“Fine, but this conversation is not over, Rose.”
“Goodnight, Alpha.”
CHAPTER 3
Rose
The sun shines through the curtains, waking me up from my deep slumber. I turn to my left and see that William is missing. His scent is barely there, so he has been gone a while. My motherly instincts come in and I go on high alert.
I jump out of the bed and check the bathroom to see if he’s in there. Empty. Rushing to the door, I run down the hallway and to the stairway. At this point, I don‘t even care that I’m only in my sports bra and pajama shorts.
I make it downstairs and check the living room. Empty.
I hear laughter come from the kitchen and make my way there.
William is sitting on the counter with Nick standing beside him. Jason, his third in command, my brother Jake, and Michael, a pack warrior, are with him as well.
All eyes turn to me when I walk in. Nick’s eyes turn into a deep green color. I instantly remember my outfit and slap myself mentally for not putting a shirt on.
“William, what are you doing down here?” I ask as I grab him off the counter, ignoring the lustful stares Nick is sending me.
“Mommy, Daddy came in and checked on us, but I was already up, so he took me downstairs. I met some of his friends,” he says, smiling up at me.
I smile at him and tell him to go change out of his pajamas. He gives everybody a wave before disappearing upstairs.
“Next time, wake me up before you take him,” I say, looking towards Nick.
“I was just trying to do a nice thing and let you sleep,” he says, clearly irritated.
“Thanks for the nice gesture, but next time, wake me up.” I turn around, ready to head back to my room when I bump into someone.
“Dang, Rose, you look good even after having my nephew!” I look up and come face to face with the smirking idiot. He picks me up and spins me around before setting me back on my feet.
I could feel Nick sending Noah a death glare, but the latter ignores his older brother.
“Jesus! Do you eat; you’re light as a feather?!”
“Yes, I eat Noah. Do you ever stop? You’re looking a little pudgy.”
He looks at me with a shocked face as the others behind me snicker.
“You’re mean,” Noah says, pouting.
I just smile at his childish behavior.
“Sis, Mom said that if you want to see Gramps today, you can,” Jake says. He sends me a sad smile and I just nod at him.
William comes down the stairs, struggling to button his shirt.
“Mommy, can you please button this for me? My fingers won’t do it.”
I nod and help him finish buttoning his shirt up.
“Stay with your daddy while I go get dressed, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy!”
“Maybe he’ll show you Nikolai.”
“Who’s Nikolai?”
I laugh at his mispronunciation of the name.
“His wolf.” I laugh.
Nick picks Will up and smiles at me. I turn around and head up the stairs. I quickly change into jean shorts and a plain black tee and go to the bathroom to fix my hair. After my blonde hair is thoroughly combed, I put some mascara on before grabbing my phone and going downstairs.
At the back of the house, Will is petting Nikolai as he lays down on the ground with his head on his paws.
Aurora whimpers in my head, pushing me to go to her mate, but I try my best to push her to the back of my mind, and eventually, I succeed.
As I walk up to them, Nikolai’s head raises up and looks up at me with sparkling green eyes. I feel the urge to run my hand through his fur, but I fight it knowing it’s just the mating bond that is making me feel such emotions. I sit on one of the lounge chairs outside and watch them closely. Nikolai whimpers but continues to lay his head back down. I’m glad he’s not mad that he was in the dark about Will. Fighting with a werewolf is bad. When they let their wolf get out of control, you’re practically dead, especially if its an alpha.
“Mommy, look at Nikolai‘s fur. It’s so soft and black.”
I smile at him and nod my head in agreement.
“Will, come here, I have to ask you something.” He stands up and makes his way to sit on my lap. Nikolai stands up and shifts back behind a tree.
“William, I’m going to go see your great grandpa today. You can come if you want or you can stay here with your dad. What do you think?” He stays quiet for a while, deep in thought.
“I want to go, Mommy.”
