Page 20 of Take Two (Valleywood: Season Three)

Chapter 20

Declan

No time to get fully dressed, I raced after my mate while tripping over the pants I was trying to haul up. But he’d vanished.

What remained was his singed scent, reminiscent of a fire flaring plus the stench of rotten eggs, combined with an overly sweet smell.

Tears streamed over my cheeks as huge choking sobs wracked my body. I fell to my knees on the sidewalk, the cold penetrating my bones, the iciness similar to what surrounded my heart when I contemplated a life without my mate.

I’d never find him in the dark unless he started glowing, which was a possibility considering the heat his body was generating. If he didn’t want to be found, he’d hide somewhere I couldn’t go. A dark cave, perhaps, that protected gods and refused entry to humans and shifters.

Is there such a place? My wolf was curious, not cognisant of the danger we and Valleywood were in if Phobos didn’t find a solution to Apate’s spell.

I don’t know . I shouldn’t have snapped at him, but I wasn’t familiar with the world of gods. Maybe they had a secret meeting place in the heavens, but my mate was denied access because he could no longer transport himself through space.

Despite the fear crawling over my skin and into my bones, and the desire to find Phobos, I was exhausted and put off looking for him until it was light, assuming he had that much time. I dragged myself up the stairs, my stomach complaining and nausea making me grip the banister as I battled a wave of dizziness.

For sure I’d been working hard, but being so tired was because of the trauma brought on by Apate fucking with my mate and him not accepting any help from me. His actions were for my benefit. I got it. He wanted to keep me safe, but perhaps he hadn’t had a good role model growing up. We’d spoken little of his family dynamics except for his and Deimos’s relationship.

Not that Father had set a good example of how to engage in conflict resolution.

Collapsing into bed, I hugged one of the new pillows to my belly. I’d never be able to sleep, but I’d read once that lying in a darkened room with your eyes closed was the second-best option to sleeping. But any small sound had my eyes snapping open as I checked the phone for a message.

I finally gave up and turned on the bedside lamp, wishing the dawn would come early so I could be on my way. My mind raced as I made a list of places to look for Phobos. His house, his parents’, and his brother’s that we’d driven past on the way to me shifting in the woods.

Unlikely he’d be at any of them, but they might have an idea of where he might flee. He said his father was trying to solve the fiasco that Apate had initiated so we could begin our mated lives. Nothing had been easy since we marked one another, between Father’s interference and Phobos’s looming combustion, but we could get past this.

I pulled a pillow over my head, hoping to block out my problems and get some sleep. My dreams were the only escape from reality, and up until now, they were filled with pink fluffy clouds, rainbows, and unicorns. Such a cliché, but my life was a shitshow, so I welcomed any and all stereotypes if they blocked out the fear my mate might blow himself up along with the rest of Valleywood.

When my bladder insisted I pee, I shuffled to the bathroom before boiling water for a shot of caffeine. But as I spooned instant coffee into the cup, I poured it back into the jar and grabbed a tea bag instead.

No coffee? That’s not like you. My wolf couldn’t figure me out today.

Phobos being in trouble has my tummy all jumbly. I ripped a nail with my teeth and grimaced as it peeled off down to the quick. Damn. I wrapped a band-aid around the affected finger and returned to bed with my hot drink. It’d be unnoticeable in a few hours thanks to my shifter healing abilities.

It was getting light, so I should leave, but I was paralyzed with indecision. I didn’t expect to find him. He was a god and a wily one, so he would have numerous places to hide. In that case, going to his parents’ place would be the sensible option because his father understood the predicament my mate was in.

But when I put my tea down and stood up, the room swirled around me and I fell backward onto the bed.

Eat. You need your strength .

Shame you can’t make it for me.

When I first met my beast in my teens and I was hungry, he’d offered to take his fur, hunt down a rabbit, then shift back so I could eat it. Such a kind gesture, but raw rabbit wasn’t my thing.

You could have cooked it.

True .

