Chapter Twenty Five
Mauricio’s POV
I looked over to see her fast asleep, so I decided to pull over for gas.
As we pulled up to the gas station I noticed her struggling to breathe. I quickly pulled the gag out of her mouth and watched as her breathing began to settle to a normal pace.
“You think maybe we should dress her?”
I hadn’t realized until now that she was still in just her underwear.
“Go inside and pay, grab some snacks while I dress her.”
“Alright.”
He jumped out of the car and I went into the trunk grabbing her some sweats and a sweater with some socks as it was beginning to get chilly.
I opened the door slowly and gently dressed her, untying the tie behind her back. She groaned, grabbing her casted arm. I sighed and knelt down putting her socks on. When I looked up she was wide awake.
“We’ve just stopped for some gas, are you hungry?”
She pulled her leg away and shook her head.
‘I have to pee.”
I nodded and took her inside, holding her close. I stood outside the door until she finished then took her back into the car with Chase while I did what I needed to do.
When I came back she was fast asleep again, so I let her be and we kept driving.
“So have you thought about what you’re going to say to Taylor when we get home?”
“Taylor knows better than to question me after what happened.”
“But she’s your wife.”
“Only because she made me believe Emilia was dead. She even made Maison believe he lost his mom and that’s something I’m never going to forgive her for.”
“Technically she never said she was, all she said was that she was gone.”
“It doesn’t matter, what matters is that I have Emilia back and I’m not going to let anyone take her from me again.”
“You think Devaro’s dad will tell him that he was in on this?”
“He wouldn’t be so stupid and besides he’d think he got rid of her. He’ll be too devastated to think anything else and when he’s too weak, I’ll go in for the kill.”
Christian’s POV
It had been days since I saw daylight and had anything to eat or drink. My mind link with my pack was gone as I was now in a silver covered cell somewhere and I was getting weaker by the hour. My mind kept thinking about Emilia and my baby. He wouldn’t tell me anything and as each day passed I prayed that she and the baby were okay.
I heard the same door opened and to my surprise my mother and Tess walked in. I refused to look at them.
“Christian!”
Tess came running over to me from the sound of her heels and went to touch me, but I backed away.
“Oh Christian.”
“What do you want?”
“They’re here because of me.”
I growled and looked up.
“And what could that possibly be for?”
He walked over to my mother and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“A proposition.”
“I don’t make deals with bastards like you.”
“If you want to see the light of day you will or should I say Emilia?”
I got up then and lunged at him with a growl, but the chains holding me down wouldn’t let me get near him.
“You leave her out of this! If you touch…”
“Oh I wouldn’t worry about me touching her. She’ll be touched plenty now that she’s ran away.”
“She wouldn’t.”
“Oh but she has. Took her things and left.”
I growled.
“No!”
“Son…”
“Don’t you talk to me!”
A whip came across my chest and I groaned in pain.
“You respect your mother! She is trying to tell you what kind of woman you have married!”
“I know who I married and she would never run away!”
“But she has! Tell her Tess.”
I looked at her and she looked scared almost as she was being forced into this.
“It’s true. I was in the house when she came running in. She looked scared, frantic like she had seen a ghost and then she was gone. Left everything behind, leaving only these.”
She then held her palm opened and there they were her wedding rings. I shook my head. She couldn’t have, she said she loved me and we were having a baby.
“No, she said she loved me.”
I couldn’t contain myself any longer.
“Mr. Devaro, please let him go.”
“Not until he realizes that this was all a plan from them to destroy us.”
I looked up then.
“What are you talking about?”
“Did you really think he was just going to let you have his youngest daughter just like that?”
“He practically sold her.”
He laughed, coming up to me.
“He was playing you. That man has been after me for years and when you became Alpha it got worse because his business was losing money because of us. She’s been playing you all along, using you, but I’m not going to allow it. I refuse to lose my son to some bitch that has only toyed with your emotions and has put you against us.”
“Christian listen to them, it’s true. She never wanted to marry you; it was only because her father made her. She cheated on you for god sakes! She didn’t want to marry you, she only married you because she couldn’t remember anything and you were the only one she knew. Think about it Christian!”
“We’ll leave you alone to think.”
