“She loves you too, Daddy. I just know it.”
I pull back and look at him. He sends me a smile and I return one.
“Im ready.” Rose comes in wearing a black skirt and a white long-sleeved shirt. Her hair is perfectly straightened, and she has some makeup on her eyes that really brings out the blue in them.
“Daddy, you’re staring.”
I come out of my daze and look down to see Will grinning up at me. He pats my leg before running up to his mom.
I grab my phone from the side table and usher the two out the door. My parents’ house isn‘t far away, so I decided that we could walk. We stay in silence for a while before I start to speak. “How did you sleep?”
“Good, I guess. Thanks for carrying me in,” she says as a blush makes its way up her neck to her cheeks.
“You don‘t have to thank me.”
Walking up to my parents house, I see my brothers Noah and Nathan‘s cars in the driveway. I ring the doorbell and wait for someone to answer it. Will hides behind Rose’s leg, shielding himself. The door swings open seconds later, and my parents, Rachel and Jim, stand there looking as giddy as ever.
“Oh my, Rose, I haven’t seen you in forever!” My mother says as she pulls Rose into a tight hug. Rose nods and stares at her awkwardly, not sure to react to the reception.
“Calm down, Mom,” Nathan says as he comes and stands by my parents.
“It‘s nice to see you too, Luna,” I greet in return.
“Oh, honey, just call me Rachel. That luna title belongs to—”
“Mom,” I interrupt her in a warning tone.
“Oh, sorry. Anyways, come in!” she says and gestures us to come in. Will grips Rose’s pants tightly as we all walk in. She bends down and whispers something in his ear before picking him up.
“Hi, I’m Will,” he says quietly. Both my parents and Nathan stand there in shock as they stare at him. My mom’s eyes immediatley filled with tears as she sends him a smile.
“Exact replica, isn’t he? He seemed to have gotten his brains from Rose,” Noah says as he makes his appearance.
I growl at him while Rose silently laughs.
“Oh my, you’re right; he looks just like you when you were a baby, Nicky,” my mom says, using the nickname she has always called me. I groan and go to the couch to sit down. Everybody follows and sits down as well. Rose and Will sits with me on one couch as everybody else takes the other ones.
“So, how old are you, little guy?” my dad asks.
“I’m five, but I’m turning six in two days!” Will says excitedly.
“Wow! You’re so big. Are you in school yet?” my mom asks.
“Yep, I’m in pre-K!”
They all nod and continue to fire him questions. Mom heads to the kitchen a little later to finish cooking. After a while, my mom calls us into the dining room to eat.
“So, Rose, do you work?” my dad asks as my mom fishes out the food.
“Yeah, at a diner.”
My dad nods before taking a sip of his beer.
“And that pays the bills?” Nathan asks.
“It does.”
“Sometimes, Mommy has to leave me with Uncle Luke when it’s the weekends cause she works a lot,” Will says as he tries to pick up his potatoes with a spoon.
“I didn’t mean it like you didn’t work hard or anything, Rose. I was just curious.”
“It’s okay, Nathan. I didn’t take offense,” Rose says as she sends him a smile.
“So what are you doing for his party, Rose?” my mom asks.
“I don’t know yet. Since we will be here for a while, I guess I would have to discuss it with Nick.”
“Oh, that’s great. If you need any help, just let me know!” Mom says excitedly.
“Mommy, can I and Aurora play tag when we get home?”
“Sure, buddy.” He claps his hands and shows off his missing teeth when he sends her a smile.
“What about daddy’s wolf, can he play too?” Will asks.
“Goddess please say yes. Please say yes!” Nikolai says in my head.
“Um, sure, baby. Why not,” Rose says as she gives me a brief glance.
“Yay! I love you mommy!” Will screams as he kisses his mom’s face. She smiles at him, the love she has for him showing in her eyes.
We finish eating, and me and Rose take care of the dishes as Will talks with my family.
