Rory whimpered in confusion. The beautiful setup, the flowers, all our hope, it was all falling apart.
“Carrie? Carrie, look at me,” Eleanor’s voice sounded distant. I barely noticed her worried face in front of mine. “Don’t listen to her.”
But all I could see was Draven taking the papers from Ella, his face hard to read as he looked at them. The way she stared at him, with that smug little smile, it was too much.
“Is it true?” I asked, barely loud enough to hear myself.
Draven looked up, his eyes meeting mine. “Caroline, these papers look real, but this can’t be true. I just need time to…”
That was all I needed to hear. The papers looked real. She might really be pregnant with his child.
Something inside me gave out. After everything with Marcus, after being lied to and left behind so many times… I couldn’t go through it again. I couldn’t watch someone I loved be tied to another woman because of a baby.
“Get her out of here,” I heard Clara say firmly. “Take her somewhere quiet while we handle this.”
I felt Eleanor’s arm around me, gently leading me away from the noise. As we headed for the exit, I heard Draven shouting my name, but Eleanor didn’t stop.
“Elle, I need to…” I tried to speak, but no sound came out.
“Not now,” Eleanor said, calm but firm. “Let’s get you somewhere safe first.”
As she led me into the elevator, I looked back one last time. The ceremony space was a mess. Draven’s face was full of pain as Nate held him back from coming after me.
Eleanor took me to my office on a lower floor, helping me into a comfortable chair. She immediately poured me a glass of water from her desk and pressed it into my trembling hands.
“Drink this, sweetie,” she said softly, her eyes full of concern. “Small sips.”
I followed her instructions, but the cold water didn’t do anything to ease the tightness in my chest. Tears began to fall down my face, and I didn’t even try to stop them.
Kyle walked into the room and said to Eleanor, “I told the girls how Caroline’s doing. They’ll be down soon.”
“Carrie, listen to me,” Kyle knelt in front of me, taking my hands. “That woman is lying. There’s no way Draven would do that.”
“You don’t know that,” I whispered. “They’ve known each other for years. She’s from an important family in the pack. And I’m just nothing, a wolf with no scent and a child that isn’t his.”
“Don’t say that,” Kyle said sharply. “You mean everything to Draven. Everyone can see it.”
I shook my head, more tears falling. “If she’s pregnant, if it’s his baby…”
Eleanor pulled me into a hug. “Let’s not jump to that. This could all be a setup.”
But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Draven having a child with someone else. Everyone watching while I stood there, humiliated.
“I can’t do this, Elle,” I cried. “I just can’t…”
“You don’t have to do anything now,” she said gently, stroking my hair. “Just breathe. I’m right here.”
My phone started buzzing nonstop in my bag, probably Draven calling, but Eleanor quietly picked it up and turned it off.
I was sipping tea, but the tears just kept falling. Suddenly, Draven burst into the room like a storm, walked straight to me, and dropped to his knees at my feet.
“Are you okay, my love?” Draven asked gently, his voice full of concern.
“Draven, what that woman said…” I tried to speak, but the words caught in my throat as I broke down again, sobbing.
“Please, let me talk to Carrie alone,” Draven said. Eleanor and Kyle gave me a quick glance before stepping out of the room, leaving us alone.
Right before she left, Eleanor shot Draven a sharp glare.
“My love, what she said doesn’t change anything between us. I sent Ryan and Clara with her to a trusted clinic for testing. They’re already there. But I know she’s lying. The results will be out any minute now, and once Ryan returns, we’ll sort this out.”
“Draven, of course it changes everything. If she’s pregnant, you have a child to take care of,” I cried.
“Yes. If she’s pregnant. If the baby is mine. I will take responsibility for the child, but not for her. I won’t be forced to marry her just because she might be carrying my baby,” he said firmly.
I looked at him sadly. I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. If Ella was carrying the future heir of the pack, and her father was one of the elders… Howard had always wanted Ella to become Luna of Storm Valley. And now, with a baby? What reason would they have not to crown her?
Was that why Howard mocked and challenged me in the elevator? Had he known about this all along?
I closed my eyes in despair, unwilling to look at Draven. He loved Liam so deeply. A big part of him had always dreamed of being a father. He was a man who took his duties seriously.
I reached up and touched his face. The expression he wore wasn’t just worry, it was fear.
Caroline’s POV
The door to the office burst open, and Ruby rushed in, followed by Kyle, Ruby, Eleanor and Nina. The look on their faces told me they already knew what was happening upstairs.
“Is everything okay in here?” Ruby asked, her eyes darting between Draven and me with concern.
Eleanor saw my red, tear-stained eyes and snapped. “I told you not to hurt my friend.” She sat down beside me and pulled me into a firm hug.”Go wait outside, your pack members are in the reception area. We’ll take care of Carrie. Move it!”
Draven rubbed his face with both hands, looking completely drained. He leaned down to kiss my forehead, his lips staying there for a moment, then left the room reluctantly. The moment the door closed behind him, Rory let out a soft whine in my head.
“Eleanor called right after it happened, and we came as fast as we could,” Ruby said, sitting on the edge of my desk. “Kyle told us everything.”
I felt surrounded by these women who had become my pack, my family, dropping everything to be here for me.
“My world is falling apart again,” I said, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Carrie, take a breath. Draven did the smart thing sending Ryan to get that witch tested at a proper lab. Let’s just wait for the results, okay?” Ava said softly, placing her hand on my knee.
We stayed in my office, time dragging by painfully slow. Draven had food sent in, burgers and fries, and Kyle took the delivery, telling us to eat so we wouldn’t feel worse.
“Elle, we need to go. Liam. We need to pick him up from daycare,” I suddenly said.
“Don’t worry, Carrie. I already mind-linked Nate. He’s picking Liam up and taking him to my place for the weekend,” Eleanor said calmly. “He even ordered pizza. You know your little cub loves pizza.”
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