Chapter 104: Chapter 104

A moment of stifling silence fell over as soon as the words were out. My brain wasn't processing fast enough. Pregnant. Did my mother say pregnant? I felt as if I got punched in the stomach as those words kept echoing. Falling on my knees, I threw a helpless glance at her, my heart beating a mile a minute. My head fell forward into the open palms.

"Rose!"

I blinked at her absently, dumbly shaking my head—a pup. My hand involuntarily went to the bump on my stomach, lungs squeezing painfully. I had to tell Aiden. The thought made my heart stop in my chest. We were getting to know each other, trying to heal the scars from the mistakes and carry on with our lives.

What kind of future would we have with an unplanned pup? And what kind of future would we provide for this — baby in my belly? All these kinds of questions started revolving around my head, my vision blurring.

Ever since I was at an age where you plan your future, pups were something I always imagined to be part of my family—lots of them. Back in my old packhouse, I managed to easily connect with the younger wolves. However, looking after a baby for a few hours was still something entirely different to having to raise my own.

Then, there were the fundamental, apparent issues with Aiden. I had no idea how he felt about having a pup with me. What if he doesn't like them? But he was so good with Fauna. Just considering bringing a baby into this mess made me shudder. This wasn't how a family should start.

"Let me get you a glass of water."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out, my heart racing and feeling a weight drop to my stomach. Gulping the water in one go, I slowly met my mother's concerned eyes. "Mom!"

"Rose...are you okay?"

Before answering, I hugged my knees to my chest. Colour drained my face, toes curling tightly. It took me a minute to control my breathing enough to answer. "I don't think so..." A shaky breath escaped me, voice trailing off lamely.

She placed a warm hand on my knee. "I am sure this must be surprising..."

"Oh, for moon's sake, I didn't plan for this!" I cut her off, slapping a hand on my sweaty temple. Shaking my head, I blinked at her, "Mom, you must be mistaken...there have been no pregnancy symptoms."

"And there will be none." My mother replied in a tight voice.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Rose, how do you think I managed to hide about my pregnancy from my pack?" She let out a sigh. "As healers, our body functions differently than wolves. You will not show a single symptom because we heal our own body before anything threatens us. I believe your scent might be the only change in a few weeks. That's how I got caught." Her lips twitched, a deep furrow in between her brows.

My mouth opened and closed that, eyes widening slightly. No symptoms. That meant I didn't have to worry about others finding out. A breath whooshed out of me that, my shoulders slumping in relief.

"When was the last time you felt ill?" I heard my mothers question pull me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I blinked dumbly. "Uh...I don't remember."

"Exactly. Being a healer is not all bad. You will slowly get the hang of it. For now, you should go back and tell your Alpha the good news."

***

The entire walk to the cabin, I kept thinking about the ways to break it to Aiden. Especially after his mini outburst a while ago. We were also supposed to have lunch with the pack members and then go out on a trip in a few hours. The events of the entire day already weighed in on me, making my stomach coil.

I turned on the knob upon noticing that the door was unlocked. Aiden was back. That's the only explanation I could conjure while pushing my way in. Upon seeing him, the pink of my cheeks drained its colour, body tensing. What if he could sense my lies? How will he react?

My eyes widened when suddenly he hugged me instead of yelling at me. I awkwardly patted at his back before breaking our hug. What was going on with him? Since when did Aiden think such thoughts? I slowly tucked my loose strands behind my ear, clearing my throat. “Leave you? Why would I do that?”

He sheepishly tugged on the loose ends of his curls, “Because of the way I acted earlier….”

"Oh.” I gaped, feeling a little breathless. “Uh...but I left a note for you already. Did you not see it?"

"A note?" He echoed, his nose scrunching. "What are you talking about?"

"Before leaving to see my mother, I wrote a note and stuck it to the fridge. You could have easily found it." I rolled my lips in between my teeth, watching the Alpha as he rushed to the kitchen.

Unfortunately, the piece of paper rolled under the fridge, so he was unable to find it. A grin curved around his lips as Aiden ran the lines under his eyes. Still, I could not help but think about the way he reacted to my disappearance.

“I am sorry for overreacting earlier….” The Alpha broke the silence that settled over us, almost making me squirm. Aiden sounded so sincere and embarrassed at the same time that I wanted to throw my arms around him.

“No, it’s okay….”

“It’s not, Rose….” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. Remorse filled his face, his lips twisting. “I failed to realise that it was difficult for you. You had no friends, no one to rely on, and Caden seemed safe. It is my fault for making you feel that way, and I will make up for it. I promise. Please do not let this ruin your mood for the trip.”

Before I could respond to such an earnest apology, a sharp knock on the door startled me. I looked over my shoulder only to see Ellen walk past the door. My mouth opened to greet her but immediately clamped down as I saw the omega sweep past me. Rage filled her features as she stalked and stood in front of Aiden, her index finger digging into his chest.

“How dare you misuse your strength?” She yelled at the top of her voice, almost trying to push at him. Her hair was in disarray; jaw clenched tight.

“Ellen”, I meekly whispered, taking a step forward in her direction. “What is going on?”

“Why don’t you ask your Alpha about it?”

“Aiden, what is she talking about?”

Caden appeared a few seconds later, the Alpha limping his way as he came to stand next to Ellen. He tugged on her elbow and tried to pull her away from Aiden, but she did not budge. What was going in between them? The omega trainer had incredible strength for someone her stature. I thought under my breath.

In between their heated exchange of words, my eyes fell on the white bandage peeking out of the Alphas arm.

“Are you hurt?” My voice echoed around the living hall, startling the three of them. I narrowed my eyes on the spot, taking a few steps in his direction and watching Aiden tense from behind.

The Alpha trainer pulled his shirt down, trying to fold his arm behind his back, cheeks turning pink. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

I set my lips in a firm line. “Caden, who did this to you?”

Ellen scoffed, her eyes accusingly staring at Aiden. “Who do you think?”

Dread settled in my stomach as I slowly turned around to face Aiden. He kept stealing his gaze, looking at the floor instead of facing me. “Aiden, is it true?”

“Yes!” He sighed. “Believe me, Rose, it was a spur of a moment thing. I was so angry….”

I swallowed the lump formed in my throat, arms crossing against my chest. I turned to Caden and apologised to him on behalf of Aiden as it was my fault.

“You were angry with me, Aiden, and you took it out on my friend. That’s messed up.”

“Let me explain….”

***