I hit him on his arm and he chuckles.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
Why couldn’t Nick become ugly over the years? Curse those green eyes.
CHAPTER 7
Rose
“So what did he say to you?” Marcus asks as we watch Will give his friends rides on his new car.
“Uh, nothing important.”
He rolls his eyes and shoots me a glare. “Okay, I get you don‘t want to tell me, but can I at least get a hint?”
I chuckle, shaking my head. He whines, pouts like a baby, and gives me puppy eyes. He sighs after five minutes of me not budging.
“Ugh! You kill me, Rose. Well, whatever he said must have gotten to you cause I can still smell your arousal.”
I try to hit him, but he moves away quickly, laughing as he runs away.
I sit back and relax. I close my eyes, thinking of what exactly Nick meant. He seems so determined that it’s making my emotions go haywire.
Do I want Nick? Of course not.
Do I find him attractive? I’d be blind if I didn’t!
Then why do my emotions go crazy when I‘m aroused around him? This is why I don‘t think because my subconscious always pins the blame on me.
I look to my left and see Nick staring at me intensely. I hold his gaze for a while. He raises an eyebrow at me, but I just continue staring.
“You could just go talk to him.” I jump a little and look to my left to see Will taking a drink of my water.
“Who are you? Doctor Phil?”
“Nope, just smart! And I have a full head of hair, so definitely not Doctor Phil.”
I shake my head and pull him down to my lap.
“Well, Mr. Smarty pants, how are you enjoying your party?”
“It’s amazing, Mommy. Best party ever!” he says excitedly
“I’m glad William. I see you made a lot of friends.”
He nods and points out all of his friends. He tells me what‘s great about each and every one of them.
“Hey, bud!” Nick says, messing up Will’s hair and coming to sit beside me. It was a little too close for comfort.
“Hey, Daddy. Why were you and Mommy having a staring contest?”
I stare at my son, wide-eyed, as he smirks back at me. The little brat asked on purpose.
“Cause staring contests are fun, and your mom’s a sight to see, so why not?”
I feel both pair of eyes on me, but I keep mine down, finding something interesting in my shoes.
“Okay, Daddy, I‘ll leave you two alone.”
I snap my head to see Will running away, sending me a grin over his shoulder.
“What are you doing tonight?” Nick asks me, avoiding eye contact.
I look at him confused before giving a low ‘nothing’.
“Good, were going out,” he states as if it was a normal thing to say.
“What drugs are you on? And can I have some?”
He turns his face towards me and stares at me blankly. “I’m not on any drugs, Rose. We’re going out. Be ready by seven.”
“Nick, I don’t know what delusion you’re in, but I’m not going out with you.”
He takes a sip of his drink and sits back, causally looking out into the yard.
“Again, not in any delusion. I just want to take you out. What’s so hard to understand about that?”
“Um, maybe the fact that you I highly dislike you? So maybe you can get where I‘m coming from.”
He stays quiet, ignoring what I just said completely. I wave my hands in front of his face until I finally getting his attention.
“Oh, no, I get where you’re coming from, but I made a promise to you about twenty minutes ago, and I plan on keeping it. So, unless we‘re under attack, be ready by seven,” he says as he stands up and smiles at me before walking away.
I really don’t think he’s right in the head! And who does he think he is? Just cause he says be ready at seven, doesn’t mean I’m going.
Sighing loudly, I grab my water bottle and get up to find my parents. They’re sitting down by the bar with Cindy and Mike.
“Hey, Mom,” I say as I sit down beside her. She says a quick ‘hi’ before going back to her conversation.
“You know how your mom is, always gossiping,” my dad whispers in my ear. I chuckle and nod, knowing he’s right.
“So, Rosealine, you sure did give that Amber chick a beating, huh?” Mike says, my dad and him smirking at me.
I shrug and wring my hands together, trying to avoid this conversation.
“Ah, come on, Rose, you threw some pretty hard punches to her face.“
“She should should have never done what she did. She deserved everything she got,” I state matter of factly.
