Chapter Thirty-Two

Amara

A n incessant beeping roused her. Her brain was foggy, she couldn’t think clearly, and it hurt to breathe. Her throat was so raw that it was almost impossible to swallow, but she vaguely remembered what happened. The shop. The fire. The locked doors.

She was aware enough to realize that she was no longer there, but she didn’t know how she got out.

There was a clean smell to the steady stream of oxygen being shot up her nose. The tubes itched like hell, and it was then she realized that she had to be in a hospital.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she squinted as the fluorescent lights nearly blinded her. It took a moment, but she was able to adjust to the light and clear her vision. When it did, when she could see properly, she tipped her head to the side and saw the angry face of her father standing over her. For a second, she was confused, but then clarity took over. There was no way he was the one who got her out. By his expression, he wasn’t her savior.

She blinked, wondering why he was here if he didn’t get her out of the fire.

“Dad?” she croaked. It hurt too much to talk, so that was all she could manage.

He placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile. This confused her further until that smile turned evil and his hand moved to her neck to squeeze. Her eyes widened as he leaned down to her ear and whispered, “What a shame that I find you still alive.”

Her heart slammed against her chest as his words solidified her suspicion that he had been the one who set the fire to her shop. The knowledge of the fact that he really did try to kill her hit her like a ton of bricks.

“Why?” she gasped.

There were so many meanings behind that one question. Why did he try to kill her? Why was he doing this? Why didn’t he love her? And why couldn’t he just let her go?

“Someone had to be made an example to show what happens when you disobey me. I’m the fucking alpha. Me. As soon as you ran off with your mutts, the others began to follow your lead. Now, they only listen when they choose to. I can’t have that, now, can I? With your death, they’ll all fall back into line.”

It was hard to say it through the pain, but she said, “Maybe if you weren’t such a dick, the pack would be more inclined to listen to you.”

She wasn’t sure where the sudden courage came from, but she was sick of her father and his power-hungry tendencies. That was all he cared about – being in charge. He didn’t give a damn about her or anyone else. “My only regret is that I didn’t tell you to kiss my ass sooner, you piece of shit.”

“Power is in brute force, Amara. Kind and gentle souls like yourself are a weakness. It’s pathetic.”

“You’re wrong,” she replied, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Power is in love. In family. Power is in trust and honesty. That’s why you are losing control of your pack and why you lost control over me. All because we don’t trust you.”

“I don’t need your trust,” he snarled, squeezing her neck a little. “I need your obedience. So you have a choice, Amara. One. Last. Choice. You come home and admit your wrong-doings, or you and your mutts die. I don’t care if I have to do it myself this time.” He pushed her back into the pillow and then let go of her. He strode toward the door with confidence and left in the same manner.

She let out a shaky breath, her whole body trembling. She had never stood up to her father like that before, but she was glad she did. And she meant what she said. She was done with him, and she wasn’t going to listen to his threats anymore. There was nothing he could do. The guys would protect her against anything her father threw at them, and she was never going back to her old ways, her old life.

As her mind reeled on this, she didn’t hear approaching footsteps to her room, but as soon as her mates walked in, she smiled at them. They looked exhausted and were covered in soot. In their hands, they carried snacks from a vending machine, but their food was all forgotten when they saw her awake.

She smiled wider as they rushed to her side.

“Princesa,” Zeke murmured, leaning down and kissing her forehead. “How are you feeling? ”

“Like I tried to breathe in fire,” she admitted hoarsely. “But I’m alive. I’m guessing that’s because of you three?”

They nodded together, and then Drake said with a squeeze to her knee, “I’ll go get the doctor.” He left the room hurriedly.

She frowned at his rapid departure. “Do I stink or something?” she tried to joke.

Zeke laughed. “We all do.” His face turned somber and he sighed. “He’s just terrified. I think it’s hard for him to see you like this when he was the last one who left you alone.”

She exhaled softly and rested her head back on the pillow. While Zeke was speaking for Drake, she could see it on their faces that they all felt the same. “This isn’t your fault, guys. You guys can’t be with me all the time.”

“Like hell we can’t,” Knox grunted.

“Did you see anyone before the fire started?” Zeke asked, changing the subject before Knox could get out of hand with protective mode.

She shook her head. “No. I was in the bathroom. I just heard the window break, and then the smoke alarms went off.” She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, her mind going back to the flames that licked every surface. “How bad is the damage? Were they able to save anything?”

When they said nothing, she opened her eyes again. Knox’s jaw was flexing, but Zeke gave her a sad smile. “Unfortunately not. By the time the firemen arrived, it was too late to save most of the building.”

