The meetings ended yesterday. Today I sent Ashleigh to the store to find a pregnancy test. I have been waking up the last three mornings feeling very sick. I told her I didn't want anyone to know besides her. If I was pregnant, I wanted to tell Jonathan myself. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. I didn't understand why Ashleigh wouldn't just walk in. She always did. I sniffed the air. It wasn't Ashleigh but it was her father, Brent. I could smell the anger coming off of him.
I opened the door and he looked very sad. I could feel my heart pounding. "I ran into Ashleigh at the drug store. She was buying a pregnancy test. She promised it wasn't for her, since she's still too young to have a mate. She told me it was yours. Sophia, I have some bad news. A rogue had challenged Jonathan. If the rogue wins and he finds out you are pregnant with the alpha's child, he will kill you. You must run. Hide. Now," Brent said, and I left my apartment behind. I didn't know where to go and I was terrified that I was going to lose Jonathan and not get to say goodbye, but I had to think about the possible pup I was carrying.
I made my way to the pack border unnoticed. I stepped over the invisible border for the first time in my life. I was now officially a rogue. No pack would want me. I would never have the safety of a home or companions again. I shifted into my wolf and I started running as fast as my paws could go. Suddenly I was slammed to the ground. When I looked at who tackled me, I saw a large brown wolf. He was baring his teeth at me. As he growled at me, Alpha Larry stepped out of the bushes. "I suggest you shift Rogue." Alpha Larry said. I let out a short whimper.
When I saw he wasn't going to let up, I shifted. "Look, I need to pass through your territory. Please." I said, not looking at him, as I was embarrassed to be standing in front of two wolves who were not my mate. I was not only standing in front of them, but I was also completely exposed. I tried to cover my breasts and keep my legs tightly crossed.
"Why has that alpha of a mate you have finally seen you for the filth you really are?" Jackson said as he walked up. I didn't look at him. I had told him I never wanted to see him again and I intended not to see him.
"No. He had a challenge and I am pregnant and I am worried that my pup could be in danger." I said, finally looking up at Alpha Larry.
"I suggest that you kill her. She crossed onto our territory and now she is lying." Jackson said. That is how he will get his way. Kill me because I am nothing but a rogue now.
"Shut up dad. You are not the alpha anymore I am!" Alpha Larry said. "Sophia, I will be kind to you just this once. We will walk to the pack house and you will take whatever clothes of Cassie's that will fit you. Only one outfit. Then you will walk to the northern edge of my territory and you will leave and never ever step foot on my territory again or I will not be so kind." Alpha Larry said and led the way through the forest. Eventually, we came up to a large house I assumed was their pack house. Once again, I could feel Jackson boring holes in my back as we walked, but I kept my eyes off of him and acted like it didn't bother me.
"What is she doing here? And what is she naked for?" Cassie said, looking at me with disgust in her eyes.
"Cassie, your sister needs some clothes and you're going to donate an outfit for her. Take her to our room and help her pick out some clothes so Lenny can walk her to the Northern border." Alpha Larry said. Cassie turned and started walking. I felt a warrior's hands on the small of my back pushing me to follow. I did so and went to a room that was luxurious. I could almost feel myself being jealous. Sure, the home I had was an entire apartment, but now I have no home.
I could feel myself hoping that I was not pregnant. I didn't know how I would take care of a pup all by myself and live like a rogue. Usually, rogues are males, but occasionally females become rogues and will only be accepted into a pack if their mate is there. Chances are no Alpha will give me a chance to explain. They would assume I was bad in my original pack and got exiled. The thing is, most of the land is dominated by some pack. There isn't much land that doesn't have a pack on it. That is why it is so hard for a rogue to find a safe space to live. If you are found on the territory of a pack they most certainly will kill you, no questions asked. "So what happened with Jonathan?" Cassie asked, sounding truly concerned.
"He got a challenge and I think I might be pregnant so Brent sent me away to protect the possible baby," I answered as Cassie brought out a cute shirt with a matching pair of pants. She held it up for me to see it.
"You don't know for sure?" Cassie asked suddenly before she laid the outfit on her bed and went through a door. "Use this. If you're pregnant you shouldn't be shifting. If you get more than two months along, you could miscarry. I made that mistake." She said as she handed me a pregnancy test. When I took the test, it was positive. I was in fact pregnant. I left the bathroom with the test in my hand.
