"Here's a muffin. You need to eat, honey." Willow handed Bay the fresh apple crumble muffin, and she reluctantly took it, not knowing how to say no to the warm woman.

"Thank you," she whispered, surprised she could even talk.

"What's wrong?" the other woman asked.

"Nothing," she lied.

Jasper grunted as he paced on the other side of the room with baby Brie in his arms. Brie babbled and shook her fists at him, a happy smile on her little face.

"Wolves can smell a lie, Bay," he warned.

"It's nothing, really," she stressed.

Again, she looked at Jasper holding his daughter, and a pang shot through her. She'd never have that. Not with Adam. He kept a tomb for his dead mate and child. There wasn't any room in his house or his heart for either of them. She placed her palm on her belly, and the baby rolled. She was truly alone.

Willow placed her hand on top of Bay's, and she turned to face the other woman. "Tell us."

As much she wanted to keep Adam's secrets, it wasn't doing him any good locking himself away. He may not want her, but the stupid part of her wanted him to be happy. So, she told them. Told them about the music room and the fact that she could practically feel in his ghost. When she told them about the nursery, Willow gasped, and tears flowed down her cheeks.

No one spoke for a while. Even baby Brie seemed to know something had changed. Uncontrollably, Bay joined in Willow's sorrow, tears sliding down her cheeks and sobs wracking her body.

Jasper cursed, breaking into the wordless crying. He murmured an apology to Brie and sat down on Willow's other side. Willow took her daughter and nuzzled her to her chest, seeming to need the comfort. Bay still held on to Willow's hand, needing it too.

"I never knew," Jasper rasped. "I should've known."

"I should have known too," Willow agreed.

"How could you have known?" Bay asked. "I don't think anyone knows. Well, maybe Maddox. He's the Omega; he would have to have felt that pain, day in and day out."

Jasper frowned. "Yes, he would've felt that he needed to help, but Adam can't heal if he doesn't want to. Maddox wouldn't be much use if Adam wouldn't listen. By the sounds of it, he's worse off than we thought."

"I don't know how I can help him." And wasn't that just great? Because fate had given her a mate so deep into his own depression he couldn't even find a way out.

Jasper let out a sigh. "We need to talk about the elephant in the room."

Bay gave a watery laugh. "What are you talking about?"

"You two are mates. You're having his baby."

"No, I'm having my baby. And as soon as we figure out who was following me and put an end to it, I'm leaving."

"Could you really just leave him?"

Bay bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I have to; it's what he wants."

"But is it what he needs?" Jasper asked, his eyes filled with pain. "Adam lost everything a long time ago, and yes, it hurts. It hurts us all still. But it's time for him to move on."

"How can you say that? You don't really know. I don't know. I've no idea what he's feeling, but I know it hurts. I'm not going to sit around and be the reminder of the dead woman. It's not fair to me, and it's not fair to this baby." Inside, she wanted to curl up and die just a little, but she was stronger than that.

"No, I don't know, but Anna wouldn't have wanted him to live this way. He's going to be a father, Bay."

"No, he was sperm donor." She cringed inwardly at the icy tone of her voice. But if she didn't make this clear, it is going to hurt more in the end. And what if the Redwood Pack wouldn't let her keep her baby when she left? That scared her more than anything.

"You can't say that," Willow whispered. She leaned over and pulled Bay closer in a brief hug.

Bay pulled back and shook her head. "I don't want to think like that, Willow. Do you think when I was younger and dreaming about a mate that I thought I'd be in this situation? Adam made his decision, and I can't change that. I have to do what's best for me and my child. And that isn't living in that shrine to a dead woman." Her voice cracked, and she took a deep breath to hold her composure.

"You're going to have to work something out," Jasper warned. "You're Pack now. You're one of us." He leveled his gaze, and a mixture of warmth and fear spread to her. She could almost feel them being her center, the connection to being her home, but it wouldn't work out. It never worked out.

"I wish that were true. I wish I were Pack the way you want me to be, but some things are just not meant to be." And that was something she had experience with.

Chapter 11.

Adam hadn't gone home yet. The night had passed, and he still was on patrol. Though he could've gone home at any point during the night and let his other enforcers see their families, he couldn't. He'd left Bay on Jasper's doorstep and walked away. Talk about being a fucking coward.

They'd caught a scent late the night before and were still tracking. He and five of his men had combed the woods around their wards, searching for the potential intruder. The scent was coated with that putrid smell that now went with the Centrals' new persona. He fisted his hands and cursed.