“Thanks for tonight, Rose.”
She nods and hands me a bowl to dry.
“I was thinking that maybe the pack could meet Will at his party. It’s kinda getting hard hiding him away from everybody,” I say, a little hesitant to hear her answer.
“Okay.”
“Really? You’re okay with that?” I ask, clearly shocked.
“Why wouldn’t I let the pack meet Will? His party is the perfect time too.”
“I think so too. Since we’re talking, I wanted to apologize fully to you. For everything Rose, I’m truly sorry,” I say, giving her my full attention, but she ignores me.
“I don’t need apologies, Nick. What’s done is done.” A sharp pain erupts in my chest and I hear Nikolai whimper. I ignore the pain and go back to washing dishes.
We finish the dishes in silence and decide it was to call it a night.
“Mom, we have to get him home. Please let him go,” I plead to my mom who doesn‘t want to let him go.
“Rachel, you can come over tomorrow to watch him if you want. I have to do a few things so…” Rose suggests, and my mom agrees and lets go of a half-asleep Will. We say a last goodbye to everybody before taking off. The walk is done in silence and we get home not long after.
“Mommy, can we still play tag?” Will ask as he yawns.
“No, baby, maybe tomorrow. It’s your bedtime.”
He nods resting his head on her shoulder. They disappear after I give Will a kiss goodnight.
My phone rings not long after.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Alpha Nick. We just wanted to inform you that Rich Sr. passed away at 9:50 tonight,“ Cindy, one the pack nurses, says on the other line. I sit down on the edge of the couch as I sigh loudly.
“Thanks, Cindy. Have you informed Rich and Marie?”
“Yes, Alpha. I was hoping you could tell the luna and beta.” I agree and say a quick ‘thank you’ before hanging up. I head to my office to gather my thoughts before having to deliver the news. I sit in my chair and think of the best way to go about the situation. A knock on my door brings me out of my thoughts. I tell the person to come in and see Jake standing in front of me with Marcus and Noah at his side. Jake has tears on his face, and Marcus is trying his best to comfort him.
“Did you tell her yet?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“Can I do it?”
“Of course, Jake. I’m so sorry.”
He nods and we all leave the room.
Rose is coming down the stairs but stops on the last step when she sees us. Jake looks up at her with his matching blue eyes that have tears swimming in them. Her eyes start to water, and she grabs the rail for support.
“It’s Gramps, Ro. He’s gone,” Jake says, barely a whisper. He goes to his sister to hold her.
“No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. He’s supposed to live forever. He promised he would, Jake. He promised.” Her whole body starts to shake as she lets the tears hit her brother’s shoulder. My wolf whimpers, not liking our mate crying. I want to comfort her, but I hold myself from doing so.
“I know, sis. I know.”
“He‘s gone, Jake. He won‘t see Will grow up or tell me it‘s going to be okay anymore. He-he’s gone,” she says as she cries gets louder.
My phones goes off once again, making all heads whip to me. Rose sends me a death glare before she starts screaming. “This is your fault! You’re an alpha! You’re supposed to protect your pack, but you let one die!“
Soon enough, she’s in front of me. She starts to hit my chest and push me back. Jake tries
to grab her, but she’s too fast for him.
“I COULD HAVE SPENT MORE TIME WITH HIM IF YOU JUST ACCEPTED ME. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU SO MUCH.” My back hits the wall and Rose tries to hit me, but I grab her arms and switch us around. She is now pressed against the wall.
“Rose, calm down.” I growl out and watch as realization dawns on her face. She looks at me for a long time before pulling away and running upstairs. I decide not to follow her and just go back to the others.
“Alpha, I’m sorry. They were just close so—”
“It’s okay, Marcus. I understand her actions. Just watch her please.”
He nods before going back to comforting his still-crying mate.
“Where are you going?” Noah asks as he follows me to the backyard.
“For a run. Don’t follow me.” I step outside and let the cool night wind hit my skin. I start off into a run to the woods and shift midair into my wolf.
