3 years later.
I stared down at the papers in my hands long and hard, my bottom lip trembling, mirroring the actions of my hands that clenched the test results.“I’m really sorry about this, Andrea, we've been trying our best to keep him from going into a coma but it’s getting harder and his health is deteriorating further,” The grey haired doctor said, he looked at me with a sympathetic gaze and reached out to hold my hand in his comfortingly.I pulled away before his skin could touch mine and forced out an awkward smile as I took a step back from the doctor and loosened my hold on the papers.Last thing I wanted was anyone's pity, most especially from a man who already looked down on my because I was an omega.“What…is that the only way?” I asked cautiously, I knew the answer to my question but I couldn’t help myself. I fervently wished there would be another way, I hoped there would be another solution.“Yes,” Dr. Martin nodded, his eyes still rested on my hand that I had moved away and his lips became pursed with discontent.He definitely didn’t expect an omega to reject his advances, much less a packless one. It was my new status, one that I’ve grown used to in the past two years. It didn’t matter to me, nothing mattered to me…not even the looks of disdain and list I got from Dr. Martin, no matter how unsettled he made me feel.“You will have to bring the father of your child over to see if his blood is compatible with your son's, if not…”The unfinished sentence made a heavy weight settle in my stomach as I nodded, showing my understanding. I swallowed thickly, staring down at my feet as my shoulders tensed up and my heart began to pound fast and hard in my chest. So fast that it was almost painful. I wasn’t just scared, I was fucking afraid! “Judging by your circumstances,” Dr. Martin began, no longer hiding the disdain in his tone, “I’m assuming that will be something that’s rather hard for you to do so we will have to discuss payments for life support for as long as you can afford, he will need it in the coming weeks,” Dr. Martins stuck his hands in his pockets seeing as I didn’t let him touch me and his lips stretched into a sneer.My fists clenched again, I was barely reeling in my emotions as is.“Are you insinuating that I don’t know who the father of my son is?” I asked with narrowed eyes, feeling anger grow in my chest along with the hurt and fear that was consuming me slowly.Dr. Martin cleared his throat and looked away, “I didn’t say those words, you did,” He said in an obvious tone. Then he brought his hands out of his white coat and walked out of his office, leaving me practically shaking with anger behind him.After a few seconds, I finally calmed my fear for my son, Cole.I had to be level headed for him.He was my only reason for living currently, if anything were to happen to him—For the nth time that morning, I held back my tears, squaring my shoulders as I finally left the doctors office and made my way to my son’s hospital room.When I pushed open the door, I felt drained of all my energy as I saw all of those tubes sticking out of my baby. He was so small compared to the life saving machines that surrounded him. His usual bright electric blue eyes were closed shut and his once beautiful olive skin was pale, despite being so young, his cheeks were hollowed and the more I started at him, the more my heart broken into a thousand pieces. I longed to see those eyes look up at me with bright innocence yet again and his smile when he saw Enzo or a toy.Enzo was at the bedside, his face buried in his palms and his foot silently tapping on the floor, no doubt exhausted from the countless hours he’d spent by Cole's side.He was such a blessing.I wished I could do more for him as a friend rather than always giving him reasons to worry.His sensitive nose picked up my scent from the door and his head raised to look at her.His blond hair was in slight disarray and his brown eyes had dark circles beneath them, yet he managed a smile as he stood up the second his eyes took in my shaken state.He didn’t ask any questions before pulling me into a warm hug, it took all the strength I had in me to hold back my tears as I let his warmth encompass her.“They said I have to get his father for the blood transfusion…after all it is a genetic illness,” I whispered into his chest, fear seeping into my tone and my legs shaking. Saying those words out loud made everything seem real.I felt Enzo stiffen and then pull back to look down at her, in his eyes equally conflicted emotions as he held my shoulders.