When the gate to the mansion opened, Caricatura was waiting for them with his arms crossed and Kate and Sarah were smiling victoriously beside him.
Anna got out of the car and intended to walk past them without saying anything, but Caricatura's voice was too harsh for her to ignore.
"You're not leaving this house again. I'll break your arm if you try."
"Yes. And then you'll explain yourself to the boss." Anna said defiantly.
Caricatura looked indifferently at Anna.
"Those are his orders." He said and turned to Genevieve. "You should pack your bags. The boss needs your family's men and territory. I'm taking you. I don't want to be away from the battle because of a damn spoiled human!"
Genevieve looked at Kate.
"You amaze me by your courage to come back."
Kate took Caricature's arm intimately.
"The boss asked Caricature to bring me back. It seems I'm important."
Genevieve smiled softly.
"You're as important as what he defecates in the toilet, Kate. If he knows you wished him to be defeated..."
Caricature turned away from Kate as if repulsed.
"You wished that?"
"Just long enough for Ryan to put Anna in the right place. In the green house."
"The green house is no place for Anna. And perhaps, the boss is already aware of her betrayal." He said and turned to Genevieve. "You can play with Kate, but... Leave something for the boss." He said and left.
Genevieve put her hands on her waist.
"Where's your arrogance, Kate?"
"You're not going to hurt me." She said fearfully.
"You're right. I'm not going to hurt you. I have something more important to do." She said and looked at Sarah. "Anna seems to already know your secret. Nowhere in the world will be safe for you if she asks the boss to end your life."
"He loves me." Sarah said cheekily.
Genevieve smiled.
"Don't ever say that nobody warned you." Genevieve said and entered the house.
She climbed the stairs slowly, listening to the annoying voice of Anna's baby. She had to do what the child asked her to do, so that he would leave her alone, before she left.
Anna stood in front of the large mirror in her bedroom, her hands on her belly.
"I'm leaving." Genevieve said, frowning.
"You knew he wasn't an animal."
"I knew?"
"I saw him. I saw the little body, the hands and..."
"It doesn't matter what you saw. That child is a werewolf, not a human. When you live with them, it's easy to forget that there's a difference, but don't forget. We're not human."
"Jenna told me she'd teach me a way of knowing who's human and who's not..."
"You won't need any magic formula for that as long as you have a werewolf in your womb. He'll warn you every time one of them comes near."
"He hasn't warned you so far."
"You have no way of knowing the difference, Anna. You're living with the constant presence of werewolves. He sends you warning signals all the time, but you still don't listen."
Anna remained thoughtfully silent and then turned to Genevieve.
"Did you come to say goodbye?"
"No. I came to tell you that you should tell the boss about the child. I know he doesn't want a family, but... He's different, he may have changed his mind and..."
"What if he doesn't accept?"
"You can run away. I'll help you run away if he doesn't accept the child."
Anna stared at her in surprise.
"Because you would do that for me."
"No, Anna. It's not for you. He's on my mind so much that I'm curious. I want to meet him." She said and left.
Anna didn't have to think long. She would stay with the child. She would talk to Adam. He had plenty of resources, he could send her elsewhere with the child if he didn't want a family.
...
Three days after she found out she was pregnant, Anna was feeling like a usurper, because after Adam decided to stay in hiding to recover. According to him, the fight had been difficult, and some humans were waiting with guns to save Ryan if he needed it, and Adam had been badly shot. He felt weak, and didn't have the strength to talk to the werewolves mentally. Anna never imagined that he was lying and she was worried, but she didn't have much time to think, as everyone started looking to her for orders, since Adam only spoke to her.
It started with the servants. They would ask her what they had to make for lunch and dinner. They didn't bother her about breakfast and afternoon snacks, but she was even consulted about shopping for new curtains and the mundane things of running a household. Jenna smiled every time she passed her, with a debauched look on her face. Anna sometimes wagged her middle finger at her, but instead of being shocked, Jenna laughed even more. In those few days, they became inseparable friends. Jenna believed that they had known each other from past lives, and that they must have been very close relatives.
Anna didn't believe in such things and thought it was nonsense. But the trust Jenna inspired in her was unusual for people who had only known each other a short time, she had to admit. Anna told Jenna everything that had happened between her and Adam, from the first night they spent together, but she imagined herself telling Jenna with joy, but that's not how it happened.
She told her in tears. She felt that Ryan would do something bad to him, so that he would separate from her. Perhaps Ryan's defeat would make her desire for revenge even more intense.
Jenna listened quietly, and the flame of compassion burned brightly in her eyes. As soon as Anna had finished, she hugged her.
"You shouldn't have fallen in love with him, young lady." Jenna said sadly. She still didn't know that Anna was actually pregnant. "There's no harm in taking advantage of the time you'll be apart to turn your thoughts to studying, and to your father, thus occupying your mind with the things you might have; a father by your side and a profession. Adam would never give his heart to a woman. When his desire runs out, he won't want you around anymore and maybe he'll let you go. That's the best that can happen. I've never seen Adam stay in a relationship for long."