I nod. Nick comes back and tells us it’s time to go. I nod and set Will down before getting up myself. We make it through the house and to the garage where we get into Nick’s jeep. I position Will at the back and then I sit with Nick in front.
“If it’s okay with you, I want to introduce Will to the pack,” Nick says after a minute of silence.
Do I really want the pack to know about Will? What will I do when it‘s time to go back? The pack won’t like their future alpha not raised around them.
“I’m okay with it, as long as he is,” I say after some time of thinking it over. Nick sends me a giant smile and ask Will if he wants to meet the pack. Will nods his head eagerly, and I don‘t think Nick has ever looked so excited.
“One thing, though…” I say, and he looks at me worriedly then turns his head back to the road, nodding for me to continue.
“You strictly only introduce him as your son and not me as your mate.”
I see his hands grip the steering wheel a little harder.
“Why not?”
“Nick, please, let’s not go through this again. You know what you did. And there’s no more to it. We had five years to think about it, and just because I’m back…doesn’t mean anything.”
“For those five years, I regretted everything, Rose. I wish I could go back, but I can’t. Please, just believe me.”
“I don’t, Nick. I’m sorry.”
He stays silent up to our arrival at the pack hospital. Before we get out of the car, he speaks. “I want to be with you, Rose. I do, but I will respect your decision.”
I nod, open my door, and get out. I open the back door and Will hops out. He grabs my hand, and we make our way inside with Nick trailing behind.
We make our way towards Room 249, the smell of blood, bleach, chemicals, and death invading my nose. We finally make it to the room, but I‘m frozen in place as I stood by the door.
“You can do this, Rose,” Nick says to me as he takes Will into his arms. I watch as Will lays his head on his dad‘s shoulder, both of them sending me matching smiles. Nick puts a hand on my shoulder and gently squeezes it. Even though I don’t want to be with Nick, I know the mate bond will help calm my nerves. I let his touch bring me comfort which I‘m thankful for. I take a deep breath before I turn the door handle and walk in.
Gramps is in the hospital bed, hooked up to multiple tubes and wires. He has a bandage wrapped around his head, and his eyes are barely open, the baby blue eyes I inherited from him hidden. My heart clenches, and I’m frozen to my spot. My mom, dad, and Jake are all in the room, sitting around.
Grandpa’s eyes open as wide as they can at his state when he sees me.
“R-rosy? Is that you?” I nod and walk over to him with the best smile I can put on.
“Oh, baby. I‘ve missed you!” he says. He tries to hug me but stops at the pain. I lean down instead and wrap my arms around him.
“I‘ve missed you too, Gramps…so much,” I whisper in his ear, the tears falling down from my face and onto his.
“Hey, hey. Don’t cry; it’s going to be alright. I’m going to be with my mate again, and to say I died for my pack is the best way one can go out. And trust me those dang stairs in my house won‘t be missing me too much,“ he says, trying to comfort me.
I giggle softly and nod my head.
“I’m very honored to have called you one of my pack warriors, Rich Sr. You’re an amazing man, and everybody
in this room should be proud of you as I am, so thank you,” Nick says from the corner of the room.
“Thanks, Alpha. I appreciate it. I am honored to be in your pack, and I know you will do great things with it. I just wish I could have seen some great grandchildren first.”
I laugh out loud and he gives me a questioning look.
“I think I can do that Gramps,” I say as I walk and grab Will from Nick and bring him closer to Gramps.
“Rose! You had a kid?”
I laugh and nod. Will says a quiet ‘hi’ and waves at him. Tears form in Gramp’s eyes.
“Well, come here, kiddo. What’s your name?”
“William, but my mommy calls me Will!” he says as he sits on the edge of the hospital bed.
“Will… that’s a nice name, son. What’s your full name though?”
“William Rich!”
“And your last name?” Gramps asks, and I know I’m about to get a lot of questions.
“Rollins,” Will says, a smile on his face. I can feel the stares, but I just ignore them as I continue to smile at Gramps.