“We have to do it for him, Andrea,” He nods, “You're going to have to contact him,”I took in a sharp intake of breath, my legs nearly losing it’s strength as the reality of my situation sunk in.After that night, after seeing his face, those blue eyes and hearing his name…I knew I couldn’t ever meet with him again.When I found out I was pregnant, I felt it was my second chance at life but going to that family would take that second chance away, so I fled, running away from everything the second my parents kicked me out of the house.Enzo helped me set everything up in a new city, my omega status still mattered here but at least I was free.For two years, I’ve been.Until now.Cole was just two years and three months old, he didn’t deserve all the pain he was going through.“They'll…” I breathed, “He'll kill me if he finds out I kept this from him or worse, why would he help me? Why would he want a child birthed by an omega?”“I,” Enzo called out with an expression that was strangely calm, “I will make sure nothing happens to you…you have to remember this isn’t about you, but Cole,”Yes, for Cole.For Cole I would do anything, I would willingly get on my knees and beg just for him to be okay.I loved my son more than life itself, I have spent the past two years being a completely different person, a much more happier person because of my son.I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.Even if it meant getting in contact with the Vincenzo family again.“Do you have a way to contact him?” Enzo asked as he pulled away and sat back down with a heavy sigh. He was obviously exhausted and I felt so guilty for it.I shook my head, “I don’t,” I fiddled with my fingers, “But I do have his nephew’s number…I’m—I guess I’ll have to start with him,”My blood ran cold after that final sentence.I heard Enzo grit his teeth in anger, he was remembering the incident from two years ago.So was I.It was still fresh in my mind and sometimes I still felt deep pangs in my chest from the rejection.Now I had to call Luke.How was I going to explain the situation to him?How was I going to tell him that I had a child for his uncle?ASPEN I let out a long lengthy sigh, audible enough to garner the attention of everyone sitting at the large dining table with him. Secretly I wished I never planned this so called family dinner, but I was pressured by my mother and the goddess knows I am unable to say no to that woman. He could feel my wolf restless though, barely beneath the surface, itching to show himself and end the long and trying meeting filled with ass kissers and fake smiles. Everyone’s eyes were on me now, it was almost eerie how every single one of my uncles and nephews and nieces along with my cousins all had blue eyes, it was like being stared down by a bunch of winter spirits. It was fucking uncomfortable. “Did you have something to say, uncle?” My least favorite relative, Luke asked. I'd noticed the man had come in with a smug expression and it had stayed on his face all through dinner , he had something he was itching to tell the family and I had no doubt that just like everything else that came o
For the first time in two years, I was standing right in front of him, the both of them actually. These two men changed the course of my life three years ago and I’d sworn the day Cole was born that there would never be a reason for me to stand in this position. Begging. Pleading. I had to put my pride aside for my son but how much was it going to cost me? I feared it would be more than I could afford and more than I bargained for. A part of me began to regret saying no to Enzo when he had offered to come along for support but I had declined, not wanting to stretch him too thin after all he’d done for me in the past few months. Now I was all alone in the lion’s den with false confidence as I met those striking blue eyes of his. “He's mine?” Aspen asked again, this time with a dangerous drop in his deep voice as the look in his eyes slowly morphed into what seemed to be rage. My breath words caught up in my tightened throat and I pursed my lips, staring down at my feet, cheeks he
Going back to the hospital felt like I was embarking on a dangerous journey, my breath was caught up in my throat as I sat at the back of the taxi, my eyes closed as I tried to control my breathing, my heart pounding so fast in my chest that it hurt. The adrenaline I had walked into the Vincenzo manor with had faded away and all that was left was all the pent-up fear I managed not to show in front of him. Aspen. His presence was almost suffocating, and talking to him felt like speaking to a brick wall on fire, nothing was getting through to him and I couldn’t get any closer either. I had expected to see sympathy in his eyes, a hint of attraction. But I guess that was just selfishness on my part, hoping the man would be different from what I expected, hoping there would be a semblance of the man I had spent a night with. But. Nothing. Now I was on my way back to the hospital because Enzo had sent me a text saying he had something urgent to attend to and he had to leave Cole's sid
