The Wolf Slayer: Healing Blood, page 7
“I broke up with him if you could say that. I am not even sure if we were in a real relationship at all.”
“If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be crying right now,” he hugged her tighter, “Maybe it was not a typical relationship, but you had feelings for him, and he seemed to dismiss them. Otherwise, he would have come to see you more often.”
“You think I did the right thing?”
“Baby, he probably would have just let you wait and rot,” Jason had not been a big fan of Blake since their first encounter, but until now he had kept his thoughts about him to himself, “You are an amazing and strong woman, and he did not appreciate and treat you the way you deserve. It will hurt at first, but you’ll get over him.”
“I wish it were as easy as you always make it look. You are over someone within hours.”
He smiled, “Yeah but I am a whore and you, my love, are precious and sweet. You still have a heart and I only think with my dick,” that made them both laugh and brightened her mood a tiny bit.
The next few days flew by fast. She had taken on some extra shifts at work, which kept her mind and body busy. There was not a lot of time to think about Blake and her feelings towards him. She was busy serving the many guests that were coming out to enjoy the lovely summer weather. The tables never stayed empty for long and there was always something to do. The nights alone at home however were the worst. She usually cried herself to sleep and woke up unrested and even more tired than the night before.
“Niev, are you even listening to me?” Brenda, her coworker, waved her hands in front of Niev’s face as if she wanted to check if she still had a functioning brain, “Where are you today? You have been so distracted all week. Do you want to go home early? I can cover for you; I would love to have some overtime. You know, my boyfriend and I want to go on that trip soon and if I wanna swim with the dolphins, buy clothes, and go kayaking,”
Niev interrupted Brenda, “No, I am good. Just have not been sleeping well at all the past few days,” Brenda loved to chat, she talked like a waterfall, never stopping for anything.
“Oh no worries, I get it girl. My period cramps are crazy at night, I have only been able to sleep because I drug myself with all kinds of painkillers. I am just glad it came before my vacation. That would be horrible if I had it while kayaking or something like that,” Brenda babbled on, but Niev was no longer listening.
Niev had been waiting for her period to come but had not thought about it the past three days. Usually it always came on time, it did not have any other choice because of the type of birth control pill she was taking. It always had to come during the fourth week, and it had always been on time because of it. Now that Brenda mentioned it, she became nervous, even though there was no need to be. She had never missed a pill and always took it on time. She tried to dismiss it but could not help herself and googled if it was possible to become pregnant while taking the pill.
She should not have done that, there were lots of blog entries from girls who took the pill on time and everyday without missing it and still became pregnant. Her head started spinning and she became lightheaded. She panicked, and the last hour and a half of her shift were pure torture.
As soon as her shift was over, she grabbed her bag and rushed to Berta. Her hands were shaking, and she had trouble getting her key into the ignition. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes and repeated the mantra she had been telling herself over the past hour and a half.
I can’t be pregnant, it’s just my mind going crazy again.
She took another deep breath and repeated her mantra again, I can’t be pregnant, it’s just my mind going crazy again.
Her hands stopped shaking and she was finally able to turn Berta’s engine on. As she drove down the road to the closest pharmacy, she kept repeating her manta and tried to calm herself.
I can’t be pregnant, it’s just my mind going crazy again.
I can’t be pregnant, it’s just my mind going crazy again.
I can’t be pregnant, it’s just my mind going crazy again.
I can’t be pregnant, it’s just my mind going crazy again.
I can’t be pregnant, it’s just my mind going crazy again.
I can’t be pregnant, it’s just my mind going crazy again.
She parked Berta as close to the pharmacy entry as possible and got out of the car. Her legs were shaking as she walked inside. She walked down the aisles and tried to find what she was looking for. As she reached the aisle with the feminine products her legs became even shakier. She took a deep breath closed her eyes and calmed herself before being able to walk down the aisle. She stood in front of the pregnancy tests unsure which one to grab. She took the most expensive on in the hope it would give her the most accurate results.
She slowly made her way back to the register and a young lady with a very friendly smile greeted her. The young lady rang up the pregnancy test and Niev quickly handed her the cash, took the pregnancy test, and stuffed it into her bag.
Before Niev left, the lady gave her an encouraging smile, “May the results be what you pray for.”
Niev was not able to reply anything. As she walked out of the store, she thought about her words. Niev did not know what she was praying for. She had always wanted children, but she had always seen herself in a strong relationship before having her first child. She had never thought about having to raise a child while separated from its father or as a single mother. She thought about Blake and how he might react if she were to be pregnant. She of course hoped for the best, but she had no idea what the best would be. She tried to stay calm and not to think and worry about anything before not having the results of the test in her hands. Even though there was no need for her to worry about all the scenarios possible before knowing the results she could not stop herself from painting and imagining all of them in her mind.
