by Rua Hasan
“You knew that was the only one left, and you still ate it!” I said as I threw another punch at his chest, which I wish actually affected him.
“Baby, don’t be mad. I’ll buy you another one next time,” He assured me, but I gave him a stern look.
“I’m having cravings right now, damn it! Tell me what I’m supposed to do! Huh? You better go to the supermarket right now and get me something that will ease my cravings or so help me, Aiden Smith, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight,” I threatened again, but this time I saw a reaction from him.
His eyes widened, and he nodded quickly.
“Okay, okay, love. I’ll go grab the keys and get going. Just calm down. It’s not good for the baby,” he said then kissed my forehead as he rubbed circles on my stomach.
I nodded and watched as he retreated. He may be annoying at times but seeing him play with Ryder always makes my day. Thankfully the elders didn’t take away his ranking many years back when he got turned into a hybrid. It took a couple months of meetings and discussing the situation with them, especially for what to do with Ian.
In the end, we ended up executing him. We couldn’t let him go rogue because he did threaten us, so that was out of discussion.
I turn around once I made sure Aiden was out the door and saw Ryder still under the dining table while playing with his toys. I walked over to him and smiled.
I remember the day I gave birth to him like it was yesterday. Aiden and I didn’t know what he was going to turn out to be, a vampire or a werewolf, but once we looked at him, we knew exactly what he was. He’s just like his father, a hybrid.
“Come on baby. Let’s get you to your room so you could play there,” I said then took his small hand in one hand while the other held his toys. I walked upstairs and dropped him off to play in his room, leaving the door open.
I then walked down the hall and stopped right outside Sarah’s door. I knocked on it then opened it to see Sarah packing her bags.
I felt sadness return in my heart when I remembered Sarah had to move out of the house with her mate. It’s been years since I’ve adopted her, probably ten, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
Having her live with Aiden and me, along with our child, was one of the best feelings in the world. She’s like the sister I never had. But unfortunately, she will have to move out tonight because she found her mate a couple weeks back, and he wanted her by his side.
I was sad to let her go but knew if this made her happy then it will make me happy as well. I then closed the door and walked into her now empty room and sat next to her on her bed.
“Do you really have to go?” I asked, looking at her with sad eyes.
“You’re acting as if I’m moving across the globe. I’ll only be living two blocks away,” she assured me but still didn’t make me feel any better.
“Yeah, I know, but I’m so used to seeing you here twenty–four/seven. I was the one to raise you for ten years after all,” I said as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.
She then gave me a sideways hug and smiled at me.
“Yeah, I know, and I thank you for that. I’m not sure what would have happened to me if I never met you,” she said sadly as I noticed her eyes begin to water.
“Oh, you would probably be bored all the time since you’ve never met anyone as awesome as me,” I said trying to lighten up the mood.
She shook her head at me while grinning. She then looked at my stomach and poked it.
I slapped her hand away and gave her a pointed look as she smirked at me.
“So did you and Aiden find out the gender?” she asked.
I nodded happily and placed my hand on my stomach.
“It’s going to be a girl,” I squealed, and she gave me a big smile.
“That’s great, Stella! Do you have any names in mind?” she asked.
I looked at my lap as I played with my fingers and smiled sadly while nodding.
“Yes, actually, Aiden and I have decided that Alice is a perfect name,” I told her.
She was about to say something when the door slammed open and a running Ryder came.
“Sarah! Sarah!”
He ran to her. She opened her arms and lifted him on her lap.
“What’s wrong, Rayray?” she asked while using the same adorable nickname she always used. I just loved seeing them two together. They were like siblings who look out for each other.
“Why are you leaving me?” he whined while pouting. I’m pretty sure I noticed his eyes become glassy.
“Is it because I played on your phone without permission?” he asked.
“I’m sowy,” he said.
Sarah then put her hands on his face and wiped the tears that fell on his cheek.
“Hey, don’t be sad, and no, it’s not because of you, Rayray. It’s because I’ve found someone special, and I’m going to go live with him,” she said.
Ryder looked up at her with sad eyes.
“Do you have to go?” he asked.
Sarah nodded.
“Yes, but don’t worry. I’ll come visit every day,” she assured him then placed him on the ground. He then turned to look at me and smiled.
“Mommy, can I have a cookie?” he asked.
I smiled while nodding my head, then stood up and took his little hand in mine. I turned around and looked at Sarah.
“You can finish packing. Once you’re ready to go, tell me, okay?”
She nodded and kissed Ryder’s forehead. We walked out of her room and went downstairs to the kitchen. I opened the cabinets and took out a box of cookies and handed two to Ryder.
I took one myself to help ease the cravings, but it didn’t do much. I then heard the doorbell ring and waddled to the door. I looked through the peephole and smiled when I saw who it was. I opened the door and immediately got pulled into Marie’s arms as she squeezed me to death.
“Marie, you’re going to kill her if you don’t let go,” Liam told her, which I was thankful for because she let go almost immediately.
