Charlie
The world felt like everything was on hold. Presley and Mateo had been gone for days. I didn't know what to do. I anxiously waited on news of their arrival back to the pack. My heart had been hurting for days, I knew they could have possibly gotten themselves in danger, but I didn't know what had happened.
Persephone had taken over the pack in the meantime, sending a few of ours out each day to see if they could scent or even find Mateo and Presley. The stress of it all worried me. Today was supposed to be the day of our mating ceremony, and my mate wasn't here by my side.
"Don't worry, bambino." My mama rubbed my shoulder. "They'll find them. Presley is a strong alpha."
"Ma, what if they were caught by hunters?" I bit down on the skin around my nails that were already down to the nub because I had been so worried.
"You would have felt the bond break if he died." My not-so-helpful brother responded, rubbing his arm.
"Now is not the time to bring that up, Karsen." My mom reached out and popped my brother on the arm.
"Can't I go out there and look for him?"
"Persephone already told you no. You're not leaving these pack lands at all, and you haven't had the training necessary to fight off enemies. You're the Luna of this pack." Karsen grumbled. "Plus, papa and Alexandre are looking for him right now. I'm sure they'll bring them back."
I swallowed and nodded. "You're right." I wanted so badly to place my hands on my flat stomach and rub it to calm myself.
Adam burst into our apartment, and I got to my feet, hopeful for good news. But when I saw his face, my stomach dropped. He was here for a different reason unknown to me. "Luna, there is a request to assist in the birth of a rogue child. May we move forward?" He asked.
"What happened?" I furrowed my brows.
"He's hemorrhaging and bleeding excessively. The pack doctors need to operate quickly to save both the child and the omega." He spoke quickly.
"Yes, you can help him." I nodded my head, absentmindedly putting my hand to my stomach.
"Thank you," He bowed his head in respect. "I'm sorry I did not come bearing good news for you." He frowned.
I nodded my head solemnly but motioned for him to return to the ward. "Make sure to take care of the omega, do everything the best you can to keep them safe."
"Yes, Luna." He bowed his head again and left the living room in a hurry.
After a few more hours of waiting for news, we heard nothing. My papa and Alexandre returned, but there was no news on Presley and Mateo at all. It was almost as if they had disappeared into thin air.
I laid in our bed that night, clenching my stomach, sobbing, wanting him there with me. I needed him now more than ever. His scent was fading, and I couldn't bear it.
I got out of my bed and went out of our apartment. The packhouse was quiet for the most part. There were still noises of all kinds through the house. I walked down the stairs and trailed myself to the kitchen to get a snack or something to keep my mind away from the lack of presence of my mate.
I dug in the pack's fridge and pulled out a small tub of ice cream, and sat it down on the metal kitchen prep counter. I went digging around to find a spoon, and I pulled up a stool to the cabinet and plopped down in it. I closed my eyes for a second, thinking of a little prayer to the goddess above to please bring my mate back to me safely before I dug into the delicious sweet treat.
I sat there in silence, listening to the hum of the refrigerators buzzing in the background, the sink that was set at a constant drip because of the freezing temperatures to keep the pipes from bursting.
I swallowed, frowning, and my eyes began to well up with tears. I just wanted him back home. I sat the spoon down on the table and wiped my eyes. I let out a deep breath, trying to keep my worry at bay.
I put the remaining ice cream in the fridge and exited the kitchen, heading over to the pack's infirmary. The sound of a small baby crying caught my attention, and I followed the sound to the closed curtains. I poked my head inside, and a large man held onto a tiny little baby in his arms. The omega that they had brought in lay on the bed, looking so pale.
"How is he?" I asked gently.
"He's healing." The man looked up. His red eyes contrasted with his skin tone.
"I'm Luna Charlie," I bowed my head to the rogue.
"Rowan." He nodded his head. "Thank you for helping us."
