25. Baby
DELILAH
I woke up the next morning hoping to be woken from a nightmare. However, my hopes were crushed when I felt the dull throbbing of my abdomen. I groaned and opened my eyes to see a grey ceiling and the musky smell of Nick’s basement.
I turned my head towards the crate’s bars and saw Kyle slumped in a chair just outside. My heart pounded in my chest.
“Kyle?” My voice croaked.
His eyes slammed open and he turned to look at me. He stood up and opened the door, walking in and shutting the door behind him.
He stood beside me and leaned over, pulling the sheet down in the process. He flung my shirt up and checked my wound on my stomach. I looked down to see it bruised, but for the most part it was healed. It was most likely a huge improvement over what it looked like before I got stitches.
“You can leave.” Kyle grumbled and walked away.
I jumped up off the bed, ignoring my wound, and grabbed his shoulder. I spun him around and forced him to face me.
“Why are you so mad at me, Kyle?”
His blue eyes shone with tears. “You killed my brother.”
“I didn’t.” I shook my head. “Noah did. He did it as payback for killing his father.”
“How do you know?” His voice was thick with venom.
“Who do you think stabbed me, Kyle?” I yelled. “Who would be stupid enough to use a weapon? Who have we been trying to kill for the past couple months? Who do you think made me have a crappy life? Noah!”
He growled. “It’s all your fault that my brother’s dead! If you hadn’t come here and joined the Pack, Noah wouldn’t have targeted us!”
“Noah would’ve came after the Pack anyways!” I screamed at him. I was furious. Actually, furious was an understatement. “Did you think I didn’t care about Jared? That I don’t feel guilty about that happening to him? I don’t need you to remind me that I screwed up royally. I know I did, Kyle.” My chest was rising and falling rapidly. “If I would’ve known that all this would’ve happened, I would’ve left the Pack. I just don’t understand why you don’t believe me.”
“Because you were with him for years.” Kyle shifted his eyes to the floor. “I thought—”
“It doesn’t matter what you think,” I gasped.
“—I thought you were a worm.” He spoke over me as he closed his eyes.
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“Yeah…” he sighed. “I mean, can you really blame me? You were dropped off here and left halfway through the night tom ‘turn yourself in’ and then you show up with this big spiel about how you were lied to and everything…I just assumed you were a good actress…” his voice cracked, “and you broke Nick’s heart….”
Of course I knew I broke Nick’s heart, but I thought he was over that? Nick knows he will find his mate one day. I found Matt and realized how differently I felt about Nick. We were both blindsided and I assumed we were over it…at least I was.
“I thought we were over that.”
“You are, but he’s not. He thought you were his mate and now that he sees you with Matt, he wishes that were him.” Kyle ran his hands down his face.
I shook my head and walked past him, going up the stairs to get something to eat. My stomach was grumbling and was extremely loud. I was sure it could be heard throughout the whole house.
I looked at the stove and saw it was around twelve in the afternoon. That meant that Matt had already left for the airport and didn’t even say goodbye.
I sighed and made a sandwich. As I was halfway through it, Nick can down the stairs looking like he was knocking on death’s door. His blue eyes lost all emotions and his tanned skin looked pale. He also had facial hair on his cheeks and bags under his eyes.
When he saw me he tried to smile but it looked strained. I didn’t blame him for looking like this. I knew I felt horrible and probably looked the same too.
What Kyle said that night was true—it was my fault that Jared’s dead. If I hadn’t joined the Pack, he would still be alive and I could’ve defeated Noah by myself. I felt like I didn’t need the Pack anymore and I was just causing more pain than what we’re dealing. We were feeling the wrath of Noah full force and Noah was feeling our wrath by half that amount.
I nodded my head at Nick and waved for him to take a seat. He reached up into a cupboard and grabbed a coffee mug that Emily gave him as a birthday present—the man was definitely easy and cheap to shop for. He poured coffee into the mug and sat down across from me.
We just stared at each other in silence.
“So…” Nick cleared his throat, “Matt told me to tell you that he’ll call you when he’s at the ACC.” He checked his watch on his wrist. “Which should be in a few minutes. He left at nine.”
I nodded and stood up to put my plate in the sink. “I’m sorry, Nick.”
He raised an eyebrow. “For?”
I sat down in front of him again. “Everything.”
“Look,” he leaned forward and grabbed my hand in his. “Jared’s death wasn’t your fault. I don’t care what Kyle said to you, it isn’t. Mom and Dad aren’t mad at you and Jared wouldn’t want you to wallow in pity.”
I shook my head. “Not just because of Jared—”
“Then what?” He raised both eyebrows in surprise. “There’s nothing else to be sorry for, Delilah.”
“I’m sorry for leaving you,” I closed my eyes. “I broke your heart and I’m so, so sorry for that.”
I opened my eyes as I felt Nick’s hand let go of mine. His eyes were focused on the table as if it held the answers for all of life’s biggest problems. I could tell that I struck a sore spot. Looking at Nick, I now realized that Kyle was right—I did break his heart and he was upset whenever he saw me with Matt.
I looked at him for a while longer. He eventually sighed and looked up at me.
“It’s not okay, I’m not going to lie. You found your mate though and there’s nothing I can do to control that. I really wish it was me, but it’s not and I respect that.” He sighed again. “My mate is somewhere out there and when I find her, I’ll get over you. Because I’m not over you, Delilah, no matter how much I tell myself otherwise.”
Hearing him admit to what Kyle had told me made me feel even worse. Reason number two to leave the Pack.
I opened my mouth to apologize again but he held up a hand. “Don’t even apologize again. It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. Personally, I’d like to just kill Noah and get this all over with.” He looked me in my eyes as he said, “the past is in the past.”
