I break down all over again, the emotions becoming too difficult for me to control.
I’m going to be a mom.
“When are you going to tell everyone?” Marcus asks when I finally stopped crying.
“I’m not.” The words come out firm. I will not allow my child to be humiliated or rejected.
“You’re gonna leave?” Marcus asks, a look of sadness on his face.
“You know I have to. I can’t go through this pregnancy being sad all the time, and being here makes me so sad, Marcus. My baby doesn’t deserve that.”
He nods and takes me into his arms. We stay there for a while. I can’t seem to let go as I hug him for what would be the last in a while. He tells me he has a few cousins in other packs and might get them to take me in. I nod, thankful I have him as my friend.
Later that night, he lets me know his cousin, Zayne, would allow me to be in his and his mate’s pack. I’m happy I can get away—away from the constant pain.
Marcus’ voice brings me out of my thoughts as he sticks some papers out to me. “Okay, so this is a bus ticket to take you to my cousin Zayne’s town. He said he will meet you at the bus stop and let you stay at their pack house. You will leave tomorrow morning and should get there before dark.”
I nod and take the bus ticket from him. I take a long look at my best friend and see him smiling a sad smile.
“I will miss you so much, Marcus. You don’t even know.”
“I will miss you too, Rose! But I have all night with you so we’re going to get a bunch of junk food and watch Law & Order until we fall asleep, ok?”
I nod and grab him for a long hug. Wiping my tears, I tell him to go downstairs and grab the snacks while I pack a few things. I don’t pack much, just enough to not have to do laundry for a while. I write my parents and brother a letter; letting them know I’m okay and I just need time away from this place. I know my parents will flip, especially with me being so young. I give them the information of where I’m going and ask them to keep it secret. I left out the pregnancy part though.
Marcus comes back into the room, arms filled with snacks. We lay down and start the show we’ve watched for years.
“I think it’s a boy,” Marcus says out of the blue.
“Maybe…” I trail off, thinking if it is a boy. If it is, I’d be taking the pack‘s future alpha away.
“Oh, I know it is. I’ve never been wrong in my guesses.”
I laugh at him but drop the subject.
We do just as he had said; both of us are passed out until my alarm goes off.
I get up and gather my stuff, waking Marcus up to say goodbye. I hug him goodbye and head to my parents’ room.
I leave the letters and quietly make my way to the door.
I say one last goodbye to my home. I head for the one-way bus to my new home with the only important thing I take with me.
The alpha’s unknown baby…well, at least, that’s what Marcus said.
CHAPTER 1
Rose
The bed moves up and down, and I can hear a little voice from a distance.
“Mommy, Mommy, wake up. It’s morning time!“
Opening my eyes, I see my son, William, jumping on my bed.
I pull the covers over my head and turn to the side. “Five more minutes, Willy.”
He stops jumping and starts to poke my face. I groan, knowing he will not stop until I get up. I pick him up and toss him to the other side of the bed. His little giggles fill my ears and I grin at him.
“Okay, okay I’m up!” I say as I grab William and we make our way to the kitchen. I put him in one of the high chairs and head towards the fridge.
“Mommy, can I have chocolate chips in my panny cakes?”
“Sure, baby, but it’s pancakes.”
“That’s what I said mommy, panny cakes.”
I shake my head but don’t correct him again, knowing it will fall on deaf ears. I start the pancakes, adding the chocolate chips to his. Sweets have never really been my thing; The only time I ate a lot of them was when I was pregnant. Thankfully, that only lasted three months.
“Mommy, my birthday is in four days, are you excited?”
I smile softly at him and nod my head. I can’t believe how fast time has gone since I had him.
“Yes, baby, I’m very excited for your birthday. What do you wanna do?“
“Can we go to Chuck-E-Cheese?”
“I won’t get paid until next week, baby, so I won’t have the money, but we can go to the park and eat ice cream if you like?”
“That sounds fun too, mommy. Thanks!” I place his plate in front of him and kiss the top of his head. I feel bad that I can’t grant his wish, but money is tight right now. My job cut my hours, and all my money has gone to rent and utilities.
“Alright, eat up, little man. We have to leave for school in an hour.“
He nods, his eyes never leaving the TV.
I swear that boy likes Handy Manny more than me.
I immediately go to my closet to get ready.
I pull out a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and my uniform shirt. I quickly get dressed and do my morning routine. I then go to William’s room to grab his clothes.
“Will, come on. We have to leave in like forty-five minutes.” I shout to him, and moments later, I hear his tiny footsteps come down the hall. He appears with ketchup covering his face and clothes.
“Why do you have ketchup all over you?” I say with a sigh. He does this every morning.
He grins at me before shrugging his shoulders. I shake my head and grab a washcloth.
I help him into his little cargo shorts and his shirt. Grabbing his socks, I put them on and put his light up shoes over them.
“Alright, my little man, go brush your teeth and brush your hair.”
He takes off to the bathroom and I get his stuff for school.