"I know my mate would do anything for me, even if that were going onto enemy territory to save me." I gently smiled, approaching the bed where his mate lay. "May I?" I looked at the rogue, holding my hand out to the baby. He nodded his head, holding the baby out for me to grab onto. I gently grabbed onto the baby and smiled.
"Boy or girl?" I asked.
"Girl," He cocked his head to the side.
"Have you and your partner–" Rowan cut me off mid-sentence.
"Mate," Rowan replied, correcting me. "My mate."
"Have you and your mate come up with a name for this precious girl?" I began to sway back and forth to keep her calm.
"Alicent." I smiled at the sweet name.
"What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." I poked her nose gently. Her little face scrunched up in distaste. I put my hand on her forehead, and I mumbled a quiet prayer to her, blessing her and wishing her a happy and healthy life.
"You didn't have to do that." Rowan looked at me with genuine curiosity.
"Every child deserves to be blessed." I smiled, stepping forward to hand the baby back to him.
"Thank you. We should be out of your hair in the morning." Rowan bit down on his lips, looking over to his mate.
"The two of you don't need to leave so soon, he needs to heal more, and it looks like he may need more blood." I pointed my hand to the resting omega.
"We have a boy at home. We can't be here for too long." I nodded in understanding. "Plus, I don't feel comfortable being around a pack as a rogue. I just knew I needed help, and going to a human hospital with a pregnant omega would have been something that would be a science experiment with them."
"I completely understand." I patted my small stomach.
"Congratulations." The rogue gave me a genuine grin.
"Thank you, but the congratulations should be to you. I'm sure your son will be a happy big brother."
Rowan nodded. "He will be. I'm sure he's worried because Erin was passed out when I began my journey here. I'm sure it scared him a bunch."
"I can only imagine."
"Yeah, he's a great kid. I wished that I had met Erin sooner. Gage would have been mine. I'm upset he's that bastard Mateo's child." I furrowed my brows.
"Mateo?" I asked.
"Yeah, he mentally abused Erin, and somehow the bond between the two of them snapped in half when he landed on the entrance to my old cave." My heart sank.
"So this is the Erin." I pointed to the omega on the bed.
"You've heard of him?" Rowan asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"Mateo is a member of this pack." The man's eyes widened in shock.
"If I were you, I'd make sure to give him the boot as soon as you leave this room. He's not a good person to be around. He let his pack get slaughtered trying to save his own tail." Rowan put Alicent against his chest and placed his hand on his mate as if it were to comfort the sleeping omega. "He was Erin's, first mate. Somehow the goddess put us together, and that is the best thing she has done for me."
"I think I need to throw up." I put my hand to my stomach, suddenly feeling queasy from the news that this Erin was the same Erin that Mateo would reminisce about. I booked it to the bathroom and emptied the contents from my stomach until I was heaving. My mind was blank, I didn't even know what to think at that moment, but I knew that this news was way too much for me to handle.
"Hey, are you okay?" Rowan's voice broke me from my panic. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Then the thought popped into my head, and I wished I hadn't thought of it. What if Mateo, the man I had thought to be my closest friend, had hurt Presley? What if that was the reason we couldn't track them down....
My breathing became labored, and I tried to calm myself.
"I sent my mate off to hunt with that bastard," I managed to get out between each breath. "I think he hurt my mate." I could feel the hot tears rolling down my cheeks.
"When Erin is well, I wouldn't mind looking for your mate," Rowan said gently, crouching down in front of me.
I shook my head, swallowing. "No– No, you need to take care of your mate. He's not doing well. He needs you."
"You can keep him company. I'm sure he wouldn't mind spending time with another omega male. It's been a while. Now let's get you cleaned up, and I'll let you sit in the chair, and I'll tell you as much as I know. But the moment that Erin wakes, I will not tell you anymore. I have seen what that man has caused my mate, and the night terrors are awful."
"Thank you."
A/N:
*sips tea*
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