Nine weeks later…

“I can’t believe I followed you lovebirds here,” Holger said, near the fire. “We’ve been here forever. We’re never going to find the exit to this place.”

“Stop it, chief. Gorbins needed to heal. I know you miss you amenities back home, but we can’t start getting emotional again. There’s a reason we’re here,” Ryan said.

Holger laughed and chewed on his chicken bone. “Right. Everything happens for a reason. I’ve heard you guys talk like that a lot during this trip, but you keep skipping over the fact that the little goblin man told you to turn the hell around! He didn’t want to be saved, and you know it.”

I stood near the fire, shaking my head. I couldn’t stand to hear them bicker like this anymore. I just wanted peace for my omega during his pregnancy.

“Please, Holger. My big bear is pregnant. Leave him alone,” I said, putting my foot down.

The chief looked toward the fire. There was a real sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what keeps coming over me. I’m just frustrated, I guess.”

“It’s okay. I understand,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

Ryan sat up from his log and walked into the bungalow with me. “Holger is just a temperamental being. It’s not so bad here. We were lucky there was an abandoned cabin out here. It’s not too shabby either.”

“I understand where he’s coming from. It sucks to be away from home. And I keep thinking about your pregnancy. I want you to be able to rest,” I said.

“I’m fine here. It sucks that we got snowed in, but this place is pretty cozy, at least.” He smiled and kissed me tenderly. He was a good sport, and I appreciated it.

In the other room was Gorbins. Though he wasn’t fairing the best out of us, he was getting healthier by the day.

“I think he’ll make it,” he said, cheerfully.

Despite our efforts to heal him, Gorbins decided to remain silent. Whenever we walked into the room with food and liquids, he refused treatment. None of us could figure out why, but I started to wonder if he was scared of us.

My mind went back to the first night we arrived here. The darkness that trickled up my body was something I had been trying to forget for weeks. The slithering whisper of my shadow haunted me. Was it inside of me? I felt fine, but how could one know?

“What if the shadow master isn’t an actual person?” I asked.

Ryan looked confused. “Like a deity?” he asked.

I looked up at the ceiling and tried to choose my words carefully. “I don’t know. Not exactly. What if he’s inside us all?”

I worried Ryan, which was not my intention. I quickly changed the vibe of the conversation. “Never mind. Let’s focus on happier things,” I said.

Both of us sat down on the bed. I ran my fingers over his thick belly. We didn’t have a doctor here to check up on us, but it was looking like his pregnancy was doing well. Whatever the shadow master was shouldn’t matter to me right now. I knew my duty well. I had to protect my omega and our baby.

“Our child is going to be more important than we think,” Ryan whispered.

“How do you know we’re only having one?” I asked him. I remembered what the shadow whispered in my ear. It said we would have one child.

He smiled and closed his eyes eloquently. “An omega always knows.”

I took off my clothes and headed for the shower. My big bear eagerly slapped my ass. “Oh yeah? We’re playing that game?” I laughed and smacked his cheek back.

I let the water turn hot. I wanted to relax as much as possible. Gorbins had been annoying me lately, and Holger didn’t make my life any easier either. I still had no idea how he had made his way to becoming chief of the fire station, but maybe he was a hero back in his younger years.

The water fell from the old showerhead. I closed my eyes and felt Ryan’s tender lips wrap around my cock. “Whoa,” I mutter, opening them again.

He smiled, before gagging on me. “Mmm,” I moaned. “Fuck, I needed this.”

Garbled sounds came from the back of his throat. Ryan was the best cocksucker in the world. I gripped the back of his hair and grunted with satisfaction. He sloppily released himself from me, spreading his saliva over my shaft.

“You’re so dirty,” I groaned. My cock bobbed in the air, ready for more.

“I’m beyond horny,” he said, choking on air.

I smiled and watched as his tongue curled around my wet, hard flesh. The hot water steamed up the whole shower. I placed my hands against the wall and prodded forward.

