Raised Mateless (On Hold)

Chapter 16

Harper West –

 

“Hi, Daddy.”

The quiet words seemed to be amplified in the lifeless surroundings – bouncing off tombstones and silencing the whispers of the dead. No one answered, no one really needed to, and the only person who was supposed to respond couldn’t.

Dakota broke free from my hold on his hand to take a step closer to the head stone. Placing a small hand on the front of the engraved stone, using his index finger to feel along the lettering. Ryan Foster. Decmeber 4th, 1988 – November 21st, 2007. He was only nineteen.

A birthday wish for me, Dakota only wanted to see his father’s grave for the first time. Today I turned twenty; I’m older than Ryan will ever be. He’s gone, he’s never coming back – he’ll be forever nineteen.

 

“I’ve starting Alpha training now,” Dakota whispered, his voice starting to crack from emotion, “I’m going to be just like you… I-I”, He hesitated quickly glancing towards me before lowering his voice to a tone almost outside of my range, “I’ll even take care of Momma for you.” 

A shot of guilt, pain, loss, and grief ripped through my heart, nearly knocking my feet from under me. My throat started to close from the raw emotion I was feeling, as I stared down at my – our – little boy. In the last few weeks he had gained an inch in height, over ten pounds of muscle, and his face was losing its childish roundness; everyday he looked more and more like his father.

“I promise.”

Those two words shook me to my core, as memories came flooding back into my mind…

“Harper, if you don’t hurry up I’m leaving without you!” A strong baritone voice called from the bottom of the stairs.

 

The neon flashing alarm clock by my bed proved we still had over half an hour before everyone was supposed to be at the Peterson place. Normally I wouldn’t even have bothered going to a senior party, since I had only just finished my sophomore year, but for Ryan this would be his last high-school party.

 

I put on the final touches of my make-up routine, smudging lip balm onto my lips, before rushing down on the stairs. “You wouldn’t dare!”

 

I could hear him chuckling when I reached the bottom of our hardwood stairs. His blonde mess of hair was tousled to the unique perfection it always was, his shining grey eyes standing contrast to olive toned skin flawlessly, and his million dollar smile shining proudly with impeccably white and straight teeth. He looked immaculate in his dark jeans and simple navy t-shirt. It was nerve wrecking.

 

“Are you done checking me out, or what?”

 

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, “You wish.”

 

I decided to take a fancier route for tonight, in a deep mauve sundress which highlighted my slim waist and hid my slightly larger hip size.