Since he is in pre-K, he doesn’t have much supplies besides a few pencils, crayons, and a folder. I pull out all his papers from his bag, skimming through it to check how he did yesterday. I see a paper folded up with water stains on it. I unfold it to see an announcement dated a week ago. I have never seen it before, so William must have kept it at school until yesterday. The announcement said that today was ‘bring your dad to school day’. My heart breaks at the tear marks lining the paper. I stash the paper in my pocket and zip everything up in his backpack. I then move from my spot to grab his jacket.
He comes out of the room, his hair in a small mohawk. I smile warmly at my little boy, his face reminding me every day of my mate.
We put our jackets on and grab everything we need before walking outside. I haven’t been able to afford a car yet, so we have to walk everywhere. Luckily, my work and Will’s school is close by.
We head towards his school, and I decide now is a good time to ask him about the paper I found.
“Why didn’t you tell me it’s ‘bring your dad to school day’ today?” He doesn’t respond; just shrugs his shoulders. I see a flash of hurt in his eyes and it makes me feel so guilty. I drop the topic and start talking more about his birthday.
We arrive at the school about five minutes later and walk into his classroom. Kids are running around. Others are eating while and some are drawing. There’s a bunch of dads standing in the back talking to each other.
I wave to the teacher who is talking to another mom. I tell Will goodbye when a mom approaches us.
“Rose, it’s so good to see you. How are you?” One of the moms, Callie, asks.
“I’m good. Thanks for asking. How about yourself?”
She goes on about all her life events since the last time we saw each other. I try to hold back a yawn from her stories, but it’s becoming almost impossible.
“Well, I gotta go. Don’t want to be late for my yoga class. Catch you later,” Callie finally says before she turns and leaves.
I wave a goodbye to her and turn to my son who looks just as bored as me. I see him staring at all the dads
in the room with sadness. I hate this and instantly regret my decision to leave five years ago.
“Okay, Willy, I have to go to work. Be good, and I’ll pick you up when school finishes.”
“Okay, Mommy,” he says in his soft voice then turns to walk towards the other kids.
I grab his hand before he gets too far and pull him into a hug.
“William, I love you with all my heart, and I will do anything for you. If you want to meet him…I’ve always told you, you can.”
“I know he was mean to you mommy, and I don’t want to meet him. I have you.”
I just nod at the same response I get every time I ask him. He overheard me talking to Luke one day about Nick and has known about his father ever since. After that, I’ve been giving him every chance to meet Nick but he has always declined. When he heard Luke and talk about how Nick didn’t want me as his mate, Will’s response has always been the same every time I ask.
“I’m okay, mommy. I promise.”
“I hope so, baby. And just remember, William: you always have to forgive everyone, ok?”
“Okay, mommy. You better get to work.”
“Have a good day. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mommy.” He waves at me and joins the other kids in a game of tag. I nod at the teacher before I make my way outside and to my work.
I work at the local diner in town. It’s a nice little place and has an 80s theme to it. Most of the members from the local pack eat there, so I’m around werewolves a lot. It’s not so bad until one of the unmated wolves tries to hit on you. But it pays decent despite the cut in my hours, so I suck it up.
Clocking in, I say hi to the cooks before taking my stand in front. It’s only Monday, and the breakfast rush is over, so the place is dead.
I play on my phone for about twenty minutes before I hear the doorbell go off. Looking up, I see Alpha Zayne and his husband, Luke, walk in.
“Hi, alphas. Is it just you two today?”
“Yeah, it’s just us, and please call us Luke and Zayne. We’re friends, remember?”
I smile softly and nod my head. “Of course, follow me.” I lead them to a small booth, hand them their menus, and tell them their waiter will be with them shortly.
When I was pregnant with Will, I came to Zayne’s pack. Luke is Marcus’s cousin. The latter had asked the couple if I could come here after telling them what happened with Nick. I stayed with them throughout my whole pregnancy and they took me in as one of their own pack members. I wasn’t part of their pack though. I wasn’t fully detached from my last one and the pain from doing that would have killed Will. They said after I delivered, I could join, but I never did. Once I got a job and a house, I left their pack house. I still keep in contact though, and try to visit them once a week. Will calls them his uncles and they spoil him rotten. They’ve tried to help me financially, but I declined. I want to be independent and care for my child with no help.
Sitting back down, I turn back to my phone and see I have two missed calls. I’m about to see who they’re from when my boss, Jeffrey, calls my name.
“Rose, you have a call on the breakroom phone.”
I nod my head and make my way to the breakroom. I press line two and pick up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Rose, honey, is that you?” My mom’s voice rings through the phone.
“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay? Why do you sound like that?”
I hear her sniffle into the phone but she remains quiet. Finally, she speaks again. “Honey, it’s your grandpa.”
“Okay, what’s the matter with him?”
She keeps quiet again, and I grow worried. Gramps and I were always the closest.
“Baby, there was an attack on the pack and your gramps got hurt. They said his injuries are severe, and we don’t know how long he has.”
My heart starts to hammer in my chest, and I have to sit down to steady myself.
“How severe?” I ask almost breathless.
“It doesn’t look promising, honey. I think it’s time you come back, at least for gramps.”
