Two Months Later:
I sit in the living room with Aiden, who is sprawled across the floor in front of the couch as some random movie plays. I couldn't even explain what was going on in it right now because my mind is on other things.
For starters, I haven't had an actual conversation with Brandon in almost two months now. He's still assigned to be my guard but with Mary still missing, Mason added Aiden on as well to make sure I'm safe. Where Aiden is Brandon's childhood best friend, he isn't completely distracted by personal issues that would affect his duties. I've tried telling Mason that I would be fine without any extra people, but he insisted. It's been two months without any news or word from Dylan and his pack. Maybe they're just going to let the issue go and leave me alone. Doubtful, but I have to hope for something.
The other reason is that I've been sick lately. It's rare for a werewolf to get sick since our immune systems work at a higher rate than humans, but apparently whatever I managed to catch surpassed even that. I haven't been able to keep hardly any food down and I've been exhausted most of the time. I didn't want to worry Mason with it, though I'm sure he's noticed, and there isn't really anyone else I would want to talk to about it besides Brandon, but he has his own problems right now. So I've been suffering in silence - for the most part - while I wait for it to pass.
"Alaina, can we please watch something else?" Aiden complains as he throws his arm over his eyes dramatically. I roll my eyes and reach over my head to grab the remotes. I haven't been paying attention anyway, so I really don't care if he changes it. Aiden quickly grabs the remote and starts flipping through the channels as I adjust on my side. A wave of nausea hits me, but I manage to fight it down. I hear someone coming down the stairs and seeing as Mason is out with the pack and the only other person in the house beside Aiden and myself is Brandon, I sit up and direct my eyes towards the doorway. He comes into the living room with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his head down. I do my best to ignore his disheveled appearance and the hopeless look on his face as I smile at him.
"Hey, do you need anything?" I ask hopefully. I've missed him so much these past two months. Seeing him walk the hallways when he comes out of his room is like watching a ghost and I hated it! Aiden and I have gotten close over these months, but he isn't Brandon. Aiden understands thankfully and seeing as Brandon is his best friend as well, he feels the same way. I watch Brandon's shoulders rise and fall as he takes a deep breath as he finally looks up at me. His eyes are hollow. I'm not expecting him to snap out of this, not until we find Mary, but it would be nice if he would just talk to me now and again. The most I've been able to get out of him was five words at a time.
"Uh, I was just going to come watch the movie with you guys if that's okay." He rubs the back of his neck and looks down at the ground again. I smile as I stand up from the couch and make my way toward him. "I get it if you don't want me around right now. I know I've been pretty checked out of everything lately and I'm really sorry for that, Alaina," he looks up at me and the sadness in his eyes breaks my heart. I quicken my steps to get to him faster, but he keeps talking. "You've needed me these past two months and I let everything going on with me overshadow everything else in my life. I know you understand where it's all coming from, but that is no excuse to ignore my duties and my friends." I stop his talking as I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tight.
My wolf doesn't like me hugging him, but she's also happy that our best friend seems to be finding his way to the other side of the darkness that has taken over his life. Even if it's only for a short time. She's missed his presence just about as much as I have. Aiden is great company, but we've bonded with Brandon in a way we probably never will with Aiden.
I pull out of the hug and smile up at him. "Of course you can come watch with us. Aiden was about to find something else to watch since I've been torturing him - his words - with chick movies the last two weeks. I wasn't even paying attention to this one so he has control of the remotes now," I explain as I move to sit back down on the couch. I watch his movements out of the corner of my eye, half expecting him to turn back around and disappear into his room again. I sigh in relief when he moves to sit on the other end of the couch closer to Aiden. Aiden smiles at his friend but says nothing more. I lie back down on the couch as another wave of nausea hits me. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing until it passes. When I open my eyes again, Brandon's are on me.
"Why weren't you watching the movie?" he asks. Aiden glances at me briefly before turning his attention back to the TV.
"I just couldn't focus on it I guess. I've had some things on my mind." I don't want to worry him about what's going on with me when he's going through things a lot worse than I could ever imagine. A little sickness is nothing compared to not knowing where your mate is.
"What's been going on in that head of yours?" I look at him skeptically. I don't want to dump my problems on him when he's finally coming around me again. I sigh and pull my bottom lip between my teeth as I look towards the TV. "Come on, Alaina. It'll help me keep my mind off… other things."
"She's been sick for some reason," Aiden pipes in, his eyes still on the TV. I shoot him a glare as Brandon glances at him before looking back at me.
"Fine, I've been feeling awful lately," I shrug like it's not a big deal. I don't want to think about it too much when there are more important things to worry about than me not being able to keep food down and exhaustion.