The past three years, away from my pack and my parents have been the best years of my life, I enrolled in a part-time college while I did some freelancing jobs that enabled me to stay home with my son on the days I had no classes, when I wasn’t available, Enzo would be there. For three years, every decision I’ve made and every action I’ve taken was to escape my past, I planned to travel overseas, to where only humans reside, where they wouldn’t take one look at me, smell an omega, and scrunch up their faces with disgust. I hoped to find a place in the woods, far from civilization where I would be able to connect to my wolf more, to finally feel that connection I’ve never felt since the day Luke rejected me—For the past three years, I’ve been like a plastic bag floating in the wind just so I can achieve every goal, my head was always down and my answers were always yes, just so I could get past it all, just so my son will have a chance at a life that I never did. Then Cole fell sick
It took Aspen one phone call and twenty minutes later to change the doctor in charge of Cole’s treatment and kick Dr. Martin out of the room. Something told me the man wouldn’t be keeping his job but I couldn’t bring myself to care much. After going into the bathroom and fixing my hair until I looked presentable again, I sat by Cole's bedside and sent a few texts to Enzo, informing him of the changes but stayed silent about how the doctor hurt me. Last thing I wanted was for another doctor to get fired because of me. Aspen had called me the mother of his child, yet, even as they came to draw his blood to check if he was compatible with Cole, he asked them to run a paternity test in the process. The new female doctor they’d put in charge seemed to be a bit shocked by his request and her gaze drifted to mine a few times. She didn’t dare say no to him, it didn’t bother me one bit either because I knew what the results were going to be. In the next few hours while we waited for the
I stood there stunned, unable to process the doctor's words as Aspen took the paper from her hand. My eyes were glued to him as he read over the results, no hint of emotion on his face. "Thank you, doctor," he said dismissively. "You may begin prepping my son for the transfusion." My son. The words sent a shard of ice through my heart. "Wait just a minute," I said, finally finding my voice. "You can't just take him away from me. I'm his mother!" I exclaimed, my heart pounding so fast in my chest that I could barely breathe. Aspen turned his frosty gaze on me. "And now that I have been confirmed as his father, I have every right to take him. You kept this from me for three years. Be grateful I don't take legal action against you of do something worse,” Aspen uttered, his eyes narrowed and gaze kept on me. "Grateful?!" I cried. "How dare you! I was trying to protect him!" My clenched fists were trembling at my sides as I started at the man’s dangerously attractive face. This was e
The sedan pulled through an imposing iron gate and proceeded up a long, winding driveway, lined with towering oak trees. I gazed out the window in awe as an enormous mansion came into view, made of stone and brick, with countless windows and a wide front courtyard. The house looked like something that was built centuries ago yet still stood, it gave me a bad feeling. It was like something out of a movie. The Vincenzo estate was clearly designed to intimidate and impress. I shuddered to think about what waited for me behind those walls. The mansion seemed to be cut off from the big city and of course it was surrounded by a thick forest with only one path for a car. The perfect place to end a life, I thought to myself in dread. The car glided to a stop at the front steps leading up to a set of grand double doors. Before I could react, the man was grabbing my arm again, ushering me out of the vehicle."This way," he murmured, guiding me along the side of the mansion. We passed we
