Back in Town

After giving my temporal resignation to my boss and promising Diana that I will continue to support her with rent, I head to Fallonmore with my son... and my boyfriend.

Felix still doesn’t know the truth about who I am. The real me. And has no idea that I'm taking him into private territory. To a werewolf clan.

I know I have to tell him at some point, but not yet. I can't risk him getting scared and deciding to leave me to face my family and my poor decisions on my own. I couldn't.

Besides, once he sees that werewolves are more civilized than average humans, maybe he'll decide we're not as scary as Hollywood make us out to be.

“I have another question," Felix says, squeezing the hand he has on my leg while I drive, "Will Laurie's dad be there?”

Uff. Yes, he will.

“Uhm, I don't know," I mumble, scratching my head, "God, I'm so damn hungry... Are you hungry, baby?”

“A little," he replies, not noticing my pathetic attempt to change the subject, “How much longer till we get there?”

“About forty minutes. There's a burger place as soon as we get into town, we should go there. You'll love it.”

“Sure. Whatever you want.”

We spend the rest of the way listening to music and talking. And as soon as we get to Fallonmore, the scent of home and family makes me feel warm inside.

This is where I’m supposed to be.

I look at the back seat and see Laurie, looking around and sniffing everything with his little button nose. I roll down the windows a bit so my son can smell the rest of his family and his real home for the first time.

There are guards around the entrance to the clan, but they don’t say anything while I drive past them, they just take notice of the car and the clan stickers I still have from back in the day.

“Holy shït, I was imagining something abandoned and old, but it's all very nice. Very, very nice," Felix comments a few minutes later when we finally reach the main street where my clan's town begins, “I mean, since it's so hidden.”

“Yeah, these people like solitude. They never wanted to expand to join the city.”

“I kinda get it, now. Rich people love their privacy… oh, is that the place you were talking about?” he asks and points to Mrs. Weyster's restaurant. In nod and pull in.

To my incredible luck, there's no one here yet. It's barely eight in the morning on a Monday, most people are at work.

I get off with shaky legs that don't stop shaking as I put Laurie down or as I walk into the restaurant.

The second my butt touches the seat, Mrs. Weyster appears from the kitchen with a big smile.

“Olivia, is that you?” She asks and I have to get up to greet her with a hug. “Where the hell have you been, Little Taffy?”

“I got a job in the city and had to move there,” I lie, even though she can smell it on me. I hope she's polite enough to not call me out on it, “This is my boyfriend, Felix. And my... my son.”

“Oh? You had a son?!” she asks excitedly and I know soon the whole town will know. Mrs. Weystar will tell her daughters, they will tell their friends and they will tell their families. And in less time than I would like, everyone will know. However, the fact that I've introduced Felix as my boyfriend stops Mrs. Weyster from asking who the father is, “I cannot believe your momma didn’t tell me about this beautiful little pup. What’s your name?”

“Laurie.” my son answers.

“Laurie," she repeats with a sweet smile, "What do you like to eat, Laurie? Your mommy liked nuggets, back when she would come here with your grandparents at your age.”

My son shakes his head in confusion at the mention of grandparents.

“I-I like nuggets, too.”

“And a couple of burgers for us, please" I add. Mrs. Weyster nods and heads back to the kitchen, “Uff.”

“Do I have grandparents?” My son asks as soon as we’re alone. Felix just looks at me, waiting for my answer too.

“Yes," I answer, "You’re going to meet them today. You also have four aunts and maybe some cousins.”

Or even half-siblings. But I definitely don't want to think about Daniel having children with Clara. No.

I also don't mention that he also has grandparents on Daniel's side. Two uncles and who knows how many other people at this point.

Much faster than I expected, we finish eating and we have to go to my house. I'm not ready at all, but I have to get moving.

I drive slowly through my clan absorbing all that has changed but especially what has stayed the same. Nostalgia like I've never felt before makes my eyes wet, but I don't let tears fall.

“Everything is so damn fancy.” Felix mutters, looking at the houses and pretty landscaping, “And the houses are mansions. Damn, Oli. You didn’t mention you were rich.”

“My dad is the mayor, actually, so my family has a lot of money… but I don’t,” I mention. And adjusting to living paycheck to paycheck was also incredibly hard for my spoiled äss.

Felix looks at me for a second like he’s realizing something is not right between me and my family and I know the conversation between us needs to happen very fast.

“That house smells like us," Laurie says from behind me as I park in front of my house and although Felix looks quizzical at the comment, I get excited.

I forget my nerves for a second, open my door and get out to pull my baby out of his booster seat.

“That is our house, Laurie. Look at you. You’re a big boy with your big boy nose," I squeak, caressing his precious little nose and making him laugh, but the cute moment doesn't last that long because I hear the door open and then a lot of footsteps towards us.

It's been almost four years but I still recognize those voices.

"Look who finally decided to come back." Stupid bïtch Clara.

"Who even invited you?" Carolina.

"It was about time you showed your stupid face around here." Lucinda.

"Oli Rolli!" And that’s Rosie, the youngest and sweetest sister, running to catch up with me, but as soon as I turn to them with a child in my arms, the four girls stop and shut up.

The first to react is Lucinda, who was already aware of the news. She takes a few steps until she reaches us with her full attention on Laurie and reaches out her hands to hold him.

“These are your aunts, Laurie," I inform my son to calm him down when I smell his uneasiness, "This is Lucinda.”

“They smell like us," he mentions and Lucinda lets out a smile, taking him from my arms to hold him and burying her nose in his neck, scenting him.

“What's going on?” Rosie asks, still unmoving. "Is he yours? W-what? How?”

“Olivia, explain this," Carolina pleads. And then Clara comes closer with her stupid face full of tears, looking excited.

I want to fücking punch her. “Oli, can you tell us what's going on?”

“This is Laurie, my son. And this is Felix, my boyfriend," I introduce when I feel him beside me. Suddenly all eyes are on him and they only have to sniff a little to realize that... “Please be careful with what you say.”

“He's not... the father, is he? It can't be.”

“No, I’m not the father," Felix laughs, sounding nice and cute and taking a step towards them.

They give him a couple of emotionless waves and look at me with eyes full of intensity and questions.

“Can we touch our nephew?” Rosie asks sounding annoyed but respectful. Lucinda is the only alpha among us and she can do whatever she wants, like take possession of my son, “Please?”

“Okay, but," she says, her voice charged with power. So much so that it subdues the four omegas present and forces us to listen to her, “Olivia doesn't need her ears being eaten with questions. Laurie is her son and that is all we need to know. No questions about the father will be accepted.”

My sisters are immediately filled with morbid curiosity, but they accept Lucinda's words and then take turns holding and scenting Laurie.

My stomach contracts with hatred and guilt when Clara carries him. I have no reason to hate her and that's what fills me with guilt.

She is my sister. Five years older than me, but we were always close... until that night.

When Clara smells Laurie, she stops for a second and my heart does the same. I know she can smell her husband, too, but if she doesn't think there's reason for my son to smell like her husband, I don't think she'll make the connection.

Precisely, a second later she pushes that aside and smiles toward her nephew... and stepson, I guess. Ew.

“Come on in, guys," Lucinda invites us as Felix pulls our bags out of the trunk and we climb the stairs to enter my house.