A U D R E Y
I felt a touch on my shoulder so I groaned but still opened my eyes to find my best friend. When I could finally react, I saw that we were in front of the building where my apartment is located. I helped her unload one of her suitcases, although she gave me the least heavy one since our "fight" because I'm pregnant and she says I shouldn't make a lot of effort continued.
"Chloe, I carried a pack and a younger brother for nine years. A baby is not very different from that." I protested, getting her to turn around with a sigh.
"A baby is much more fragile than a pack, Audrey."
Before we could continue arguing, we were already in front of my apartment door, so I nervously bit my lower lip. Chloe wasn't the only person I lost when I was Ethan's girlfriend; my brother didn't like my alpha one bit from the start. Everyone realized what he really was like, except me. I would definitely apologize to my little boy, I wanted to get our relationship back and for us to be the same Thompson brothers as before.
Finally, after feeling my friend's hand on my shoulder as a sign of support, I knocked on the door with my nerves on edge. When the wooden door no longer separated us and our gazes met, I smiled as if seeing it for the first time in my life.
"Hi, Cam." I greeted him feeling my hands sweat, more nervous than in my reunion with Chloe.
He just stared at us in amazement for several seconds that seemed eternal. He shifted his gaze from the brunette to me on until he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, probably not believing that after a year we were here, in front of him with Chloe's huge suitcases on our sides.
"Audrey? Chloe?" Cameron asked us incredulously and touched both of us on the shoulder to see if we were real, which was kind of funny.
"We are real... We are here with you, little wolf." I said bringing my hand to caress him cheek lovingly. I felt my eyes sting, partly because the pregnancy hormones made me want to cry, but also because of how much I had missed him this past year.
"I'm sorry about this, but can you have your emotional moment inside, please? The suitcases are a little heavy." Chloe interrupted making a face, so we both came out of our bubble.
"Sure, come in." He whispered with a warm smile and stepped aside so we could pass, which we did.
We sat in the living room and I sighed feeling home again. My parents left this apartment for us in case there was an emergency; Instead, I made it something of my haven whenever I felt like I was doing things wrong or just needed a moment to myself. These four walls witnessed the crazy teenage things I did from time to time, like little parties, getting drunk, sometimes bringing boys, freaking out, yelling. In short, this is the only place where I must not be the respectable alpha Audrey Thompson, but can only be myself without being judged by anyone.
"It's good to come back." I whispered, touching all the old but neat oak furniture with one hand, bringing different memories to my mind: some funny, some sad. But, after all, they are still memories.
"What brings them here?" Cameron asked with interest as we sat down on the couches in the living room.
"Aren't you going to at least ask me how I've been? That is rude of you." I answered crossing my arms.
"If I'm totally honest, I thought I wouldn't see you again after what happened with your idiot alpha." My brother confessed putting a hand on his chest, specifically where the heart was located, as a sign of sincerity.
"He's not my alpha anymore." I murmured, closing my eyes tightly, knowing that I would not bear his gaze on me after saying that.
"And I suppose that's why you're here today. What did he do to you, Audrey?" He demanded in a vague attempt to remain calm.
I was furious with him still not knowing the true cause of me leaving Ethan's side. I frantically moved my foot against the ceramic floor. She wasn't ready for him to know for fear of his reaction, but she had a right to find out since he was one of the few people with a greater right to know. If I didn't answer him, I would spend the next eight months wondering what had made me change my mind about the "love of my life," as I used to say when I defended him from the bad things that others said about our relationship. Pathetic, completely pathetic.
"Ethan was never in love with me, it was all a plan for our packs to unite and his to become stronger, to try to take away my place as Moonlight alpha, which he didn't succeed in luckily. Also, after learning about it, I found out that he was cheating on me with his ex-girlfriend. I finished sew calm to summarize the reasons why I decided to flee from that hell disguised as paradise."
I know that at first glance it wouldn't seem so serious to many, but experiencing it firsthand was the opposite. What would you think if they excited you, told you that they love you, that they would leave everything for you, that they would form a beautiful family with you, that you are the most precious thing they have, but you discover that all that has been false, and above all that, are you pregnant with that person who hurt you? If you are like me, you will run away to take refuge in your family, the one that truly loves you, the one that opens the doors for you regardless of the mistakes you have made.
Those are Cameron and Chloe to me, they are both my brothers, blood or not.
My brother's gaze was lost for several minutes as he tightly clenched his fists that ended up turning white. Chloe gave me a meaningful look from across the room, in the hallway that led to the rooms where she was previously arranging her things in what would be her room to give us privacy.
"Cam, I... I'm pregnant with Ethan and running from the wolves of the Crescent Moon pack who are chasing me because they want me to come back to be their Moon, but I don't want to anymore. That's why I came here with Chloe." I explained.
When I finished speaking I licked my lips waiting for a scream or something like that, but he just kept quiet looking at me and loosened his grip on the sofa, more surprised than when he saw us arrive.
"Audrey, please tell me it's a joke because if it is it's not funny." He said seriously, so I shook my head running a hand through my hair.
"It's not a joke, we confirmed it yesterday and she's a month pregnant." My friend spoke entering the living room and sitting next to me on the long armchair.
"You weren't supposed to get pregnant because of that curse you have." He was looking for some excuse not to fall into the reality that there was a being living inside me.
"Not unless it's from my destined partner. And unfortunately for us, that person is Ethan Montgomery. But we think that fifty percent of this baby is mine, that's the important thing."
"I hate that idiot for having done all those horrible things to you and because he is the father of your child... But as always, I will support you and take care of my nephew." He finally said after letting out a sigh, so I hugged him hiding my face in his chest.
"Thanks, little wolf. Your opinion is one of the most important things to me, and thanks for the support... I'm seriously going to need it." I thanked smiling.
I love my little brother very much because even if they are only two years apart, he will always be my baby.
"I will always be there for you, don't even forget that. Does anyone else know?
"You two are the only ones. At least for the duration of the pregnancy, I want it to be that way. If anyone in the pack finds out, I can swear it will get to Ethan and I don't feel ready for that."
"You must stay here so that no one in the pack sees you, they do a lot of business with humans in cities like this and maybe they'll look for you here too."
"I'm sorry, Audrey, but it would be a danger if you went outside for now." Chloe muttered sadly and I just sighed biting my lip.
"If I get locked in between these four walls, I think I'll go crazy or claustrophobic, whichever comes first." I confessed, shaking my head somewhat amusedly, so we laughed. "But it's all for the protection of my baby. For the next two months, while things calm down, I will stay here."
"Very well. Now you must rest so that my nephew can be born healthy." My brother murmured stroking my hair and squatted down to kiss my flat stomach.
I headed after saying goodbye to my family to what was once my room. I looked at every corner that had a small memory of my adolescence and part of my adulthood. I lay down exhausted on my bed, just talking seemed to take all my energy; however, every dizziness or vomiting was worth it when I remembered the reason for my ills.
Before falling into the arms of Morpheus I thought of Ethan and my future baby, wondering who he will look like. I hope the only thing I get from his father is his hair since that was what I liked the most about his body; combing it, ruffling it, playing with it, pulling a little making it look at me with false anger and giving it spikes full of love as a reward for the "abuse". Yes, that love that was only on my part.
<< I must learn to live without him. I can't stay living in the memories when it was all a lie >> I reminded myself, furiously hitting the mattress I was lying on.
"It's time to get over it... It doesn't matter that I have a little memory of him growing inside me." I whisper feeling my eyes slowly close until I no longer hear anything around me.