I took a deep breath and placed a hand on my belly which became a habit of mine.
“Hello to you too,” I said to Marie as she grinned at me.
“It’s been ages, immo! Oh my god! Are you pregnant with your third child?” she asked.
I gave her a pointed look.
“No, Marie. You two have only been gone for two weeks. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have enough time to go into labor and get pregnant again,” I said as I shook my head at her.
She only shrugged her shoulders at me then walked in with Liam following behind her.
“So how was the trip?” I asked.
Liam and Marie were both away for two weeks celebrating their fifth year anniversary while they left their child, Lilia, in the care of her grandparents.
“It was nice and would have been a little more peaceful if Marie over here wasn’t worrying about Lilia all the damn time,” Liam grumbled.
Marie shot him a glare.
“Hey! I can’t help it. It’s a mother’s instinct,” she defended herself.
Liam rolled his eyes.
“Yes, I know, but she’s perfectly fine with the care of my parents,” he said.
Before Marie could say anything else, the door opened, and Aiden walked in while carrying a bag that held a delicious smell. I jumped out of my seat happily and walked over to where he was standing. I then grabbed the bag from him and kissed his cheek.
“Thanks, honey,” I said and turned around so that I could take the cake with me to the kitchen, but he wrapped his arms around my waist, stopping me in my tracks. He then leaned over to my ear.
“Is that all I get? A kiss on the cheek, nothing else?” he asked.
I turned around and shook my head as I removed his hold on me.
“I would, but you’re the one who ate my cake in the first place, so no.” I then made my way to the kitchen and took a bite out of heaven. Once I walked back to the living room, I found Liam
and Marie gone as Aiden sat on the couch watching TV.
I then saw Sarah walking down the stairs with Ryder by her side as she carried her luggage. Aiden got up and walked with me to her. I smiled sadly at her when she was standing in front of me.
“He’ll be here any minute now,” she said.
She then put her bags on the ground and gave me a big hug.
“Thank you so much for being there for me. Words cannot describe how much you mean to me.”
She then averted her eyes to Aiden.
“Oh, and you too,” she said and grinned.
Aiden smiled at her.
I took her hand in mine, grabbing her attention.
“The moment I saw you, I knew you were special,” I said.
“How could I not have approach you when you were calling out for me?” I asked then hugged her again as I rubbed her back.
“Stella, would you stop acting like she’s moving all the way to India?” Aiden asked, but I simply ignored his comment since now was not the moment to smack him when I was saying goodbye to Sarah.
“I better see you here every day or else,” I threatened her playfully.
She nodded while laughing. We then heard a honking sound coming from a car, and Sarah carried her bags.
“That must be him,” she said then kneeled down to kiss Ryder on the forehead.
“See you tomorrow, Rayray!”
We said our goodbyes and watched as her mate got out of the car to help her with her bags. We then closed the door when we made sure they were gone. I looked at Ryder to see him rubbing his eyes sleepily. I picked him up and walked to his room to put him in bed.
Five minutes later, he was asleep. I walked over to our room and saw Aiden coming out of the bathroom. I walked over to him and kissed him on the lips. He wanted more, but I pulled away and gave him a teasing look.
“Nope, I’m tired, and all I want to do is sleep,” I said.
Aiden pouted and sighed.
“Fine,” he mumbled and walked over to our bed. I got changed into my sleeping clothes and got under the covers with the love of my life. He kissed my forehead and wrapped his arms around my waist, bringing me close to his chest but not close enough to apply pressure on my belly.
“I love you,” I said as I stared at his mesmerizing eyes. He smiled at me and kissed my lips.
“I love you too,” he said.
We both closed our eyes and fell in comfortable silence as we listen to each other’s heartbeat. I was about to get sucked into a deep sleep in my husband’s arms when I felt a kick in my stomach. I ignored it and laid my head on Aiden’s chest until I felt something wet between my legs and pain overwhelmed my body.
Oh shit, my water broke.
“Aiden,” I whispered in pain.
He opened one eye to look at me.
“Hm?”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“I’m in labor.”
“Shit.”
THE END
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01
Scarlett
“—Shift.”
I was jolted out of my daydreaming by the sound of a loud voice ringing in my ear. I turned around with raised brows to find Darlene, the shift manager of the small family-owned diner, staring at me expectantly with a tray of dirty dishes in one hand. I had clearly missed the important parts of whatever she had been saying to me.
A sheepish grin worked its way up my face. “What was that?”
She rolled her eyes and blew a stray hair out of her face. “I said, do you mind covering the end of my shift for me? My babysitter called. Apparently, Graham is running a pretty high fever.”
I nodded my head. “Sure, no problem.” It wasn’t like I had any plans for the evening anyway, other than obsessively checking the mail. There were only two weeks left before graduation, and I was yet to hear from any of the colleges I had applied to.
Darlene let out a small sigh. “Thanks, Scarlett. I owe you.”
I waved my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I know how hard it is on you being left to take care of Graham while Troy is away. I’m happy to help lighten the load.” Her husband had to travel a lot for his job, and that left Darlene with extra parenting duties.