Blake was tired and exhausted; he had patrolled the Timber Territory for the past few days nonstop. After his last phone call with Niev, he had been out running without breaks. He exhausted himself every day to be able to pass out in the evenings without giving him much time to think about Niev and how he lost her. He felt horrible not for himself but for her, he knew what she was going through. He knew being different than everyone else was hard to accept. Learning to live with her secret would not be easy. He could not shake off the feeling that he had made her life even harder. He had intended to take some of the burden off her shoulders and carry it for her, instead he had shown her not to trust anyone anymore.
Being a supernatural being in a human world was never easy, most supernatural’s had some kind of support system and Niev did not. He hated himself to have put her in this position, but he understood why she had left him. She trusted him and he had not shown her the same kind of trust in return. For her it didn’t matter why he couldn’t show her the same trust. Niev did not know why he was keeping his secrets and she would not understand why he could not share his life with her. Outsiders would never understand the power his father, alpha of the pack, had over him. Even if she could understand he would never be able to explain it to her without his father’s permission. An alpha’s command could never be broken. It was physically impossible not to follow an alpha’s order.
He walked out of the tree line, up the hill towards the main house. He was hungry and his father had wanted an in-person report about everything happening on the border. He walked inside and into his father’s office.
“Father,” he slightly bowed his head.
“Blake, you are earlier than expected. Mother will be overjoyed for you to join us for lunch.”
Blake nodded and forced a smile on his face. He had not been planning to spend much time here, all he wanted was to give his father a report and leave again, “There is not much to report. I have scented two wolves; their scent was three or four days old though and nothing fresh came past my way since.”
“Most likely scouts,” his father sighed, “I have a feeling we will not have much luck finding a diplomatic and peaceful solution this time. Alpha Loren is not willing to receive any of my messages. Maybe we should start training all able men, just in case of the worst-case scenario,” he sighed again and rubbed over his face with his hands, “I’d hate to do it though; it would worry the woman and children.”
His father was right in both parts. The Skadu Pack was the most vicious pack on the northern continent and training all able men to fight would scare the whole pack. Skadu translated to shadow and that’s what they had brought over every pack they had crossed so far. The shadow wolves brought great sorrow over every territory they advanced on.
If it were his choice, he would train all able men no matter how scared everyone would get. He would even order them not to tell their families, but it wasn’t his choice to make.
He nodded before leaving the office and walked towards the kitchen where his mother was waiting for him. She still felt guilty for what had happened on Selene’s Night. Up till that day his family had never treated him badly, they had always been loving towards him no matter what he had done. Since that night she had been trying to redeem herself.
His mother was kindhearted and always had an open ear for everyone’s problems, not just her family’s but the whole pack. As the alpha’s mate it was her duty to take care of the pack. She listened to everyone’s problems and found solutions to everything, or at least that’s how it seemed. An alpha was the protector and provider of a pack, and his mate was the glue to keep it all together. His mother was perfect for this job, it seemed to come so easily to her.
“You look awful,” her voice had a worried tone, “She weighs heavily on your mind,” it was not a question; his mother knew him far too well. He knew she would listen to his problems without judging him. She would understand the pain he was going through and the loss he was feeling in his heart. But he knew he could not open up to her, he would fall apart if he did and not even, she could put him back together afterwards.
Instead, he grabbed a plate with food and stuffed his mouth. He ate three full plates before pushing the plate away from him and rested his head on the table in front of him, his arms forming a cushion for his head. It was not the most comfortable position to be in, but he was too exhausted to stand up and lay down somewhere else. He dozed off to the sound of his mother busying herself in the kitchen.
At some point his phone started vibrating in his pocket, someone was calling him. He had trouble shaking off the sleep and by the time he opened his eyes and grabbed his phone the caller had hung up the phone and had sent a message. It was her number; he had never saved it into his contacts and had deleted every call he had ever made to her, but he knew Niev’s number by heart. He had been too afraid anyone would see her name pop up on the screen and finding out about him still being in contact with her.
He opened her text and read it with blurry eyes.
Blake, I know I am probably the last person you want to hear from right now, but we need to talk. Please come see me.
Without even thinking about it he got up on his feet and walked towards the back doors. His body was moving before his mind could even process what he was doing. It was as if something was pulling and tugging him in Niev’s direction. He knew deep down that she needed him right away.
“Blake, what happened? Everything okay?”
His mind was occupied with Niev’s text, and it took him a while to formulate an answer for his mother, “I am just tired and need rest. Tell father I am in my cabin if he needs me.”
“I will tell him not to bother you for a while, rest up, my love.”