They nod and, thankfully, they change the conversations topic.
We‘re chatting about Will when we hear snarls coming from the woods. Everybody‘s head snaps to the tree line and see about twenty rogues headed in our direction. We really can’t have a normal party with werewolves, can we?
“Woman and children, get inside!” Nick shouts as he takes a protective stance in front of everybody. Women and children run inside as the men take a stand beside their alpha.
I search the backyard for William, but I don‘t see him. Panic starts to fill me. I ask the women who are headed inside if they have seen him, but they all give me a shake of the head.
“Rose, get inside. NOW!” Nick commands me in his alpha tone.
“Where is William!?” I respond in a panic.
Worry crosses his face, but he quickly covers it up. He looks back at the snarling wolves, and I turn my focus to searching for my son.
“Mommy!” My heads snap to the right where Will is standing. His back is to a table with a rogue standing in front of him, baring its teeth. Nick and I growl in sync, and that‘s when it all begins.
The rogues charge first, catching us off guard. Snarls and growls can be heard across the yard. I quickly shift into my gray wolf and charge towards the wolf who is surrounding Will.
‘Let me take control,’ Aurora growls at me. She tries to push through, but I keep her at bay. I lunge at the wolf as he lunges at Will. We roll on the grass as I try to get a grip on his neck. He bites my shoulder, but it’s not too deep. I scrape my paws down his sides, causing his blood to coat my fur and the grass. We stand up, snarling and growling at each other.
“Yeah, Mommy, get him!” I hear Will shout. I look back to see him on the table, cheering everybody on. Little dare devil he is! The rogue takes this as his opportunity to charge at me, but luckily, I see him before he can pounce at me.
I grab him by the neck, pushing my canines into his dirty red fur. He looks at me with his dull red eyes. I watch as pain flashes in them before they turn lifeless. I drop his body and make my way over to Will. I stand in front of the table in my wolf form, not wanting to shift in front of everybody. I watch as rogue after rogue go down, their lifeless bodies lying on the ground..
I see Nick drop one of the last wolves. He looks at me and then at Will. The relief that takes over his body is visibly clear.
We hear a loud growl and we turn our heads to the source. Noah and Nathan are side by side, snarling at two of the rogues. They all charge at once, biting and trying to get at each others’ neck. From the corner of my eye, I see a rogue sneaking up to Noah. Nick sees it too and makes a run towards them, but it’s too late.
The wolf charges at Noah and takes him down as the rogue Nathan is fighting with falls lifeless. Noah whimpers as his body lies the ground. I gently grab William and brining him by the table. I wrap my body around his, shielding him from the scene.
A vicious growl escapes Nick as bites harder at the rogue. He kills him quickly, not wasting anytime on the wolf. Noah’s body starts to shake as he shifts back into his human form. Nick shifts back and grabs his very naked brother and run towards the house. The pack watches as their alpha disappears into the house.
I stand up and re
lease Will. I then go to one of the trees in the woods to shift. I grab some basketball shorts and the only shirt I can find which has Nick’s scent on it. I quickly shift back and stretch, tugging on the clothes before going back to face everybody.
“Take the bodies to the woods and burn them. Anybody that’s injured should get checked out. I don’t want anybody bothering Alpha Nick, unless it’s an absolute emergency,” Jake order, and everbody nods. Some head to the infirmary for medical help while the rest reconnect with theire mates and children.
“Are y’all ok?”
I turn around to see Nick, tear stains covering his cheeks. He put on some shorts, but left he was bare at the top. I nod at him, but I immediately look away, not able to bare his pain. I might not be his mate anymore, but a mate bond will always be between us.
“Daddy, why are you crying?” Will asks as he clings to Nick’s legs. He smiles faintly as he picks Will up into his arms.
“I‘m fine, baby boy…just a little sad.”
“Why are you sad, Daddy?” Will asks, wiping away the tears that are falling from his eyes.
