My skin is rubbed raw by the time I get out an hour later. I still feel sick to my stomach, and the full length mirror in front of me isn’t helping. I looking away, ashamed, and I quickly change into some sweats and a t-shirt.
I hear laughter coming from the living room. It’s William. Hearing him laugh and play with his dad and both our families tears me apart. How can I take him away from them? I always promised to keep him happy, but I still decided to take him away from the people who make him the happiest.
I make my way downstairs into the living room where everyone is.
“My plane leaves in a hour. Can you take me?” I direct the question towards Marcus, avoiding everybody else’s gaze on me.
“Rose, I told you, you’re not leaving,” Nick says sternly, making me look at him. Will hides his head under Nick’s chin as Nick clings to him just as tightly.
“I am. I have a home somewhere else, and as much as I missed all of you, I can’t stay here. Please, just respect that.” Tears swarms in my eyes as I look at my family.
Will runs up to me and flings his arms around my neck.
“I don’t want to leave, Mommy.”
“You don’t have to.”
Both Nick and Will look at me in confusion.
“He can stay with you. I can’t take him away from you, and he doesn‘t want to go back home. I’ll visit when I can, but other than that, we can FaceTime.”
“You can’t go, Mommy!” Will says as he grips my arms tightly.
“I have to, baby. I’ll visit though. You can stay here with your daddy, and you two will have so much fun together. You’ll have uncle Jake, Marcus, Nathan, and Noah to play with too. I’m pretty sure your grandparents will spoil you rotten. It’s better if you stay here with them.” I wipe his eyes and give him a faint smile, trying to keep my own tears at bay.
“B-but I’ll m-miss you! Please don’t go!”
I shake my head and hold him tightly as he sobs into my arms.
“William, your daddy can give you so much more than I ever could. You can get a lot of toys and games, and you will get to keep your room that’s five times bigger than yours at home. You will have so many friends here, and you will get to be around the people you will lead one day. Don’t cry, baby. I promise we will talk everyday and night.”
He nods and I can see a small smile play on his lips. I smile back and kiss him all over the face, making him giggle.
“I have to go, baby. You wanna drive with me to the airport?”
He nods again. I stand up and take Will into my arms before looking at everybody. “This might be harder than I thought.”
They laugh, getting up to hug me. One by one, I hug my family and Nick’s.
Nick remains seated. I can see the turmoil in his face. “Can I at least get a hug?”
“Nick…”
“Please, Rose … I promise not to take it further. Your family and probably mine will attack me if I do.”
I smile and look around to see everybody agreeing. I nod and go to him for a hug, but I’m immediately pulled to his chest before I can move.
His woodsy scent invades my nose as we breathe in each other’s scents.
“Please stay, Rose … I promise not to try anything with you. Don’t do this to, William,” Nick whispers in my ear, his voice full of pain.
“I can’t, Nick. William will be fine. You have to promise me he will be fine.”
He nods and clutches me tighter. When he pulls back, his eyes red and glossy.
“I promise. If you need anything, please call me. I love you a lot, Rose.” He kisses my cheek before he sits back down.
“You actually managed to convince him to leave? Impressive.” I turn around and see Noah in a wheelchair. He has a giant smirk on his face, and I smile in return.
“Well, as much as I know why you’re leaving, I’ll still hate you for doing it.”
I laugh as I go over to hug him. I stop when a growl comes from the girl who wheeled him in. I raise an eyebrow at her then shift my gaze to Noah.
“Oh, yeah, guys, this is my hot sexy nurse mate, Gabriella.”
We all stare at the mystery girl, her cheeks getting flustered by our stares.
“Well then, guess you won’t be missing me too much.”
He winks at me and pulls me down for a hug. “Not a chance…Luna.”
“I’m going to go get my bag then I’ll be ready.”
Marcus nods, but I see the tears in his eyes as he looks away.
I make my ways upstairs, taking in the house Ill be leaving once again.
