Lily
The day before the gender reveal party for my child, I have a disturbing phone call. I’m not even sure why I picked up my phone in the first place. Probably because I was tired, and now I’m paying the price by listening to my condescending mother yelling at me.
“We kicked you out of the pack because we thought it would benefit you. Your sister and I had this idea it would send you on the right road of becoming less of a failure of a werewolf. But here you are, pregnant—PREGNANT—do you have any idea how humiliated I am? The whole pack is laughing at you, and had your father been alive—”
“Then he wouldn’t have called me at six in the morning to lecture me!” I interrupt. I’m tired of my mother always playing the victim.
“Oh, he would have called you, alright! He wouldn’t accept that you’re pregnant to some random werewolf. Do you even know who the father is? The pack member from our pack that saw you and smelled your pregnancy said you’ve managed to make the Alpha of the Luan pack take care of you. And I must say, I’m impressed. You’ve always been talented at manipulating people, but an Alpha? Oh my.”
I can’t believe she thinks I manipulated Wesley into taking care of me!
I’m so mad that I’m shaking while holding my phone. I wish that I could tell my mom that the Alpha I’m living with is the father of my child. But Wesley hasn’t had an official announcement yet. Most people in his pack seem to suspect that their Alpha is the father of my child, but Wesley hasn’t confirmed it. Freddy, Wesley’s Beta, knows the truth but hasn’t spread the word either.
I take a deep breath and try to keep my anger in check. “I’m going to hang up the phone and pretend like you didn’t just upset a pregnant woman. Good luck with your life.”
With that, I throw my phone away and get up from bed while feeling angrier than ever. I don’t know why, but my mother just makes me so frustrated. She is a terrible parent, and I just want to punch something!
I pick up my pillow and transform my nails into claws to strike at it while growling. “GAAAAH! Take this, and this! Die, pillow, die! I hate you!”
As I’m lashing out at the poor pillow, I hear someone clear their throat and freeze into place. Wesley is staring at me from the door opening. There is a breakfast tray in his arms and a strange smile on his lips.
“What did the pillow ever do to you?” he asks. “Wait, don’t tell me. Did it insult you?”
My jaw falls to the floor, and suddenly, I forget how to speak. I’m not used to Wesley cracking jokes. I find it bizarre and continue to stare at him.
Wesley uses the time to place down the tray. And a second later, his large hand covers my forehead. “You okay?”
I swear the concerned look he gives me could make any woman fall head-over-heels in love with him. His physical attractiveness never ceases to amaze me. Though, this morning, I’m not focusing on his beauty and brawn but on the warmth in his eyes. It’s very distracting.
“Uhh... I’m...fine...really...”
He frowns. “You don’t look fine, and you feel a little warm, especially on your cheeks,” his eyes widen. “My god, you’re burning up. Is that normal? Should I call the pack doctor? Your face is on fire, Lily!”
I’m warm because you’re touching me, you idiot—I want to yell that to his stupidly pretty face, but I don’t.
Instead, I shake my head. “No, don’t call anyone,” I take a step back from him so that he can’t keep touching my forehead. He looks like he might do it again, so I hold up my hands in the air. “I’m fine, okay?”
Wesley watches me with a raised eyebrow for a long moment before nodding. “Alright, if you say so. Though, maybe I should check your temperature just in case.” He smirks, teasing me, but I know he is just trying to lighten the mood.
I give him a halfhearted smile, still feeling annoyed with my mother. “Thanks for the concern, but I really am okay. Just a little worked up, that’s all.”
To my surprise, Wesley’s expression softens, and he steps closer to me, his hand reaching out to cup my cheek. “Anything I can do to help?”
The gesture catches me off guard, and for a moment, I forget about everything else except for how his touch sends shivers down my spine and how incredibly green his eyes look at that moment. “I-I don’t know,” I stutter, feeling both embarrassed and all pittery-pattery at the same time.
Wesley studies my reddening face. “Okay, what got you so worked up all of a sudden? You better tell me because your breathing isn’t normal, and you’re all red. Did the person on the phone upset you?”
Since I refuse to tell him he is the one making me all nervous, I give him a faint nod. “Yes...I...um...had a call from my mother this morning,” I say, not quite sure why Wesley is showing concern. It’s not like he cares...right?
“Hmm...” Wesley scratches his chin.
I avert my eyes, unsure whether I should tell him more, but since he isn’t leaving my room, I just do it anyway. “Yeah. She’s...not happy about the pregnancy. Or about me staying here with you. She basically called me a failure and said the pregnancy is embarrassing for her. Her Alpha apparently talked to her about it already,” I laugh. “It seems my life has become my old pack’s biggest gossip.”
Wesley’s eyes narrow, and I can see the Alpha in him. “Do they know who the father is?”
