The Unbroken Luna

3

Emily’s pov

Time seemed to slow down. I felt like my ears and throat were stuffed with cotton, because suddenly I couldn’t breathe, and every sound came muffled. Everything around me was blurry, my head was spinning. 

Pregnant.

I was pregnant with Clayton’s child.

The world seemed to halt to a stop.

For a long moment, everything disappeared; the hospital room, the doctor, the bed I was in.

There were just me… and the baby inside of me.

My baby.

My… my child.

I had wanted to be a mother since I was a little girl; I had spent days and nights dreaming about my future children, and the mate that would father them. If someone had told me, back then, that I would end up mated to a monster and lose all the desire I had to hold a baby of my own in my arms, I would have laughed in their face.

Now, not so much.

My mind and my heart stayed blank and empty for a moment; then they filled with fear, dread, and a strong, adamant determination.

Not this baby.

My voice and my wolf’s merged into one in my mind, and I knew what I had to do.

I couldn’t let this child have Clayton as a father. I couldn’t let it grow into such a toxic and dangerous environment, one that would only be a mockery of a family.

I’d never felt so determined and sure of something in my life; it was a certainty that now lived deep in my bones, and forced me to do something, anything, to ensure my baby’s safety.

I couldn’t allow my fear of Clayton to stop me yet another time. At that moment, the fear of what my baby’s future with Clayton as a father would look like overcame the one I felt towards my husband or my very own life.

My survival instincts, which had been hidden for four years, kicked back in, and I forced myself to smile like any woman who’d just been told that was going to be a mom would.

“Are you sure?” I asked the doctor.

“Absolutely,” he smiled eagerly. “I ran the blood test three times, just to be one hundred percent sure. You’re pregnant”.

I can't let this doctor know, I thought. I need to act like everything is alright. 

“And… does Clay know about the baby already?” I asked, plastering a fake smile on my lips. 

He shook his head. No. “Beta James said that our Alpha has left for Denver. A sudden business problem with a pack, apparently. He’ll be gone for at least three days”.

Perfect.

“Does anyone know about this besides you and me?” I pointed at my belly.

Again, a negative answer.

“Then, please, don’t tell anyone,” I smiled. “Clay and I had been trying so long for a baby… I want to tell him myself, face to face”.

He nodded… and a moment later, his cheerful face dropped. “I would never,” he said. He had a worried and angry frown on his face, and fear gathered in my stomach. I followed his gaze and noticed that my arms were bare and that I was wearing a hospital gown.

Someone had changed me into those… someone had seen the bruises, the scars on my back and my body.

Someone knew.

And if Clayton found out, I could consider myself dead.

“I’m incredibly sorry it took me so long to realize what was happening to you, Emily,” Foley whispered. Tears glistened in his eyes for a couple of seconds before he blinked them away. “I can’t even imagine how much you suffered… the amount of pain you’ve undergone. I suppose you don’t want that bastard to find out about this child”.

Should I lie? Should I trust him?, I wondered, worried. What if this - all of this - was just Clayton playing an evil prank on me? 

It can't be. Clayton doesn't want anybody to know what he does to me, so he wouldn't involve someone in such a scheme just to hurt me ... maybe Foley is being honest, I thought. Maybe he's actually trying to help me.

I shook my head, answering Foley's question. Clayton finding out about the baby was the last thing I wanted. 

“Then,” he said. “Take this”.

Foley pulled out a black backpack from under my bed and placed it in my lap.

“Inside there's everything you might need for the next three days. Disposable mobiles, clothes, soap, deodorant, your documents, and a special spray that will mask your scent and pheromones. No one will be able to track you,” he explained.

I pursed my lips, unsure of what to do, what to even feel. Part of me was incredibly grateful to him… and another part was terrified and suspicious. After all, I didn't know this guy much: this was actually the first time in four years we were actually talking, and not just greeting each other. 

Still, he was offering me his help ... he'd even got me all I might have needed to run away. 

Guess I'll have to trust him. 

I nodded and tried to make a genuine, grateful smile. I didn’t know if it came out good or not; Foley, however, smiled back.

“Well, if that’s the case, we’d better hurry,” he said. “Wait for me here; I’ll tell you when it’s safe to leave. Okay?”

I swallowed and nodded. I was terrified, and electrified, and hopeful.

Maybe, just this once, things were going to be right and smooth. Maybe this was the day in which I could finally run away and stay free. Still, uncertainty gnawed at my stomach; where would I go?

I couldn’t go back to the Crescent Moon pack; Clayton would butcher them all just like he did with the Sapphire Moon wolves.

What chances did I have? I didn’t even know a pack who wasn’t legitimately afraid of my husband. Did I have to go Rogue? Maybe that was my best shot. I would live completely free, away from civilization, with no one around that Clayton could use to find me.

I could actually picture myself living away in a stone cottage in the middle of the forest with my kid. A simple and safe life.

Foley left, leaving me alone in the room. I got up from my bed and went to take a quick shower in the bathroom; it could have been my last shot at getting somewhat clean in several days, so I thoroughly scrubbed myself over and over again. Clayton’s nasty smell was still clinging onto my skin, and I had each and every intention to get rid of it.

This time, once and for all.

Once I was done, I dressed up with a pair of black leggings, a mid-thigh beige wool sweater, and a pair of comfortable boots. I pulled my damp, chocolate-brown hair in a quick bun and waited for Foley’s return.

I didn’t have to wait much; he came back thirty minutes later, with a determined and focused face.

“I’ve disabled the CCTV,” he said. “We’ll be able to get out unseen”.

He made a move towards my hand to take it, but I quickly moved it closer to my side. It was just stronger than me ... an instinct that I'd developed after all the things Clayton had done to me. Having even the simplest contact with a man made me panic: whenever Clayton forced me to go visit my parents, the moment when my brothers and dad hugged me was the one I feared the most. 

Foley nodded. "It's okay," he said. "It's completely normal ... being scared. Follow me".

He opened the door, checked the corridor, and then led me through the desert halls and wards until I found myself in front of a service door, outside the hospital, finally breathing the night's fresh air. 

In front of me, there was my car.

How the hell did he go to the pack house, steal my car, get back to the hospital and disable the CCTV in less than an hour?

"How the hell ..."

"I got some favors back from a friend in the pack house," he shrugged and winked.

For a moment, I wondered who this friend was; then, I decided I didn't care. The less I knew, the better. 

“So, now …”

“I’ve used your phone to send a text to the Beta. For the pack, now you’re on a plane towards Denver because you just couldn’t stay away from Clayton,” Foley said. “There’s a motel around fifty miles away from here. I’ve already booked you a room under the name of Grace Murphy. Whatever you do, wherever you go, don’t look back”.

I swallowed a gulp of saliva and nodded. My heart throbbed with gratefulness. “Thank you, Rick,” I whispered as he handed me the keys. “I know how much you’re risking”.

“I could never live with myself if I didn’t help you, Emily,” he smiled sadly. “For what’s worth, you’ll always be my Luna. I wish you and your baby all the best. Now go and never come back here!”

With a gesture of his hand, he encouraged me towards the car and pressed the keys into my palm. I quickly climbed onto the driver’s side, and in a matter of seconds, I was speeding on the road.