A single tear rolls down my face before I can stop it.
“Um, okay. Uh, let me see if I can rent a car and drive down there.”
“You won’t make it for another two days. I can wire some money in your account so you can book you and Will a plane ticket.”
I think about it for a minute before agreeing. I wouldn’t do it on any other time, but if it’s the last time I see my grandpa, then I’ll suck up my pride and take the money.
“Okay, honey. I’ll book the tickets for late tonight and I’ll see you tomorrow evening. Give Will a kiss for me. I love you.” She says a quick goodbye to me and hangs up.
I let the tears fall on my cheeks and quiet sobs escape me. My mind drifts off to Nick. Did he get hurt? Is he dead?
I know he’s not dead because I would have felt it. I get angry at myself for even thinking about him. I look up when I hear the door open and see Zayne and Luke walk in.
“Oh, honey, what’s the matter? We heard your sobs from outside.”
I try to open my mouth to tell them but nothing comes out. Zayne lifts me up, and places me on his lap, and engulfs me in his arms. Luke’s tiny arms follow and I’m surrounded by body heat.
After a while, I finally calm down and pull back to see the two alphas with worried expressions.
“My mom called. My grandpa got hurt when the pack was under attack. They don’t know if he will make it. William and I are flying out tonight.”
They look at me with shocked faces.
“You know you’ll see Nick and he’ll know about William, right?”
I nod and take a deep breath before replying. “I know, but I always knew that something like this would happen and I’d have to go back. And it’s not like I never gave Will a chance to not see his dad; he just never wanted to.”
“Yeah, you’re right, but as an alpha myself, if my mate didn’t tell me about my pup, I’d be pissed,” Zayne comments.
I know his words are true, and I know it will piss Nick off, but I have to go back. My gramps means everything to me.
“I know, and I’d be upset too, but it is what it is. I should get back to work guys, especially since I’ll be gone for a week. If I don’t see you guys before tonight, I’ll see you in a week,” I say as I get up to hug them before walking back outside to the front podium.
A little while later, I receive the email with both our plane tickets and notice that my mom had sent a little extra in my account. I sigh knowing I’ll have to tell her to take it back; I don’t like charity.
The rest of the day goes by fast, my mind wandering in a million different directions all day. My boss is nice enough to give me the week off, and I am very grateful. I wave him goodbye and start heading to Will’s school. The walk is only five minutes, but it feels like eternity.
I am anxious and nervous. I don’t know how I’m going to handle telling Will the news. I arrive at the school‘s doors and take a deep breath.
Here goes nothing.
CHAPTER 2
Rose
Walking into the school, I make my way to Will’s classroom. I know that with my emotions everywhere, I am walking a little slower; making me late again in picking up Will.
I knock on the classroom door and come face to face with a very annoyed Ms.Reynolds.
“Ms. Washington, you’re late again!”
“I know Ms. Reynolds. I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again,” I say in a pleading voice.
“You say that every time, Rosealine, and you have been late three times already. If it happens again, I must start charging you for aftercare.”
I nod my head and step into the classroom.
Will is sitting down on one of the chairs in the room, eating an apple.
“Mommy!” he says as he runs up to me. I bend down to catch him in my arms. I pick him up and spin him around. His laugh fills my ears and melts my heart. His day must’ve gotten a lot
better when school started.
“Come on, baby. We have a lot to do.” I grab his hand and pick up his backpack. We say a quick goodbye to his teacher before walking out.
“So, Willy, I have a surprise for you!” I say as we walk to our apartment.
“What is it, Mommy?” he asks, looking up at me with big green eyes.
“Do you remember Grandpa Rich and Grandma Marie?” He nods so I continue.
“Well, your grandpa Rich’s daddy isn’t feeling so well, so we’re going to go see him,” I say and see his face light up.
We continue our way to our apartment as we talk about the trip. We will leave at midnight tonight, so by the time we we get home, I make Will a snack and go to his room to pack his clothes.
When I have all the clothes he’ll need for the trip, I go to my room. Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. As I make my way to the door, I pass Will, who makes a run for the bathroom.
Looking through the peephole, I see my landlord, Jim. I open the door slowly and peep my head out.
“Hi, Jim. Is there something wrong?”
He smirks at me and tries to take a step forward but I block him.
“Hey, Rosie. I need your rent money.”
“But I just paid rent last week!”
He just shrugs before handing me an envelope.
“You were behind in payments. It’s due by Sunday or you will have to leave.”
I look at him wide-eyed and lips slightly parted. He smiles at me and walks away.
Opening the envelope, I see that I was behind three payments, so last weeks’ money just barely brought me out of my debt to the man. He knows I don’t get paid until next Friday, and I’ve reminded him multiple times in case he forgot. I’ll have to convince him to give me another extension.
I set the envelope aside and go to my room to pack. Will is on my bed, passed out. I cover him up and kiss his forehead before grabbing my suitcase.
I hurried and packed so I could get some sleep before we leave for the airport. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.
The Alpha's Unknown Son: A Shifter Romance Page 2
