If I hadn't been filled with anxiety and in pain, I would have absolutely laughed at how terrified Ezekiel was at the crying females surged towards him. He looked ready to bolt. As it was his hands and arms tightened around me as he started speed walking towards the gross looking dive bar. I didn't know why he didn't expect that reaction, we had been kept isolated, trapped, escaping and going to the hunters was a pipe dream. Which he had literally just made reality.

I could hear Hilla's exasperated voice as she tried to get the others to follow along as some wailed and the rest cried. I got the feeling, I did. I felt relieved that Ezekiel was, in fact, helping us and not leading us to our deaths somewhere. I had been wary and concerned about it. It had been hard to trust the cold and feral male he was now. Although I doubted that now because as I glanced up at him, that wide eyed look that said 'oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! Get me out of here!' really did a number on that menacing aura he usually put out.

A wave of pain rolled across my back and belly and I hissed out a breath. I didn't like this. The cramps were getting worse and something in the back of my mind told me I was going to have this fucking baby and I was in labour but I didn't want that. At all. I pushed it all off as I breathed through the squeezing pain before it let up.

Ezekiel carried me into the bar and all eyes were on us as he carried me straight to the nearest table and hooked his foot on one of the chair legs, yanking it out as he set me down. The moment he did, most of the other females stumbled inside. Their crying and wailing was not helping how I was feeling at the moment. His eyes went wide and I could almost see him wanting to bolt as some grabbed onto him, hugging him with teary thanks, or in some cases wailing it out.

His arms went up so he wouldn't touch them as he tried to stumble away. It wasn't working. They were still actively hugging him or trying to, teary eyes and a few with snotty noses as well. I actually did give a snort of laughter at that. He had brought it on himself bringing us all to the hunters. Most of the females would be thankful to him for the rest of their lives. A lot of them could go home, get help, or learn about the fate of their families and packs.

"Can you guys give him a break?" Hilla pushed another female into the bar as the door closed and she marched over to try and help Ezekiel by pulling the females off him. "Stop pawing at him!" Hilla shoved through the group to get to him and I snorted in amusement again before wiping at my forehead with the back of my hand. I felt sticky and sweaty. The sweat made my skin itch. I didn't like it, I didn't like feeling like this.

"What the fuck is going on?" The bartender's voice boomed out over the crowd but it was barely loud enough to get over the wailing, crying, and full on sobbing, that the eighteen females were doing.

"Can you stop?" Hilla grabbed Judy around the waist and lifted her up, trying to get her to let go of Ezekiel, who was almost pinned in a corner. The poor male looked terrified as he gently tried to get them to stop touching him. "Just sit down!" She deposited Judy into a chair and the female buried her face in her hands and sobbed hard, her shoulders shaking.

"I asked a fucking question! What the fuck is going on?" The bartender started to come around the bar and I saw other patrons stand up. I did as well, right before another vicious cramp had me bending over, my hands slapping the top of the table. The pain had me breathing hard and I bared my teeth.

"Enough!" I gritted it out but knew I needed to get loud. "Enough!" I was even surprised at how loud it was and everyone stopped. I was taking in deep gulps of air as I grabbed my belly. Fuck did that hurt. I couldn't be in labour. There was no way I was in labour. I wasn't accepting that as an answer at the moment. "Brandt." I said his name on a hiss and watched as some of the other females flinched. "Antone."

That seemed to catch the bartender's attention. "Why are you bringing him up?" I went to respond when my knees almost buckled as the vicious cramp ramped up in intensity. I gave a low moan stretching my arms out and burying my face into them. I felt hot and sweaty and I was done. I didn't want to do this.

A large hand pressed against my back and I didn't have to look to know it was Ezekiel. He didn't rub, just pressed his palm firmly against my lower back. The pressure felt nice, it relieved some of the ache in my back. "Females... from. Females from... camp." I could tell he was struggling but I couldn't respond as I breathed through the cramp. "Rogues... fuck!" He snapped on the word, a growl rattling his chest and the air around him and I groaned again shifting my hips back and forth.

"What the fuck does that mean?" The bartender's voice was agitated and snapped and I didn't have patience for it. I lifted my head and Ezekiel pressed a bit harder on my lower back as he growled a bit louder with his agitation.

"Follow back. Follow back!" He wasn't making sense but I had a feeling he wouldn't. He just... I didn't think Ezekiel really liked talking or something had happened to make his speech devolve. I wasn't sure what it would be.

"And what the fuck does that mean? You bring all these females into my bar and they are all bawling their eyes out." That had some of the other females starting up again with their wailing. I could see some of them nodding and they were trying to explain but it was clear they weren't able to really talk at the moment. "And no one will tell me what's going on!"