ASPENThe sound of the lock sliding into place gave me a sense of satisfaction. With Andrea secured, I could focus my attention where it belonged – on my son. I strode briskly through the pack house that has been in my family for centuries, towards the medical wing I had asked to be prepared for Cole’s arrival. Once I was sure the transfusion was a success and there were no complications, I was here to tell Andrea of my intentions. Yet as I walked, an uncomfortable feeling settled over me. I tried to brush it off, but Andrea’s devastated face lingered in my mind.Perhaps I had been overly harsh with her. But I quickly dismissed the thought. My actions were justified given how she had hidden my own child from me. To think I’d gone years thinking I would never have a child of my own yet she hid such a life changing truth from me? What was her reason? What did she stand to gain? No, any twinges of guilt were surely just vain attraction towards the woman. Andrea was cunning, manipu
ANDREA I woke up with a start. I jerked violently on the bed as I tried to gather my bearings. For a few moments, it reeked of that room, where Luke had kept me, it reeked of him and I could almost see his sinister blue eyes looking down at me, getting excited over the pain he inflicted. In a few seconds though, the haze cleared and I relaxed, realizing I was in my bedroom in the cabin. Safe. Right next to me was Cole. He was on the bed with me, his small fingers holding on to mine as he slept peacefully. I heaved a sigh of relief and my lips curled up as I watched my son sleep. Home. I gently pulled my fingers out if his grasp and caressed his hair gently as I watched his little chest rise and fall. We were safe. We were home. I looked around the room, feeling a it disappointed when I saw we were both alone. Aspen must be busy. I inhaled deeply once more, checking the state of my body. I seemed to be healing at a rather rapid pace but not fast enough, it stil
ASPENI gently brushed the messy strands of hair from Andrea’s face, my insides burning with anger as I took in the fading bruises and marks covering her delicate skin. My beautiful, strong mate, so tough yet almost broken by the horrible cruelty we had barely rescued her from.From my spoiled nephew who my mother had raised to be greedy and raised to hate everything that I am. The memory alone of finding her in that hellish basement cell, battered and almost dead…it made my blood boil with rage. If Enzo hadn’t held me back and reminded me she was more important, I might have torn the twitching remains of Luke limb from limb with my bare hands. Luke. Just thinking his name ignited a fresh wave of hatred and disgust towards the misguided kid who was once family. To think he had also dared lay his twisted hands on my mate…the idea was unforgivable. And he will pay for it. For every scratch, every bruise. Andrea’s breathing became slow and even as my fingertips stroked her brow soo
Countless emotions rushed through me as my eyes took in the sight that was in front of me. The cozy cabin’s living room came into view. The scent of fresh-brewed coffee mingling with the scent of breakfast, it made my stomach churn as I had no appetite for anything. There, in the middle where the coffee table was, sat Enzo and Lily, both watching with indulged grins as Cole enthusiastically showed off his prowess at a children’s board game, sweeping aside the pieces with gleeful abandon. Not a single hair was out of place on my beautiful son’s curls, not a mark or blemish on his beaming little face beyond the rosy flush of his excitement. He was safe. Whole. The relief I felt was so great my knees almost gave way. “My baby,” I breathed out in a shaky whisper. At the sound of my voice, three pairs of eyes swiveled in the direction of the staircase, taking in the sight of Aspen holding my admittedly worse-for-wear form. Enzo was the first to rise, hands held out in a placating mann
Everything hurt despite me being at peace. I’d honestly thought I wouldn’t feel anything once I was dead. Why did I still feel? A feeling of grogginess overshadowed my thoughts and I became painfully aware of my whole body as I stirred and clawed my way out of unconsciousness. My whole body felt heavy and my chest felt constricted yet, I could tell I was somewhere safe. I was laying in a deliciously soft bed, the kind of plush comfort I’d missed dearly. The crisp scent of freshly washed linens intermingled with the woodsy, piney aroma that could only belong to one place, my cozy little cabin back at Aspen’s pack. Confusion flooded my senses. Wait…how did I end up here? My brain felt foggy until the memories came crashing back like a violent wave. Luke’s sadistic torment, the crushing certainty that I would never see my precious Cole or family again, the terrifying descent into blackness. But then, cutting through it all…Aspen’s intoxicating scent had washed over me. That earthy
