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all she could think about was giving Alder a son. His very first and only son.
    Taylor shook her head as if to dispel the thought. She knew it was going to take a lot more than that, but she didn’t have time to work through her issues at the moment. She set off after Snow, but pivoted on the porch steps before turning back to grab her bow and arrow.

CHAPTER TEN
     
    Snow and Caim were long gone by the time Taylor made it to the forest. Unable to tell which way the duo had gone, Taylor considered turning back but didn’t like the idea of leaving them in the forest alone. Caim seemed capable enough and she knew that there were guards posted around the area, but she’d hate to have something happen to Snow under her watch.
    It had been a while since Taylor had been in the forest during daylight hours. Even after her guards had been posted, there was always too much to do around the cabin in the afternoon. She decided that even if she couldn’t find the wayward teens, a walk might do wonders to clear her mind.
    The air was charged with ozone, but it didn’t look like it would rain anytime soon. Leaves were beginning to fall from the trees and they blanketed the dirt path in yellow and gold. Many of the birds had already begun departing for warmer climates, but the crows stayed. They watched her silently from the branches of high trees, their faraway bodies like black dots against the gray sky.
    Taylor followed the path for a while until she noticed a disturbed patch of land that veered off, deeper into the forest. The earth had been dug up by what appeared to be large paws and several small branches lay broken on the ground. Nearby brush held a thatch of black hair.
    Caim and Snow must have been through there, she surmised. Still, she took her time following after them. On the opposite side of the brush, something caught her eye. A small cluster of whitecap mushrooms. Her stomach growled again, but as she reached down to pluck them up, she was assailed with nausea.
    Had she eaten anything yet that morning, Taylor would have most certainly retched her guts up. Instead, she leaned against a tree, clutching her abdomen as her body was racked by a slew of dry heaves.
    She waited a few moments, sucking in fresh air and allowing the cool breeze to calm her. As the nausea began to ebb, she let go of her grip on her belly and gave it a few pats.
    “I wasn’t going to eat them, I swear.”
    Taylor didn’t see how she was going to get through this pregnancy on a vegetarian diet. As miserable as she felt, she couldn’t be bothered with guilt over that. She was just glad the baby wanted meat and not chocolate.
    “Turkey, quail,”—she shuddered—“venison, whatever you want, we’ll eat it. Just stop making me sick.”
    The sharp-pitched cry of an animal hardly startled Taylor. It wasn’t unusual for her to hear such noises, especially around the hunting hour. Given that it would still be a while before the pack awoke, she had to assume that it was Snow’s brother making a kill. Reluctantly, she regained her footing, grabbed her bow, and went off in the direction of the noise.
    Putting her body on autopilot, Taylor’s thoughts turned inward. Overnight, her life had become a hot mess again, though for once, it was through no fault of her own. Then again, if she hadn’t agreed to go through with the mating thrall, Snow’s arrival would have been infinitely less jarring.
    I should have taken the time to get to know Alder better .
    She had told herself that she’d have plenty of time to get to know him during the nine months that she was pregnant. Now, she could see how ridiculous that was. Even though her baby was probably the size of a pea, it was already changing so much in their lives.
    Taylor was snapped out of her musings when she tripped, nearly falling over an obstruction. Swiftly regaining her balance, she looked down to see what was in the way. Her hand flew over her mouth, muffling a scream.
    A lithe, coppery wolf