Dominic

 Ten years ago, the first string of homicides rained down on New Orleans, my home, the place I was born and raised in. Crime was always present, but I don’t remember them being this bad. There was still rape, domestic violence cases, robbery, and even fights. Homicides just randomly joined the crime category. It wasn’t as bad as first, but once I turned fourteen, it increased. Once that happened, mom sheltered me for the rest of my teen years.

             I wasn’t allowed to travel anywhere unless I had my older brother and sister with me. But, once I hit my earlier twenties, I’ve become rebellious. I didn’t stay inside the house, and when I did leave, I didn’t come back until the next day. I knew it was hurting my mother, but I couldn’t stand being at home. I couldn’t stand the pack, and I damn sure couldn’t stand the pack leader, James McCallan. He was an enemy to me, in my eyes.

              He treats me like the scum of the Earth. His father, Brent McCallan, was a better leader and he treated me a hell of a lot better than his fucking son. I swear, sometimes I just want to fight this son of a bitch, but I would’ve gotten my ass beat without fail. See, I'm lacking everything that makes up a werewolf. I don't have the wolf nor the abilities that comes with the wolf.

               I tried connecting with it and everything, but nothing works. And because of this, James tried to cast me out of the pack. However, if it wasn’t for my brother and sister, Seth and Janelle, it would've happened. James did low rank me, though. He placed me in the Omega pack, the one pack that I wanted to avoid at all costs. This pack was the weakest ever, and they made sure you felt that way.

            You can’t do shit with the Betas, Thetas or even the Alphas. Every time the pack hunts, I had to stay behind. James made it clear that I had no rights to hunt with them. So, as they hunted, I stayed back and waited for their return. 

             Today was another hunting day for the pack and another day for me to stay behind. I would be selfish and beg my family to stay behind with me, but it's every family for themselves. You don't hunt, you don't eat. Simplest way for me to put that.

            While they were away on the other side of the Bayou, I decided to take a stroll over by my favorite spot, the swamp. Tall grass and wet soil underneath my steel toe boots always calmed me down. The moon shined brightly that evening lighting up my path. I enjoyed the lonely nights. Just me being by myself was what was best for me at that moment. No drama and no bullshit from anyone in the pack.

          As I glanced at my feet, I thought about how one day I would finally access my wolf and I would finally be able to beat James' ass. A sound of leaves being stepped on caused me to turn around, immediately. At first, there was nobody there. When I heard the sound again to the left of me, my eyes snapped in that direction. London waddled her way over to me, slowly. Her hand was placed under her pregnant belly as she walked. 

        London was James' wife and she was also my best friend until James put a restriction on that. I was surprised she was still there. Normally, she would be with the pack on her husband's side along with James' other two wives, Brittany and Jenny. 

       "I didn't know you were here." I said to her.

       She smiled, revealing the dimples on her face. She pushed her light brown hair to her back before she looked back at me.

        "I don't think James wanted you to know." She said.

       She bent over in pain, releasing a loud gasping noise. She clutched the front of her cotton white dress like she was in pain.

            "Are you okay?" I asked her, worried.

            "You know," London began. "Real men would stay behind when they know their child is about to come into this world."

          She moved closer to me, then she grabbed a hold of me, making a groaning sound. I held on to her, making sure she did not fall onto the overly wet grass. Shortly after, she began to breathe heavily.

           "He goes off hunting, knowing I was going to be in labor!" She cried. "He would rather be with Jenny and Brittany instead of me!"

          "London, I don't think-." I tried to defend James, even though I hated the guy, but London shook her head at me before i could finish.

         "He knew." She gasped. "These contractions didn't just start, Dominic. They…. They've been here before he left to hunt."

         She moved closer to me and groaned again, holding me close. Her nails dug into my back and I hissed from the slicing pain she placed on me. 

         "We need to get you back to the-."

         She screamed at the top of her lungs, causing me to jump. She tightened her hold on me almost squeezing the life out of me.

         "HE'S COMING!" She cried out loud.

         She lifted her dress up and I noticed blood dripping down her leg. Blood poured onto the grass beneath her shoes. I cursed to myself as I held on to her. I don't know why she came to me. She knew she was not supposed to be around me. I didn't give a fuck about James' rule, but I didn't want her to get in trouble for it. Releasing a sigh from my lips, I kneeled and held her dress up. She placed her hands on my shoulders, pushing as hard as she could. As soon as I saw the pile of curls appear from her area, I removed my shirt from my body and held it in my hands, ready to grab the child. 

          "Push harder." I told her.

          "I can't, it hurts!" She cried.

           "London, you need to push!"

           Tears and beads of sweat mixed together as she followed my orders. I heard the forced grunt come from the back of her throat as she pushed. The child's head lowered until I was able to make out his face. She took a deep breath before she continued pushing. I grabbed the child around his neck, pulling him as well. The child's body began to surface.

         "One push, London." I said to her. "You're almost there."

         She pushed one last time and the child dropped into my hands. I wrapped the child in my shirt and pulled him towards me. I placed the child against my chest and patted hard on his back. I got back up, letting London rest on me as well. She was breathing hard, but her main focus was on her son.

        "What's wrong with him?" She asked me.

         "I don't know." I told her, still patting him. "He's not breathing."

         She leaned up and grabbed the baby from me. She patted him as hard as she could, trying to get the to take his first breath. She started to panic.

        "Did I do something wrong?" She asked me.

        "No, you did amazing." I told her.

        "Then, why is my baby not breathing? Was it too soon for him to come out?"

