The Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 20

It has been three days since Colten left for the rogue group. Three days since Adrian had informed his pack of their new position. Three days of deflecting questions and curiosity so abundant it's invasive. Three days of watching Sam adjust to the type of life I was never able to give him, but always knew he beyond deserved. Three days of shooting down Adrian's advances, and the simultaneous three days of pain in my chest and sense of betrayal from my wolf for doing so.

And, three days of avoiding Sonya.

The bubbling mom-to-be  has been trying to convince me to go shopping with her for the last seventy two hours. She keeps telling me I need new, and more, clothes (meaning ones that aren't torn or covered in blood), which I can't really deny. I've been wearing her shorts, Adrian's shirt and my worn out boots since my visit to the infirmary. Sonya's been trying to offer me more of her clothes to wear on a daily basis, but I always refuse. I already feel bad for borrowing her shorts, and I don't want to make the situation even worse. Deep down I know my guilt isn't a normal reaction to people being nice, but I'm not used to it and quite honestly, I wasn't ever raised to be.

Also, Sam and my funds are pretty scarce right now, and I'm not going to spend them on unnecessary clothes. However, I do need a pair of shorts. With an extremely unenthusiastic resolution, I stand up from my chair in the kitchen right as the woman in question walks in.

As stern of an expression as Sonya can ever manage on her face, she doesn't even bother with a greeting. "We're going shopping." Noticing my attempt to respond, she cuts me off. "I don't want to hear it. You need clothes, and I already asked Brian to watch Sam. We're going."

Sighing, I glare at her, but there's a playful glint in my eye. "Fine." As the two of us walk out of the kitchen, I add, "You're admirably, but annoyingly, persistent you know".

Smiling brightly at me, her perpetual cheerful mood is back. "I know," she chirps. Making our way out the side door into the grassy area between the forest and pack house, we're greeted with the sight of a shirtless Adrian and Luke returning from checking on patrols. Immediately, my wolf perks up and an unwelcome ache forms in the pit of my stomach.

I force my eyes to the tree line behind them, an action my wolf is extremely disgruntled by, as Sonya addresses the pair.

"We're going to be gone for the day. The two of us are going shopping."

A bit shocked by her statement, "Wait," I butt in, "We're going shopping for the entire day?"

She continues her conversation with the two as though she didn't hear me. "I want to look at some stuff for the baby, and Danny's in desperate need of some more clothes."

"What the hell are we going to do for the entire day?" I question. Again, I'm ignored.

"I thought we were going to shop for the baby stuff together?" Luke asks. He doesn't sound angry, like I half expected, but simply curious. Though, there is a slight frown on his face. Disappointment, I think is the emotion I would settle on if I had to classify it.

As always, his reaction confuses me to no end.

"We are," Sonya assures, "On the important stuff. I just want to look at some of the smaller, more technical stuff. Like bottles, clothes, maybe a breast pump; things like that. I figured Danny could help with that kind of stuff".

My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline in shock as they all glance my way. "Uhhh..." As if I have any idea what bottles to buy or even know what a "breast pump" is. I know they're still completely oblivious to the majority of my past, but even with the amount they know it should be pretty damn clear I never went shopping for "clothes" or "bottles" or whatever the hell this torture sounding "breast pump" is. I was raised by the most vicious alpha in the shifter world. Did they really think he brought me to Babies R Us when he found out I was pregnant? Did they really not realize that the only way I even know about Babies R Us is because I saw a magazine in a human house I stole clothes from for Sam?