Luke paused mid-swing, chest heaving with the exertion of his hits as his nostrils flared. "Your bastard? Don't fret, my most capable wolves are out watching him. But once he's been...properly raised under my guidance, you needn't concern yourself with the affairs of children any longer," Like said, sounding proud like he was doing me a favor. The images his words stirred in my mind caused me to cry out, a deep, anguish filled cry at the thought of my precious boy suffering at the hands of such a sadistic bastard. The sight of my tears seemed to invite him even more, his expression turned into one of animalistic excitement as he continued his assault, cursing repeatedly as he made each hit. My throat became clogged up with blood, my eyes almost swollen shut, my lungs burned and I couldn’t see anything I could not thinks or feel, all that remained was pain. Blood, my blood, painted the walls in thick runnels with each strike that landed. Still I remained stubbornly defiant in my
A throbbing pain pounded incessantly behind my eyes as consciousness grudgingly slipped through, my mind clearing and my body becoming aware of its state. My head lolled listlessly to the side, cheek grinding against the rough, unforgiving concrete beneath me, I could barely hold up my head. As my fuzzy vision gradually cleared, a new kind of pain blossomed in my chest, the sickening realization that I was chained and spread in what appeared to be some dank, long-forgotten basement cell. "Awake at last, are we my little alpha?" A deep, sneering voice like poisoned honey reached my ears.Luke's hulking form stepped into my rapidly clearing field of view, his lips twisted into a smug sneer of victory. Revulsion and hatred churned in the pit of my roiling stomach at the sight of the vicious gashes I'd managed to inflict on his cheek now scabbed over. An injury from an alpha would never close up, it gave me even greater satisfaction to see how easily he looked like what he was on the i
The heavy silence hung in the air like a suffocating blanket after Theo's passing. Tears streamed down Maria's face as she clutched her dead mate's limp hand, her body shaking with sobs. Viktor looked shell-shocked, staring blankly ahead, his usual stoic expression cracked by raw grief. I pulled Cole tighter against my chest, his small frame trembling from fear and the effort of his earlier wails. My own tears flowed freely as the devastating loss hit me in waves. Despite barely knowing him, Theo's dying words echoed through my mind, his belief in me, A profound sense of both peace responsibility settled on my shoulders.The doctor and Viktor lifted Theo's now cold body from the ground and lay him down on the bed and then the doctor covered Theo's body with a white sheet, his head bowed in somber silence. Just then, heavy foot steps sounded above us. We all tensed, braced for another attack in our fragile state.The door burst open and a large figure strode in, it was Luke, Theo's
The dining table soon turned rather chaotic as Theo's hacking only worsened by the second, his face turned blue and purple his lips became drained of colors they were as white as snow and everything was a symptom of poisoning. Damien held his father close while he shouted orders put to the maids to go get the pack doctors. I could hear just how fast my heart was beating, how the blood fished in my ears and made them ring. Through it all, Theo’s eyes somehow remained locked onto mine even as they started to glass over with sheer, anguished struggle. An eerie sense of acceptance seemed to emanate from their glassy depths, as if he knew…No. I shook my head. Before that unthinkable notion could fully take shape, a series of thunderous booms shook the foundations beneath our feet. Dishes clattered from the table as the heavy wooden chairs skittered across the stone floor, creating more chaos and confusion.I lost my balance and almost fell face first on the floor. “What the fuc
“Maria,” Theo’s low rumble brooked no argument from the corner where he loomed beside Damien and Viktor the two stony-faced brothers pointedly disincluding themselves from the impromptu family scene.I didn’t blame them, I tried my best to push their chilly attitudes to the back of my mind. If I can handle Aspen, I can definitely handle them. Laughing lightly, Maria rose and dusted off her apron with familiar fondness. “Yes, yes, you’re quite right. We’d best get dinner underway before someone’s stomach starts growling us all into submission,” she teased with an amused glint in her eyes. Beckoning me forward, she looped an arm through the crook of mine as if we were lifelong friend. “Come along, dear, and we’ll get you and the little one settled at the table. I want to hear all about your journey here,” she said, her voice filled with genuine curiosity. I wish I could say I was used to things not happening as I expected them to but quite frankly, I was taken aback by how easi