She gave me a grateful smile as she turned away with the tray of dishes. “You’re truly an angel, Scarlett.”
I snorted at her comment. “I already agreed to cover you. You don’t need to kiss my butt anymore, Darlene.”
She gave me a playful wink before turning away, disappearing through the kitchen door. I slowly turned back around with a sigh. This was going to be a long night of nothing but the virtual emptiness of the diner.
I was happy when a familiar face shuffled through the front door of the diner, setting off the little bell that hung above the door. He lifted his hand to his head, ruffling his dark hair which was starting to look shaggy around the edges. This boy would look like a mountain man if it weren’t for my constant influence in his life. He met my gaze briefly as he reached out and grabbed one of the cheaply made menus from an empty table. He flipped through the pages quickly before setting it back down.
I pulled the pen and pad from the front pocket of my stained apron. “What can I get you, Wyatt?”
He shrugged as he moved closer toward me. “I think a cup of coffee will be fine. It’s been a long day.”
“It’s going to be a bit longer. Darlene asked me to cover the end of her shift,” I commented with an apologetic smile. Wyatt had promised to pick me up after my shift ended while I was running out the door this morning.
He let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair. “Of course, she did. Well, there is a meeting tonight. Guess it’s going to be extra long for both of us, sweetheart,” he replied with a sarcastic grin as I poured him a cup of coffee and placed it on the counter in front of me.
Darlene approached us carrying her purse, her jacket slung over her arm. “You know the coffee here is shit, Wyatt. I don’t know why you keep ordering it when you only ever have a sip and leave the rest.”
Wyatt ignored her comment. The two of them were always at each other’s throats for reasons unknown to me. He pressed his hands to the counter, breathing in deeply. His nose scrunched up a bit, and he looked over at me. “You smell.” I frowned at my cousins greeting as he sat himself down on a stool at the breakfast counter, grabbing the coffee.
“Gee, you really know how to compliment a girl,” I grumbled, my voice dripping with sarcasm. My cousin and I had a very close relationship, considering that my parents had taken him in after his father ran off and his mother got sick. He returned the favor when my parents died, taking me into his home and raising me like I was his kid sister.
“God, Wyatt…” Darlene remarked as she threw her arms into the sleeves of her jacket, pulling up the collar. “Even if a woman does stink, you shouldn’t comment on it. And you wonder why you’re still single.”
Her words brought a smile to my face, and I gave him a pointed look. I snickered as I turned away from my cousin who was pouting at the blunt reprimand he had received. I could see Winston, our cook, slaving away over the grill through the small hole, singing along to some garbage being gurgled out of the old boom box he kept in the kitchen. The diner was my home away from home, and its motley crew was my self-created wolf pack even if they were only humans.
“Wyatt,” she said his name in a flat tone. Darlene had never cared much for my cousin. Maybe it’s because he had a knack for putting his foot in his mouth… or maybe because they had gone “grown-up” together and he’d been quite the fool back in his younger years.
“See you tomorrow, Scarlett. Thanks again,” she called.
I turned around to gi
ve her a quick wave. “See ya, Darlene. Tell Graham I said hello and hope he feels better,” I called back as she exited the front door, the bell ringing again.
Wyatt lifted his gaze to mine, staring at me expectantly with wide eyes as if he was waiting for something. I stared back at him, shifting my hands to my hips. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?” I reached up with a hand and wiped it across my cheek, checking to see if there was any food splatter. It was a hazard of the job.
“Can’t you feel it, Scarlett?” he asked me in a soft voice so that no one else could hear. Hell, if it wasn’t for my extra-sensitive senses I probably wouldn’t have heard him either.
I narrowed my eyes in confusion at his question. “What are talking about? Are you feeling okay, Wyatt?” I reached out and placed my hand on his forehead. He pulled back with a furrowed brow and looked at me as if I had two heads.
“After all the complaining and whining I had to listen to from you… are you seriously telling me that you don’t feel even the slightest bit different?” he asked a little louder in an exasperated tone, waving his hand in the air dramatically. I had no idea what he was going on about or why he seemed so upset.
I looked around the small room at the other patrons who seemed content to ignore his outburst. I leaned forward, stuffing my notepad back into the pocket of my apron. “I don’t know why you think I should feel different, but I feel the same as I always do. Unless you want to count the fact that my feet feel like I’ve been walking barefoot on hot coals. These ten-hour shifts have been killing me,” I whined at him.
He gave me a slow blink, shaking his head. “Seriously, Scarlett?”
“What?” I questioned with a tired tone.
“Your scent—”
I held up a hand, cutting off his thought mid-sentence.
“I know. I know. I smell, but in my defense, you would smell too if you worked with greasy food all day,” I snapped at him, growing tired of the conversation he was having with me. If I wanted to be insulted, I’m sure I could easily find one of my peers to satisfy that need without a problem. Human or shifter, they were all eager to tear someone else down to elevate themselves.