"What am I going to do? I don't have a home. How am I going to care for a baby?" I said as I looked at my sister. We never got along but I knew she wouldn't treat me badly when it came to an innocent baby.
"You can't stay here." She replied as she handed me the outfit and told me to get dressed. I did and we walked out. I hadn't put the pregnancy test down.
"Remember don't ever come back." Alpha Larry said, but I was barely listening now. I followed the warrior that he told to walk with me out.
"Alpha doesn't mean to be rude. It is just that it isn't safe for you to be here." The warrior said as we walked toward the north.
"Yeah. Well, at least I can say if my baby dies I die too." I said in a mumble. We walked until we came to the edge of their territory.
"This is where I stop. Good luck." The warrior said, and I continued to walk into the distance. I let my feet lead the way as I had no clue where to go. Suddenly, a man came out of nowhere.
"What are you doing in my territory, Rogue?" He said. My heart started to bound. This life was going to be hard.
"I… I am sorry. I am not really a rogue. My mate was the alpha Blue Mountain Pack. He received a challenge from a rogue. I don't know what happened. I am pregnant and my mate's father found out and sent me away." I said as the man held his hand up.
"I thought I recognized you. I was at the meeting last night. I heard the challenger. He was big. I am sorry for your loss. Tell me, do you feel the mate bond pulling you back?" He asked as he got closer.
"Yes. Every step I take that takes me further from him gets harder to take. I never got to say goodbye." I said as I felt a tear fall from my eyes.
"Well, you are not a rogue. Look, I can't allow you to remain on my territory but I can offer for you to see our doctor." The man said. "Oh, by the way, I am Alpha Lorenzo." He said with a smile.
"If you know I am not a true rogue, why can't I stay?" I asked.
"Because had you said the mate bond had disappeared I would say for sure your mate has lost his challenge. If he by chance won, he would be looking for you and that could put me and my pack in danger. Alpha's are terrible when it comes to our mate's safety and even though I would only be helping you, he may mistake my kindness for malevolence." Alpha Lorenzo said.
"Thanks for your help, even if it is only a little. And thanks for not attacking me at first contact." I said as I bowed to Alpha Lorenzo.
"Had you been a male, I probably would have. I haven't found my mate yet and if she is out there somewhere as a rogue I can only hope that someone takes kindly to her." Alpha Lorenzo said as he held his hand out for me to follow. We walked until we approached a large building but it wasn't as large as a hospital. "This is my pack house. The doctors have a special floor at the top. It is our way of keeping our injured wolves safe." We walked until we came to a door that smelled of medicine and there were a lot of other strange smells.
"Hello. I don't recognize you." Someone in a doctor's coat said as she approached us.
"Hi, I am Sophia Zimmerman," I said, although the last name wasn't truly mine. I didn't want to be known as Greggor anymore. After all, Joseph wasn't really my father. I had no family other than the pup growing inside of my womb. I never wanted to forget Jonathan, so I could tell my pup what a great father Jonathan would have been.
"What can I do for you?" She said as she held her hand out toward one of the beds.
"I am pregnant and I haven't seen a doctor, so I don't know how long I have been pregnant," I replied as I sat on a bed.
"Alright, please lay back. I will do an ultrasound and see." She said as she put warm gel on my tummy before running something over my tummy. I saw a little pulsating blob on the screen. "You are approximately nine-weeks along. And what's more, there are twins." She said, causing my heart to pound. Now it wasn't just one pup I had to worry about, but two. Things are just getting worse by the minute. After she checked me over, I was once again on the run. More than ever, I knew I needed a pack, but if what Alpha Lorenzo said was true, no one would accept me out of fear of how Jonathan would act. I wish they understood that Jonathan was not mean. He was one of the nicest alphas around.
I noticed that the sun was beginning to go down, bringing the end of the first day of my solitude. I realized I was very hungry. I didn't know how I would find any food, but I had no other choice but to venture onto the territory of a pack I didn't know. I found a little diner at the edge of this territory. The smell of werewolves was strong but I was desperate for food, so I decided I was willing to risk it. When I walked in, all eyes were on me. I realized everyone in this diner was werewolves, including the waitress. I noticed a large male walking toward me looking very angry. "What are you doing in my territory Rogue?" He said. I pegged him as the Alpha of this pack.