He was not sure if she knew that he was lying and was just covering for him or if she actually believed him. It did not matter anyways. He took his jeans off and let his wolf take over his body. He could feel and hear his bones break, his muscles tear, and his skin rip. It only took seconds before his four paws hit the ground and his strong legs started pushing against the ground. He ran towards the woods and decided it was best to stop at his cabin and ride the bike to Niev. He was not sure why Niev needed him, but he knew it was urgent. His heart was pounding against his chest. And his body longed to hold her in his arms again.
About an hour and a half later he stood in front of her door, his whole body shaking. He knocked and heard her footsteps come closer. She did not open the door straight away. Her vanilla scent was much saltier than usual, and he assumed she must have been crying. He heard her take a deep breath before she opened the door.
Her eyes were red and had huge dark rings underneath them. Her hair was messy like she had not brushed or washed it in a while, she was wearing a tank top and shorts. She looked tired and exhausted. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest. They stood there for what seemed like hours. When she tried to free herself from him, he took her face into his hands, “What happened, beautiful?”
She did not say a word, she turned around and walked inside. She led him down the hall and into her bedroom. She sat down on the edge of her bed and held something up in the air. He grabbed it and stared at it for a few second, not sure what it was.
“It’s a pregnancy test,” she started crying, “and it is positive.”
Chapter Seven
An Alphas Command
Niev was not sure what she should do, Blake stood in front of her, holding the pregnancy test in his hands. He had not moved a single muscle for at least ten minutes, and he was not shown any kind of reaction, good nor bad. He looked down into his hands and stared at the test. He looked like a statue; she was not even sure if he was still breathing. Not getting a reaction was even worse than him walking out or yelling at her. It was pure torture. She wanted to touch him, wanted him to say something but she was afraid to make it even worse. All she could do was to wait for him to process the information. Hell, even she had not fully wrapped her head around this whole pregnancy thing. She had a baby inside of her and she could not even believe it was true.
He fell on his knees and looked up to her, his face still showed no emotion, “How?”
“I don’t know, I never missed taking a pill, I swear,” more tears started running down her cheeks, “Blake, I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened.”
“Are you sure?”
“I took multiple tests, they all were positive,” he nodded and seemed as if he was still trying to process what had happened, “I know you need time to process all of this, so do I, and I need you to know that I will not force you to do anything. It’s up to you how you want to deal with this.”
He reached up and wiped her tears, “I will never leave your side,” even while saying that his face was emotionless.
“Please just tell me that you are angry with me. I messed up. You don’t have to pretend.”
He took a deep breath, “I am not angry with you; I could never be angry with you. It is just unexpected, and it changes everything.”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“I know you didn’t,” he sighed and looked back down at the test in his hand, “I also know I have done you wrong and I owe you an explanation,” he looked back up and into her face, “But to do so you will need to meet my family.”
Suddenly, she felt lightheaded and dizzy. The thought of meeting his family scared her to death, “When?” Her voice was trembling.
“Today.”
Her whole body started shaking, “Today? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Blake took her hands in his, “Don’t worry it’s going to be fine.”
“They will be angry with me,” her body started shaking even more.
He got up and sat next to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders, “Don’t be afraid, you did nothing wrong,” he laid a hand gently on her belly, “You both are part of me, and they will have accept that you belong to me now.”
His touch calmed her even though she was still scared her body slowly relaxed, “I am afraid,” it was not an easy confession to make, after all they were his family.
“You don’t need to be, I will by your side at all times.”
She had expected every kind of reaction, from him walking out, yelling, and screaming or him even asking her to abort the baby, she had expected everything but this. She was unsure about meeting his family, all this was very sudden. On the other hand, her pregnancy was too, “Are you sure I have to meet them?”
He sighed, “Are you that afraid of them?”
“A little, they don’t seem to like new people.”
“They might seem a little harsh to you now but as soon as you get to know them you will understand.”
“If I go with you, will I be able to go back home if I wish to do so?”
“Of course,” he seemed a little confused.
She took her time thinking about her options. She wanted to understand Blake better and know why he had been so secretive. Meeting his parents might answer all her questions. On the other hand, she was afraid of them, she was afraid if she left with him now, she would not be able to return home. Her suspicions of him and his family being part of some kind of cult scared her. As she was weighing out her options, she felt a tugging feeling deep within her, the same tugging feeling she had felt over the past few weeks every time she had been unsure of what to do. The feeling got stronger, and she eventually caved in, “I’ll go with you, only if you promise you will take me back home when ever I want.”
“I promise you I will take you home when ever you like,” he pulled her in tighter hug and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Somehow his lips touching her skin repaired her trust towards him. She sighed and stood up, “I guess, I should take a shower and change. I’d prefer if your family’s first impression of me is not a homeless woman.”
“You look beautiful no matter what,” even though he seemed to believe what he said, she did not trust his judgment on this.
“I’d rather not test your theory.”
“You might have to stay till later tonight, it’s a long drive and I am not sure how long it might be with my family. Would you like to stay for a night if it gets too late?”
