Bonded

Chapter 16

The news of Bella's pregnancy sent a surge of panic throughout the pack as if we were in the middle of nuclear war. I placed the tea kettle on the stove and sighed, the anxious energy of 11 clueless wolves sending me into a slight frenzy. After Charlie called my mom is a panic saying that Bella had contracted a "rare disease" on her honeymoon and it wasn't safe to see her, Kaya reached Ephraim and a couple of the other Elders on the other side to talk about what was happening. She then sent Jacob and Seth out to the Cullen house without a word or an explanation, her face setting into a stone expression. I had never seen Kaya so serious, but she didn't miss a beat as she was ordering everyone around; Jared was set to patrol the area and listen out for Jacob or Seth when they had more information. She told the rest of the wolves and imprints that they couldn't leave my house until we had answers. That alone sent everyone into a panic.

"I don't understand what's happening," my mother said lowly to me as I busied myself in the kitchen. Kaya told me that until we were sure what was going on, it was better not to say anything to anyone. In my mother's case, she still thought Bella was sick. I grabbed all of the mugs out of the cabinet, setting them down before turning to her.

"I know, mama. We'll have answers soon. Just try to relax right now." I put a gentle hand on her arm as she contorted her face in confusion.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked. "Should I have let the phone ring?"

I shook my head, fervently. "Of course not, mama. It's just...you know things aren't always what they seem around here."

"Aileah," Kaya called from across the room.

I glanced in her direction before looking back at my mother. "Can you make tea while I talk to Kaya?" she nodded. I mumbled a quick 'thanks' before crossing the room. Kaya's face was still hard, riddled with concentration. "What's going on?"

"Um," Kaya's voice was so low, I almost couldn't hear her. "We have a problem."

She nervously scratched the back of her neck, shifting her weight on her feet. When I gestured for her to continue, she looked around the room to make sure no one was paying attention. I looked around with her. Embry and Quil were, once again and always, muttering in a corner to themselves. Billy and Old Quil were sitting at the kitchen table, also speaking in hushed tones. Bianca, Colin, Brady, and the younger pups were helping my mother clean up the mess from dinner. And Paul was sitting with Kim and Rachel, trying to keep them distracted while Sam was leading a very tired Emily upstairs so she could lay down. The room was bustling in conversation and nervous energy.

"It, um, seems that our little Bella isn't exactly sick," Kaya said, her lips barely moving.

"What do you mean?"

Kaya pursed her lips and stepped closer to me. "It's something a little more serious than a stomach bug."

"Huh? You just said she wasn't sick."

She touched my arm and locked our eyes. "It's more like a parasite..."

"Parasite...? Like they turned her?"

"No...no." she sighed. "Like...it's growing..."

...What? I blinked in confusion. "Growing? What?"

Kaya sighed again frustrated before grabbing me really close until we were less than an inch apart. "She's pregnant," she said in the lowest voice she could possibly muster.

"She's pregnant?!" I yelled, jumping away from her. She pulled me back to her and covered my mouth as my eyes widened with shock. All of the conversation in the house came to a screeching halt and the only thing audible was the whistling of the tea kettle. Kaya's irritation flared as she tightened the grip on my arm. We both turned to see every single wolf, imprint, and Elder was staring at us.