She blinked her eyes.

Something in her body has changed.

Yes, she had lost some weight in her time on the castle but that doesn't mean that she should be looking like the skeleton she is. Her cheekbones were almost popping out of her skin with her collarbones. Her skin was also a few shades paler than a few weeks ago. Unlike the rest of her body, her breasts looked bigger than ever before.

She couldn't understand what was happening to her body. Never in her life did she had a chest that she could call feminine but now she looked like the woman her mother was.

Maeve turned to look her side profile.

The weird thing was that as her bosoms grew so did her abdomen. A little bump has appeared to the place her corset always squished. Now that Maeve is thinking about all the last weeks morning she had a trouble tying the laces of her corset. She even had to ask a maid to help her to the thing her mother always taught her since she reached puberty.

The human turned to look at her left side wishing that the bump is only a stretched fabric or something like that which only appears on her right side. But that was not the case. Her grown stomach showed on each side she turned to look making her think all the things she has eaten lately.

As long as Maeve knows she has not eaten anything that would make her stomach to swell. The last time she ate bark bread was when she was a young girl and her mother had a hard time feeding her all children. But Maeve does remember that she hated the taste of it. It tasted like you would be eating a tree. Now when you are thinking about it you would know the reason why it tasted like a piece of wood.

A sudden craving of wine popped into her head.

Oh, what could a little sip of the red liquid could do to her thoughts about yesterday night. A blush crept on her cheeks. Luckily no one was there with her, not even Tommy. Maeve hadn't seen him since he ran away from her to insides of the wall. The human even tried to call his name today to see if he is fine and what scared him off so bad.

He is so stubborn.

A deep sigh left her mouth. Not even the thought of her friend could keep the idea of wine out of her head. The weird thing is that the other half of her brain is telling her to go and get the liquid but the other half is screaming to her that she should not drink it.

While her head was being ripped half from the thoughts her legs decided to take the control of the situation. They led her to the cellar where she once was eavesdropping what the highest ranking wolves were talking about.

Memories were flowing in her head but that didn't stop her from going to the nearest barrel and opening faucet.

Tips of the red liquid dripped to the ground before Maeve managed to put a glass under it. Her mind wandering back to the taste of it and the feeling it brought along. Every time she had drunk wine she felt so free like she was a butterfly who could fly where ever she wanted. To see the world from a different angle.

A pair of eyes were drilling its way to her back.

"What on the earth do you think you are doing?" A manly voice growled behind her back. The glass fell from her hand shattering into hundreds of pieces. One of the pieces cut her hand.

The floor was now covered with shattered glass, wine, and drops of her blood.

Cato glared at the woman. How stupid is she? Everyone knows that a human shouldn't be drinking wine when she is pregnant. Especially the wine that the supernatural prepares. It is way stronger than the usual wine making it go straight into the drinkers head in a matter of minutes. Werewolves and other high-rank species can deal with it but the little human girl in front of him will pass out if she drinks much of it.

"W-what are you d-doing in here?" Maeve shuttered. The man looks like he is ready to kill her because of a sip of wine. She has drunk it before and is old enough to do it.

"Saving you from killing it," Cato murmured and started to drag her away from the wine cellar taking one bottle with him.

He turned to look at the human with her small pregnant stomach. How could she be so stupid? Did she know what would have happened to her if the baby died? The werewolves would have lost their future leader because of a human and her stupid brain. That would have been the end of the rest of her kind.

The sky was darkening again meaning that the time has come. In a matter of minutes, Cato should be walking towards an old tree where he would see his other half once again. His wolf cried after every night after the she-wolf who has been linked to him since their birth. He would give Elena a few weeks before he carries her to his home. He needed her, his wolf needed her and the look on her face told him that she needed him too. Day after day she looked more tired and more like a zombie than a werewolf. The spark he saw on her eyes at the first time they met was a lot dimmer now.

Maeve felt like a sack of potatoes. Or this is what she thinks a potato sack would feel like. She had no control to herself as the angry beta dragged her through the long hallways. In the dim light, his eyes seemed almost as red as blood running in his veins.

She couldn't understand what made him so mad. She had done nothing wrong. The rare guards who passed them stared at the helpless human. Her big doll eyes pled everyone who passed them to help her.

Finally, when they reached the room Cato was thinking about, he opened the door, pushed her in and continued his journey to the woods to meet the only person his heart is screaming for.

Maeve looked at the now closed door with wonder. Why did he throw her to this room? It's cold, dark and she couldn't see anything.