“You’re right,” I said. “It’s better that we stopped for a while. I could get used to this kind of treatment.”

“You’re the best alpha in the world. You’re my hero,” he cooed. “Does it turn you on to hear that?”

“You know it does.” I laughed. I loved when he surprised me like this.

“Look into my eyes and keep your mouth open,” I groaned.

The pressure was building up inside of me. I had to brace myself because I was going to blow all over his handsome face. Ryan opened his pink lips and waited for me to feed him my cock.

“Yes, big bear. Make me cum,” I said.

He took my cock into the back of his throat and milked every last drop. I clenched my body as the unexpected pleasure rocked me back and forth. He hungrily swallowed and smiled brightly.

“My omega. You’re filthy!” I groaned.

He stood up and kissed me, tongues interlocking together. “You’re filthier,” he said.

After our frisky shower, Ryan went to lie down. The days felt longer for him. His baby bump was growing faster every single day. And the worry that we might have to have our child here was gnawing at us both. We fucked like bunnies, but in the moments after, Ryan feared the worst.

“I’m going to check on Gorbins,” I said, after tucking him in. I kissed his forehead and looked at him tenderly.

“Thank you for keeping me safe,” he said, before closing his eyes.

“I’ll do anything to keep you safe, always,” I whispered. He was already out cold and snoring like the bear he was.

I walked into Gorbins’ room and checked his pulse. Everything felt normal, but a sinking feeling entered my stomach. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, so I tried to ignore it. He opened his eyes and frowned.

“You disobeyed me,” he said.

“I did no such thing. And I’m tired of hearing that. I saved your life,” I said.

For the first time in a while, he laughed with satisfaction. “I do feel much better, but that’s beside the point, yes.”

“So what’s the point? Are you ready to finally talk to me, Gorbs?” I asked.

“The point is that I am tired of hearing you fondle your lover in the other room. You do know that I’m in the room next door, yes?” He sat himself up but quickly fell back to the bed, sighing.

I immediately blushed. Had we been that loud? Probably. It’s hard not to get carried away sometimes. We’re in love, and my mate demands some intense pregnancy sex.

“Well, you look like you’re getting better,” I said. “Do you have any idea how we get out of here? I have searched the woods, but they seem endless.”

“We must find the fae,” he said, closing his eyes once more. He liked to fall asleep after giving me some semblance of truth. This was usually when our conversations ended. However, when he opened one eye again to make sure I was still present, he smiled.

“And then what? What do we do next?” I asked him.

“Then, we enter the ancient city,” he said, still smiling to himself.

His spark was coming back to him. It was a good thing, but he also made me weary. Gorbins always had tricks up his sleeves, and I hated that about him.

“What games are you playing now, Gorbins? That can’t be all that there is to do,” I said.

He grunted and sprung out of bed. “Of course that’s not all that there is to do here,” he said. “Don’t you understand? He’s closer than ever. He’s waiting for us. He is inside you! Why did you let me live?”

A cold chill ran up my spine. Gorbins fell back into the bed, exhausted by his dynamic display of truth. “I let you live because I believe in you. We were called here to rescue you. I thought it was you that gave Ryan the codex,” I said.

Gorbins’ skin had changed from a pale green to a dark shade of red. “You thought wrong. I had nothing to do with that blasted codex, and I am getting sick to death hearing about it!”

I was horrified by his outburst. It wasn’t like him to get that angry. I hit a nerve. I quickly ran to the bathroom to place a cold, wet towel on his forehead. At that point, both Holger and Ryan walked into the room.

“What’s the matter? I heard screaming,” Holger said.

“This dimwit here won’t stop talking about the stupid codex. I have told him a million times that I know nothing about it. No, I don’t!” Gorbins said.

“Calm down, little guy,” Ryan said, gently running his hand across his cheek. A small tear fell from Gorbins’ eyes, but when he opened his eyes again, he bit Ryan’s finger.

“Ow!” Ryan jumped back. “What the heck was that?”

