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Violet
Finland was supposed to be Violet’s fresh start.
Finland was supposed to be a way for her to let go of the past and leave it there. She'd done all of the meditations and manifestations and spells recommended by local witches. She'd even ingested a potion that was supposed to relieve the trauma of old memories.
She couldn't say that it was working. It certainly had not helped her get over Tristan. She thought about him nonstop.
But this time she was going to do better when she met someone. If she ever met another male that caught her eye, she would absolutely not get involved with him. Once she had control over her attraction, then maybe she would consider flirting again or dating. But what she'd had with Tristan was too strong. She could not afford a connection like that again.
As she was settling into life in Loviisa, a small coastal town, she noticed that she did not feel good. Which was odd. She lived in a state of fear and anxiety, so she knew what that felt like. Now she just felt physically sick. And shifters weren't supposed to get ill. Not like that. She had no energy. The only thing she wanted to do was lie down and sleep.
Angelina was worried. She knew this malaise wasn’t normal for a wolf shifter. She found a local healer from a witch’s coven and asked for her help.
The witch checked on Violet frequently. She hadn't expected her to be concerned.
Her cool hand landed on Violet’s forehead. "You don't have a fever. I can't detect any silver poisoning. What else can make a young wolf shifter sick? A curse? I don't know of any curses that would make you sick like this. The curses I know are darker. They work faster, and they would probably kill you.”
Violet groaned. "I'm not sure if this is making me feel better or worse."
The witch moved closer. She sniffed. "I just don't pick up any signs of poisoning either. A bad potion? A bad spell?" Her hands went to her hips. "You're sick like a human gets sick."
The witch was right. During her time at the campground, Violet had had plenty of time to see the human sicknesses up close. She'd seen them vomit from stomach viruses and vomit from hangovers. She'd seen one have a heart attack and she got him to an ambulance. She'd seen them get colds and flu and any number of other issues.
Then the witch’s jaw dropped. She sat there and she stared at Violet in horror.
"What is it? What! Why are you staring at me like that?” Violet pushed herself up quickly and then she stopped and vomited all over the floor of their tent.
"Oh no. I'm so sorry,” Violet moaned.
In the background, Angelina waved her hand. “Don't worry about it. We’ll just move the tent. Just tell us your prognosis.”
"I think I know what's wrong with you,” the witch said. “I know why I can't figure it out – because it's not a curse.”
"What is it?” Violet asked.
"You're pregnant."
Violet tried to let that sink in. She just couldn't seem to process it though. "Are you sure? How do you know?"
The humans had pregnancy tests. But no one in her old pack had ever taken one. They just assumed they would know as soon as the baby started to move around. Now that she thought back on it, quite a few of the females had thrown up in the early days of their pregnancy. If they'd felt fatigue like this, they had never let on. Maybe they just covered it to stay off the Alpha's radar.
The witch sat down beside her. She put her hand on Violet's arm. "There's something different in your aura. I can see it. I can feel it. But it's not bad. That's why I was confused. It's the baby."
"I'm going to have a pup. A little boy or girl," Violet said to herself.
If Tristan found out, he would demand that she join his pack. Or he would insist on living near her. There would be no reprieve.
She could not let him find her.
Thinking of how possessive he would feel strengthened her resolve.
She would not be checking her email. And she would not be staying in any one place for too long. The thought of a nomadic life still appealed to her, even with the pup.
She would live freely, with no strings. Just a connection between her and her pup.
She put her hand on her stomach. “I promise I will do whatever I can to protect you," she said to her child.
Unlike her own mother. In her best moments, Violet tried not to blame her mother. But in her worst moments, she was very bitter.
Her mother had obviously felt like she had no choice. Maybe she loved Violet’s father. Maybe that mate thing meant something to her. Which was all the more reason for Violet not to be anywhere near Tristan. If there was a love that was so powerful that it could make a female stay with an abusive male who was cruel and harsh, then Violet wanted no part of it.
She’d never even met her pup, but she already felt protective.
The witch stood up. “I'll go to the drugstore and get you a pregnancy test. I'm going to get you some vitamins as well. It might help with the fatigue. You've only been eating human food and you haven't been hunting enough. A few hours shifted into your wolf form hunting for rabbits should clear this up."
Violet thanked her.
Later that day Violet changed the password on her email and didn't look at the messages waiting for her. Now she would not be able to get back in.
Tristan was out of her reach.