My mind drifts off to Rose. She says she hates me. But how do you make a person, that hates you, fall in love with you?
CHAPTER 5
Rose
I sit on the couch and watch my son run around with the other kids. He gives me a smile that, on any other day, would have made me smile back. However, I wasn’t feeling it today. I couldn’t even fake it.
“Rose, it’s time to start,” Nick says from beside me.
He’s dressed in a black tailored suit with his hair gelled back.
I nod and stand up, straightening my black fitted dress. I call out to Will and watch as he runs up to his dad.
“Mommy, do I have to wear this suit the whole time?”
“Yeah, just until after the funeral, then you can change.”
He groans and rolls his eyes. I’d normally get him for the act of defiance, but I wasn’t in the right mood. I walk past the two and into the kitchen.
Marcus, my family, and Nick’s family were all in the kitchen. Their eyes all focused on me, sending me sympathetic looks. I ignore them and walk into the backyard where they’re holding the funeral. The whole pack is sitting down, either in chairs or in there wolf form by the trees. I sit down in the front row, and I am joined by my family and Nick’s. My mom sits at my left while Nick sits on my right with William on his lap.
I hear murmurs going around; no doubt, it’s the pack’s curiosity of Will.
“Who’s the kid sitting with the alpha? He looks just like him! Maybe he knocked up some random chick?”
I know Nick hears them too, because he hides Will in his chest. My anger starts to rise, and I have to clench my fist. I see Nick’s eyes watch me, and before I can get up, he does. He hands me Will before turning to face the others.
“This is a funeral. If you can’t keep your opinions to yourself, then leave!” He growls out to them, his alpha tone coming through. All their faces pale as they bow their heads to Nick. He ignores them and sits back. I can see the anger in his eyes despite the smile he tries to give me.
The service starts shortly after. My dad and Nick speak for eulogy. They talk about Gramp’s achievements and how proud they are of him.
“Mommy, who are they talking about?” Will asks as he watches his dad speak.
“Your great grandpa, baby.”
He looks up at me with teary wide eyes. I wipe away his tears and bring him closer to my chest
“But, Mommy, I like Gramps. He is my friend.” Will sobs into my chest. I try to hush him while I rock him back and forth. Nick concludes his speech and hurries down the stage towards us. He offers to take Will, but I shake my head. I feel the tears roll down my face but I don’t wipe them away.
The speeches wrap up, and everyone starts saying their goodbyes. A few of the pack members carry Gramps away from the backyard once everyone is finished.
The rest of the pack leaves as the family and close friends stay behind. I stare at the ground with a saddened face. I know he’s in a better place now, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
“There going to start the celebration -of-life party soon,” Nick says from beside me. I look up to find him staring at me. I give him a nod before standing up with William holding my hand. I make my way over to my mom who’s talking with my dad.
“Hey, Mom, can you take him for a minute? I need to do something.”
She nods and I hand her Will before walking back over to Nick.
“Do you think we could talk…in private?” I ask him and he nods.
He starts to walk towards the woods with me in tow. I don‘t know where we‘re going, but I stay quiet as he leads the way. He stops short right before a tree, causing me to crash into him. He turns around to reach out to catch me and bring me to my feet. I mumble a quick ‘thanks’ and give him a questioning look as to where we are.
He doesn‘t say anything and walks around the tree, so I do the same.
Rushing water comes down as a waterfall with multiple trees around surrounding the area. The water pools down below, and it looks clear as day.
“I found this place shortly after you left. I come here a lot. It helps to calm me and my wolf. It also lets me think without distractions. I thought you’d enjoy it too,” he says, a smile on his face as he looks at the scenery. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to say sorry about the other night. I was shocked about the news, and with everything that happened between us, I took it out on you,“ I say as I stand closer to him.
“You don’t have to apologize, Rose. I understand why you said those things, and you’re right.”
