The Lycan Series
The Lycan King’s Breeder Chapter 36

Avalyn's

POV

Slow steady beeping filled my ears -and yet, the throb in my head was trying to dull all of my senses. The last time I'd felt like this was that faithful day when I'd just arrived at Southern Ridge.

I felt like shit. Slowly, I willed my eyes to open and took in my surrounding. I was once again in the very familiar room I recognized as Lydia's chamber. This was definitely the last place I wanted to find myself in. The steady beeping came from a machine that was dripping some kind of fluid into my arm -not at all a comforting sight. I hated being bedridden and invalid like this, feeling like I wasn't capable of taking care of myself. "She's resting now, but she's okay."

Lydia's voice made me turn my attention to the partially closed door. I wasn't sure whom she was talking to, but I had no doubt it was Dawn... or Willow.

"I can't believe this happened. I'm so sorry, I should have never let her leave her room." I heard Dawn say quietly.

I hated the guilt and regret I heard in her voice, she wasn't to blame for this... whatever this is. All she wanted was for me to go out and have fun, nobody knew I was going to pass out on the freaking road. Willow's angry voice replied, "I gave you an order not to let her out of palace grounds. Didn't I?"

"I'm sorry, Luna, but Alpha gave us permission before leaving this morni-"

"Quiet!" Willow spat venomously.

I wasn't going to allow Dawn to take the fall for this. It wasn't her fault, at the end of the day, I had left my room willingly, and it wasn't like she'd coerced me into doing it.

"I'm awake," I called out weakly, hoping to get all the heat off of Dawn. Within seconds, the door opened, but only the faces of Lydia and Dawn came into view.

"I'm so sorry we woke you up, sweetheart. You need to rest." Lydia quickly replied, coming to my bedside to check on me.

"I'm fine, Lydia." I offered her a small smile. "It was just a small fall."

"You call that a small fall?" Dawn whispered, staring at me with wide eyes. "You could have fractured your skull or something."

I didn't have it in me to roll my eyes at her words, so I settled for shaking my head. "I'm sure it was nothing. And the stomach bug I've had lately hasn't been helping my balance at all."

My words had the both of them stopping in their tracks and glancing at each other in silence for a few seconds. I wasn't sure what was going on, but by the looks on their faces, I could tell it was something serious. "Avalyn... it isn't a stomach bug," Lydia said soothingly, causing a surge of unease to flow within me.

There was this feeling deep inside my heart that knew exactly what was going on. I knew what was happening to me, but I shoved it down, choosing to ignore it.

"Well... tell me what's going on. Am I dying? Is that it?" I whispered to Lydia, already feeling the sting at the corners of my eyes.

"No honey, you're not. No need to shed sad tears." She walked over to rub my arms comfortingly.

"What is it then...?" The question was spoken softly, but with their werewolf hearing, I was pretty sure they heard exactly what I had asked.

"You pregnant, Avalyn."

This time, it was Willow's voice that spoke from behind me. I heard the clicking of her heels on the tiled floors before she even came into my vision. She walked slowly towards my bed and took a seat at the edge of it. "Leave us." She commanded, making shivers run down my spine.

I didn't want to be alone in a room with this woman. She could easily end my life and there would be nothing I could do about it. Ever since the day she'd threatened me, there had been this intense fear she had planted in my heart, all my instincts screamed at me to get away from her whenever I saw her.

I watched in horror as Dawn and Lydia bowed their heads and turned to leave, trapping me alone with Willow.

"You're really beautiful, Avalyn." Willow drawled, taking me by surprise. "I'm sure you'll have heard that from Talon himself. He does like beautiful women." She smiled softly.

I didn't even know if it was advisable to respond or not, I didn't understand the sudden change in demeanor. I stared at her in shock and confusion, deciding it was better to just stay silent.

"But you know," She continued, stretching her hand to rest on the side of my neck, making me flinch. "Beauty doesn't always mean lucky. Beauty doesn't get you out of punishment... or death."

I felt my blood run cold at the sinister smirk on her face and the words coming out of my mouth. It was obvious this woman hated me, anyone could tell that just by looking at her pretty face. She never gave a fuck about me, all she wanted was the child growing inside of me.

"You had just one simple task, to conceive the first time." She snarled, her hold around my neck tightening. "But your pathetic self failed. Everyone said it'd happen when it was meant to," she paused and scoffed at me, "But you know what I think? I knew what your plan was all along, Avalyn. Purposely preventing to get pregnant just so you could have my mate in your bed."

What the fuck?

My eyes widened in shock at both her grip on my neck and the statement she had just made. I tried to claw her hand away from my neck but it was no use, she was strong. I shook my head over and over hoping she'd let me go, but she didn't.

I could feel my heart pounding erratically, the dizzy spells coming back to take over my vision. But before I could pass out, she released her grip. I leaned forward and wrapped my hands around my neck, the coughing fit hitting me like a train as I gasped for air loudly.

"I know what you are, Avalyn. You're just a filthy slut, and the only reason you're still breathing is because of that baby growing inside of you." Willow spat, the scowl on her face deepening as she looked at me. "Try anything stupid and you're dead. I'm sure you know I won't hesitate to end your life."

I watched as she walked straight to the door, smiling like she hadn't just almost choked me to death. She paused as she got to the front of the door, turning back around to address me. "Do take care of yourself and the baby."

And with that she was gone, leaving me dazed and confused. I couldn't stop the waterfall that came rushing down my eyes. I was so freaking exhausted, tired of everything that lead to this moment, I wished I could disappear and leave this all behind. "Avalyn, are you okay?" I heard Dawn's worried voice. She and Lydia stepped back into the room, running over to me.

I definitely couldn't tell them what Willow had just said, I didn't know if they would believe me over their Luna. So I nodded my head instead. "I'm just so tired," I said with a coarse voice, which technically wasn't even a lie. I was exhausted.

"It's all right. Nobody needs anything from you now, just lay down and rest." Lydia smiled gently. "Do you want to know how far along you are?" She added.

Her question piqued my interest, and so I nodded.

"You're four weeks in," She said excitedly, jerking my arms as she smiled down at me.

"That's a month..." I whispered in disbelief.

"Mm-hmm," Dawn agreed, a smile forming on her lips. "It is."

Even though I knew this was the goal we were trying to accomplish, some part of me still couldn't imagine myself being pregnant. My hands came to rest upon my stomach as a million thoughts raced through my mind. I was pregnant. I was carrying a new life inside of me. "That's crazy," I whispered.

Lydia chuckled, shaking her head. "You're fine to go back to your room shortly. Dawn and I will help you do just that, but first, I want you to wait until these fluids get into your system. You were rather dehydrated."

"It's all right," I replied with a nod. I watched as Lydia signaled Dawn with her finger and they both left the room. When the room became quiet, it took me a moment to let reality finally sink in.

I was pregnant. I was actually pregnant with Talon's child.

I couldn't stop running my hands over my stomach, wondering what the baby would look like when born, or if it would be a boy or a girl. I hoped it would be a boy -that way, I would be able to give Talon his perfect heir.

An heir I would never get to see grow up...

The idea that I would be handing my baby over to them and never be able to be part of its life, hurt. I hadn't really cared before about it, but now things were different, I had a life growing inside of me. Someone who would be a part of me.

I didn't want to be forced to leave my child.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as these thoughts ran through my head. I knew that the next few months were going to be very different.