“Rollins? You’re saying…” Gramps says, looking back and forth between me and Nick.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“You gave him my last name?” Nick asks as he stares at me with admiration in his eyes.
“I just said that.”
“Rosealine, he’s your alpha; you can’t talk to him like that,” Gramps scolds me. He had always been strict on rules.
“It’s fine, Rich.,” Nick says.
“Well, I thought my dying bed would be less interesting, but I was wrong.”
We all laugh at Gramps’ carefree attitude.
We spend most of the day at the hospital. Nick left at some point to do some paperwork but promises to pick us up. Will really likes Gramps, and it kills me to know that he won’t be here to see Will become the next alpha.
“So, when are you moving down here, Rose?” My dad asks, handing me a sleeping Will.
“I’m not going to, Dad,” I state sternly.
“You can’t take Will away from his father, especially after just meeting him,” Jake argues just as sternly.
“I’ll deal with that when it comes to it, and frankly, that’s nobody’s business. It’s between me and Nick.”
Of course, Nick has to walk in at that moment.
“What’s my business?”
“Nothing. I need to get Will home,” I say, pointing to a sleeping Will.
Nick nods and takes Will from me. I give Gramps a kiss and promise to see him later, along with my parents. Jake will be riding with us, but I don‘t say anything to him.
We all climb into the jeep with Nick driving and Jake in the passenger seat. Will and I sit in the back. As the car moves, I lay my head on the window and get lost in thought.
I just visited the man I grew up with—the one who taught me how to fight, the one who told me everything was going to be ok when I shifted the first time—and now he’s not going to be there anymore. Why did he have to get hurt. Why did the rogues gang up on him. Why couldn‘t he just hold on?
I didn’t know I was sobbing and violently shaking until the car pulled over.
“Jake, take over the driving.” I hear Nick order Jake, but he seems far away. I cry even harder thinking of him.
Why did he not want me? Was I not good enough? He says he regrets it, but he never even came after me.
I feel large arms wrap around me. Right away, I know it’s him because of the tingles and the way my wolf is purring. That memories start to come back to me, and I start to become angry.
I am good enough. I deserve to be luna more than anybody else. He doesn’t deserve me.
I start to hit him on his chest, yelling at him, while the tears start to stop.
“How could you not want me? I was your mate! We have a kid together!”
He grabs my hands and pulls them to my side. He wraps his arms around me even tightly and whispers soothing words in my ear. I try to get out of his arms but fail miserably. I fall limply in his arms as exhaustion sets in.
Moments later, I feel the car stop. Jake gets out, and takes an awaken Will into the house.
My body is lifted off the seat and into a pair of arms. My eyes start to drift close, and I snuggle deeper into Nick’s chest. My eyes finally close, and I fall into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER 4
Nick
I slowly make my way inside the house as I carry Rose. Her hand grips my shirt tightly, the skin contact between us making me instantly relax. Entering the pack house, I climb the stairs to her and William’s room. Pushing open the door, I walk to her bed and gently set her down. As I cover her up with her blanket, I take the time to take a good look at her.
Her blonde hair is matted to her face from crying. Her tear-stained cheeks look as soft as baby’s skin. Her long eyelashes are wet from crying.
All her pain shows on her face, and it pains me to say that I’m the reason fot it. I shouldn’t have rejected her, and I regret every day I wake up without her. I should have pushed my selfish ways aside. At that time, I thought she wasn’t worthy enough of being my mate. In reality, I wasn’t worthy enough for her. But it hurts more to know that I missed my son’s first five years of life. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to make it up to either of them.
I stop staring at her beauty and kiss her forehead before walking out and heading downstairs. I can smell Will’s scent as I hit the bottom of the stairs and follow it into the living room. Noah and William are sitting on the couch watching a kids’ show.
“Is mommy ok?” Will asks when he notices me, his eyes filled with worry. I sit opposite him and Noah as I run a hand over my face.