Oh, how much she wished she had a warm blanket around her right now. And a cup of hot chocolate, of course.

"H-hello?" She whisper-shouted not knowing what to do.

Should she just sit on the ground and wait for the beta to come and release her. She could just walk back to the door and go back to her lovely wine but she couldn't even see the door. Maeve wanted to scream and shout to someone to come and show her where the door is but her mother raised her better than that.

Maeve took a deep breath before starting to crawl around the dark room. Everything went well if you don't count the fact that she collided with someone's foot.

***

Cato was walking towards his new favorite place in his world. He knew that every time he went there he would see the most beautiful women in the world. A song that his mother used to sing to him and Cormac was playing in his head.

The song was beautiful but the singing voice of the beta was not. He could never be that man who sings love ballads to his beloved one. Not that his personality allowed him to be one. But he would do it if Elena begged him to do that.

God dammit, he would do anything for her. If she would ask him to go through a mountain he would do it without a second thought.

He could see the mocking look of his brother on his head. Cormac always believed that the mate bond is only a thing that someone has invited to mess up with werewolves head. But that was all before he met the person he should spend the rest of his life with.

Pictures with him and his brother growing together made his mouth turn upwards. He didn't want to think about him anymore. Cormac is dead and will be one until the end of the world. Then he saw Elena standing next to their meeting place.

The wind made her hair flow in the air making it look even puffier than it is.

The she-wolf smiled as soon as she saw him. He is late.

"You are late."

Cato embraced her with his arms and pressed her against his chest. "I had problems leaving," Elena raised her eyebrow, "The human you met was trying to get her and the baby killed with wine."

The woman's mouth curved into o shape.

"She doesn't know, does she?" That if something is unfair in Elena's mind. How could they not tell the poor girl that her head is now on every bounty hunter's list in the first three names. Not all people want the reign of werewolves to grow and the baby inside of her is going to change the world in a way or another.

"No," Cato murmured and put his head on her hair. The smell was something he could sniff for eternity.

"You need to tell her."

The beta didn't lift her head but he murmured something on her neck. "I want to mark you," he licked a spot on her neck, "right here."

A moan left Elena's mouth. "We both know that you can't do that." The last thing she wants is Uncle Marion smelling another male on her with a teeth marks on her neck.

"He will find out eventually in one way or another," Cato lifted his head, "We can't keep doing this forever."

The woman pushed him away from her. "I know that but I need time. You don't know him, Cato. He never found his mate and he doesn't believe in the bond. If I would introduce you to him he would think that you have brainwashed me to fall in love with you as you only want one thing from me."

Cato rolled his eyes. Every time she told the exact same thing. He wanted to meet this Marion and tell him why he should let his niece come with him or then he will just arrange another Chase for him. Or maybe just snapping his neck is easier.

"Don't you dare," she hissed. The thoughts on his head were too obvious to everyone with eyes. Her uncle may not be the most caring person but he raised her. Without him, she wouldn't be standing in front of Cato. Without him, she would be dead or forced to turn into a rogue.

No one wanted to lose their human side to a wolf. The stories say that it is the most painful thing you can feel.

She turned to look at the sky. Because her mate was late they now have way less time than usual. She had to get going soon if she doesn't want to let her uncle find her wandering around the woods.

They shared an intense kiss before Elena said goodbyes to him and started to make her way back to the mirthless cottage she calls home. Cato tried to change her mind about staying for a half hour more. He missed her and so did she him but she didn't want to hurt her uncle.

She passed hundreds of trees while walking back. After the time they met Elena has not shifted into her wolf form scaring that she will be a slow runner. Wolfs should be so fast that they can run away from the possible danger. Her wolf, on the other hand, caught unwanted attention with her snail-like moves.

A stick snapped half somewhere close to her making her tense.

The forest was too quiet. Only one butterfly flew right in front of her with no background noises.

"Hello?" She asked hoping that it was only a deer. The last thing she wants is to interact with unknown people.

No one answered but she could hear steps getting closer to her. Turning around and trying to detect the enemy but she couldn't see anything.

Panic started to rise in her. She had to run, no matter how slow she will be. It's either that or die without trying to escape.

Steps after steps she ran through the sticks that cut her skin. She couldn't hear the steps behind her anymore. Maybe, it was only a deer.

But then someone gripped her hair and started to drag her away.

Elena fought back. She kicked and screamed and yelled for Cato knowing that he won't hear her pleads.

The person spat on her face.

"Stop fighting slut!"

All the color on her face dropped. She could recognize that voice from everywhere after all it only is the man that has raised her since she was only a young child.

***