Once the room stopped spinning, I staggered to the cupboard and slapped peanut butter on two slices of bread. That would have to do for sustenance. After pulling on my clothes from last night, I brushed my teeth and chewed some gum I found in the pocket of my hoodie because my mouth was still gross.

Right. I could do this—this being me getting in the car and driving to my in-laws. If they weren’t early risers, I’d raise hell beating down the door until someone answered.

I should have gone there when Phobos left. Why didn’t I? The answer popped into my head. Because I didn’t want to hear there was nothing I could do and that he was lost to me. Added to that, my life and everyone else’s in Valleywood could end, and that wasn’t what I was prepared to hear.

But there was a loud noise downstairs, and my head jerked toward the door. He was back, the problem was solved, and we could continue our life together. I fumbled with the door handle and clutched the railing because the lightheadedness I’d experienced earlier had returned.

Falling face down on the bar floor wasn’t an option, though if I injured myself, shifting should repair the wounds.

“Phobos! You’re here.” My shifter eyesight couldn’t pick him out in the early-morning light.

“Boss?” The voice behind me wasn’t my mate.

“Wren.” I swung around and glanced over her shoulder, assuming she’d found my mate and brought him home. “Where is he?”

“Phobos?” She shrugged. “Isn’t he with you?”

I leaned on the counter as hope faded. “No. He left.”

“Your mate was pretty agitated last night, and he was feverish. He kinda glowed.”

“Mmmm. He’s not well.”

She poured a glass of water and shoved it over the counter. “Drink. You don’t look so well yourself.”

“I’m fine. Not much sleep is all.” I chugged the water and remembered my tea untouched upstairs. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Stocktake, remember? Astor should be here soon.”

“Right.” I didn’t recall that but pretended I did.

“Boss, do you have some news for me?”

Shit. Had I promised Wren a raise? I’d have to fudge it. “Ummm, I might, but I need to get Phobos to a doctor first.” I stood up. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.”

She giggled and slapped a hand over her mouth. “You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you? Unless you’re the one going to the doctor.”

Damn, she’d caught me, and I’d have to admit she was right. “It’s possible. Things have been a little crazy lately.” But I was confused on why I’d go to the doctor.

“Sit. Phobos can wait a little longer. Besides, you have some happy news for him.”

I did? I perked up, making the leap that my employee understood my mate’s predicament. Taking both her hands in mine, I said, “You’ve made me so happy, Wren. But how did you find out?”

“Your scent.”

Hmmm, there was an information gap between what she'd said about the good news and how I smelled. I sniffed under one arm. Yes, I hadn’t showered, but when the world might blow up, you don’t pay attention to hygiene.

“Sorry, I forgot to put on deodorant.”

“Boss, you’re so adorable.” She patted my midsection. But she recoiled, and combined with her slack-jawed expression, it suggested something was wrong. “Sorry. Too familiar? Apologies for touching you.”

My head was spinning again but not from being dizzy. I was bewildered and talking to Wren was similar to trudging through thick syrup. Or how I imagined it to be.

“Ummm, I don’t know.” I placed a hand on my belly. “You’ve lost me. What's going on?”

“Your scent has changed. Hasn’t your wolf noticed?”

Have you?

No. She’s mistaken. You’re the same as you always were .

Wren beamed. “You’re pregnant.’

“No!” I blurted that out without thinking. No. The universe wouldn’t do that to us. Not with us being wrapped up in chaos. Not possible.

“Yes. I’m a shifter too, remember, and my sparrow tells me you’re going to have a baby.”

My knees buckled, and I slammed onto the wooden stool. “Are you sure?” Being mated could have changed my scent, and stress definitely also could have caused it. My mind couldn’t grasp that I might have a baby inside me.

“My beast is never wrong. She’s scented when anyone in my family was pregnant. Knew it before they did.”

“Oh!”

“Congratulations!”

There wasn’t much to celebrate if the baby didn’t have an alpha father or… I ran a hand over my eyes to hide the tears.

Or Valleywood and everyone in it ceased to exist.