They left then and I sat there as thought after thought came into my head. Everything came to mind as I sat there for hours.
Emilia’s POV
We had arrived late at night into California after days of being on the road and nothing felt worse than when he drove to one of the secluded tree houses within the thick forest and taken in. this one was one of the largest ones. With one bedroom, two bunks on the outside of the bedroom, a bathroom, a small kitchen and nook area, it was fit for anyone who needed a quiet place to hide for a few days or months.
“This is your home for right now until we know things are clear for you to come back.”
I looked around and eventually sat down on the bed.
“You have everything you need and Evan will be staying here with you as well. He’s just outside the door in one of the bunks.”
I looked up and saw him coming in with his things.
“Don’t worry, these are yours.”
I went to get up, but Mauricio stopped me.
“You should get some sleep. I have a couple of things I have to take care of, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He then bent down and went to kiss me, but I turned and lay down, closing my eyes.
Nothing happened while I was in the tree house and I didn’t expect to see Mauricio every day either.
“So are you going to talk to me today?”
I hadn’t spoken to him in a month since I’ve been here and today wasn’t going to be any different even if I did need to see a doctor. I was due for my ultrasound and any other tests that needed to be done, but I didn’t know how he would react to know I was pregnant.
“Emilia, you can’t keep this up, you’re going to get sick and I don’t need that right now.”
Then there was a knock at the door and he got up, getting it.
“Hey, come on in.”
From the breeze that was coming in, I knew winter had hit us.
“How she doing?”
“I don’t know, she won’t tell me.”
“Let me try.”
My back was to them, but I knew exactly who he was.
“Emilia? It’s me, Jess.”
I didn’t answer even though I wanted to. She was my best friend once, along with Chase and the others.
“Emilia.”
She touched my shoulder and I flinched away.
“Em I’m not…”
Then she started sniffing. My heart stopped and I froze.
“What is it?”
“I need to see her alone.”
“No.”
“Mauricio I’m not going to hurt her.”
“No.”
“Look of you don’t want her getting sick then you’ll let me do this. I’m the only person you’ve got so either you do it my way or you can ask your brother and we all know what your brother thinks.”
It took him a minute, but he then huffed and left the room. The door closed and I turned around to see her going through her medical bag. I knew she’d always be a doctor; she was always fixing us all up after running around like wild animals.
“You can’t tell him.”
She stopped and looked up with a sigh then came and sat down next to me.
“Sit up for me.”
I did as she asked and she took my vitals along with checking the baby’s heart beat.
“You have to eat, you can’t starve yourself.”
“You can’t tell him.”
She ignored me and took out her measuring tape.
“Stand for me.”
I slowly got up, but got dizzy and had to sit back down.
“How long has it been?”
“He’s always here, never leave me alone. I just want to go home.”
“You are home.”
“No…”
“Emilia, he doesn’t love you, now Mauricio does. You should have seen him when we all thought you were dead. He was just like you, only worse and Maison, now if it wasn’t for…”
She stopped then when I looked away.
“He doesn’t love her, you know? He loves you.”
Yeah some way of showing it.
“If it wasn’t for Raylene, we would have never been able to get to you.”
I looked back at her.
“How did you know about her?”
“She’s my cousin and it just so happens that we were talking and she had told me about you. I have to say I was surprised when I found out it was you.”
“It wasn’t even like that.”
“He was beating you Emilia!”
“No he wasn’t!”
“Then explain the cast!”
“He was mad and squeezed too hard. It was an accident.”
“Typical Emilia always making excuses.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Nothing, I’m sorry.”
She got up and started packing her things up.
“No, what did you mean by that?”
“It means that you always tried to see the good in everything and maybe this time you’re wrong. Christian Devaro is the devil. He only has one thing in mind and that’s to destroy this pack and take over it.”
“No! That’s not true!”
“Really? Tell me this then. Where was he for three months?”
“On business.”
“Is building up an army business to you? Open your eyes Emilia, he’s out to get us!”
I shook my head.
“No, he wouldn’t.”
“You should eat. Regardless of what’s going to happen that baby is not to blame.”
My hand went onto my stomach and I looked down.
“I’ll have one of the guys come pick up your vitamins, in the mean time get plenty of rest and eat as much as you can.”