“No, Nick, I’m not. You’re a good alpha, and you didn’t deserve the disrespect I was giving you.”
He stares at me for a while before nodding.
“Thanks.”
“We need to talk about Will,” I finally let out the elephant in the room..
“What about him?”
“Nick, I’m not going to take away your kid from you, but I don’t belong to this pack anymore. I’m going back home in a couple of days.”
He growls loudly, his fist clenched to his side. I take a step away from him, not wanting to be in the way of his anger.
“You can’t leave. What about Will? I don’t want to miss anymore of his life than I already have, but I know he won’t stay here without you.”
“That’s why we need to talk about it. Can we please sit somewhere?” I say in a pleading voice, not wanting his wolf to take over.
He stares at me for a second or two before turning to sit on the edge of the pond. I take a deep breath and walk to sit next to him. I stare at the scenery before I start talking. He was right: it does make one calm.
“We can do some kind of shared custody or something. I know it’s going to be hard since we live far away, but we can figure something out.”
“Why can’t you just move down here?” Nick asks.
“Because this isn’t my home—”
“It used to be, and it can be again,” Nick pleads.
“Yes, it was my home, but you took that away, Nick. I have a life somewhere else now. It may not be a great one, but it’s mine and I worked for it..”
“Rose, if I could take it back, you know I would, but I can’t,” he says, his eyes never looking to me.
I stare at him for a second, taking in his facial expressions. Oddly enough, it’s not anger I see on his face, but sadness.
“Why did you do it, Nick? You could have told me you didn’t want me before we slept together.”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I never wanted a mate. I always thought it was too much responsibility. I was with so many girls before you that I knew you deserved more. We grew up together, Rose. You were my best friend’s little sister. Growing up, me and Jake promised to protect you and not let you be with a guy like…well, me. Turns out the moon goddess had other plans. I wasn’t good enough for you, Rose. I’m still not. I guess I thought you wanted more, and I didn’t want you to have to be with me just because I was your mate. At the party, I got carried away and let my wolf take co
ntrol. The day after, I realized what happened, and I felt horrible. I was supposed to protect you, so I did just that: I made you leave me.”
I was shocked at his words. I had never heard his reason why, and it definelty isn’t what I thought it was going to be. I feel tears prick my eyes, but I push them down. I am not about to show him that his words got to me.
“Split custody is what’s best. It’s really hard for me here, Nick. Please understand that.”
“As much as I want you to stay, I do understand, Rosealine. Tomorrow, we can figure out dates and stuff. Let’s get back. The party is probably starting.”
He doesn’t wait for me to respond. He gets up immediately and head back towards the house. The coldness and distance in his voice stuns me and causes a slight pain in my chest.
“He’s really hurting, Rose. Why can’t you just give him a chance?” Aurora whimpers.
“We are hurting too, Aurora, but it just can’t work. Our love is too far gone.” I cut her link shut so I don’t have to hear her whining. Standing up, I dust off my pants and try to listen for the sound of the party. Picking up on people’s voices, I head in the direction they’re coming from.
As I walk back, I get lost a few times. The territory is no longer familiar to me. The party is in full swing when I arrive. There are tables with food on them. The bar is serving alcohol, and both adults and children are singing and dancing.
“Mommy!”
I see my little boy run to me at full speed, so I lean down to catch him. He giggles when I pick him up and spin him around. The air grows silent, and I see the entire pack watching us.
“Daddy said that someone told the pack that he was my daddy.”
Will smiles at the pack. They all return his smile. I close my eyes in frustration and force a smile on my face as I look at William.
“Why don’t you go play with the other kids? I’ll come find you in a second.”
He nods and I put him down. He runs off to the other kids, and I make my way to Nick. He’s standing around drinking a beer with Noah, Jake, and some other pack warriors.
“Who told them?” I growl out as I approach the group.
“It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done, Rose.”
The Alpha's Unknown Son: A Shifter Romance Page 5