Alisha's POV
Upon hearing Louie's words, I felt frozen in place. I stared at him dumbfounded, hardly believing that it was him who confidently lied in front of his mother, Taria.
I was so shocked that I couldn't even gather myself to refute his absurd claims. Taria was equally surprised and coughed even more vigorously.
Louie, the perpetrator of all this chaos, remained unusually calm. He calmly retrieved tissues from the table, then gently helped Taria dry her wet clothes caused by the water spray. He even gently patted her back to ease her breathing. While patting, Louie continued to embellish the lie, "I didn't plan to tell you this, Mom, because Alisha is terribly shy and didn't want me to disclose it..."
Taria heard this and coughed even more violently. Meanwhile, I widened my eyes, watching Louie incredulously. I couldn't believe he dare continue lying. Not only did he fail to correct the previous mistake, but he intensified the rumors. I finally reacted and started to deny, "That's not true! It's not..."
"Alright, Alisha, don't deny it further. I have already told mom the truth. Don't worry, she will understand. Don't be shy, okay?" Louie quickly interrupted my attempt to clarify.
"It is not because of shyness that I denied! This was actually..."
"Mom, you see it, right? This is Alisha's personality. Now, I think you can understand why I want to marry her quickly. Otherwise, with her personality, she might get even shyer once her belly grows. Mom, I have been pursuing Alisha, even forcing her to be with me. If I can't give her a happy wedding, she might just leave with the baby. So, Mom, please, for the sake of her baby and my love, please agree to this." Louie pleaded with Taria while signaling to me secretly.
I instantly understood Louie's plan. He wanted to use the baby as an excuse to get Taria's approval for our marriage. Moon Goodness, how did he come up with such a crazy idea? I bet Taria wouldn't change her attitude because of such a reason and suddenly agree...
"Alright then, if that's the case... alright." Taria's voice suddenly sounded, and I was utterly stunned. She actually agreed?
Taria looked at Louie with a complex gaze, then turned to me. I felt a bit nervous at first, but for the first time, I saw a trace of gentleness and warmth in Taria's eyes?
Behind Taria, Louie quietly raised his thumb and silently mouthed to me, "Counting on you!"
I was momentarily unsure how to react.
Finally, Taria spoke, "Well, well, then I hope you remember what you said today. I hope you and Louie won't regret today's decision in the future."
I hesitated, not knowing what to say. I could never act as naturally as Louie regarding deceiving Taria. But if this was what Louie wanted, I... I would choose to cooperate. So, I replied gently, "Thank… thank you.", and then to avoid Taria's gaze, I stared blankly at the floor.
The silence made me feel embarrassed and uneasy. Just when I was thinking of finding an excuse to leave, Taria suddenly spoke, "How long have you been pregnant? How is your appetite now?" There was a hint of excitement in her voice.
This time, it was my turn to start coughing violently, wishing to disappear on the spot due to the embarrassment.
Fortunately, Louie had some conscience. He quickly said to Taria, "Mom, I want to go rest now. We will come to see you again tomorrow."
Hearing this, I also stood up quickly, preparing to leave with Louie. If I stayed longer, I must couldn’t help confessing everything to mom.
"Okay, pregnant women indeed need more rest. Take Alisha back early for sleep. Let's talk about the wedding tomorrow. You are right, we really need to start preparing for the wedding soon; we can't delay it any longer."
"Sure, Mom, thank you. Goodnight."
With that, Louie took me away. I could feel Taria's reluctant gaze behind me. Thankfully, her gaze wasn't like X-rays, and she didn't have the Gift of seeing through things. Otherwise, if she saw through my belly, she would probably tear both of us liars into pieces on the spot.
Oh no, considering her relationship with Louie, I would probably end up as the only one in pieces, even though his precious son was the real culprit.
---
A few days later, Nova finally arrived at Blood Dawn.
"Alisha!" She warmly hugged me as soon as we met. "Oh my goodness! I have missed you so much!"
I hugged my only human friend, feeling her warmth and affection once again. "I missed you too." When I was homeless after leaving Gloden Crest, Nova was the one who took me in, helping me with interviews. She had always been my best friend.
"Alisha, thanks to you, I can't believe I'm in the world of werewolves! You have no idea how happy I was when I got into the car driven by your werewolf partner. They are so cool! And they drive so fast! Thank you so much, my werewolf princess, for fulfilling my dream of witnessing the werewolf world."
"It's me who should thank you for being my bridesmaid. You know, I don't have other female friends except." I pulled her to the couch, serving her some snacks while chatting.
"Haha, being a bridesmaid for the werewolf princess is so cool! Alisha, when I received your call, I thought I was hallucinating. After a few messages from you and then no contact, I was really worried about you. I was afraid something happened to you. But unexpectedly, you managed to get rid of the jerk Archie, become the werewolf princess, and are getting married! I guess anyone who wants to be your friend or bridesmaid can form a long line now!"
Hearing Nova's words made me deeply emotional. In such a short time, I had experienced so much... Nova was astonished, and even I felt a surreal sensation. Nevertheless, no matter what, I had to make the most of every day, cherish everyone who loved me, and every sincere feeling, including Nova's. "Well, I just hope my best friend would like to be my bridesmaid," I replied with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Nova hugged me happily, her head rolling in my neck, then she suddenly raised her head and gently asked me, "Alisha, so, can you honestly tell your best friend... that you suddenly decided to get married, is it because..." She paused, her eyes glancing towards my belly, with a mischievous smile.
I instantly remembered Taria's looks during this time, full of kindness and care, making me unable to resist. I quickly stopped Nova's wild thoughts and quickly said, "It is not what you think. Louie and I... nothing like that!"
"Hey, you guys are really disappointing me!" Nova complained disapprovingly.