"For Mene's sake! We were all kidnapped by Brandt Antone and his band of sadistic bastards and we have been trapped there, some of us for years!" Hilla shouted the words, throwing her arms out. "That big fucker," she pointed to Ezekiel, "Killed Brandt, took over the illegal rogue pack, and brought us here so we could be safe! There! Are we all fucking caught up or do I need some fucking crayons for you to understand?" That had me giving an amused huff of air as a tense silence fell.

"Brandt Antone is dead?" The bartender asked it slowly, staring at Ezekiel. I pressed my hands to the table and pushed myself somewhat upright.

"Yah." His hand stayed on my back and I heaved out a breath as the cramping stopped for the moment. I appreciated that, I didn't want them to continue, they could stop at any time.

I flicked my gaze to the bartender. He was a big and burly looking male, with a large beard. He looked like he was with a mundane biking gang. In fact a vast majority of the people who were in there looked like that.

He pointed at Ezekiel, his expression serious. "You have control of the pack? Brandt's pack?"

"Yah." Ezekiel's hand left my back and I watched as he pointed to the door. "Follow back."

"You want us to come with you?" The bartender slowly pointed to the door and Ezekiel nodded. "To arrest them?" I watched as he frowned in irritation but nodded again. That had the bartender turning, "Okay, people! This isn't a false alarm. We need healers and the enforcers here now! Alert the fucking Council! This is a code fucking red! We potentially have Brandt's pack! I repeat, we potentially have Brandt's pack!" That had all of them moving quickly. Some ran towards the back, the scent of flowers grew oppressive as some touched pieces of paper and disappeared.

"We need these females processed and assessed! We have some pregnancies and some injuries! They need to be handled carefully and gently!" The bartender moved back behind the bar and pulled out some more sheets of paper. "Call for female healers and officers to handle them, especially those in the SVU!"

I looked up at Ezekiel and he looked uncomfortable as he backed towards the door slowly. I wanted to reach out to him to stop him but I didn't think it was my place to do so. "You! You need to stay put!" The bartender pointed at him.

"I go." Ezekiel bared his teeth and growled low but the bartender shook his head.

"No! We need to wait. There are processes in place that we need to go through before we can do this. This is the first time we have had any eyes on Brandt's pack in over seven years. We will not lose our chance to take them out." He jabbed a large finger against the bar top. It was clear that the hunters were keen on making sure the pack was captured and I didn't blame them. All the rogues had heard about Brandt's pack of bastards. The hunters were adamant we were to tell them if we saw anything.

I never had but then our small rogue group had been attacked and I had been taken. I was grateful I was the only one, there had been two younger females and I had been thankful they weren't trapped with me. There had been books at the hunter checkpoints. They had photos of the known or suspected members of Brandt's pack, information about them, and to alert the authorities if they were ever spotted.

It had even gotten to the point where regular rogues were handed special witch papers they could use to alert if they spotted any of the illegal rogues. I had been given a few. Never had a chance to use them though. Brandt and his assholes had laughed when they found them, joking about how desperate the hunters were getting. They made it clear to all of us that there was no way out, that the hunters would never catch them because they were too fucking smart.

A part of me wanted to see their faces when the hunters descended down on them.

"I go!" Ezekiel snarled and it made me jolt, shaking me from the thoughts and tuning me into the argument.

"You need to fucking stay!" The bartender snarled right back and I shifted on my feet.

"Stop! Just fucking stop!" I held a hand out, my head was starting to hurt and I could feel another round of cramps coming on. "Ezekiel, they just want you to wait, okay? Please just-" I stopped as the pain started and I grabbed my belly with a groan. "No, no, no, no." I murmured the words again and again, closing my eyes tightly.

I couldn't be in labour. I didn't want this baby, I didn't want to be in labour. I couldn't be in labour. I couldn't handle it. Tears burned at my eyes but I refused to let them fall as I squeezed my eyes tighter. I didn't want this. I had never wanted this. It was something I couldn't control and I was tired of not controlling my body. "Please don't, please. I just can't... don't do this." I whispered the words as if that would make my body listen, make the pain go away, make the inevitable labour stop.

That large hand pressed to my back again. "I stay. Lil time." He put pressure on the heel of his hand and I bent over the table, my nails digging into the surface slightly. I didn't want this. I didn't want to go through this.

"We are going to move fast, okay? Just wait." The bartender sighed and I swallowed hard, the anxiety rushing through me, the fear the terror as the contraction stopped.

"I don't want this." I looked up at Ezekiel, wanting to burst into tears. His eyes were unreadable as he looked down at me. His face was still so handsome but so severe. "I don't want to do this." I was so close to tears my chin trembled. I didn't want this. I didn't want any of it.

"I know." He rubbed the heel of his hand up my spine, looking away. "I know, Julieta."

I bit my lip to keep from crying and pressed my forehead to the table as I stiffened. The pain of the next contraction ramping up.

I didn't want to do this.

I didn't want this baby.