My Lycan Mate of Suicide Forest

"No," Penelope whispered, looking at the result of the pregnancy test. "No, no, no. What have we done?"

August was pregnant. August was a mated pregnant female. And not just any mated pregnant female. She was a Luna. She was carrying Graeme's heir… the Hallowell heir. And she didn't remember any of it.

The pregnancy alone could be one reason why August seemed more resistant to forget her time with the lycans. She could never truly forget her mate, but that was especially the case when half of him was literally, physically inside of her. And not only was she carrying a child that was half Graeme, she was carrying the future hope of an entire pack.

Penelope's stomach dropped, and she had to brace herself against the counter before she sprang into action, destroying the test results and getting rid of August's blood. The complete blood count and chemistry panel all came out normal. August seemed healthy in that regard, at least.

Penelope was going to have to keep an extra close eye on her. Maybe she could convince Zagan to let August stay in a room next to hers. But would he think that was suspicious? Despite them both having the same ultimate goal, she knew he didn't trust her fully. He was likely to view every suggestion with skepticism.

All kinds of scenarios erupted in Penelope's mind about what this could mean for August here. Zagan couldn't know about it. She had no idea what he would do with that information, but it wouldn't be good. He would either regard the pregnancy as an impediment to his goal or as a strength. Either way, it would only be seen through that lens with no consideration for August or the child or the Hallowell pack.

One huge relief was that, as a pregnant Luna, August's body was going to show very little indication of the pregnancy to outsiders. In fact, she should have no scent detectable by other lycans, which was great given the number of lycans working for Zagan. Penelope wondered how they had even tracked her down. It must have been more challenging than they were used to.

At least Zagan's lycans were strays, so it was unlikely to occur to them why August didn't have a scent.

Oh Goddess, the whole Hallowell pack was going to be furious their Luna was gone. August's disappearance would have been upsetting regardless, but if they were aware she was carrying Graeme's heir…

And poor Graeme was unlikely to recall any of this at the moment. Hopefully his sister and the others around him would be able to help keep the Hallowell leadership strong until August could succeed here and get back to them. Penelope would watch after her until then.

With thoughts racing, she left the lab in search of the kitchen. She had only been here for a few days, and this place was a maze. A cold, dark maze that echoed every footstep she took and carried that information to the vampire's sharp ears. He didn't need security cameras in this old, abandoned looking castle, his eyes and ears probably served him just fine.

Clearly the rest of the alyko were not kept here with him, or else she would have come across someone. She got the impression that they were somewhere else on the island. They were within the vampire's reach, living under the shadow of his hand but not being crushed by it.

Once she finally wound through the hallways correctly and stumbled across the kitchen, she grabbed a tray and began searching for what she needed. Despite the vampire not eating regular food, there was ample supply of it. The pantry and refrigerator were both stocked. She took crackers, fruit, and nuts and put them on the tray for August. While water for tea was heating, she began gathering ingredients to make a stew.

"Have I forced you to make your own food here?" Zagan suddenly appeared behind her, causing her to jump.

With one glance, she saw that his hair and eyes were back to their deep black hue—like a moonless night.

"I see you ate," she mumbled and set the carrots and celery on the counter next to the potatoes.

"Rabbits," he replied simply. It turned her stomach that he could make jokes about it. So the alyko were on the island here somewhere. "I have people who will make food for you. That is why they are here," he told her, the sly smile that had been on his face fading.

"Where?" she said, turning around to scan the empty room. "I don't see them."

"They have other jobs they do for me as well. It just takes one phone call," he explained with a flourish of his hand. "Or I can bring ready made food from elsewhere."

"Oh really? Do you have a McDonalds nearby?" she asked sarcastically. "Is there an alyko-run town in the area that I can visit?"

"Tell me what you want, and I can have it arranged," he sighed, swinging his jacket out of the way to stuff his hands in his pockets.

The behavior struck her as so normal—unlike how stiff and frozen he appeared in his posture and mannerisms earlier. He even had a patient, slightly amused expression on his face as he regarded her. It must have something to do with how drinking blood affected him.

"It's not for me. It's for August. She hasn't eaten real food now for a few days," she told him, removing the tea kettle from the stove.

"The Luna said that she isn't hungry," he reminded her.

"She said maybe soup," Penelope replied, disappearing into the pantry now to grab some tea she had spotted there and to look for stock.

"We have canned soup," he told her.

He could hear Penelope groan, and he chuckled.

"I will call someone for this. Just take her the tray, Winter. I need you focusing on other things," he gestured toward the tray with a tilt of his head.

"I don't mind taking care of her," she said softly, setting more items on the counter.

"I need you focusing on other things," he repeated.. "Come see me when you are done with her."