“She’s just sad about your great grandpa,” I say with a sigh, knowing that’s not the full truth. He nods, jumping off the couch he was on to come sit with me.
I wrap my arms around his body, bringing him closer to me as we watch the show.
We stay like that for about an hour when we hear a loud scream come from upstairs. I give Will back to Noah and tell them to stay in the living room. I run upstairs, taking two at a time to Rose’s room. I hurry and open the door to see Rose thrashing in her bed, screaming.
“Get off of me, please!”
“Stop!”
“Please don’t hurt him. You can do anything to me.”
I go over to the bed and climb on top of her, straddling her. I pry her hands away from her face and see tears streaming down. Her breathing is heavy, but she has stopped moving.
Her breathing goes back to normal, so I climb off of her. She grabs the blankets and pulls them to her chest and over her head, shielding her from the world.
I silently get out of the room but leave the door open slightly in case she has another night terror.
“Did mommy have another nightmare?” Will asks, running up to me latch on my legs.
“Does she usually scream in her sleep, Will?”
“Only sometimes, but she won’t tell me why.”
I nod my head and tell Marcus and Noah to watch Will while me and Jake go to my office.
“What are you going to do, Alpha?” Jake asks as he sits down on the sofa. I ignore his question and pick up the phone to call the one person who might know.
“Hello?”
“Is this Alpha Zayne?” I ask when I don‘t recognize the voice.
“No, this is his mate. Who is this?”
“Oh, Alpha Luke, my apologies. It’s Alpha Nick Rollins.” The line goes dead not long after.
“Who was that?”
“Alpha Luke. Will told Nikolai that he looks similar to his uncle Luke and uncle Zayne, and I kinda just put two and two together, but he hung up.“
“Maybe the call just failed.”
I nod and was about to redial when the phone rings.
“This is Alpha Nick.”
“Alpha Nick, it’s me, Zayne. I’m sorry about my mate; he isn’t your biggest fan,” Zayne says and chuckles
at the end.
“Oh, okay then,” I say, taken aback a little.
“Anyways, what can I help you with. Nick? How’s Will and Rose?”
“They’re good, but I‘m actually calling about Rose. She had a nightmare and was screaming in her sleep. I was wondering if you know anything about that? She said some odd things during the nightmare that made me worry about why she has them.”
The other line stays quiet, and I actually think that they had hung up again, but Zayne speaks after a while.
“I know she sometimes wakes up screaming, but she has never told me or Luke why. The best thing to do is just calm her down during the terror so she doesn’t hurt herself.”
“Okay, Alpha Zayne. Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome, Nick. Good luck, and I guess congrats on the son.”
I chuckle and say a quick thanks before hanging up.
“What did he say?” Jake asks me.
“Not much. Zane doesn‘t know why she has them,” I say and he nods.
“Are you going to ask her about them?”
“And have her hate me more than she already does? Are you insane? No thanks.”
“Okay, okay. Fine. Though if what you told me yesterday about wanting her back, it might be a way to get her to open up to you,” Jake suggests. I don‘t want to upset Rosealine, but I need to know all her demons, not just the ones I caused her.
“You might be right, Jake. Thanks. Are you coming to dinner tonight with my family?”
“No man. That’s you and Will’s time. Is Rose going?”
“Yeah, I think so. I didn‘t exactly ask her, but I‘m pretty sure that she is.“
He nods and excuses himself. I follow shortly after to Will.
***
“Daddy, do you think grandma and grandpa will like me?” Will asks as we wait for Rose to be ready.
“Of course. They’ll love you like I do!”
“You love me, Daddy?”
I nod and send him a smile that reaches my ears.
“Do you love Mommy?” Will asks.
“I do, buddy.”
He sends me a smile before crashing into my arms. I chuckle and wrap my arms around his tiny body.
The Alpha's Unknown Son: A Shifter Romance Page 4
