Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
“Your daddy loves you very much,” she said, putting a hand to her stomach. But did he really? Did he regret the pregnancy?
It was getting dark and late. Finally, she had no choice but to step inside their home. She closed and locked the door, and made her way toward the soup. She’d already made bread rolls, and they were still warm, cooling down on the counter.
The dogs were fed. The house was clean. There was nothing else for her to do other than sit and eat, which she did. She decided to not wait for Wilder, and instead, grabbed a bowl and got a nice couple of ladles of soup. She’d been stewing the meat for most of the day, and it was on the bone, so she shredded it off. It was so tender. Then, she added the vegetables back in, with lots of herbs and seasonings. She made her way toward Wilder’s chair and took a seat. This is where she liked to sit when she was enjoying her soup, especially when he wasn’t here himself. She missed him, so very much.
Wrapping the blanket around her body, she snuggled in and ate her food, hearing the old ticking clock. It was so quiet, besides the dogs’ snores, which were just adorable.
Poppy had just finished her food, when there was a sudden booming knock on the door, startling her.
Fester growled toward the door, and Poppy got to her feet. She walked to the kitchen to put away her bowl, and then made her way toward the front door. She knew it was a bear. This was not Wilder, though.
“Let me in,” the male voice said. “I know you’re in there.”
“If you’re looking for Wilder, he’s not home,” Poppy said.
“Fine, I’m looking for you.”
“I don’t know who you are.”
“Open the fucking door now.”
Poppy stepped away from the door.
“Damn it, I just, look, I know you’re pregnant, and I know you’re human, Poppy. My name is Alder, and I’m an acquaintance of Wilder’s.” He said all this from the other side.
He’d mentioned Alder, and that he’d been working with poachers. She put a hand on her stomach.
“I’ve been doing some studying and some research. You’re pregnant with Wilder’s child, and I’m guessing right around now, you’re sensing a whole lot of different things.”
Poppy didn’t like that he seemed to know more about her than even Wilder did. She didn’t trust him.
“Are you afraid? Right now? Are you afraid of me?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to leave, but she stopped herself and just waited. Was she afraid? No, she wasn’t. Was this her own stupidity, or was this her child’s thoughts and feelings?
“Your instincts are right.”
“You hate humans,” Poppy said. “And I may be pregnant with Wilder’s baby, but I am still human.”
“I know, and trust me, I’m sorry. Look, I had some beliefs but things happened that ... shattered them.”
There was something in his voice that made her open the door, and she looked to see a rather unkempt man. He had a lot of facial hair, and his eyes were bloodshot.
“Did you know what Wilder was when you met him?” Alder asked.
“I didn’t have a clue. He saved me from the poachers because I’d gotten evidence of them killing a bear.”
Alder growled and Poppy stepped out of the way as he brushed past her. She looked at the door, and then toward him, and she pushed the door closed. There was no way to get in touch with Wilder.
Alder sniffed the air. “Something smells good.”
“It’s soup,” she said. Before she got a chance to offer him a bowl, he immediately went to it and started to eat from the pan where it was still simmering. “You, of course, can have some.” She held her hand out, but there was no point in directly offering, seeing as he had already taken a bowl.
“I told them not to kill the fucking bears. Wilder was right to kill them. Fuck me, that is good. You cooked this?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder to look toward her.
“Yes.” She also jerked her head in a nod. “You didn’t think I could cook?”
“I didn’t expect humans to do ... anything good.”
“You’ve had an awful experience, haven’t you?” she asked.
Chapter Seventeen
She watched him eat, still wondering when Wilder would return. Although he hadn’t done anything to hurt her, she didn’t trust him. How could someone go from wanting the entire human race to die, to wanting to offer help only months later?
“Awful experience?” he suddenly answered. “Yeah, I’d say I had an awful fucking experience. Not much different than your mate’s. Humans slaughtered my family and burned our forest to ash. Not sure how I survived.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It opened my eyes, made me stronger.” He finished the soup and began pacing the room, touching a lot of things with interest. “I focused on shifters and realized the damage humankind had on our race, on our world.”