Mating the Female Alpha
Chapter 88 – Bernice’s Birthday

Bernice's POV

It wasn't like last time; maybe it was because of the cure, and I was becoming stronger. Or maybe the dosage they gave me to knock me out wasn't strong enough. I couldn't move on my own, and it almost felt like I was asleep, however, I could still feel what was going on around me.

The guard had wrapped me into his arms and lifted me off the ground once he was sure I was out cold. I remained limp in his arms, mainly because I couldn't move. It worried me that I had no control of my body or what happened to me, but I had to trust that he was bringing me out of the layer.

He was walking down what seemed to be a long hallway and then he paused like was waiting for something. I could hear the electric doors sliding open and then he stepped inside once again. We were going up.

It was at that moment that I realized we were down below. We must have been under the ground. That must have been how they were hiding the entire layer. We went through another series of doors and more halls until I finally felt the chilling breeze outside.

We were back in the forest; I could smell the pine of the trees and hear the birds whistling in the sky. But I couldn't hear much of anything else. I wondered if Landry even noticed I was gone yet if they already started searching for me.

I knew Landry would send a search team after me; I had to keep my word to Alaric though. If I went against him, he would stop at nothing to make sure my little pup, and I were dead. I couldn't let that happen.

We only walked a short distance before I felt the dirt and twigs surrounding my body. He had placed me on the ground.

He was now walking away. He was just going to leave me here.

I'm not sure how long I have been like that; maybe it was only a few minutes, or maybe a couple of hours. I ended up drifting off to sleep as I waited for my body to become my own again.

After what felt like an eternity, I was able to open my eyes and lift my head, adjusting it to the sunlight. I was right; I was back in the forest. I was in the same place that I was taken earlier. Near the burning sage that Landry had used to summon Alaric.

Landry would surely find me here if he stayed too long. I had to get out of here.

I needed to be somewhere he would never find me. But I also needed him to know that I was okay, and that Alaric's layer was nearby and under the ground.

I grabbed a sharp rock that sat by my feet and carved the letter B, indicating that I was there. Then an arrow pointed down.

"He's never going to understand that," my wolf muttered.

"Trust me... he'll understand exactly what this means."

Landry's POV

"Alpha, we have been searching for days. There are no signs of a layer being anywhere in this forest," one of the Alpha's said.

The Alpha and warriors were beginning to lose hope of ever finding Bernice. Some of them weren't even thinking she was alive. Which infuriated Landry.

Even if she wasn't marked, he would be able to feel it if she were dead. She wasn't dead and he refused to let them think she was. "Keep looking," Landry ordered.

He wasn't going to rest until Bernice was found.

...

7 Months later

"Today would be her birthday..." Jessie breathed, standing at the doorway of Landry's office. "We should at least celebrate in her honor."

"What's the point?" Landry muttered. "She's not here to celebrate with us."

"But we have to believe that she's out there somewhere, celebrating as well," Jessie breathed. "You aren't the kind to give up. You've been searching for her for 6 months. Take a break and let's celebrate her birthday..."

Landry had vowed that he wasn't going to rest until Bernice was found and he meant that. He hasn't slept in months. They found Bernice's hint that the layer was underground, but he's thinking it's been enchanted with dark magic to keep the entrance hidden within the forest.

Landry hasn't smelled Bernice's scent in 7 months. He hasn't felt her nearby. But he knew that she was still alive.

His only hope was that Alaric was able to cure her so she could live to see her 25th birthday. His heart ached thinking that she was somewhere suffering.

"I have the cooks baking a cake," Jessie added, her tone compassionate. "You aren't going to find her staring at your computer. Come downstairs and let's celebrate her birthday. It's what she would want." No, she wouldn't.

But he wasn't about to argue with his sister.

And he was staring at his computer because it held the map of the entire kingdom; he was marking off places he had already searched. There was still so much land to cover.

"Fine," he finally agreed, standing to his feet. "We can celebrate her birthday."

Bernice's POV

Happy birthday to me.

I'm still alive, so that's a plus. I also haven't gone into heat in a long time and I feel much stronger, despite carrying a little pup inside of me.

"It's been 6 months and there's no word from Landry," Julia cried. "What if we never hear from him again?"

She's been aching for months since we left Landry; I couldn't blame her; I've been aching too. And it wasn't because of my pregnancy, though I have been getting huge. I could hardly get myself out of bed anymore.

Alpha Adam of the Bloodmoon pack has been kind enough to let me stay in his pack. He wasn't a part of the Alpha warriors that fought alongside Landry and his men, so I didn't have to worry about Adam ratting me out. His pack was also hours away from Landry's pack and one of the smallest, so I didn't have to worry about being found.

At least for right now.

If Landry had any sense, he wouldn't try and find me until Alaric was gone for good.

"We don't have much for houses right now," Alaric had told me when we first met. He stared at me with such concern; I had been walking for an eternity. I've gotten rides from strangers and did everything I could to get away from Landry's pack. I was exhausted and I felt sick to my stomach. "But you are welcome to stay in the packhouse for as long as you need."

"Thank you," I said to him.

I stayed in a room in the packhouse for a few months. The pack was kind to me and cared for me when I needed it the most. But it still never felt like home. I hated the way everyone looked at me like I was fragile and abandoned. I couldn't tell them the truth about why I was there.

They would look at me even worse if they knew. It was just better if they thought I was abandoned by my mate. I told them my name is Denise and stuck with that.

I ended up leaving the packhouse when I found a small shack off the coast of the town. It was far enough away that others wouldn't be able to stare at me like I was a damsel in distress. But close enough that I could still get support if I needed

it.

Most importantly, I would be alone.

It wasn't much of a house, but I could make it my home. It was only temporary until Landry defeats Alaric and comes to get me.

The pack had a doctor that would come to see me periodically. Throughout the months I found it more difficult to move on my own. I was beginning to regret moving out of the packhouse to live on my own. By the time my birthday arrived, I could hardly get out of bed.

The only thing keeping me going was knowing that my pup was healthy and growing quickly inside of me. It also helped me to know that I was going to live to give birth.

The morning of my birthday, I heard a loud knock on my door.

I couldn't help the groan that escaped my lips; now I had to force myself to my feet and wobble to the door.

"You must be Bernice," the girl at the door said with a fond smile.

I didn't recognize her.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

"Oh, goddess, no. but I've heard plenty about you," she said. "May I come in?"