The smug look on Leo’s face made want to punch him. Hard. I twisted in his grip, trying to wrench my arms free.
“Let go of ,” I snarled, attempting to kick his shin.
Leo effortlessly sidestepped my attack, his grip tightening. “Not a chance, sweetheart. You’ve caused enough trouble already.”
I glared up at him, hating how similar he looked to my mates yet how different he felt. Where the triplets’ touch brought warmth and comfort, Leo’s fingers against my skin felt like ice, sending unpleasant shivers down my spine.
“I was just stretching my legs,” I lied, jutting my chin out defiantly.
“Sure you were.” His tone dripped with sarcasm as he started dragging down a different hallway. “And I’m just the Easter Bunny on vacation.”
Despite my struggling, Leo’s strength far outmatched mine. My wolf whined anxiously inside , sensing danger but unable to help. The clinical white walls blurred as he pulled along, turning down corridors I hadn’t explored yet.
“Where are you taking ?” I demanded, digging my heels into the floor without success.
“Sowhere more... private.” The way his lips curled around the word made my stomach clench.
We stopped in front of a heavy tal door. Leo punched a code into a keypad, then grabbed the silver handle to pull it open.
I gasped as the tal sizzled against his palm, the unmistakable scent of burning flesh filling the air. Silver was toxic to werewolves—everyone knew that—yet Leo didn’t even flinch as it scorched his skin.
“What the hell?” I whispered, montarily forgetting my escape plans.
Leo glanced at his blistering hand with indifference before shoving into the room. “Might want to keep your mouth closed. Wouldn’t want flies going in.”
I gritted my teeth imdiately, scowling.
The laboratory was smaller than I expected, filled with machines whose purposes I couldn’t begin to guess. A single chair with tal restraints sat in the center, beside a computer station.
“Sit,” Leo ordered, closing the door behind us. The lock engaged with a heavy click.
“I’d rather stand.”
His eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t a request.”
Before I could react, he seized my shoulders and forced into the chair. Cold tal cuffs snapped around my wrists and ankles, securing in place.
“Is this really necessary?” I spat, jerking against the restraints.
They didn’t burn, so at least they weren’t silver. But that didn’t an they weren’t strong. Pulling against them did little to nothing.
Leo ignored , moving to a cabinet where he retrieved a syringe and a small vial. He quickly slipped on a pair of surgical gloves, covering his burned hands.
“What are you going to do?” My voice betrayed a hint of fear despite my best efforts.
“Just a simple blood test.” He approached with the needle, rolling up my sleeve. “Hold still, or this will hurt more than it needs to.”
I clenched my teeth as the needle pierced my skin. “You people and your obsession with my blood. What are you even looking for this ti?”
Leo’s expression remained impassive as he drew a vial of crimson liquid from my arm. “Confirmation.”
“Of what?” I pressed, watching him withdraw the needle and press a cotton ball against the small puncture.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” He turned away, taking my blood to a machine in the corner.
The next hour and a half passed in uncomfortable silence. Leo worked thodically, transferring samples between machines, typing on keyboards, and staring at screens I couldn’t see from my position. Occasionally, he’d mutter sothing under his breath, too quiet for even my wolf ears to catch.
I shifted in the chair, the tal cuffs chafing my wrists. “You know, most first dates involve dinner and a movie, not kidnapping and blood tests.”
Leo glanced over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised. “Who said this was a date?”
“The restraints gave it away,” I replied sarcastically. “You seem like the kinky type.”
“You have no idea, sweetheart.” A dangerous smirk played across his lips. “Be careful. One wrong word and I might think you’re flirting with .”
The casual threat sent an unwelco heat through my body. I hated how my traitorous nervous system reacted to him.
And to that familiar face.
It was purely physical, I told myself. A confused response to familiar features.
“I ant what I said before,” I continued, trying to distract myself from our uncomfortable proximity. “The tests must have already confird whatever you’re looking for, or you wouldn’t have moved from that first location.”
Leo turned back to his screen. “Maybe I just wanted you all to myself.”
“Flattering,” I scoffed. “But we both know there’s sothing specific you want from . Is it because I look like your dead mate?”
His shoulders stiffened—a tiny reaction, but it told I’d hit a nerve.
“Helena was nothing like you,” he said coldly, still facing away.
“Yet here you are, obsessed with her twin.”
Leo didn’t respond, focusing intently on whatever results were processing. I leaned back in the chair, exasperated by his silence.
“This is ridiculous. I’m not Helena. I can’t replace her. Whatever you and your cult are trying to do—”
The computer emitted a sharp beep. Leo froze, staring at the screen.
For the first ti since I’d t him, Leo looked genuinely surprised. No—shocked was more accurate. His usual calculated mask slipped, revealing raw emotion that transford his features into sothing almost vulnerable.
The change lasted only seconds before his expression hardened again. He stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor with a harsh screech.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, unnerved by his reaction.
Leo stalked toward , eyes burning with intensity. Before I could protest, he gripped the arms of my chair and leaned down, his face inches from mine.
“Why did you lie?” he demanded, voice dangerously soft.
“What are you talking about?” My heart hamred against my ribs as a faint sandalwood scent enveloped .
“Don’t play dumb with , Hazel.” His breath was warm against my cheek. “You know exactly what I an.”
“I really don’t,” I insisted, trying to lean away from his overwhelming presence. “What results? What did you find?”
Leo’s grip tightened on the chair, knuckles whitening. “Did they know? Or have you failed to tell them as well?”
“Tell who what?” Frustration mounted as I strained against the cuffs. “Just tell what the hell you’re talking about!”
His eyes bored into mine, searching for deception. Finding none, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“You honestly don’t know?”
“Know what?” I practically shouted.
Leo straightened slightly, allowing to see past him to the computer screen. Numbers and graphs filled most of the display, aningless to my untrained eye. But at the bottom, in bold red letters, three words stood out clearly:
PREGNANCY TEST: POSITIVE
My mouth imdiately ran dry.
“I’m... pregnant?” The words felt foreign on my tongue.
“So it would seem.” Leo’s expression was unreadable now. “Congratulations, sweetheart. You’re carrying the heir of the Emberfang Pack.”
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