***
“Dang you, Rosealine, for making me cry, AGAIN!” Marcus complains as he rubs his eyes once again.
I laugh and hug my best friend.
Next, I hug Will, who is already a sobbing mess. I hold in my tears, trying to stay strong for him.
“I’ll miss you, little man! I’ll call every day and night! Be good for your daddy, and don’t cause too much trouble!”
He nods and hugs me tightly. “Okay, Mommy! I’ll miss you so much!”
“I’ll miss you too, baby! I love you!”
“I love you too, Mommy! To the moon and back!” He gives me a kiss before going over to Marcus.
“Be safe, Rose! Call me when you land.” I nod and wave again before walking away.
I look back one last time, and I see both of them waving at me and sending air kisses. I pretend to catch it and stuff it into my pocket before sending them my own. They wave goodbye, and I wave back, doubts creeping into me.
I really hate flying!
CHAPTER 10
Nick
“Come on, Nick. You know you wanna. Just do it. Do it, Nick. Times almost up. Hurry, Nick. I’m only an arm’s length away. Just do it, Nick. Do it. Touch me, Nick.”
I bolt out of my sleep right as I’m about to touch Rose. I throw my head back and groan into the pillow. I am so tired of having the same dream over and over. Every time, I’m always so close to actually being able to touch her. And every morning, I wake up with the same desire I’ve craved for six long years.
A knock draws me out of my thoughts, its tiny sound letting me know it’s Will.
“Daddy, can I come in?”
“Yeah, buddy.”
His little body comes into view as he opens the door and walks in. He’s in his pajamas, a groggy look on his face. He climbs onto my bed and snuggles himself into the sheets.
I look down and see that my boxers are wet. It’s not a good look, and with my son around, it’s definitely awkward. I decide to change clothes and sheets.
I go the bathroom and step out of the boxers. I then grab a wet cloth to clean myself. I throw some water on my face to help wake me up.
Will has been coming in my room every morning at six am since his mom left a week ago. I know he misses her a lot so, I don’t mind it.
I sneak out of the room once I changed into some decent clothes, but not before kissing Will on the forehead. I make it out safely and go to the kitchen to make me some coffee. I hear noises coming from the living room, so I stop there first. Jake and Jason are watching the Dan Patrick show as they drink there coffee.
“Hey, guys.”
They give me a bow to acknowledge my presence, and I just let them be.
When I enter the kitchen, the omegas bow their heads at me. One of the girls hands me a cup of coffee, which I thank her for. I head to my office, my steps a little faster than normal.
I take a seat in my chair and see two missed calls on my office phone. I pick up the phone and redial the last number that called.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Rose. You called?”
“Nick, hey! Is he up?” I mind link Nathan to bring Will to the office before answering.
“I just had somebody bring him. How are you?”
“I’m good. Thanks for asking. Did he come in to your room again?” She sounds worried.
“Yeah, he did. He just really misses you, is all. No need to worry.”
The other line goes silent, and I know she’s trying to not cry.
“Yeah, I miss him too! It’s hard without him. But, I’ll come visit soon.”
Before I can respond, the door swings open, and a now wide-awake Will comes flying in. I wave off Nathan with a quick thanks.
“Mommy!” Will screams into the phone as he snatches it from me.
I shake my head and pick him up to sit him on my lap. They go on talking about everything Will did yesterday since Rose wasn‘t able to call last night.
After a good ten minutes, he hands me back the phone, jumps off my lap, and runs out of the room.
“So I have to leave for work in a minute, but I wanted to talk to you about something?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Well, I really don’t have the money to send all of Will’s stuff like I promised I would do—”
“I can transfer all the money you want in to your account. Just give me all the information I’ll need.”
“Okay, thanks! I’ll send you the stuff you will need when I get off. I really have to go though. Thanks again, Nick.”
The dial tone comes on. I sigh out of anger as I put the phone down.
