Moon Child
Chapter 21

"If you had told me this sooner I would have watched her more closely. I can not help when I am kept in the dark."

A growl erupted through the house. The structure shook as his fist created a crater in the front room wall. Kane was losing his mind, the older pack member clearly cross with him. Magdelynn had treated Destiny rather quickly after the lake incident, sure the girl would fully recover. It was this patient that worried her.

Dawn had been sleeping for a day now, and when she found out their secret Magdelynn was livid with her Alpha. The man knew these things had to be monitored. The females needed to be looked after in times such as these.

"She didn't want anyone to know."

The old woman scoffed, her arms tight across her chest.

"Well then, lets all just do as we wish. Who cares of the consequence, am I right?"

He looked toward her, a growl dying in his throat as he fell to the couch in defeat. Rubbing a hand over his face he looked up to her in defeat.

"She's so full of fear Magdelynn. I couldn't make her do something she wasn't ready to do. I can't hurt her like that."

The old woman sighed, looking toward the bedroom door. The woman lying in that bed looked like an otherworldly being, peaceful in her slumber. Her beauty was something to be in awe of, but her pain was not to want. Magdelynn knew only spots from her past, yet it was a tragic tale nonetheless.

"Let her rest. She is safe, the child is alive. Breathe easy, my Alpha."

She left, the silence in the room deafening. The child. Hearing someone else say it solidified his hopes. His woman was pregnant. She was carrying his child and she was safe. The love of his life. He moved to the bedroom door, quietly slipping into the dark quarters.

Dawn lay peacefully under thick blankets. He undressed, slipping into bed beside her. Pulling her into him he made sure to be extra gentle. She just needed rest, everything was ok.

...

When Dawn finally opened her eyes it was to her own bedroom walls. She frowned, turning to lie on her back. What had happened? She could remember the lake, May and Destiny playing in the water. It had been so calm, such a beautiful night.

Thick fingers moved to lay over her belt line, a grumble leaving her partner's lips.

"Kane."

Her whisper had him opening his eyes suddenly, sitting up to look over her like she was a ghost. When their gazes met his smile was breathtaking. Large hands cupped her face as he kissed her. First softly, then deeply. Before she knew it she was sitting in his lap and he had his arms protectively around her. His face nuzzled into her neck as he tried to hide his tears.

"Kane? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, leaning back and taking her face in. She was awake, alive. Safe.

"Gods, I love you. Baby I love you so fuckin' much."

He kissed her again, and this time she had to push him back as she laughed. Had he gone insane? He wasn't normally this suffocatingly loving. Passionate, yes. Just not so much.

Her smile fell slightly as images of Destiny's bloody foot reemerged within her thoughts. The trap, the child. Blood everywhere, torn flesh. She remembered it all now, and her heart rate sped up.

"Destiny."

He pulled her against his chest, running a hand soothingly over her back.

"Shhh, she's safe. She will heal, because of you."

Dawn nodded, unsure of what she was feeling. She wanted to be happy, but worry etched itself into her mind. This wasn't over. That broken bear trap held more than a child's foot in its teeth. It was a sign, an omen.

"Kane, the trap. Something isn't right."

He nodded, understanding her worries.

"I know baby. We're working on it. There are pack members patrolling the border as we speak. If anyone is out there they will replace them. For now there is a curfew, and no one is allowed out by the lake without an escort."

She was thankful Kane was taking this seriously. What if there were more hunters? Humans encroaching into their territory was a threat she didn't know how they would handle. Her old pack simply killed every intruder, or enslaved them. There was no middle ground, no mercy.

"I had to tell Magdelynn about our baby."

Our baby. She felt her heart soar, the wolf within practically purring at his possessiveness. She thought someone replaceing out might worry her, grate at the nerves already in high gear. Instead it eased the tension in her neck slightly.

"What...what did she say?"

He smiled, continuing to rub her back.

"You're both perfectly healthy."

The relief those words granted her felt amazing. She smiled, leaning back and lifting herself to claim his mouth as her own. He grinned, kissing her back just as passionately. This was it. They would be a family, parents. The joy felt between them was like a light in the dark of Dawn's life. Her candle, and its warmth felt like it would never end.

...

Hazel hadn't stopped gushing over Dawn's heroics for days. Jeremiah was practically glued to her side every chance he could get. They were thankful for her quick thinking, for the woman who saved their child. She felt shy when faced with their gratitude.

