Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33372 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33372 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
“Tell me to stop.”
“I can’t. I don’t want to.”
He gripped the back of her neck, pulled her in close, and then pressed his lips against hers. At first, the kiss seemed a little strange, but then it changed. Karina pressed her hands against his chest and slowly slid them up, wrapping them around his neck.
Rage sunk his fingers into her hair, deepening the kiss.
All thought left Karina. All she knew was that she wanted Rage and she didn’t want this kiss to end.
****
“What kind of chemicals could have been used?” Rage asked, looking across the room at Sister Claire.
“Why do I feel like this is an accusation?” Sister Claire asked. “I have done everything in my power to make sure Karina is a healthy young woman.”
Rage sighed. “I’m not accusing you. I’m just curious if there’s anything that can be given to a woman to make her sick and potentially abort her child.”
“Of course there is. There are many different concoctions. Women throughout generations, across hundreds of years, have been able to do it. Everyone knows this. It’s common knowledge.”
“Then how about twenty-three years ago?” Rage asked.
“You’re talking about Karina?”
“Someone tried to abort that baby,” Rage said. “You and I both know it. I’ve already talked to William. He couldn’t find the culprit, or any reason as to why his healthy wife got sick and struggled with her final pregnancy.”
Sister Claire took a deep breath. She wasn’t hiding anything. He saw the concern in her eyes.
He folded his arms and looked at her. “You feel the same way?”
Sister Claire tapped her fingers on the counter. “Patricia is a strong woman. Everyone knows this. Her mating with William was the perfect fit for everyone, especially when it came to the pack. Everyone knew it would make the pack strong. She had three strong sons, then Rose, and everyone thought that was it. Her fifth pregnancy came as a surprise, but it also came with … consequences. Patricia never suffered in terms of morning sickness or any other problems, until this pregnancy. It started with morning sickness. It was bad. She struggled to keep food down. She lost weight, and then the weakness started. This was bad.”
“She got worse?”
“At times, there was bleeding. Patricia and William thought they had lost the baby, but Karina was strong. Healthy. She wasn’t going to give up without a fight. Back then, I was still new. I was learning on the job. There are not exactly many books on wolf pregnancies and babies, or complications. In ninety-nine percent of cases, they are easy.”
“This one wasn’t.”
“Patricia nearly died giving birth to Karina. There was a lot of blood, and when we finally got Karina out, I think we all knew she was going to be different.” Sister Claire rubbed at her temple. “For a long time, William would question the pack. He’d do so individually, then in the town hall, asking, and at times begging, for someone to come forward who knew the truth of what happened.”
“No one came forward?”
“Who would come forward with the admission of potentially poisoning the alpha’s mate? It’s unheard of.”
“Since then?”
“I’ve kept an eye on Karina. She is the only member of the pack I must treat on a regular basis. I also went and did formal training amongst the humans, so I knew how to handle Karina’s body. She is delicate in comparison to a wolf, but she is strong in terms of a human.”
“Do you think she’ll be able to survive as my mate?”
“That I don’t know. I don’t even know if Karina will age like us, or like that of a human. She is one of a kind, Rage.”
“Do you think someone was poisoning Patricia twenty-three years ago?” Rage asked.
“Yes, but I have no idea who would. We’ve always been a close pack, Rage. We are all one big family. It’s why we all take care of Karina.” Sister Claire sighed. “She was the whole pack’s baby. William, after Karina was born, made sure all of us knew she was his blood, she was his baby, and that we would all take care of her. None of us would treat her differently.”
“But you all do,” Rage said. It was subtle but he had seen it. They all treated Karina differently. He’d never seen any of the other pack waitress or clean tables in the diner. That was Karina’s job. She took out the trash, and did all the work the pack refused to do. “Has Patricia been ill since?”
“No.”
“What about Karina?”
“She gets sick at different times of the year. Every time she’s ill, I am called, and I take care of her. I monitor her, and at no point is she ever alone. There’s no explanation.”
Rage didn’t like where his thoughts were going. “Thank you.”
“Do you love her?” Sister Claire asked.