"My name is Sophia Zimmerman. I mean no harm, I just... I just want food. Please. Then I will be on my way." I said as I let the tears fall. I was scared beyond belief. This man seemed mean and I had no allies, so if he wanted to kill me there was nothing I could do about it.
"You said, Sophia. As in Alpha Jonathan's mate?" The man said, seeming calmer. I simply nodded as I allowed more tears to fall and then I dropped to my knees. The mention of my mate was enough to throw me off my feet.
"Alpha, can't we spare some food? She looks like she has had a bad day." The waitress said as she walked up and put her arm over my shoulders. They gave me food in a bag and told me to go. I found a secluded spot and ate my food.
I found a small bush to hide in and wished I could shift, but the doctors said I would be risking my pup's lives if I shifted while I was pregnant, so I didn't. I was fast asleep.
The next morning, my solitude continued. I began by walking in a random direction. I didn't know where I was going. All I knew was I had to keep moving. Even if a group of rogues found me, didn't make it where I would be safe with them. They could hurt me also. I walked for what seemed like hours. I found a bush covered in round black berries. I started to pull them off the bush. When I ate them, they were the sweetest things I have eaten in a long time.
"Are those good?" A man's voice said from behind me. I jumped as I turned and saw a large man. Smelling him, I could tell he was not human. He wasn't a werewolf either.
"What are you?" I said as I started to shake. He was huge.
"I am a lycanthrope. Unlike you, I don't fully shift into a wolf, but a sort of bipedal wolf. The thing of human stories when they talk about werewolves," he said as he approached. "Sure wish I could eat these, but I am allergic to Elderberries."
"Are they poisonous?" I asked suddenly, concerned.
"Not if you aren't allergic to them," he said with a smile. "What is a small girl like you doing outside of pack territory?"
"I am a rogue. I have no pack." I said before I smelled a familiar scent. Before I could figure out what the scent was, it disappeared faster than I could figure out what it was.
"Never ever tell anyone you are a rogue. You are lucky I am the Lycan you ran into. My people are very mean. They hear someone is a rogue and they do not care that you are a werewolf. They will kill you faster than you can get the word rogue out of your mouth. I, on the other hand, see you as a possible ally," he said.
"Where is your pack?" I asked after a moment of watching this Lycan.
"Lycans are solitary unless they can win a pack from a werewolf, Alpha," he said.
"And you haven't?" I asked. I was desperate for companionship and he was being nice, so I decided I would talk to him.
"No. I haven't found a pack that impresses me enough yet." He said.
"Why don't you make your own pack? I bet a lot of rogues would like a leader that is as big as you," I said after thinking. Maybe he would let me travel with him. I was very lonely. I didn't know anything about Lycans, but I did know that werewolves don't do very well on their own.
"The other Lycans would question whether or not I deserve my pack. If I find an Alpha to challenge and I win, no one will question it. I would be the alpha until I had an heir that reached the right age. No one would challenge me or my descendants." The Lycan said.
"But there are so many alphas in the world, why haven't you found one yet?" I asked, confused.
"I want to be an alpha of a pack that would be happy. Most of the time, when a Lycan takes the alpha ship of a pack, the entire pack splits in two. One group will accept loyalty to the new alpha and the other half will rebel. Perhaps the Lycan who won the Blue Mountain pack only has half of the pack left." He said, causing my heart to start pounding. Jonathan was challenged to a fight to the death with a Lycan. That meant he was dead.
"My mate was the alpha of the Blue Mountain pack. And now he is dead." I said as I dropped to my knees, fighting back the urge to scream.
"I am sorry to be the one to tell you this. I didn't know." He said as he got down to my level on the ground. "You know he may not be dead. Lycans aren't as bad as everyone thinks they are. Maybe he made a deal with the Lycan. Maybe your mate was beaten into submission and turned to exile to live. Especially if your mate knows you are out here by yourself," he said kindly. He turned and started to walk away without saying anything. I wanted to follow but I didn't know if he wanted companionship, so I didn't and went back to eating the sweet black berries. I think he called them Elderberries. After eating my fill of berries, I left the bush and walked in the opposite direction than the Lycan went.
I was curious what a Lycan looked like when they shifted but I was afraid to follow him and ask. After walking for what seemed like hours, I found myself in the middle of a pack territory. I didn't mean to cross into their territory, so I stayed still hoping the three wolves that were talking nearby wouldn't catch my scent, but I had no luck.