Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart (Fated To The Wolf #7)

21. Sadie

21

Sadie

S adie woke up feeling sick to her stomach. She noticed that this had been going on for the last week. Luckily, she had managed to hide it from Dakota yesterday.

Making a mad dash into the bathroom, she barely made it in time. Her body ached by the time she was done being sick and she was so tired. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over her head.

Her fingers hovered over the buttons on her cell phone, trying to decide whether she really wanted to call in sick to work. Her stomach rolled and she decided that it was a good idea. Once she did that, she got a peppermint candy, sat on the couch, and rubbed her belly. Her breasts hurt and Sadie was pretty sure that it had nothing to do with her and Dakota’s activities.

“Damn. This was unexpected,” she muttered to herself. “Guess I better check in with the doctor to be sure.”

The clan doctor had an opening, so Sadie went in, crossing her fingers that she had the flu but knowing in the back of her mind that the situation was a little more serious than that.

Dr. Clements smiled at Sadie when she walked back into the room after taking blood and doing a physical examination. “Congratulations. You’re going to be a mommy.”

Sadie swallowed hard and plastered a smile on her face. “How far along am I?”

“Not far. About two weeks. The baby will be due in about five to five and a half weeks.”

Sadie nodded.

“I’m going to start you on some prenatal medication and we’ll set you up for monthly appointments for the first three months and then every two weeks after that.”

“Thank you.”

Dr. Clements looked at her curiously. “Are you okay? You don’t seem as happy as some women are when they find out that they are going to have a baby.”

“I’m okay. Just a little bit in shock. I’m not an idiot and I know how to take precautions. I just didn’t think about it. I can’t even tell you why. But this baby will be the most loved child in Angel’s Creek.”

“I’m sure that he or she will be,” the doctor said, patting Sadie on the knee. “I’m here for you if you need anything – even if it’s just to talk.”

“Thanks.”

Sadie drove home, her mind going in a million different directions. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She had always loved kids and had a vague idea that she would want to have a few of her own. Now, she was going to be a mother. The only problem was Dakota.

“I know he loves me, but he doesn’t want to stay in Angel’s Creek. My love isn’t enough to keep him here, and I can understand that. My love isn’t enough to make me leave.”

She laughed at herself when she realized that she was talking to herself aloud again. Then, she continued with her conversation with herself. “Even if I was inclined to travel around with him, I couldn’t with a child in tow.”

The thought of not telling Dakota briefly crossed her mind. She wouldn’t want him to stay in Angel’s Creek because he felt trapped. However, she quickly banished that thought. He had a right to know about his child.

Sadie looked around her house when she walked in, her mind racing with all the changes that would need to be made, starting with renovating the guest room into a nursery. She sat down on the couch with a sigh. Yawning, she decided she needed a nap. First, though, she needed to talk to Dakota.

She sent him a quick text. Dinner? Tonight?

Her heart seemed to stop as she waited for his reply. Although it was only a couple of minutes, it seemed like forever before her phone buzzed letting her know that he responded. Sure. My place? Seven? I know of a great Mexican place that delivers triple meat fajitas.

She smiled. It’s a date.

Sadie fell asleep on the couch practicing different ways to tell Dakota that he was going to be a father. One thing she would make clear is that he could have as much or as little involvement with the baby’s life as he wanted. She wouldn’t even ask for child support, although she knew he could afford it.

She felt a lot better when she woke up but was startled when she saw that it was three-thirty.

Talia rapped on the front door ten minutes later. She smiled when Sadie greeted her and invited her in. “I noticed that you weren’t at school today. Are you okay?”

Sadie hesitated. She wanted to tell her friend about the baby but decided she needed to talk to Dakota first. “I wasn’t feeling well this morning and was tired. I feel a lot better now. I’ll be back to work tomorrow.”

“Sebastian has a meeting, and Hollie and Owen, his parents, have the baby. Do you want to shift and get some exercise? I haven’t been for so long.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I know that Zac has told you the same thing that Matthias has told us about the hunters.”

Talia nodded. “He has. We’ll be together, be very careful, and make sure to scout the area before we shift. If there’s even a hint of hunters, we’ll just pretend we’re two women out for a walk.”

Sadie hesitated and then said, “Sure. Why not.”

They hopped into Talia’s car. “How are things going with Dakota?”