Grinning, Gorbins jumped out of bed, and hid in the corner. Ryan scowled but held me back from slapping him. “No. It’s fine. He’s going through some crazed spell,” he said.

“Who are you?” I asked him. “What happened to you?”

“You know who I am! I know what you saw! In the darkness, you were shown things,” Gorbins said.

Ryan looked at me with worry. “What is he talking about, Tristan?”

I felt sick to my stomach, but I knew I had to come clean. “It was the night we camped out at the entrance of the dwarf caves. Remember?” I asked.

Holger shook his head, looking unsettled. “What the hell are you talking about? You never told me anything happened.”

Ryan nodded at me, ignoring Holger. “Yeah. I remember. It was just a nightmare, though. It didn’t mean anything.”

“You two know nothing!” Gorbins cried out. “This is why you should have never come here. You weren’t supposed to come to my aid! I fear the worst. The darkness will consume Tristan.”

Gorbins looked beyond confused. It was unsettling. His eyes shifted back and forth. He couldn’t decide who was the culprit of his suffering, but we knew that it wasn’t any of us.

The green guy was traumatized. “What happened to you, Gorbins? After the spiders took you here, what happened? Are you finally able to tell us?”

Gorbins shook his head, angrily. “I… I can’t remember,” he said, finally.

Holger wasn’t buying it. He grabbed his arm and threw him onto the bed. “Hey! Knock it off, chief!” Ryan said.

But it seemed to do the trick. Gorbins sighed and looked at us, exhausted. He had given up fighting now. “They took me and sold me, they did,” he said. “I was traded in by… you!”

I was completely shocked. “Me? Come on, Gorbs. It’s Tristan. I didn’t trade you in. What are you talking about?”

Gorbins hid behind his pillow, trembling with fear. “Don’t you hurt me again! I know what you are capable of now,” he said.

Ryan took me aside and whispered, “The shadow master. Do you think?”

I nodded, solemnly. I still didn’t understand it, but I knew it to be true. “It’s a part of me. At least, it’s latched onto me somehow. I don’t know what to do, Ryan. If I can’t believe in myself, who can I trust?”

Gorbins blinked his eyes, rapidly. Outside, the snowstorm had stopped its howling. “You don’t remember?” Gorbins asked.

“No. I’m sorry, Gorbins. But I don’t remember a damn thing. I was in Frisky Pines when all of this happened. It couldn’t have been me,” I said.

He closed his eyes and gently placed his fingers against his temples. He was searching for some truth. He began chanting something intelligible.

“What’s he doing?” Holger whispered. Ryan put up a hand to silence him.

After some time, Gorbins stopped and looked up at us. “We need to leave here. Now,” he said.

“What did you see? You have to tell us,” I said.

I glanced over at my big bear with caution. I wasn’t worried about my own life. I could do without that. At this point in the journey, I was only thinking about my pregnant mate and our cub.

“He’s coming. He knows exactly where we are,” Gorbins said.

“Who’s coming? What do you mean?” Holger asked.

I felt desperate because I knew who he was speaking about. It was this “shadow master.” It was a part of me that I didn’t know or recognize.

At one point in time, I felt akin to a hero. Now, I felt more like a villain. Ryan’s hands comforted me. He wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. He was like that. He always cared for others over himself. As much as I admired it, I knew I had to do better.

“Let’s just go,” I said. Then, whispering to Ryan, “Stay right behind me. I’ll protect you.”

The sense of urgency was evident. I closed my eyes and lifted Gorbins into the air. He floated into my arms, effortlessly. “You tell me where to go, okay?”

He cautiously agreed. I got the sense that he still didn’t trust me. He held on tight and pointed out the window. “There is a path through the forest that leads to the fae. They are our only hope,” he said.

“Are you okay?” Ryan asked me.

I looked into his beautiful brown eyes. I touched his baby bump and smiled. I had to focus on the good in my life. I didn’t want to sit down in the darkness anymore.

“Honey, I’m better than I’ve ever been,” I said.