“No,” I blink. “I thought you wanted me to keep that a secret. It’s not like you’ve told anyone. I mean, everyone in your pack suspects you’re the father since we are living together. But you haven’t confirmed it.”
“I’m planning on doing that tomorrow during the gender reveal party. My pack deserves to know who their new Alpha is going to be. And before you ask, the gender doesn’t matter. My grandma Eva was an excellent female Alpha back in the day, so my pack doesn’t discriminate.”
“I see,” I absentmindedly stroke my stomach. “Are your parents coming tomorrow?”
“They aren’t invited,” Wesley growls. “My father is a cheater of a husband, and my mother is an alcoholic. They are part of the pack, but even Eva agrees they shouldn’t be treated as part of the Alpha family. They are a disgrace.”
“Is Eva your father’s or your mother’s mother?”
“Eva is my mother’s mother, but trust me, my mother’s drinking has nothing to do with my grandma’s upbringing. Eva isn’t a terrible mother. I would know since she raised me.”
I smile. “I never doubted Eva as a parent. She is a lovely woman.”
Wesley’s expression softens. “She is the best.”
An awkward moment passes with us just staring at each other before I remember the breakfast tray. I clear my throat and sit down on the bed, placing it in my lap.
“Thanks for making me breakfast.”
“Anytime,” for some reason, Wesley smirks upon seeing me lift the strange juice to my lips. “You might want to just sip on that thing and not gulp it down in one go.”
“Why?”
His lips twitch, but he doesn’t laugh. I get the feeling he is hiding something. “It’s a special herbal blend passed down through my family for centuries. It’s very healthy for our little bundle of joy.” He says, with a hint of amusement in his voice.
I grow suspicious and take a sniff; it doesn’t actually smell bad. I quite like it and let my guard down. “Well, it can’t taste when it smells like heaven.”
Wesley simply shrugs. “Judge for yourself.”
I take a sip, and I immediately regret it. The taste of bitter herbs with a hint of something sweet burns its way down my throat. My face scrunches up, my tongue itches, and I give an undignified cough.
“Oh, God!” I curse in between coughing while Wesley laughs at me. “What is this?!” I glare at him, and his expression only grows more amused when he sees how much I struggle to get the taste out of my mouth.
“It’s a special blend that helps with pregnancy nausea,” he replies with a naughty little wink, trying not to laugh at my misery. “I made it just for you.”
“Remind me to never take anything from you again. You can’t be trusted!”
Wesley just laughs; he is still laughing when I throw a pillow at his stupidly handsome face. He barely even flinches when it hits his head. I’m tempted to throw another but settle with growling at him instead.
“You’re an asshole...”
He smiles at me. “Want a refill?”
I give him a deadpan look. “You’re kidding, right?”
He shakes his head. “No, seriously, it’s really good for the baby.”
I glare at him but surrender when I realize he isn’t joking. His eyes are all serious, and since I want what is best for the baby, I sigh. “Fine, you can give me a refill.”
Wesley grins and takes the cup from me to refill it. While he is gone, I can’t help but think about the promise he made me. He said he would try to be nicer, and he is succeeding. When I first arrived in this pack, he was standoffish and rude. But this morning, he seems to go out of his way to take care of me and the baby. It’s...nice.
Will it last, or will he go back to being mean? I’m scared this is a one-time thing...
When Wesley comes back with the refilled cup, I take a small sip just to appease him. Surprisingly, the taste has grown on me a bit. It’s still bitter, but there’s a sweetness to it as well. “Alright, you win. It’s not terrible.”
“Really?”
“Mhm...”
Wesley looks like he is about to say something but closes his mouth when I stand up with a groan. My back twinges. It’s a new sensation, and I grimace while rubbing at the base of my spine. Is this normal? My body hasn’t been aching until now, but suddenly standing feels like a lot of work.
Wesley rushes to my side. “You’re tired,” he says and helps me into a sitting position. “Maybe you should take it easy today. It’s the weekend anyway.”
“But there is a lot I need to do!”
“Like what?” Wesley growls. “It’s the weekend, and you’re not working today.”
“I know, which is why I promised Juanita I would help her and my other girlfriends bake the cake and the cookies today!”
Wesley falls silent for a moment. “Are they coming over?”
“The girls will be here in an hour.”
He sighs. “Alright, then I will bake with them.”
I stare at him. “You’re not serious...”
“I am,” he snorts. “How hard could it be to bake a cake?”
Picturing serious-as-heck Wesley in the kitchen with four other women giving him orders makes me stifle a laugh.
“Oh, I’m not staying in bed if you’re baking. I have to see this with my own eyes.”
“You should be resting.”
“And I will rest,” I grin. “On the couch in the kitchen.” Because I plan on taking pictures of Wesley wearing an apron.