CHAPTER 107: CHAPTER 107: DON’T LET PERRY FIND YOU

I stared at the screen, my mind struggling to process those three words. Pregnant. I was pregnant.

“That’s impossible,” I whispered, even as my hand instinctively moved toward my stomach, stopped by the restraint. “I took a test. It was negative.”

Leo snorted, crossing his arms. “Home pregnancy tests aren’t exactly the pinnacle of medical science, sweetheart.”

My thoughts raced chaotically. It made perfect sense. The sudden mood swings. The bouts of nausea I’d been experiencing. The headaches that came and went. I couldn’t even remember when my last cycle had been.

With all the unprotected sex with the triplets, I should have seen this coming.

“But the test...” I trailed off, remembering how disappointed I’d felt seeing that single pink line.

“False negatives happen all the time,” Leo said, watching me closely. “Especially if you tested too early.”

Despite everything—being kidnapped, restrained in this sterile lab, separated from my mates—I felt a wave of happiness wash over me. A baby. Our baby. A piece of Lucas, Liam, and Levi growing inside me.

“I’m having their baby,” I whispered, a small smile forming on my lips.

For a brief moment, I forgot where I was.

I imagined telling the triplets, seeing their faces light up with joy. Lucas would probably try to hide his emotions, but his eyes would give him away. Liam would sweep me up in his arms, spinning me around. And Levi? He’d probably drop to his knees and talk to my still-flat stomach.

The disappointment I’d felt seeing that negative result vanished. I missed my mates desperately, but now I carried a piece of them with me.

“Don’t get too attached,” Leo said, shattering my daydream. “The fetus will need to go before we proceed.”

I froze, my blood turning to ice. “What did you just say?”

Leo turned back to the computer, typing something with casual indifference.

“The procedure can’t be performed with a pregnancy. It would interfere with the hormonal adjustments and bond restructuring.”

“No.” The word came out as a growl, my wolf rising to the surface. I didn’t even know or care what he was talking about. “You’re not touching my baby.”

“Don’t be dramatic, Hazel.” Leo sighed, not even looking at me. “It’s just a cluster of cells at this point.”

“It’s my child!” I screamed, yanking against the restraints with all my strength. “The child of my mates!”

“Former mates,” he corrected coldly. “Once the procedure is complete.”

Rage and protective instinct surged through me like electricity. I pulled against the metal cuffs with everything I had, feeling something within me snap.

A loud crack echoed through the room as the metal cuff around my right wrist split apart. Leo whirled around, eyes wide with shock. They may not be silver cuffs, but they were meant to still be able to hold a werewolf down with significant ease.

I immediately reached for my other wrist, trying to break that restraint too, but it wouldn’t budge. My right wrist throbbed with pain, blood trickling down my hand where the metal had cut into my skin.

“How did you—” Leo started, lunging toward me.

I swung my free arm at him. I caught his cheek, my nails leaving four bloody scratches across his face.

“Stay away from me!” I snarled. “You’re not taking my baby!”

Leo pressed his hand to his bleeding cheek, looking more annoyed than hurt. “You shouldn’t be able to muster such strength while pregnant. The energy should be diverted to the fetus.”

“Guess I’m special,” I spat, continuing to struggle against the remaining restraints.

Leo approached more cautiously this time, his eyes fixed on my bleeding wrist. “Stop fighting, Hazel. You’re only hurting yourself.”

“Better me than my baby,” I hissed, tears of frustration and fear welling in my eyes.

A sudden knock at the door made us both freeze.

“Everything okay in there?” a muffled voice called from the hallway. “I heard shouting.”

Leo pressed his hand over my mouth, his eyes warning me to stay quiet. The pressure of his palm against my lips made me want to bite down, but I restrained myself, knowing an outburst might bring more enemies.

“Everything’s fine,” Leo called back, his voice impressively calm. “Just dropped something heavy on my foot. Clumsy moment.”

The silence that followed was tense. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

“If you’re sure...” The voice sounded uncertain. “I didn’t take you for the clumsy type.”

“Didn’t sleep well lately, I guess,” Leo answered.

There was a grumble in reply.

We remained frozen until footsteps retreated down the hallway. Only then did Leo remove his hand from my mouth, wiping it on his pants as if I’d contaminated him.

Our faces were inches apart, his body practically pinning me to the chair. I could smell the metallic scent of his blood from the scratches I’d left, mixed with that familiar sandalwood.

“Get away from me,” I whispered harshly.

Leo didn’t move, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. For a moment, something flickered in his expression. I couldn’t tell what it was.

“Please,” I added, my voice breaking. “Don’t take my baby from me.”

He straightened abruptly, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Without a word, he moved to unlock the remaining restraints, gripping my upper arm firmly once I was free.

“I’m taking you back to my quarters,” he said, his voice strangely tight. “This room isn’t secure enough.”

I blinked in confusion. “You’re not going to...” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

He jabbed a few keys on the machine and the results were instantly wiped from the screen.

“We’ll deal with that later,” he muttered, pulling me toward the door. “Right now, we need to get you somewhere safe before Perry finds out about this.”

“Who’s Perry?” I asked as he checked the hallway before pulling me along.

Leo didn’t answer, moving swiftly through the corridors. My wrist stung with each movement, but I could already feel the skin beginning to heal. The bleeding had slowed significantly.

We reached his room without encountering anyone else. Leo pushed me inside, locking the door behind us.

“Stay put,” he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. “If you try to escape again and Perry finds you wandering around, things will end badly for you and your...” He paused, seemingly unable to say the word ‘baby.’

“Who is Perry?” I repeated, wrapping my arms protectively around my midsection.

Leo’s jaw tightened. “Someone you don’t want to meet.”

“Are they in charge of this place?” I pressed. “In charge of you?”

His eyes flashed with something like anger or perhaps pride wounded. “No one is in charge of me.”

“But Perry is in charge of this operation,” I concluded, watching his expression carefully.

Leo moved toward the door without answering. “Don’t leave this room. For your own safety.” He hesitated, then added, “And if you want to keep that thing safe.”

The door closed behind him with a heavy click. A terrifying realization dawned upon me.

Leo wasn’t the boss of this operation like I had initially thought.

Perry was.