My Claimed Mermaid Queen

Chapter Seven

Luna Princess Ayla

I awake to an empty bed. It was still dark outside as I sat up. All the lights were off. Looking at my phone on the nightstand, it was early in the morning. Where the hell did Nate go? I turned on the lamp before getting out of bed. My tummy growled loudly.

"I will feed you after I find your daddy," I huffed, pulling on a robe and tying the belt. I was only wearing Nate's shirt, but the robe was down to my knees.

I walked out of our bedroom and everything was still dark. It was eerily quiet, and I shivered, pulling the robe tighter around me. Why would he have left the apartment? Did something happen?

I made my way out into the hallway and down the stairs. The place was silent with minimal light lighting in the hallways. Everyone must be sleeping, not that many people live here.

When I got down to the second floor, I could hear voices and there was a light coming out of Nate's office ajar door. I was excited when I heard Xander's voice, but it quickly died when I heard what they were talking about.

I tippedtoed to the wall closest to the door and listened.

"This is bad s**t," Xander's tone was harsh and hushed.

"You don't think I know that. The alpha was sick in the head, and now I have to clean up this mess. We have to track them down."

"Nate, I know you don't want to hear this, but we are going to need his help. We have barely scratched the surface of this operation." Xander pleaded with him.

"I don't want him around, my mate. And he is going to lose his s**t when he finds out she's pregnant." Nate growled and Xander sighed.

"I don't know what else to do here. With what you found and then hunting for this Noah guy. We are going to need reinforcements. You may not like the guy, but he has connections, and he will use them to keep her safe. And right now, that's all that matters."

"I'm leaving you in charge when I take Ayla to visit our families. Call him after we leave and don't mention her pregnancy to anyone. I mean it, Xander, no one. She already has a target on her back." My mate exclaimed. Were they talking about Kaden? But what did they need help with?

"I would never risk her life, Nate. I will let her tell him when she is ready. I know you don't trust him, but you should trust Ayla. She would never hurt you." I heard Nate sigh.

"I'm not happy about this, but tell me what you found?"

"I believe Noah was blackmailing Melody," Xander said, and I gasped before slapping my hands over my mouth.

The door was thrown open and Nate was now standing in the doorway.

"Ayla, what the hell are you doing?" He demanded.

"Me! What the hell are you doing?" I retorted.

"You should be in bed, asleep," he commanded.

"I would be if you two weren't planning something behind my back," I argued.

"Nate, I think you should tell her," Xander said from behind him.

"No," he crossed his arms over his chest.

"If this is about my mother, then I have the right to know," I defended.

"Nate?"

"I said no, Xander. This will only stress her out even more," he scoffed, and I tried to move past his large frame blocking the doorway.

"Ayla, stop," he grabbed me.

"Nate, I can handle more than you think," I pushed against his chest.

"And with everything you went through, you should have miscarried. I'm not risking our baby. I will handle this, and you are just going to have to trust me." He growled and I stopped fighting against his grip.

"Nate," I breathed out, my earlier anger forgotten. So many emotions were swimming around his deep blue eyes. He was worried about our baby.

"Hey, I promised I wouldn't put our baby at risk. My job right now is to grow our baby. But that doesn't mean I want to be left in the dark. I need to know what happened to my mother," I pleaded with him. "Please?"

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his hard chest. My mate is stressed about so many things, and I just want to help carry this burden with him. I know I'm not running into battle, but I can be an extra set of eyes. Have some insight on whatever they are working on.

"This is bad, baby. Everything we know is awful s**t and I don't want you to see it," he confessed, resting his forehead against mine.

"I can handle this, Nate. And I promise I will not run into danger. I just want to help. You are under so much pressure and I can help. We are in this together." I ran my fingers through the scuff on his cheek. If I thought he was sexy before, it's nothing compared to rugged Nate. All he needed was a red plaid shirt.

"Whatever you are thinking, stop," he leaned in and whispered against the shell of my ear. I shivered as I clamped my thighs together.

"Ayla, we can explain everything after my Mother has checked you and the baby. If she gives the green light, then you can be involved. Nate's right, you have been under too much stress." Xander said from behind Nate. I sighed, knowing he was right. Baby comes first.

"I can live with that, baby. If the doctor says everything is good, then we will explain everything before we leave. And there will be rules for when we are there." he gave me a pointed look.

"I will have someone with me the entire time you aren't, I know." I almost rolled my eyes as I pouted. This was a lot to put up with, even though I understand why.

"Let's get some sleep. My Mother should be here by mid-morning." Xander told us, stepping up behind Nate.

"I'm glad you're okay,' I told him.

"And I'm glad you are feeling better. The further along you are, the more you'll want to spend in the water." Nate pushed me back into the hallway and moved, so Xander could exit his office.

"Thank you," I mumbled, hugging him.

After saying good night, Nate walked me back to our room. I couldn't stop thinking about what they had found that could be worse than the scale trade. And what did Noah have on my mother that she would go along with whatever he was planning? It was enough to let him claim her and to give him a child. I gritted my teeth, remembering that asshole was my sister's father. I'm going to kill that fucker myself. Even if I have to wait until this baby is born, he will die at my hands for what he did to my mother.

Once we were in our room, Nate sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me between his open legs. He sighed as he rested his head on my breasts and his hands on my lower belly. I rubbed my hands over his shoulders.

"Baby, I'm terrified. I'm afraid to let you see what we discovered and to have you anywhere near it. I can't have anything happening to you or our baby. I need you to understand that" he looked up at me, pleading with misty eyes. My heart melted and guilt twisted my insides.

"I won't let anything happen,' I held his cheeks. Leaning down, I pecked his lips.

"You are everything to me, Nate. And our family means everything to me. I want to be there with you. We are partners and I can help while still being safe and protected." He let out a sigh.

"As long as the doctor says everything is okay."

"And I promise to listen."