“William…” I warn, but Nick shakes his head.
“It”s okay, Rose. Your uncle Noah got hurt, and I don’t know if he is going to make it,” Nick all but whispers. Not being able to take it anymore, I pull the two into a hug. Nick holds me close as he sobs into my shoulder. I rub soothing circles around his back, trying to comfort him in the best way possible. Tears come to my eyes, not only for Nick but for Noah.
We pull away moments later as we hear Will sniffle. He is crying also, his face stuffed in Nick’s neck. I kiss Will’s forehead and tell Nick I‘m going to check on Noah.
“I’ll come with you”
“Nick, it’s best if you don’t. I don’t want your emotions to get in the way. I promise you I will tell you everything.”
He looks hesitant, but nods anyways. I give him one last glance before walking to the infirmary.
Nick’s parents, along with Nathan, are sitting in the waiting chairs. They are all huddled together with tears streaming down their faces.
“How’s he doing?” I ask as I take a seat beside Nathan.
He shakes his head as tears start to gather in his eyes. I pull him into my arms, trying my best to calm him down. He finally calms down after five minutes and pulls away.
“Thanks, Rose.”
“Sir, Ma’am. Luna.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“Well, I have some good and bad news. The good news is that, the bite wasn‘t deep enough to do any permanent damage, but the bad news is we had to do immediate surgery to find the source of the internal bleeding. Usually, the patient responds positively to the surgery, but Noah hasn’t woken up yet.”
“So what? Is he going to live or not!?” Nick yells from the doorway.
“Alpha, Noah is in a coma. At this point, there’s nothing we—”
Before he can finish, Nick pins him to the wall by his throat.
“You will do EVERYTHING you possibly can to save my brother.”
The doctor tries to speak, but Nick tightens his grip, causing the doctor’s face to turn completely red.
“Nick, you need to put him down!” I yell as I watch his grip tighten and the doctor’s face turn a bluish shade.
I try to pry his hands away, but it’s of no use. I know Nick isn’t in control anymore, so I do the only thing I can think of. I rub my hand up and down his arm, but he barely calms down.
“Nikolai, please listen to me. The doctor can’t help Noah if you kill him! Please, Nick, if you can hear me, I need you to get control back!” I try to plead with him but Nikolai isn’t budging.
Without thinking of the consequnces, I grab his face and turn it towards mine. He lets go of the doctor almost immediately and cups my face. I can feel Aurora purring in joy at the contact she has only felt once in six years.
Nick’s tongue tries to slip into my mouth, but it only pulls me back to reality. I push on his shoulders on him and he lets go. I bend over, gasping for air, as he does the same.
I look up to see his eyes have changed to its natural color. The doctor is still on the ground, holding his bruised neck.
“Rose,” Nick says breathlessly.
I shake my head and wipe my mouth.
“I only did that so you wouldn’t kill the doctor. Nothing else,” I say coldly, walking past him to try to find my kid.
Our kid.
CHAPTER 8
Rose
As I walk out of the infirmary, I stop short when I hear arguing. Amber and her mate, whose name I learned is James, are in a heated argument. I hide behind the wall, carefully listening to their conversation. It’s not intruding if they don‘t know I’m here, right?
“James, I apologized already. What do you want me to do?” Amber pleads, her mascara running down her bruised up face.
“I don’t know, Amber. Maybe learn some STUPID manners. You can’t just go around insulting the alpha and luna’s kid! Nick could have kicked both us out of the pack for what you did!”
“She’s not even luna!” she shouts, her defiance coming back in her voice.
“That’s all you can say?! I fought our alpha to protect you, and that’s all you have to say?! Look, Amber, I don’t want to fight with you, but you need to get your priorities together. The past is the past, but if you want to go back to the way you used to be, then tell me now so I can go ahead and leave. This little crush you’ve had on Nick has gone too far. I can’t do what I did today again.” The last sentence is said in a stern voice, causing Amber to shriek back.