I wish just that for once she would just talk to me. I know she only calls to talk to Will, but everytime he hands me back the phone, I get a small amount of hope. Only for it to be shut down when she hungs up in a hurry.
Saying this week without her has been hard would be an understatement. Before she came back, I thought that I would never see her again, so the thought of me dying alone was slightly okay. But now that I know she is alive and I still don’t have her hurts.
My lonely thoughts are interrupted when William runs back in to the room.
“Daddy, is Mommy still there?” I shake my head and watch as his head drops in disappointment.
“It’s okay, buddy. She’ll call tonight! But while we wait, what do you wanna do?”
“Uh, can I eat breakfast?”
I laugh and pick him up.
As we reach the kitchen, I notice all the kids, of Will’s age, go outside for their training. I remind myself to ask Rose when I can start William for his training.
“Alrighty, what do you want for breakfast?” I sit him down on one of the bar stools.
“Yeah, your dad’s a great cook, so anything you like?” Jake says sarcastically as him and Marcus come in and sit down.
I flip him off. I mean, I’m not that bad! Okay, I might have set the last oven on fire, but that was not my fault! Completely, at least!
“I want pancakes shaped like hearts with whipped cream, bananas, and strawberries to make a smiley face. Oh! And I want orange juice, but with no pulp. I hate that stuff.”
I stare at him like he has lost his mind.
“Jeez, tough order, little man!” Marcus says.
“Mommy, makes it every morning for me! She also bought me a waffle maker that makes Handy Manny waffles!”
“When did Rose learn to cook? When we were younger she hated even being in the kitchen,” Jake asks, looking shocked.
“Well, why don’t we call Maria. She’s a great cook!” I say, already mind linking her to come rescue me.
“Mommy cooks all the time! We went to a cooking class together. It was so much fun! She also knows how to do laundry! She folds my clothes so good! And she even knows how to draw. She paints me pictures ALL the time! She’s really just good at everything!”
“Sounds like it! Well, I have an idea. Why don’t we go into town and get her something after we eat?”
He nods and almost falls back when he jumps up to hug me.
“Okay, wait for grandma. She’s going to make you breakfast. I’ll come get you when it’s time to go. Jake, come with me.”
He hurry and kisses Marcus goodbye before catching up with me. I release his shirt and lead him back to my office. I mind link our members who deals with the finances, along with Jason, to join us. Thankfully, they are already there when we arrive, so we automatically start the small meeting.
“Okay, so I was going to do this earlier, but I never could think of a reason to do it, until now. Rose needs money to send Will’s stuff, so she is going to give me all her account information to do so. Before, I was just going to send her money, since I now know her address, but now I can do it where she won’t know. This way, I can be sure she will never be out of anything. Once I receive that information, I’ll send it to you, Carl, and have you do what you do from there.”
He nods, so I thank him and send him on his way.
“Not to be disrespectful, Alpha, but do you really think she wants your money?” Jake asks cautiously.
“No, I don’t think she does, but I don‘t care. I didn’t ask for your opinion either, Beta.”
“Again, Alpha, not to be rude, but did you not hear anything Rosealine said in the living room a week ago?”
I growl.
‘How dare he doubt his alpha. AGAIN!’ Nikolai sneers.
“Look, Jake, I heard what your sister said. But like I just said, I didn’t ask for your opinion. She’s my mate, and I will take care of her anyway I can, whether she likes it or not.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I dismiss all of them, wanting my alone time to cool down. I take a deep breath, trying to release all my frustration. I feel more on edge lately, wanting Rose back here more than anything. I know it’s was selfish, but I couldn’t help it.
As my head clears, I grab my car keys and wallet, and go find my son to start the adventure of today.
***
Five video stores, three malls, one ice cream shop, and a haircut later, we finally make it back home. Will didn’t find Rose ‘the perfect gift’, so I promised we could go again tomorrow. He is somehow still awake after everything, unlike me who’s exhausted.