         Before I was able to calm her down, a deep growl came from behind me. I glanced at her and her eyes widened. She stood up straight and stood in front of me. We both recognized that growl. We turned our attention to the bushes and saw James standing there with glowing red eyes. He was pissed and I already knew why. London turned to me and handed the baby over.

         "Grab the baby." She ordered me.

         "Touch him and you're dead, you fucking reject." James growled as he walked towards us.

        "Now, Dominic!" London shouted.

        I wrapped my arms around the child and turned my attention to James. The pack was right behind him, including my siblings, Janelle and Seth. I went back to patting the baby on the pack. James tried to get past London, but she was not having it.

             You know better.” James growled at me, trying to get to me, but London stepped in between. He turned his attention from me to London. “ Are you fucking kidding me?!!!”

           “ I was in labor!” She shouted back at him. “ He did what you weren’t here to do!”

           “ Dom!” Seth shouted my name as he walked over to me.

           I looked at him and held the child to my chest, still patting its back.

          “ He’s not breathing.” I told him.

           Janelle walked over to us as well and looked at the baby.

     “ What’s wrong with him?” She asked, causing everybody to look over at me.

     “ He’s not breathing.” I told her and looked towards James, who just glared at me.

     

     James shook his head and tried to walk past London, but London followed him, infuriating him even more.

      “ You better move.” He growled at her.

      “ Not until you calm down.” She told him. 

      “ I’m not calming down for shit.” James told her.

    “ Well, you might want to.” I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

    I turned and saw Aunt Nancy walking over to us. She walked over to me and grabbed the baby from my arms. She took the baby to James and James grabbed him without hesitation. As soon as James grabbed him, the child began to move. Then, he started to cry out loud.

    “ The baby needs to feel his father before they began to get active.” Aunt Nancy explained.

    “ That’s great.” London told her, then turned to James. “ Can I have my son back?”

    “ He’s my son, too.” James told her, cradling the child in his arms.

    “ Oh, really?” London asked, getting mad. “ I pushed him without you by my side. You don’t have no right to claim him.”

          James’ facial expression changed when she said that. 

           “ You’re my wife.” He told her. “ This child has the rights to my name and everything here.”

           “ He’s not taking your last name.” London announced.

           The whole area gotten quiet. You didn’t hear anything, but the wind blowing from the humid breeze and leaves rustling from it.

          “ You have no right to make that decision.” James told her.

    “ ONCE IT COMES TO MY SON, I DO HAVE A FUCKING RIGHT!!” London shouted at him.

    

           Jenny and Brittany walked over to James’ side. James tried to hand Brittany the baby, but London wasn’t having it at all.

            “ You better not touch him.” She told her.

       “ Why are you being like this?” Jenny asked her. “ We let you play with our kids all the time. We’re all a family.”

        “ You touch him, and I’ll kill you where you stand.” London threatened, her eyes still locked on James.

   

          James sighed and turned his attention to everybody that was around. 

         “ You guys take whatever you guys brought to your houses.” He ordered. “ This is between my wife and me.”

   Everybody headed out to their homes. I was about to follow Janelle and Seth when London grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

    “ Please stay, Dominic.” London begged.

    “ Really?” James asked. “ That bastard is not in it.”

    “ Actually, he is.” London said, releasing me. 

    “ You know our husband doesn’t like him.” Jenny reminded her.

     “ You mean my ex-husband.” London said.

     "You can't make that decision." James told her.

     "I just did." London said.

     I put my hands in my pocket and looked down. James sighed, and I felt low-key bad for the dude. 

     “ Why are you doing this?” James asked me. “ And you’re doing this in front of this fucking asshole!”

     “ This isn’t about me.” I told James.

     “ Man, you shut the fuck up!” James shouted at me, causing me to look up at him.

     “ Man, fuck you!” I shouted back at him.

     “ You better shut the fuck up!”

     “ You're so worried about me. You need to worry about losing your wife and your son."

      I heard James’ growl again. “ Don’t tempt me, you fucking reject.” He warned. “ I will kill you.”

     “ You’re not touching him.” London told James. “ Give me my son.”

     “ He’s my son, too!” He shouted back at her. “ You’re not taking him from me!”

     

     I heard a growl leave from London’s lips, and I immediately backed away from her. 

     “ You really want to do this?” James asked her. “ If we fight, I will hurt you.”

     “ Then give me my son.” She said again. 

     

     He shook his head, but this time, he didn’t argue back. He walked up to her and handed her their newborn son. London rubbed her head against her son before turning to me. 

    “ Can you take me home?” She asked me.

    “ Sure.” I told her as I picked up my shirt off the ground.

    “ So, you really are done with me?” James asked London.

    “ I’m completely done with you.” London answered. “ I’m tired of being treated differently from these two.”

    “ What are you talking about?” Brittany asked. “ He treats us, equally.”

   

    London chuckled, then shook her head. “You’re a fucking lie, Brittany. He treated you two like you were his everything. I had my first child with him and where the fuck was he when I was in labor with his first son? With the pack and you two were with him, on his side.”

          “ That doesn’t mean that I don’t love you, London.” James said. 

          “ It means something, James.” London said. “I don’t want to feel unloved.”

          “ I do love you.” James told her. “ I love you guys, equally.”

     “ I’m done.” She said, bluntly. “ Ladies, enjoy your husband.”

     London grabbed my arm, and she nodded at me, letting me know we can leave. As we walked off, I could feel James’ eyeballs burning a hole into the back of my skull. I knew he was hurting, but he was wrong. And seeing him hurt was the best thing ever in my eyes.