They were using some type of dark magic to shield themselves. Adam could only find the leftover traces of their trail. It was as if something were cloaking them then fading over time, leaving breadcrumbs for him. He couldn't tell how many wolves there were, or what they were doing there. It wasn't a coincidence that their enemy was circling them like vultures waiting to pick off the weak.

He looked over his shoulder at his other men and gave a quick nod. They wouldn't stop until they found the bastards, even if it took all day. They couldn't let the others come near their territory again. Though the wards seemed to keep out the wolves, they knew even with the extra magic, they couldn't keep out the demon. But no matter what, Adam would do his best.

He crouched down low, inhaled that sickly sweet scent again, and prowled toward the east. He followed the trail to a grove of trees and froze. Once in the center of that, he knew he'd caught them. Or, had they caught him?

He looked around and muttered a curse. It was a trap; they'd walked right into it. Fuck, he needed to get out of his head and stop thinking about that fiery redhead. If any of his men got hurt because of him, he didn't know what he'd do.

He heard a growl, the sound creeping over him. He let his claws come out from his fingertips and bared his teeth. Eleven Central wolves crept out from the trees, their eyes a deep black, the power radiating from them unlike anything he'd seen before. These wolves were tainted, linked to the demon. There was nothing he could do; they would have to die.

Eleven against six. Doable. He risked a look at his men and nodded. They each stripped and shifted to wolves, their eyes focused on the enemy. Adam waited for them to be safe, as shifting took at least some concentration. He didn't want them to be vulnerable to attack. The other wolves seemed to be waiting; an aspect Adam didn't know what to think of. When his wolves were changed, he stripped and changed himself. He pulled on his wolf, the magic flowing over him, as his bones broke and his muscles tore and then rearranged themselves.

The others stood where they were, as if they had been waiting for him. He bared his teeth and let his power flow.

Bring it.

The other wolves charged, and he lowered his head and charged right back. A small gray wolf attacked his flank, and he turned, sinking his teeth into its pelts. It whimpered, and he shook his head, gouging the bastard. The injured wolf howled and tried to bite back, but Adam released his jaw and bit into the neck, severing the artery. The wolf let out a final gasp and stilled. Adam released him and turned as another wolf jumped on his back. Adam rolled and pinned him to the ground and sank his fangs into its flesh. He used claws to take out another hunk of fur, the blood pouring out of its side. He bit down harder, and the light in the wolf's gaze faded.

His men fought around him, winning against the uneven odds. The largest enemy wolf stood to the side, as if watching a play. Adam growled and ran toward him. How dare the bastard sit back and watch men die and do nothing? The wolf seemed almost to grin, then let out a growl, disappearing into the woods. Adam followed, determined not to let anyone leave alive, at least not without giving some answers.

The other wolf was lazy and left a trail easy to follow. He ran through the brush, twigs and leaves tearing at his fur, but Adam ignored it. He made it through an opening of trees and ended up at the edge of the cliff. Though they were situated in the mountains, Adam rarely came to the cliff side. The other wolf shot off to the side and growled, Adam doing the same. They leapt at each other, teeth, fangs, and growls meeting.

The other wolf was bigger than him, a rare feat. It used its immense weight to pin Adam to the ground. Adam twisted and turned, but not before the other wolf bit into his neck. He writhed with rage, the fiery pain shocking his system. Blood coated his neck and flowed down his side. Black spots floated over his vision, and his body grew heavy. The bastard must've struck an artery. Adam knew he had to move fast and get someone to plug it up, or he might not make it.

Fuck.

He pinned the other wolf to the ground and took a steadying breath as he grew weaker.

The other wolf shifted to human, and Adam did the same. Though they might both be two naked men, they were wolves first and didn't care about modesty.

"Tell me why you're here," Adam growled, surprised his voice was so steady, despite the blood loss.

"We just want the redhead," the other wolf spat.

Adam cursed. He knew it. The Centrals wanted Bay, but why?

"What do you want with her?" He shoved his forearm against the wolf's throat, forcing the other man's eyes to bulge.

"Caym wants her," he rasped.

"Why?" Why would a demon want her? What use was a lone wolf to him? Was it her special powers with no known origin? What about the baby?

"Like I would tell you." The other wolf sneered, twisted, and tore its claws into Adam's side then scurried away.