“Daddy, can we call Uncle Luke and Zayne?” Will asks as I collapse on the couch in my office. He is spinning in my office chair. Do kids ever get tired? Aren’t they supposed to take naps?
“I don’t know, William. They might be busy; they are alphas.”
“You’re an alpha, and you don’t do anything.”
“Okay. Point taken. I’ll try, but I can’t promise you anything.” I go over to my computer, lift him up, and set him on my lap as I search for Alpha Zayne’s FaceTime. The call rings twice before Alpha Luke’s face appears.
“Lukeyyyyy!” Will shouts, making my ears ring.
“Hey, William! OMG! You’re so much bigger since I’ve seen you!”
“Uncle Luke, it’s only been two weeks!”
“Luke, who’s on the… William, what’s up kiddo?” Zayne interrupts as he sits down with Luke.
“Hey, Uncle Zayne, guess what?”
“What’s up, bud?” Zayne asks with a chuckle.
“Daddy bought me all this cool new stuff, and, OH MY GOSH, my room is so big! And I got to decorate it all by myself. Oh! And Mommy said that, maybe, in two weeks, she can come see me!”
“Wow! William, that’s amazing! Hey, buddy, do you mind if we talk to your daddy for a minute, by ourselves?”
Will looks sad but nods. He kisses my cheek before walking out, closing the door behind him.
“Is something the matter, Alpha Zayne?”
He shakes his head and looks towards his mate. They whisper to each other before they both turn to me.
“Look, Alpha Nick, I really don’t like you. Personally, I think you’re a total—”
“I think he gets it, babe,” Zayne interrupts and Luke rolls his eyes.
“Okay, fine. What I’m trying to say is we wouldn’t be telling you this if we didn’t think it’s important.” Luke sobers up.
I nod slowly, motioning for them to continue.
This time, Zayne speaks up. “I received a letter a couple hours ago, addressed to Rose. See, before she got a job, she and William used to live here. I thought it was strange it came here though, since all her mailing goes to her apartment since she moved there. I opened it up. Now, what’s
inside is what has been concerning me and Luke.”
“Well, what was inside? What did the letter say?“ I ask but they don’t answer. Instead, the screen is paused. After about a minute or two, they both appear back.
“Check your email. I attached a picture of the letter.” I nod and click the open tab to pull up my email. I open the email with the subject ‘Letter’.
Dear Cupcake
How I’ve missed you love. How long has it been? One, maybe two years? Who’s counting? Well, as much as I would love to sit and chat, I have some things to plan. One being your death! How’s the boy? I do so hope you both are well! Wouldn’t want to kill unhealthy people, right?! Why am I sending this letter again? Oh yeah! I wanted to tell you that your lovely little life is going to be crap in a matter of days! I am truly excited to see you! Well, farewells to you, love bug, for now at least!
Love,
Your REAL Mate ❤️
By time I’m done with the letter, my anger is at an all-time high. The pencil I was twirling in my hand is on the floor in shreds, and my vision is completely blurred.
‘I’ll kill whoever it is!’ Nikolai growls out. By now he has complete control over my body.
“Alpha Nick, are you there?” Zayne’s voice comes from the computer, drawing my attention back to them. Clicking the resume button, they both gasp when they see my eyes, a complete black shade.
“I’m guessing your not Nick?”
Nikolai shakes my head and corrects them.
“I’m Nikolai, Nick’s wolf. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Zayne. This is my mate, Luke. I’m guessing you finished reading the letter.”
Nikolai nods and growls out just thinking of it. “Do you have any evidence of who this came from? Please tell me Rosealine doesn’t know about this.” I ask through gritted teeth.
“She doesn’t, and we sadly have no clue where the letter came from. But we might know who sent it.”
Nikolai raises a brow and tells him to continue.
“Some things happened to Rose a while back. The man who did these things was never caught, and I’m guessing he is the one who sent the letter.”
The Alpha's Unknown Son: A Shifter Romance Page 9
