Shifting, he punched the code into the gate again and headed toward the exit, calling out to her as he went. She had somehow managed to make it out and into the woods already. He caught up with her at the edge of the woods near the road in her bear form, howling to get her attention.
Turning, she stood there, looking at him. Her large frame paused as he approached. Quickly, she shifted back down to human form and he followed, the two of them standing there naked in the woods.
“God, Malcolm. You’re okay. What about Trevor? Is he...?” She didn’t finish.
“Yes. Let’s get back to the cabin and get things cleaned up. We’re going to have to get out of here. If they come, then there’s a good chance others will come too.”
“I’m so sorry, Malcolm. I’ve been nothing but trouble since I got here.”
Malcolm stopped and looked at her, putting both his hands on her shoulders and pulling her to him. He held her close, their naked forms pressed against one another beneath the cool overhang of the trees above. His hand ran down the back of her long dark hair, stroking it softly as he held her. Finally, he pulled away.
“I’m going to take you home.”
“I thought you said we wouldn’t be safe there.”
“No. I mean my real home. I’m going to take you back to my pack with me.”
“Oh, God, Malcolm. I don’t know about that. They aren’t going to accept a bear shifter in their mix.”
“They are going to have to. You’re the first woman in my life that has ever affected me like you do. I’m sorry I ran away. I’m sorry I got scared. I didn’t know how to handle it. I can’t say that I do now, but I do know that I want to try. Is that good enough for now?”
“For now,” she replied. “But still, your pack? I don’t know.”
“I don’t know either, but it’s safer than being out here on our own. I was lucky tonight. You took out two of those bears. I mean, I assume it was you.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if I’d have been able to take on a bear on my own. I’ve never fought one. You getting him down into the tunnels was lucky, but also so dangerous for you.”
“I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know where they went, if anywhere, but I thought maybe I could get him cornered in human form. I didn’t even have a weapon. It was pretty stupid.”
“Sometimes, we don’t have time to think. We just do. It turned out okay. They are gone, and we are still together. Let’s get rid of them and we’ll get out of here. We’ll pack up the car. You can drive it and I’ll follow with the bike.”
“Okay,” she told him, hugging him again before the two of them walked out of the woods, strolling naked across the back yard and making their way back to the cabin.
It was an ugly sight inside as they removed the bodies and cleaned up the mess left behind. Malcolm would come back after she was safe with the pack and replace the blood-soaked flooring. In the meantime, they built a funeral pyre, which was more than the three of them deserved, and set it alight, tethered to a stump by the lake.
As it burned, they returned to the cabin and packed their things, getting ready to say goodbye to the cabin forever. Autumn still seemed very much on edge but seemed hesitant to say what was on her mind. Perhaps it was just the stress of all that had happened today. When they were finished packing, he noted that she had carefully made sure all of her stuff was separate.
“You are coming with me, aren’t you?” he asked.
“I don’t know if you want me to,” she replied.
“What? Of course, I do.”
“You don’t know everything.”
“Who does?” he said, not understanding the comment.
“I, uh, I don’t know how to say this.”
“Then just say it. Don’t think about it. Just say it.”
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted.
“What?”
“I’m pregnant,” she repeated.CHAPTER TWENTY-NINEAutumn
Autumn's heart raced as she stood there waiting for Malcolm to respond. For the longest, he seemed to just be frozen in place, digesting her words. There was no doubt that it was a shock to him, just as it had been to her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I went to the clinic this morning and they verified it. They said I was almost three months along, but they were human doctors. So, more like a couple of weeks, at most.”
“God,” he said, running his hand through his hair and looking at her like a lost soul.
“Listen, I know this may change things. I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that. I wasn’t even sure if I should tell you, but if you are going to take me to your pack, you should know what you’re getting in to.”