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Rowan was about to tear into the boy, but then he saw it. The boy’s pain was not of a physical variety. Whatever he had witnessed had completely shell-shocked him, leaving him with mental scars deeper than the one on his stomach.
“Right then.” He scooped up the boy as gently as his frayed patience could handle, and placed him over his shoulder. Next, he scooped Juniper into his arms, and then rocked to his feet.
As he ran out of the woods with the two people, he glanced around for the young boy’s dog. He didn’t need to. He knew exactly what fate awaited the sorry animal.
Rowan felt relief as he got back into safer territory. He set the boy down and then strapped Juniper into the passenger seat. He then strapped the young boy in as well. He jumped into the car and raced off into town, glancing at Juniper every five seconds.
***
“What exactly happened to her?” the pack healer asked, shining a small light into both Juniper’s eyes.
Rowan had sped through the town like a lunatic, and had brought Juniper to the only place he could think of where she would get some medical attention. He was fortunate enough to catch the healer just as he was about to head home for the day.
The man had reopened his clinic, albeit grudgingly. Rowan had not cared. He’d been prepared to carry the healer back into the building if it was necessary. Fortunately for him, and for the healer, there was no need for such extremities.
Rowan glared at the boy, who withered in his seat. “The fool thought it would be a good idea to go for a run in the woods, beyond the barrier. He got attacked and we found him close to death.
“She passed out right after saving his life. I think she used too much magic. Do you have any mana replacers you could give her to revive her?”
“Sure…uh, yes. I think I can find something for her.” The healer leaned over Juniper again, examining her closely. He frowned and scratched his chin, then turned to Rowan. “Something is…off.”
Rowan raised a brow. “Off?”
“Yes, off. I just scanned her mana to see just how low she is. I am sure I sensed two sources of mana inside her.”
“Okay…” Rowan still looked confused. “What exactly are you talking about?”
“How do I say this? There are two sources of mana inside the witch. One is hers, right? Well, I sensed a second one. And that second mana is growing in her womb.”
“Wait…what…what do you mean? What are you saying?” Rowan could feel his heartbeat picking up pace, racing in his chest. He had a clue what the healer was going to say, but he needed to hear it regardless. He looked at the healer with questioning eyes and waited for the axe to fall.
The healer cleared his throat and looked Rowan dead in the eye. “I believe that the witch is pregnant, Alpha Rowan.”
Chapter 11 - Juniper
Juniper blinked slowly awake. Her head felt light and empty, and she shut her eyes again as vertigo swept through her. She felt as if she’d been asleep for hours, or for just a few minutes.
She lay still in the bed for a while, getting used to being awake. Her mind was painfully blank, and all her attempts to remember what had happened to her seemed like a waste of time.
She felt the vertigo again and squeezed her eyes shut once more. When it passed, she looked around the room. She didn’t recognize where she was, and she didn’t think she had ever been here before.
It was a massive room and she was in a massive bed. Light filtered in from the closed windows, but there was a chill in the room. She heard a sound to her side and turned her head slowly in the direction the sound had come from.
She startled as she saw Rowan, his back to her and washing something in a bowl.
Rowan turned toward the bed with a towel in his hand and stopped suddenly when he saw that Juniper was awake. He smiled and sat down on the side of the bed beside her.
“Hey. Good. You’re up.”
Juniper glanced at the towel in his hand and asked herself questions in her mind. He looked like he was about to clean her. Or had been cleaning her. She wasn’t sure which was more accurate but she had no idea what was going on around her and it irritated her terribly.
Rowan folded the towel into a square and then patted Juniper’s head with it. Juniper lay quietly and stared at the far wall. Why was he taking care of her?
What the hell happened to me?
Rowan was being kind and attentive, watching her with an eager smile on his face. He was creeping her out and she didn’t understand what was going on.
“You’re awake,” Rowan repeated. “How do you feel?”
