Chapter 49
Hailey
The nest smells wrong.
That was the first thought that jumped to mind when I started to stir after being fast asleep. The further I got along in my pregnancy, the more I filled up my nest with anything and everything that smelled like my alphas. I’d even gone so far as sneaking in a few dirty gym T-shirts because the sweat smelled that good.
I blamed the pregnancy hormones.
But whatever was funneling into my nostrils now wasn’t sweat or alphas or anything like that.
Usually, whenever I started to wake up, those slow, groggy moments of barely there consciousness, I’d be surrounded by that comforting sense of my pack around me, their smells a gentle welcome back to reality.
Except, this time, it was all wrong.
It wasn’t the smoky scent I was used to from Merrick because of his work, one that I’d grown accustomed to, even started to enjoy. It was more acidic, more acrid and bright.
Likeactualsmoke.
What?!
Turning over, I threw the blanket off me and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I willed my brain to wake up faster.
The room was dark, much darker than it usually was. My spine tingled, my heart rate speeding up. This didn’t feel right. I blinked and blinked, but it didn’t clear up, and then that smell hit me stronger, making me cough.
I still couldn’t see. Why couldn’t I see?
It hit me. Iwasseeing. It was just hazy and black. Because there was a thick layer of smokeinsidethe room.
Smoke. That means—Fire!
“Shit!” I hissed, sitting up straighter and looking around, suddenly wide awake.
I sank down to the floor, pulling my shirt over my nose to prevent some of the smoke from getting into my lungs. Crawling was already a problem, and I had to do it with one hand now, maneuvering myself toward the door with my massive belly getting in the way.
What the hell had happened? Where was Wilder? Something had to be wrong, since he hadn’t been by my side when I woke.
Renewed panic shot through me, and I tested the door handle before opening it, infinitely grateful that the fire wasn’t right beyond the door. As soon as I was in the hallway, however, that gratitude died.
Flames licked along the outside of the walls, visible through the windows. Someone had set a fire right near the house?
My gut tightened, somehow understanding what my mind didn’t want to believe.
No, someone had setthe houseon fire. With Wilder and me in it. There was no way in hell it was an accidental fire; Merrick had decked his house out in so many fire safety measures, thanks to his job. He didn’t even let anyone burn candles in the house.
“Shit, shit, shit.” I needed to find Wilder. Where the hell was he? “Wilder!” I shouted, but it was lost in the thick air.
Smoke was billowing through the house, rising to the ceiling, and I stayed low, squinting and padding around as I found the stairs and took them down to the main floor.
There was slightly less smoke there, but my eyes burned, watering constantly, which meant I could hardly see anything. Everything felt so hot, and I was sweating up a damn storm, the baby moving like crazy inside me as my adrenaline pumped.
Neither of us was enjoying this.
God, I needed to get out. I couldn’t let myself get stuck in here—pregnant, on top of everything else. I knew it would hurt the baby.
But where is Wilder?
I crawled towards the hallway, relying on my memory to guide me.