Endangered

20.) Tilda

Dorian's POV

After Flora's parents visited, I felt a sense of pride overtake me. Her family welcomed me with open arms, which gave me hope but also hurt to know they won't always be a family when I take the baby.

Today the guys and I had regrouped into the cave where we first woke up. Flora was left in good company with the girls Nancy, Zoe, and Anna. 

We were holding a meeting to see what we could do to make sure Flora is protected at all times. The different scents of half-shifters were drifting closer to the house but they hadn't made their presence known, yet.

Everything was going smoothly until all of the guys sniffed the air noticing the change in smell. We all looked into the distance to see a figure approaching the cave where the meeting was being held.

The guys all stood defensively in front of the cave. A woman entered in torn clothes that barely held up anything. 

Though this wasn't just any woman, she was a lycan, the first I've seen in over a century. The guys all surrounded her all talking at once. How she was able to survive and us not knowing she existed, appalled me.

She looked at all of us in amazement as we did her. She was beautiful, everything a female lycan should be. Her eyes darted to me noticing I was the only one not praising her.

I simply nodded then turned my attention to pulling out my phone to call Flora. I knew if I didn't distract myself then I'd be just like the guys, overwhelming her with questions. Of course, I was happy, just not as excited as I would've been if I hadn't met Flora. 

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good just feel a little discomfort when I try to move at all. I can barely sleep without feeling pain."

"I'll come over tonight and try to settle that," I answered smirking even though she couldn't see.

"Truce, but we're only going to cuddle, nothing more."

The thought made me smile. "We'll see about that."

We both hung up and I turned around to see the girl talking to the guys seeming to be comfortable around them already.

I joined the circle wanting to listen in. "My name is Matilda but I prefer just Tilda. I kept traveling all over thinking that I was the only one left and then voila I found you guys."

"Did you follow our scent?"

"Not your scent at first, but there was something drawing me to this place."

"The baby," I whispered.

"Huh," she asked, confused with my answer.

Magnus threw his arm over my shoulder. "Our boy Dorian here is the first to successfully impregnate a lucky lady."

"A mortal?" Tilda asked as if she didn't like the idea of a human pregnant by a lycan.

"Who else?" I asked snapping at her a bit. She clenched her jaw while the guys growled at me. "I'm protective over that 'mortal.'"

I shouldn't have been surprised that the guys were already protective of her. She was the last known female lycan. She was a potential mother to all of our possible pups.

I walked away trying to calm myself until I heard quiet footsteps behind me. "I'm sorry, Dorian if I've upset you. It's just that mortals aren't strong enough to withstand it."

"She's passed the first month already," I said turning around to face her. I bet she wouldn't have expected Flora to last so long.

"She did?! Wow congratulations!" She punched me on my shoulder making me crack a smile at the force. She was strong and would be able to carry a pup well. Not mine, but one of the other guys'.

"My baby was probably the one whose energy you sensed, leading to us." I cracked a smile at the mention of my growing baby making Flora's stomach look bigger than normal.

"Yeah. Does it sound right to say I'm jealous of your mortal?" She asked quirking a brow. She was very blunt when it came to conversations. Usually, this would be considered normal but being around Flora and her views, are starting to change me.

"How so?" I asked crossing my arms. She watched my movement looking at my muscles then to my face. The movement didn't go past me.

"Because of you. She's pregnant and has her very own protective lycan guarding her."

"She keeps me grounded. Sometimes I feel such anger that comes out of nowhere and she just does or says something to break that tension within me. She doesn't even know the anger I possess yet she's still able to calm me."

"You almost sound like you're in love." She smirked as if she read the situation all within our conversation.

"Love," I scoffed at the idea. "If there's one thing I can't feel, it's to love another."

"Good, cause we don't need a mortal to become attached to you. She'll only get hurt in the process even if she doesn't die in labor." She then walked away towards the guys.

I wanted to say something since she sparked a hint of anger but she was right. Even if I wanted to yell at Tilda, I couldn't. She's the only and last remaining female. The guys and I will be loyal to her if she's to take to one of our seeds.

Plus she had an attitude that is fierce and is able to protect herself against anything. The pups she will produce will be strong. She sparked my interest in being brutally honest. That's what we'll need since she'll always be around us guys.

"Alright, so what do we do now?" Axel asked staring at Tilda.

She tilted her head looking at each of us. "I think we should hold a choosing tomorrow. The sooner I breed with another will benefit us."

"Alright, so it's settled. We'll hold a choosing tomorrow then."

Flora's POV

"You'll never guess what happened today," Dorian said as soon as he opened the door to the room.

"What happened?" I asked putting down my book.

"We found a female lycan...well she found us. She's strong and was already putting the guys in their place." He mentioned as he walked about in the room.

This caught my attention. A female lycan that was rare to find, assuming to be extinct was a big deal to them. She would be able to carry any one of their babies, better than I can.

"I can already feel the bond between her and all of us," Dorian said smiling. I'm not going to lie, it hurts the way he's already talking about her. My stomach was hurting before he came in here, but now it seemed even more upset.

"Should I be worried?" I asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Worried about what?" He asked oblivious to how I was feeling.

"About this female lycan, you seem to be raving about."

His smile fell from his face. "Have I upset you?"

"To be honest, yes."

He came up to me holding both my hands. He leaned down to put his forehead against mine. I could feel the warmth of his body radiating onto me. "Sorry, it's just that I'm excited. This means that we have hope for our kind. You're a big part of that too. You know that right." He swept some of my bangs to the side.

I had a hunch that I wouldn't like this female lycan. From the way, Dorian was talking about her and how the guys acted around her, affected me. I couldn't help but compare her meeting the guys to mine. 

If she really does have good intentions, then she better stay away from Dorian or there's going to be problems.