I didn’t say anything as she opened the door and left letting Mauricio back in. He came up to me and knelt down.
“What is it, tell me.”
I covered my face and cried.
“Emilia…”
He tried to touch me, but I pulled away.
“Please, just don’t.”
“Then tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“That you’ll do something to it.”
“To what?”
“To it.”
I looked up and lifted my sweater showing him my baby bump. He growled then and left without saying a word.
I lay back down, but my stomach didn’t allow me. I was coming out feeling a little dizzy when Evan came in, getting hold of me.
“I swear Emilia this isn’t good for you.”
“And how would you know? Last time I checked you were in on this.”
“Were not the bad guys here, he’s trying to take us down.”
He helped me sit down and then went to the refrigerator taking out a bottle of juice and a sandwich then sitting in front of me.
“Look I know it looks like we’re trying to hurt you, but that’s not the case. Christian is not your mate, Mauricio is and this is your pack. You belong here.”
I shook my head.
“That’s not true. I was happy there. Christian and I were just getting good again with the news of the baby.’
“Wait, you’re pregnant?”
I nodded with a sigh.
“Four months today.”
“So that’s why Mauricio ran out the way he did?”
I nodded and took a bite of the sandwich when I heard Maison. I jumped up and ran over to the window to see him riding one of those power wheels atv’s for kids. I gasped and was about to yell out for him when I saw Taylor with him, I growled and went to the door, but was stopped.
“Move.”
“You can’t come out, it’s not safe yet.”
“That is my son out there!”
Then there was a large boom that ended up rattling the house. My first instinct was to get to Maison. I pushed Evan to the side and ran out.
“Mommy!”
“Emilia!”
I went down and ran to Maison, picking him up and hugging him.
“Mommy!”
“Oh baby, my baby, how I’ve missed you.”
We both cried when another loud boom came closer than we wanted.
“Mommy!”
“Shhh it’s okay, I’ve got you.”
“I should have known.”
I turned and glared at her.
“Yes you should have because there was no way I was going to let you keep my son.”
“You left him.’
“No I didn’t and you knew it! You took advantage of the situation to try to take what was mine, TWICE!”
“Christian isn’t yours!”
“You’re right he isn’t, but he chose me and not you.”
“And Mauricio chose me.”
“Only because he thought I was dead when all along you knew that wasn’t true.”
Maison turned his head and glared at her.
“You lied!”
I held him closer and began to rock him.
“Shhh it’s okay baby, I’m here now and no one is going to take you away from me.”
He held on tighter.
“Mommy you smell different.”
I looked down at him and smiled.
“I got a surprise for you.”
“Emilia!”
I turned and saw Mauricio running up.
“Maison!”
“Daddy, its mommy!”
He stopped and looked at Taylor then me.
“Get inside there’s a storming coming.”
“I’m going with mommy.”
“Mais…”
“Go on inside baby, I’ll be right there.”
I gave him a kiss and let him run up to Evan.
“So this is why you’ve spent so much time here?”
“Taylor…”
“No! I am your wife!”
“Taylor stop it! You know very well that it was only because we had to, not because I wanted to.”
“So what now that she’s back you’re just going to leave me?”
“I was never with you.”
“No I was with Christian.”
She looked at me as I growled.
“Looks like he didn’t want to be with you either, now did he?”
“You think you’re so damb special don’t you? Well you would be who you are today if it wasn’t for me!”
“You’re right, but that doesn’t give you the right to do what you did! I trusted you!”
“Then you should have trusted me when I did the right thing by not telling them the truth. It would have just caused a war, like now! You just couldn’t’ stay away, couldn’t keep yourself from remembering.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?”
I looked at Mauricio.
“Christian’s dad tried to rape me and almost got away with it, but he managed to beat me pretty badly, especially my head. Then when his mom found out that we were getting married she too managed to hit me pretty hard on the head causing me to lose my memory for a short time.”
“So you were telling the truth?”
“Yes, I didn’t know who you were.”
“But you… you responded to me like you knew me.”
“We’re mated by blood how else am I supposed to react?”
He shook his head and then his eyes met mine.
“Wait, could it be that you’re pregnant with my child?”
Taylor gasped, but I shook my head.
“No.”
“You can’t be having his baby!”