My phone started ringing and I pulled it out of my pocket. “Hello?”
“Hey, baby, sorry I didn’t say goodbye.” Matt’s deep voice called from the other end.
“It’s fine. I was sort of passed out.” I laughed, but it sounded strained to my ears. I hope Matt wouldn’t hear it in my voice.
“What’s wrong?” His voice crackled over the line.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired,” I lied smoothly.
He didn’t sound convinced. “Okay…” I heard numerous male voices in the background laughing and talking. I heard Matt groan. “Guys! Shut up! I’m on the phone with my girlfriend!”
I winced and held the phone away from my ear as he screamed at his teammates. That was not a good environment for a werewolf to be in. I heard hoots and hollers after he had said that.
“Better treat her good, Carson, or I’ll kick your ass!”
He sighed and left the room.
“Where are you?” I laughed.
“Change room. They’re all wild animals, I swear.”
“How’s practice?” I asked as I rested me elbow on the table.
“Hell. I haven’t been to one in so long and I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten out of shape.”
I gasped. “A werewolf out of shape? Say it isn’t so!”
“Ha-ha.”
I grinned. “How does someone who played football in high school, to being in the NHL?”
“Playing street hockey with my father. That’s how.”
We talked for a while longer until his coach yelled at him for talking on the phone. I heard him sigh one last time. “Better go. After all the crap’s figured out there, I’ll buy you a ticket so you can come here with me. I miss you already.”
Nick rolled his eyes. I glared at him.
“Sounds like a plan. I miss you too.”
“Bye, babe.”
“Bye.” I hung up and glared at Nick. “Could you not be so jealous?”
He shook his head. “After hearing that conversation? Nope.”
* * *
I left the room shortly after that to talk to Emily about Nick’s behaviour. I needed to talk it out with him and the only way to do that is to confront her about it. She’d give me some pointers on how to talk to him without Nick blowing everything out of proportion.
I knocked softly on her’s and Eric’s room door. It opened to reveal a shirtless Eric. Let’s just say, for a man in his early forties, he was a nice piece of eye candy. I smiled up at him and he gave me a small, sad smile in return.
“Where’s Em?”
He stepped aside and let me inside. I sat on their bed and waited for Emily to walk out of the bathroom. When she did come out however, she looked a tinge of green and was holding something in her hand. When she saw me she gave a slight nod and glanced at Eric. He blinked and bit his lip. Nodding he left the room and slammed the door.
I winced. I looked down at her hand and held mine out. She placed it in my hand and I glanced down at the pregnancy stick. Two bright pink lines was on display. I grinned up at her but she shook her head.
My eyebrows crinkled together. “What’s wrong? You’re pregnant.”
She bit her lip.
“Wait…” I looked down at it. “Is it not his?”
She blinked and looked angry. “Of course it’s Eric’s!”
I held up my hands. “I just don’t see what the problem is.”
She plopped down beside me and sniffed. “He didn’t want any more children.”
I put an arm around her and she wrapped both her arms around me. She sobbed into my shoulder as I rubbed her back gently. I’ve never seen Emily this vulnerable before. She was always so strong and independent and now she had to rely on her family to keep her grounded in this hard time.
She pulled away and wiped away her tears angrily. “I can’t believe him. It’s all his fault anyways. He said he didn’t want any more and he didn’t use protection and I can’t go on birth control.”
“Why not?”
She hiccupped a laugh. “It doesn’t work on werewolves.”
Well, I thought, you learn something new every day.
The door opened and my mother walked in. She peeked her head in and Emily waved her in.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to intrude.”
Emily waved it off. “It’s fine. I’m sorry I’m crying. Damn hormones.”
I rubbed her back and leaned down to kiss her belly. She laughed and placed her hand on it.
“He told me to take one this morning when I threw up. I did and turns out, I’m pregnant.” She sighed. “Of course it take two to tango, but we should’ve been careful. He should be the one up here telling me it’s okay and we’re going to get through it.”
I stood up. “I’ll be back.”
I left the room before either of them could ask me questions. I stomped down the stairs and walked into the backyard. Eric was pacing the yard with his hands behind his neck and looked deep in thought. I closed the sliding door and walked up to him, putting my hands on my hips.
He looked over at me and dropped his hands. He hung his head.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Eric.”
His head whipped up so fast I was sure he got whiplash. “Excuse me?”
I crossed my arms. “Your mate is up there crying because she thinks you don’t want the baby.”
His eyes softened when he heard that. “I do want the baby….”
“Then what’s the problem?” I said, exasperated.
“I’m scared Noah’s going to come after my baby,” he closed his eyes and dropped to sit on the grass. I’ve never seen Eric looked so conflicted. He looked up at me. “I’m glad that Emily’s pregnant. I want nothing more than her having a ton of pups, but this world’s dangerous, Delilah.”
“I know. I’ve experienced it first-hand.”
He nodded and picked at the grass. “I just don’t want anything that I can control to happen to my baby. I want it to live in a world where it’s loved and out of harm’s way.”
I pointed to the house. “Then maybe you should go tell Emily that.”
He jolted up and walked towards the house and ran up the stairs to their room. I followed him up.
“I’m so sorry, Emily. I’m so, so sorry, baby.”
I walked into the room to see Eric hugging Emily as she raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled.
He pulled back and held her shoulders. “I want more kids, I do, but I just want Noah to be dealt with before we even thought about having any more.”
“I’m not getting an abortion if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
He growled and put his hands on her belly possessively. “I would never suggest that. We just need to deal with Noah soon. And by soon I mean right now.”
A/N: Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!