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The days wore on, and his anxiety grew. He didn’t dare do anything to upset Reika, especially now that she was looking so well. He kept it to himself that there seemed to be far too many strangers on the island … people who should not have been there and that weren’t registered on the visitor’s log.
Owen could do nothing about sailors stopping there. It was a usual occurrence on Farallon. Still, there should have only been one ferry every two or three days, and the people who came and went had obvious business and registered lodgings.
One afternoon as he was on his patrol, he realized that a group of sailors had disappeared into the wooded areas near the village. It wasn’t that strange for people to camp on the island, but they usually did so on the beach.
It was definitely not normal for groups of people to vanish into the woods, hiding their movements and sneaking around out of sight. Owen wanted to get a closer look, as he couldn’t detect much of their scent from so far away.
He was afraid to reveal himself, though. His anxiety was growing to a point where he felt they were in danger, and he knew his instincts couldn’t be wrong.
Even though I desperately want them to be.
The feeling of wrongness only increased. It got so bad that Owen’s hair stood on end at the slightest sound. Still, he hid the issues from Reika. He woke gently with her in the morning, bringing her cups of tea with bacon and eggs. He rubbed her feet and found her favorite shows to watch on TV. He made excuses as to why they should no longer walk on the beach at night, and Reika, who was getting very large and heavy, agreed quite readily.
One night, he left Reika dozing on the couch and went out for his patrol. Behind him, the darkness of the oncoming evening shrouded the stars, making them shimmer brightly against the night's cloak. Ahead of him, the horizon still glowed with the setting of the sun, allowing him enough light to see the sailboats setting out from the dock.
Even from a great distance, one of the sailors looked familiar. Anxiety chewed at his guts, and he paced closer, trying not to be seen through the trees but also moving swiftly enough that he could get a closer look before the boat got too far away.
Owen growled, the deep, threatening sound echoing out of his chest as he watched the boat sailing away. Connor was the man standing on the deck, in full view of the island. He was sure of it.
He stood there until the boat moved beyond his line of sight, staring across the tossing waters that seemed to echo the turmoil in his soul.
He did not want to tell Reika, especially now that she was doing so well. She was very big now and needed every last drop of strength for the birth.
The last few weeks had been blissful for her. He knew that. Finally, she was having the happy, relaxed pregnancy she deserved when all she had to do was think about the swiftly approaching day when she would finally meet her child.
I will not destroy that, not for anything in this world.
But he feared that their peace had already been shattered, and he could not avoid it.
I can delay her knowledge of it. If that is all I can do, then it will have to be enough.
With his heart twisting with inner conflict, he returned to the lighthouse to see his mate just stirring from sleep, her eyes bright and her smile wide and joyful.
Owen vowed he would keep watch and remain vigilant, but he would keep Reika calm and happy for her sake, as well as that of his child. He cursed the circumstances that forced him to do this, and he knew another problem would soon loom ahead of them.
Could Reika deliver the baby without the help of a shifter midwife? She looked very strong and healthy now, but the pregnancy had been so badly affected by stress, as well as the early months when Reika had been weak and malnourished.
Owen held fast to his resolve. He would not let anything happen to her, and he would protect his child. It was an ancient instinct running in his blood, the calling that made him an alpha.
He would protect them, even if it meant his death.
THIRTY
REIKA
Reika spent most of her time resting and making food for them. It was a simple life once she was able to let go of the thought of how she was going to deliver her baby. She couldn’t very often, but every now and then, when the sun shined brightly in her eyes, she was able to bask in the love and glory that was her life with Owen.
He had begun doing something, though, that made Reika ruminate. Every evening after they ate, when she was resting on the couch or sitting on their balcony, he would go out, wander, and return a few hours later. Initially, she thought he simply needed time to think, but it was becoming a rather consistent thing.
Whenever he returned, she’d ask him how he was. He would return an answer to her that was not thorough, simply a knee-jerk response that was not thought out. “Good,” he’d say.
She started getting irritated when the answer remained the same. He would come to her, cuddle her, kiss her, and make sure she was coping well with her ongoing pregnancy. So the fear and suspicion would evaporate, just for the moment.
But one night, Reika had enough of his reply. He was out later than usual, and she had tried to get to sleep. Her belly was huge now, which meant she could only sleep on her side. She couldn’t sleep, so she rose and noticed that he wasn’t in bed with her.
“What the hell?” she whispered to herself.
Reika rolled out of bed, carrying the extra weight in front of her delicately. She entered the living room, where their couch and small TV sat. The rest of the room was bland and characterless.