“James, I swear to you that it’s only you! I was just pissed off that Rosealine was back, so I overreacted, but I’m done with that. I promise.”
“You better be, Amber! And I hope the bruises on your face remind you of that. She’s our luna, no matter what anyone says, and we have to respect her or become rogues. And I won’t become a rogue over the hatred you had for her from high school.”
I leave silently and decide to check on Will. At least Amber is being kept on a leash. I really didn’t need her drama right now.
The walk back to the pack house is not long, but the silence and solace is something that I very much appreciated.
Once I got inside the pack house, I see Will sitting down at one of the couches in the living room. He’s drawing a picture.
“Ahhh!” He screams as his crayons drop to the ground.
I laugh and set him down as he glares at me.
“That’s not funny, Mommy!”
“It kinda was.”
He sits back down to continue drawing.
“What are you drawing, baby?” I ask as I take a seat on the couch behind him. He doesn’t say anything, and instead, hands me the paper.
“That’s you, me, and Daddy! We’re all happy together, Mommy!” he says as he points out everyone in the picture.
Right now might not be a good time to tell him that were going back home tomorrow.
We spend the rest of the day just lounging around. I haven’t seen Nick since this afternoon which I’m thankful for. I know he thinks that kiss was more than it was, but it wasn’t.
‘Yeah, okay,’ Aurora sneers.
‘I was just helping him not kill the doctor. THATS IT!’
‘Oh, come on. You know you enjoyed it.’
I shake my head, trying to clear my head of her thoughts.
I didn’t like the kiss. I was simply just trying to help. That was the only way to do it, right? Why can’t this be easier? One second I’m having a screaming match with Nick, the next our lips are on each other’s. I knew coming down here was a bad idea!
“Rosealine!”
I snap my head up to see the man of my thoughts himself standing in front of me. His hand is on my shoulder, and he is staring at me worriedly. As I look around, I see Jake, Marcus, and Will with the same looks.
“Uh, what?” I ask, finally coming back to the real world.
“Are you
okay? I’ve been calling your name for the last five minutes.”
I nod my head and push his hands off my shoulders.
“I’m fine. What’s up?”
“Noah’s up!” Will says excitedly.
I look to Nick for confirmation, and he nods.
“That’s great! Can we see him?”
Nick nods again and reaches his hand out to help me up. I ignore it and stand up myself.
We all walk back to the pack infirmary in silence.
“Mommy, why is there a dent on the wall?” Will asks, pointing to the area the doctor was pinned to.
“Why don’t you ask your dad?”
Nick looks at me before he switches his gaze to Will.
“Well, you see Will, when you don’t get the answers you want, you have to do whatever’s possible to get them.”
Will nods as I stare at Nick in disbelief.
“ACTUALLY, Will, when you don’t get what you want, you should just deal with it and not be a little brat about it,” I counter, sending glares at Nick.
He just shrugs and continues walking. Eventually, we come to a stop in front of Room 3. Nick opens the door, and we all follow him inside.
Noah is laying on the hospital bed with bandages around his left arm. He has minor scratches, most of them on his face and arms.
“Rosie Posie!” Noah says in a hoarse voice.
“Hey, Noah. How are you feeling?”
“Like crap, but I’m better now that you’re here.” He winks at me, making me shake my head and laugh.
“I’ll be back,” Nick says coldly before he steps out the room.
“What is his problem?” Noah asks. He tries to get up but the pain stops him from doing so.
“He’s is a little on edge since this morning.”
“Why? What happened to him?”
I roll my eyes and cover Will’s ears before answering. “You were in a coma! He’s your brother; he was worried.”
He tries to comprehend my words. About a minute later, he nods his head slowly in understanding.
“I thought you hurt your arm, not your head,” I tease him.
He flips me off and gives me a matching smirk. “I’m still recovering from when you pushed me off the swing set when we were five and I had to get stitches.”
The Alpha's Unknown Son: A Shifter Romance Page 7