Intuition

Eve woke up in her bed in the cabin. Onyx was propped by the her feet. The Luna sat up with a dull headache and a fog in her mind. She held the blanket close to her still nude body as she took in the sky outside the window. It was the following afternoon. She had slept for nearly twelve hours.

“What happened?” Eve probed in a scratchy voice.

“I don’t know. Are you okay?” Onyx handed her a plastic water bottle.

After several long drinks, she felt more awake and aware. The young woman moved to sit beside her, examining her face worriedly.

“No, Onyx. I’m not okay. I’ve been kidnapped. I want to go home.” Eve stated.

The young woman fell silent for a while. She was obviously conflicted by the entire situation. Still, Eve knew Onyx was Bastian’s family. His baby sister. She would be forced by her own sense of loyalty to follow his lead. Even if she disagreed with some of his decisions. Eve took a few more drinks from the water bottle, watching the teenager.

“Bastian came back from your run yesterday and you were both human. He said you’d passed out.” Onyx eventually explained. “I stayed with you all night. You were seriously powerful and pale...”

Eve rubbed her face. She was hungry and somehow still tired. She could feel the concerned glances of the big, brown eyes watching her.

“I have to get out of here, Onyx. I need to get back to my pack. I could feel something happening before I passed out. My mate... He needs me. And I need him if I’m going to live through this pregnancy.” She held eye contact with her.

“I told Bas not to take you. I told him this was stupid...” Onyx exhaled heavily and averted her gaze. “I like you, Evie. I want to help you but I-”

“I know he’s your brother. And your Alpha. I don’t want to hurt anybody in your pack. Not even him. And I won’t, I promise. I just- I just want to go home...” Eve felt tears welling in her eyes.

She missed Flint. She missed him so much that her heart ached. Her wolf whimpered in her mind, giving in momentarily to the cold, dark sadness within.

“Oh, no. Don’t cry.” Onyx hugged her. “I’m sorry, Evie. I-”

The bedroom door opened and Bastian stepped inside. Onyx slowly released the Luna as she hastily wiped her cheeks dry.

“Evie?” Bastian walked up to the side of the bed.

Onyx stood and grabbed her book from the mattress. She left and closed the door behind her. Never once did she meet the gazes of her brother or the captive Luna. Eve wrapped the blanket and sheet around her body even tighter as she scooted away from Bastian.

“How are you feeling, Evie?” He sat on the floor beside the bed, giving her space.

She didn’t answer. She simply stared the floor beside the bed with no expression.

“Come on... Please, Evie. Just talk to me.” Bastian sighed.

Eve swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to hold in the tears wetting her eyelashes. She took a shaky, slow breath as her heart skipped a beat. The twinge of pain in her chest was followed by the endless sadness that proceeded it. She finally turned to meet his dark eyes when she had firmly decided on what to say.

“I’m going to die here. Without Flint or my mom... Surrounded by rogues. And my pup-” Her voice broke and her bottom lip trembled.

She stubbornly held her expression tight and firm. Still, all her effort couldn’t stop a few tears from running down her jaw.

“And my pup isn’t ever going to be born.” Eve forced herself to say the words in a flat even tone.

“No. That’s not true.” Bastian stood quickly.

He looked dumbfounded by the emotion she was showing him. He put his hand to his mouth and moved as if to pace before he paused. Halting all movements. He looked confused and upset. Mostly, he seemed like he wanted to help her and couldn’t. Or maybe he was afraid of the same things she was.

“I’m working on this, Evie. I won’t let anything happen to you or the pup.” He stated hurriedly, deciding to sit on the bed beside her.

“You just want to use him for his power.” She grasped her stomach protectively and felt her child moving around in response.

“He’s your pup. I want so much more than that.” Bastian replied.

“He’s Flint’s pup too!” Eve wiped her cheeks dry again.

“I know he is.” His voice nearly sounded like a growl.

The Luna stared at him in bewilderment for a few seconds before he felt her electric blue eyes burrowing into him. Bastian immediately shook off whatever he had been thinking about.

Eve didn’t know what to do. She thought about getting up but she was still naked and bundled in a comforter. She pointed silently to the long, fluffy bathrobe hanging on the bookshelf. Bastian chuckled at her pouting and her avoidance of his gaze. He stood to retrieve it for her.

She pulled it into the covers and emerged wearing it a moment later. Bastian simply leaned on the wall and watched her. He was clearly deciding on what to say. Calculating, as always.

“I’m working on solutions to your problem.” He eventually stated.

“Let me guess. No luck yet?” Eve replied sarcastically.

“The legend, the page was torn. Right? Well, I have an old friend in Green Tree looking for answers on the mountain.” Bastian answered.

“Old friend?” Alarm bells seemed to go off in her mind.

Eve recalled that Selena thought Bastian had spies inside the pack but she wasn’t sure of anything. And the way Bastian always seemed to know everything that happened in Flint and Eve’s lives... It had to be someone close. Someone trusted.

“How did you see that book, Lunar Gifts? How did you read that legend?” She approached him, narrowing her eyes.

“Same old friend, really.” Bastian grinned.

“Who?” Eve asked pointedly.

“I can’t let you in on my secrets yet, Evie. You haven’t earned my trust.” He stepped toward her.

The Luna froze. She realized what was happening. To earn his trust, she would need to act less like a captive and more like herself. Even if every fiber of her being told her she needed to escape the Shadow pack, she needed to act like she were comfortable amongst them.

“Whatever, punchy.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m hungry.”

Bastian looked amused for several seconds as he tiled his head to the side, attempting to read her.

“Well, then...” His smile broadened in a matter of moments. “Let’s get you something to eat.”