She swallowed with difficulty as the words stung, but she had expected that. The fire had been out of control before she passed out, but the shop was the only thing she had left of her mother, and now she didn’t even have that anymore. However, she didn’t get the chance to dwell on that fact before the doctor came into the room, followed closely by Drake.

She held out her hand for Drake, and thankfully, he came right to her. To reassure him, she took his hand and squeezed. “I’m okay,” she whispered to him. Then, she turned to the doctor. “Right?”

The doctor smiled at her and nodded. “Apart from some minor smoke inhalation and mild burns on your arm, you are fine. You are lucky these guys got to you when they did, though. It could have been a lot worse.”

“See?” she said to Drake. “No need to worry.”

She was saying that for her benefit as well. While she felt okay, it was nice to hear from the doctor that she was going to be fine.

“And the baby?” Knox asked the doctor curiously. “Is the baby okay?”

The doctor flipped through the file in his hands and nodded again. “Yes, the babies are doing just fine. Their heart rates look good and strong.”

The room went quiet and still, apart from the beeping of the machines. All of their eyes moved to the doctor, and Amara’s jaw dropped open.

“I’m sorry,” she began. “I think I must have misheard you. Did you say babies? As in… plural?”

“Twins,” the doctor replied with a frown. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew.”

She shook her head in shock. “No. I …uh… I just found out I was pregnant a few days ago.”

Her eyes searched the bedsheets as her mind began to race. One baby was hard enough to get her head around, but twins? The monitor picked up her racing heart, and if she thought she had been nervous before, now it was even worse. How was she supposed to take care of two babies when she didn’t even know if she could take care of one ?

“Breathe,” Zeke said. “Don’t panic. We’ll figure this out. There’s four of us.”

“When can she go home?” Knox asked. It was more of a demand.

“She can be released here in a bit,” the doctor replied, unfazed by Knox’s man-handling. He’d probably seen it all before. “Would you guys like an ultrasound first? Maybe see the little ones?”

All three guys nodded before Amara could process what the doctor had asked.

The doctor chuckled and made some notes in his file. “Alright. I’ll go get the ultrasound tech and send them in.” He patted Amara’s leg. “You take care now, and remember to breathe.”

It didn’t take long for the tech to come in, wheeling a machine with her. She was aged, close to retirement if Amara had to guess, and her eyes revealed a gentle soul.

Knox moved aside for her to pass and then sat on the bed, eyeing this new machine with curiosity. “Will it hurt her?”

The tech beamed at him. “No, dear. Not at all. Though, the gel will be a little cold.” She moved about, plugging in the machine, switching it on, and then gently pulling down the blankets so that they sat low on Amara’s waist. She then lifted the gown Amara was in and tucked it underneath her breasts. All Amara could do was lie there and let it happen. Her mind was still trying to process what the doctor had said.

As she squirted the gel onto Amara’s stomach, she glanced around at the boys. “Which one of you is the lucky father?”

“We all are,” Drake answered.

At the same time, Amara snorted. “We have no idea. Could be any of them. ”

The tech’s eyes flicked back to Amara’s. She opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it and pressed her lips together. “Alright then.” She grabbed the wand and placed it on the gel, smearing it around a little. The tapping of her fingers on the machine punctuated the thoughts she didn’t say out loud, but all four of them awaited a glimpse of the babies.

The image was blurry at first, but it eventually cleared up. It was still early in the pregnancy, so the two beans that popped up didn’t look like babies, but they were definitely there, and there were definitely two of them.

The fear she felt earlier washed away in a matter of seconds when their heartbeats picked up on the monitor. All of a sudden, everything paled in comparison, and the breath whooshed from her lungs as an instinct she didn’t know she had kicked in. A mother’s instinct, she realized. To protect and to love and to cherish.

“I think that one is going to have my nose,” Knox pointed.

“Maybe it will have your sunny disposition as well,” Zeke said with a snort.

“I think it definitely has Drake’s mouth though,” Knox added with a chuckle. “It’s a permanent frown.”

“Fuck you,” Drake grumbled.

Amara laughed at the exchange and shook her head, not taking her eyes off the screen. Off her children. “First of all, you can’t even see the noses or mouths. Secondly, only one of you is the father, so they can’t have pieces of each of you. This isn’t Frankenstein, weirdos.”

Knox ignored her completely. “Are they boys or girls? Or one of each?”

The tech gave another smile as she punched some keys on the keyboard. Pictures began to print. “It’s far too early to tell. We won’t know that until about the twenty-five-week mark.”

“Thank you,” Amara told her honestly. She didn’t have to print out pictures for each of the guys, but clearly, she understood that the four of them were all in a relationship.

She looked down at the picture she now held as the woman began wiping off her belly. She still couldn’t believe this was real, but the evidence was right in front of her. She was going to be a mother, and her children were going to have three different fathers.