Again, Sadie had the urge to tell her about the baby but kept quiet. “Same as usual, I suppose. You know that I’ve fallen in love with him and I’m certain he feels the same for me. He’s still going to leave and I’m still going to stay.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. We’ve made some memories that will last me a lifetime. I’ll just be one of those old ladies who has a ton of dogs and people will think of me as the stereotypical librarian.”

Talia laughed. “Dogs, huh?”

“I like cats, too, but dogs tend to cuddle more.”

They arrived at the mountain and Talia parked. Both of them looked around cautiously when they reached the spot where they normally exited the main trail.

After a minute, Talia said, “I don’t see any sign of cameras.”

“I don’t, either.”

Sadie’s heart raced as they walked the familiar, unseen trail up the mountain. Once they reached the spot where they shifted, the women inspected every tree that would have a view of them.

“I don’t see any cameras or drones.”

Talia, who had inspected the wooded area around them reported, “I don’t see signs of humans.”

Feeling safe, they undressed and stashed their clothes and cell phones in plastic bags and stashed them in the tree. Nodding to each other, they shifted at the same time. Sadie briefly wondered if shifting was safe for the baby, but the clan doctor didn’t say anything about it.

For a minute a small grey wolf and grizzly bear looked at each other and took a step toward freedom from the human world.

“Don’t move,” a gruff voice shouted. Five people emerged from the trees armed to the teeth. “Shift back or we shoot.”

Sadie and Talia looked at each other and then shifted back.

“Names,” one of the women yelled.

She had knotted hair as though it hadn’t been brushed in weeks. Her teeth were rotten and Sadie could smell her body odor. The woman was rank.

“Sadie.”

“Talia.”

“What clans do you belong to?”

“None.” Sadie wasn’t about to give them the idea that there were other bear shifters around. Talia echoed her sentiment.

“We’ll see,” the nasty woman said.

A younger woman, who seemed to be a lot healthier than the first grabbed Sadie’s and Talia’s bags out of the tree. The hunters seemed momentarily distracted. Sadie and Talia quickly shifted back and lunged at the hunters.

Talia’s jaw clamped down on an arm and the hunter screamed loudly. Sadie’s massive claw sent another hunter flying back. For a heartbeat, it seemed like they might escape the hunters.

A loud crack sounded in the air and Talia yelped. At the same time, Sadie felt a searing pain in her side.

“Enough,” the tallest man in the group yelled. “Shift back or the next shots will be fatal.”

Talia and Sadie instantly shifted back to their human forms.

“Smart girls,” he said condescendingly. “Now you get to live a little longer. Gives you hope of being rescued.”

Sadie’s mind raced. Dakota would know that something was wrong when she didn’t show up for dinner tonight. Sebastian would definitely come looking for Talia. The question was, “Would they show up in time?”

The younger woman rifled through Talia’s and Sadie’s bags, pulling out their phones.

Snatching the phones out of the woman’s hands, the man who was obviously their leader said, “I bet we can find their alphas’ information on these.”

As they were roughly hauled to their feet, Sadie’s eye caught Talia’s. A silent promise passed between them. They would escape and survive this.

The younger woman tossed their clothes at them. “Get dressed.”

Talia and Sadie obeyed. Sadie wanted to scream out in pain. She was starting to feel weak from the blood loss.

Neither Talia nor Sadie could move very fast, so two of the men tossed the women over their shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Sadie wanted to bite the man carrying her but knew that would only get her and the baby killed. She had to bide her time.

After about half an hour, they were dumped unceremoniously in a cave.

Talia and Sadie hastily obeyed. The hunters set up for the night. They had caught some rabbits and cooked them for dinner. Meanwhile, the leader found Zac’s number in Talia’s phone and Matthias’ number in Sadie’s.

“Are you going to call them now, Robert?” the older woman asked.

“No. Shifters can see better at night than we can. We’ll call in the morning.”

The young woman offered Sadie and Talia food and water, which the women took. They had to keep up their strength.

Sadie tore the bottom of her T-shirt to make a makeshift bandage to try to slow the bleeding. Talia did the same for her wound. They huddled together.

“I found out today that I’m pregnant with Dakota’s baby. I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry. You know Sebastian. He’ll be here before you know it. These guys will wish they had never thought of coming here.”

One of the men approached Robert. “I like the look of that redhead. You should let me have a go at that.”

Robert sneered at him. “That’s disgusting. They are animals.”

“At least we are saved from that,” Talia whispered.

Sadie squeezed Talia’s hand. She was starting to get tired but told herself she had to stay awake. Eventually, though, darkness overtook her.