her.

“It’s happening a lot quicker than expected,” she said as she took a stethoscope out of her bag.

The coldness of the scope on my bruise was almost relieving; I wasn’t sure what she was listening for, but I wanted her to leave it there for a few more minutes.

“There’s definitely a heartbeat,” she announced.

I sighed in relief.

A heartbeat was a good thing. It meant that the baby was alive and hopefully healthy. At this moment, that was all that mattered to me.

“I’m going to do an ultrasound and see exactly what’s going on in there,” she told me.

“What happened to you?” Rock asked, staring at Ronnie, as if Melissa hadn’t told him already.

“I… uh… had some issues with some other wolves,” she explained.

It wasn’t a complete lie, just not the full truth.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to me.

“You haven’t been keeping your end of the contract,” he scolded

“Do we have to talk about this right now?” I asked through gritted teeth.

I sighed relief as Dr. Emily rubbed some cold, clear jelly on my bruises; I noticed she was holding a small monitor, attached to a scope. She pressed the scope against the bruise and stare at the monitor intently.

The silence in the room was thick as she examined the monitor; a small frown was placed on her lips.

After what felt like a lifetime, she finally pulled the scope away and took a breath.

“Okay, well I discovered a couple of things,” she began. We all stayed silent as she continued. “One… you’re having a little girl.” My heart leaped from joy; I couldn’t believe I was having a daughter. “Two… she’s developed her wolf’s feet.”

Um… What?