Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Emilia's POV

"You are pregnant, Emilia. So, we can only practice those moves that won't put pressure on your uterus." Kiara said as she held my adjusted my elbows. "You can't shift to your wolf form but that doesn't mean you can't draw power from her." Kiara continued as she closed my fingers more firmly.

"In a real-life situation, you might ever get just one chance. You have to pack all your power into that one punch." She moved behind me and added, "Draw in a deep breath, relax your body and think about the effect you want to have on your opponent; visualize it in your head and then Boom! Hit!"

I nodded and followed her orders. The resultant punch surprised me. The punching bag went flying and the man holding it staggered. "Wow... I never knew I had so much energy within me."

Kiara placed her hand on my shoulder, "You are a going to be a mother, Emilia... I know people say that pregnant women are weak, they can't shift, can't fight, and have to be protected at all times..."

She stepped in front of me and looked into my eyes, "That is not true... I have never known or seen anything stronger than a mother's love...."

My eyebrows furrowed and I couldn't stop myself from asking, "What is the matter, Kiara? Why are you suddenly giving me life lessons?"

Kiara pulled away and her expression turned cold suddenly, "I am just doing my job. There is no need to read too much into it." She threw me a dirty look and snapped, "Keep on practicing."

I continued throwing punches but out of the corner of my eye, I was assessing Kiara. She looked very anxious and keyed up. She was definitely hiding something.

I kept an eye on Kiara the entire day. She didn't do anything out of the ordinary but there were signs. She zoned out during important meetings and messed some things up. This confirmed my suspicion. Kiara never made mistakes.

I was tempted to confront her but I held myself back. The last thing I knew she hated me. Why would she tell me anything? That night, after everyone had eaten dinner, I sneaked behind her tent and settled on a small rock.

If the situation was really bad, she was bound to have some sort of a secret meeting. The wind was cold making me shiver. I drew my arms around myself and buried my head in my hands. The chilly weather and the fact I was bone-tired made me drift off. I don't know how long I slept but I was woken up by hushed voices.

"Why don't we just hand her over?" Mark's voice sounded, jolting me back to the realm of the living.

"I can't do that..."

"Why not? You hate her."

"I despise her; yes. But that doesn't mean I will hand over a pregnant woman to the kidnappers."

F***! Somebody was kidnapped. I pressed my ears to the fabric of the tent trying to listen more clearly. My movement must have alerted Kiara because everything went quiet.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I got to my feet. I had just raised my arms to stretch when the guards grabbed me and dragged me inside Kiara's tent.

"We found her snooping, Luna Kiara." They said pushing me towards her. My heart skipped a beat as I stumbled. Kiara held me quickly and scolded, "Don't you have any sense! How can you treat a pregnant woman like this!?"

"But Luna, she was..."

"I don't want to listen to any excuses. You can leave," She said in a firm voice before turning her attention to me, "What are you doing here, Emilia?"

My face flushed and I lowered my gaze, "You were behaving so uncharacteristically that...."

"That you thought you could invade my privacy."

"It's not like that..." I started making up an excuse but realized that she was right. "I am sorry, Kiara. I was just worried about you."

"I think you should tell her. After all, Nivaan was her mate."

My ears perked up when I heard his name. My eyes darted from Kiara to Mark, "Don't tell me that Nivaan is the one who is kidnapped?" I shook my head incredulously, "That is just not possible; he is so strong, so observant, so skilled..."

"Yet he was kidnapped...." Mark replied in a deflated voice. "The Kidnapper is very crafty and meticulous. We have been trying to track them for a week but in vain."

I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I grabbed Kiara's shoulders. My tone was accusing as I spoke, "It has been over a week since Nivaan went missing but you didn't tell me!"

"I thought that you could sense when my brother is in danger," she taunted, shrugging my hands off.

The color drained from my face, "I could but now that I have accepted his rejection.... I can't feel anything, Kiara...." My hands went limp by my sides, "It's like we never had a bond..."

Kiara's eyes widened and her voice shook, "What do you mean by 'YOU accepted his rejection'?"

I gazed at her for a long moment before shrugging my shoulders. "Did the kidnappers make a demand?"

"No, they didn't. We are still waiting for them to contact us." Kiara's reply was a bit too quick. I almost smiled at it. She was quite predictable when emotionally disturbed.

"They want you, Emilia Ryanwood," Mark spoke up before I could ask him. "The only way to safe Nivaan's life is to hand you over." Mark drew closer and took my hand in his, "The only way to draw those pricks out is to pretend that we are giving you up." He looked into my eyes and continued, "Can you do this for the one you love, for the father of your baby?"

I snorted and pulled away, "What father? He never accepted my baby or me. Why should I care?"

"Emilia! Please don't be difficult. If you don't agree voluntarily, we will have to take you there by force!" Mark said as he made a move to grab me.

Kiara pulled me behind her back and said in a sharp tone, "I will not anyone force her! Not even you..."

"But Nivaan is your brother...."

"I know and I will find a way to save him."

"Luna..." Kiara raised her palm, "You can leave now..."

Mark narrowed his eyes and glared at me before walking out of the tent.

I hadn't expected Kiara to support me like this. Her words kept ringing in my ears long after I returned to my tent. I covered my abdomen protectively. If it wasn't for my baby, I would have agreed to be the bait; not for the sake of Nivaan but for Kiara... I would do that for her.