Adam screamed and lunged for him, but it was too late. The other wolf jumped off the cliff to its certain death.

Adam went to the side of the cliff and looked down. Even with keen eyesight, he couldn't see where the wolf had landed, but he knew there was no way he could have survived the jump.

Why would the wolf kill himself? What was so important about the demon wanting Bay that he'd rather killed himself than face torture and spill secrets?

Adam staggered and pressed a hand to his side. That wound didn't seem too deep, but the one on his neck was only barely starting to heal. He needed to get back home and get some help. His men came out from the trees dressed, with one of them holding a bundle of his clothes.

"Did you find out anything?" he asked, his body healing itself slowly as his strength started to return.

They shook their heads. "Nothing, they wouldn't talk," one wolf said as he handed Adam his clothes.

He got dressed, wincing as skin tried to heal, tugging at his wounds.

"Adam, we need to get you looked at. Let's get you to Hannah," Jason, one of his wolves, said.

He shook his head. "No, just get me home. I can heal on my own." He wasn't in the mood to deal with people.

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"Are you questioning me?" he growled.

Jason lowered his head in submission. "Sorry. Let's just get you to your home. Do you need help?"

Adam ignored the offer and didn't chastise the younger wolf for offering help. He hated showing weakness, but it wasn't their fault his wolves wanted to make sure he was okay.

They made their way to the den, Adam under his own strength, though it was waning. He needed to eat some protein and get some rest, so his body could heal. It would probably be smart to let North or Hannah look at it, but no one had ever accused Adam of being smart. He walked through his front door and scented Bay.

"What are you doing here?" he growled. "You're supposed to be at Jasper's."

Bay ran to him, as best she could being as big as she was, horror etched on her face. "What happened? Who attacked you?"

"Answer me."

She stopped and widened her eyes at his tone. "It's been over a day, Adam. I wanted to give Jasper and Willow break."

Something coiled within him. Fear? "So you took it upon yourself to come here, unprotected, and tempt your fate?"

The wolf in him wanted to hold her close, brush the curls from her face, and tell her everything would be all right. The man in him wanted to run and never look back.

She gave him an odd look and shook her head. "I'm not alone, Adam. Maddox is here to make sure I'm safe."

Unreasonable rage poured through him. He must have been really out of it if he couldn't even sense Maddox right away.

His brother walked up from behind Bay, his face expressionless. "Why aren't you at Hannah's?"

Adam clenched his fists, ignoring the pain in his side and neck. "Because I didn't feel like it."

"What's the point of them? This is the second time you've come back bloody and tried ignoring it," Bay said as she wrung her hands together.

"I'm not in the mood to be questioned like this. Maddox, get the hell out, I can handle this."

Maddox raised a brow and looked at Bay. "Are you going to be okay here with him?"

That had probably been the worst thing his little brother could've said right then. Without thinking, he shoved Maddox against the wall and tried to cut off his breathing.

"You need to watch your step, little brother."

Maddox merely tilted his head, and Adam sensed a wash of power flood over him. His knees buckled, and he fell to the floor. Bay rushed to his side, but he pulled away.

"What the hell was that?" Adam screamed.

Maddox flicked a piece of dirt from his shirt and rolled his shoulders. "That is what I've been holding back from you. Get your emotions in check, or next time I won't be so forgiving. If you, there will be nothing left for anyone. Get over yourself and take care of your mate."

"She's not my mate." He felt Bay flinch, but he ignored the urge to soothe her and take it back.

"Adam, Anna is dead, but Bay isn't. Figure it out." With that, his Omega walked out the door, leaving him and the person he was trying to ignore on the floor, blood pooling around him.

"Let me get you cleaned up. I don't want you to bleed all over your carpet," she said stiffly. She awkwardly stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

He twisted and leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. When Maddox had rushed him with that power, his emotions had broken free, suffocating him, pulling him down to a depth he hadn't realized could even exist. Is that what Maddox felt every day? Or was it just a personification of his own emotions? Adam didn't know, but he never wanted to feel that again.

"Can you come sit at the kitchen table? I'm too big to be bending on the floor like that, and I don't want you to ruin your couch." Bay set down the bandages and things to clean his wounds on the table and rested her hands on her belly. His eyes seemed to be on her stomach, something he tried to never do.

Her baby. Their baby?

He shook his head and winced as he tore open his neck wound again.

"Dammit, Adam. Don't do that. You're bleeding more." She rushed to him, and he held up his hand.