She hadn't meant to be seen as a hero. Destiny needed help, why wouldn't she do everything she could for the child? This was her pack, and family protects each other. She fully believed that, and maybe that's why their thank you's made her blush and go quiet.

She spent more time in the gardens, with Magdelynn. The old woman agreed to keep the pregnancy a secret until Dawn wanted to reveal it. It was something that brought them closer together than ever before. The plants were green and fruitful, and the women tended to their needs while speaking of peaceful memories.

Magdelynn spoke of her childhood, of parents who loved her endlessly.

"They were human, and yet they loved me more than some shifters love their offspring."

Dawn's eyes grew wide.

"Did they not fear you as a wolf?"

The older woman smiled, shaking her head and letting out a soft laugh.

"My father wet himself the first time I changed, but mother didn't back down. I was a scared little pup, and she just scooped me up and held me like the fluff ball I was. After that my father couldn't wait for me to change. He would run with me, wrestle and play like any animal does their young. My mother though, she taught me how to survive. She knew I had to hide my true soul from the rest of the human world, but she never made me feel ashamed to do so. She told me people were blind to true beauty, which is exactly what my wolf is."

Dawn was in awe of the woman's upbringing. A wolf, raised by humans. It felt like a childhood tale in reverse. The woman continued to talk of childish times, of hardships as she grew to love a human and her heart was broken.

"I was a teenager, hormones all over the place. My mother was an anchor for me, my father the support I needed to move on. I went to college, ended up in the medical field. Now I'm here, living the rest of my days in peace and quiet."

In that moment Marcus came barreling into the gardens, baby on his hip.

"Get to the shelter, now!"

His voice shook Dawn as she frowned, Magdelynn's hand grabbing her arm sharply. The baby was thrust into her arms, the old woman leading the way effortlessly. She was dragged into the woods and pulled toward the safety of a metal door in the ground. With a deeper frown, in a daze, she allowed the woman to take her down a flight of stairs.

In the depths of the shelter stood Hazel with the girls, Destiny laying in a hospital type bed against the farthest wall. Henry, one of the older members of the pack, stood near the stairs in a bodyguard stature. Julie sat on the other hospital bed with her son beside her. When she saw the baby in Dawn's arms she jumped to her feet.

"Oh thank the gods."

She gently took her infant from Dawn's arms, moving back to the bed with her other child. Ren was the last to be noticed, her slim figure leaning against a metal wall as she looked lost in thought. Her arms were tightly crossed over her chest, and everyone felt the tension.

"What's happening?"

Hazel shook her head, unsure why they were told to hide. Looking around to each of their faces Dawn saw the worry in their eyes. Then she came to look upon Henry and suddenly she knew who held the information she needed.

"Tell us, what is going on? Why are we here?"

He moved from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable with everyone's attention on him. After a moment of awkward silence Ren spoke up.

"There was a threat at the border, another shifter. Kane sniffed him out as soon as he hit our territory. Jeremiah and Keith found more traps, new ones. Whoever it is, they're hiding behind human contraptions. Last I heard they thought there might be more of them, hiding out there. We were told to come here to protect you all. Though I'm not sure why you were made to come with Magdelynn. You are strong enough to fight, correct?"

Dawn realized Kane's thinking and now she had to act. If she was truthful they would keep her locked down here, but if she kept her secret she might be able to leave. She didn't like the idea of not being by her mate's side in a fight, but one look at Magdelynn told her she really didn't have a choice.

"Dawn? Why are you here?"

Hazel's voice tugged at Dawn's guilt. Here it comes. With a deep breath she closed her eyes and just let the words flow free.

"I'm pregnant."

The gasps that sounded around her were full of awe and joy. Arms wrapped around her and she opened her eyes sheepishly.

"Oh sweetheart, that's amazing."

Hazel's soft embrace left her huge belly pressing against Dawn's still flat one. The women smiled at each other, and then the question came. It was from Ren, and it hurt Dawn's heart like a splinter.

"I thought you could not carry a child."

Hazel moved back a step, glaring at her packmate. The woman seemed confused by the mother's hostility, her question innocent in nature. Dawn understood that she didn't mean any harm, answering honestly.

"I didn't think I could. I never got pregnant in the old pack, but with Kane..."

Hazel and Julie smiled, the other mother speaking in a singsong whisper.

"It was fate."

Destiny sat up slightly, giggling slightly.

"Destiny. It was destiny."

Dawn smiled, shaking her head at the girls joke. They all looked so happy for her, and even Ren looked happy within the depths of those sad eyes. A family, the support system she needed to get through anything. She loved them with everything in her.