Brandon studies me without saying anything for several minutes. I hear him inhale louder than normal, almost as if he's taking in my scent for some reason. I fur my eyebrows at him as I wait for him to explain. "Are you always sick, or is it mainly when you smell something?"
"Uh, well I feel fine for the most part, I guess. It's mainly when I try to eat anything lately, but I've been having some random nausea here and there. I haven't been able to keep a lot of food down. I've been tired a lot more lately, but I figured that's what happens when I'm not really allowed out of the house much." I sit up on the couch and look at him. "What are you getting at Brandon?" It sounds like he may know what's going on with me.
"Well, honestly it sounds a lot like symptoms of pregnancy. Wolves don't really get sick unless there is something big changing in their bodies. A growing child is a big change," he speaks casually. My breathing hitches in my throat as my eyes widen. Aiden's head jerks around as his eyes lock on me.
Pregnancy symptoms?
I'm not pregnant. Mason and I decided we were going to wait to start our family. We didn't want to have to worry about pups until we were sure that Dylan and Robert were no longer a threat. I start thinking back to every time I threw up, and Brandon's right. It was normally when I smelled something bad or after eating something. I throw my legs off the couch and lean forward as I count back to the last time I had my period, but stop when I realize that I can't even remember the last time I had one. Maybe two months ago. I think. I remember I had just finished before I was attacked by those Rogues. And Mason and I have mated, many times, since then and I haven't had one since.
Oh no…
"Brandon, Aiden, can one of you do me a favor?" They both nod their head and wait for me to continue. I close my eyes as I try to steady my breathing. "I need you to run to the store and…" I stop and sigh. "God, I don't feel right sending you, so never mind. I'll go get it myself." I shake my head and stand up from the couch to fetch my shoes.
"The Alpha isn't going to like that," Aiden calls after me as he and Brandon both follow out of the room. I roll my eyes at the two of them and grab my shoes by the door. If the test I'm going to get turns out to be positive, then I'm pretty sure I can get myself and them out of trouble for leaving the house. My stomach is in knots and for the first time in a while the nausea I'm feeling doesn't seem random.
"It'll be fine as long as you two come along and stay close. We won't be long, just a quick trip there and back. Now, please hurry up. My stomach is in knots and I need to hurry up and get this test so I can find out for sure or not." Brandon presses his lips together, no doubt sensing my panic.
"You're going to take a pregnancy test? Why not just go to the pack doctor?" Aiden asks as we walk outside. I sigh and look up at the cloudy sky. I really hope it doesn't rain today, but it seems almost fitting. "I mean, it's not like it would be cheaper… or closer… or easier," he says, being the smart ass that he is. I glare at him as I walk toward his car. He raises his hands in surrender but I can see a smirk playing on his lips.
"If I am pregnant, then I want to be sure before I tell Mason. If I go to the doctor the first thing he will do when he sees me is mindlink Mason and I don't want to get his hopes up on this if it turns out that I'm not pregnant." I half-lie. The truth is I'm too scared to go to the pack doctor because that would be the quick thing to do. What if I am pregnant? I want kids, obviously, but we decided to wait. What if I'm not ready to be a mom yet? What if a war breaks out? It would leave both me and Mason vulnerable.
"I'm just pointing out that this is a waste of my gas." I growl at him and jerk open his back door. I shoot him one last glare before climbing in. Brandon takes the passenger seat while Aiden begrudgingly climbs behind the wheel. He turns around and points a finger at me before saying, "Do not throw up in my car. I just got the smell from the last car ride I gave you yesterday and I don't plan on having to do it again today. You may be my Luna but I'm not above making you clean up any mess you make in my baby."
"That wasn't my fault last time! You were swerving all over the road and taking turns way too fast! It gave me a headache! So that was on you," I retort as I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. It took me three days to get him to let me back in his car after I got sick when he took me into town the last time. I don't think I will ever live that one down.
Brandon chuckles as he watches our interaction. I can't help but smile at the sound. It's nice having him around again. Aiden mumbles something under his breath and I shake my head again. "You would never guess that I'm his Luna by the way he talks to me," I say with a fake pout. I watch Brandon's shoulders shake as he tries to hold in his laughter, but Aiden stiffens. He stops what he's doing and glances back at me with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, Luna," he submissively responds. At this, Brandon lets his laughter ring out throughout the car. "What are you laughing at? She's right, I shouldn't be talking to one of my Alphas that way. If Alpha Mason had heard me, I'm sure he would have had my head."
"Do you think she honestly cares that much?" Brandon asks through his laughter. I fight a smile as I watch the two of them. "She's just messing around with you. If she really cared she would have said something about it a long time ago… or she would have had Mason deal with it. God, Alaina, just tell the boy you were messing around." I chuckle softly as I meet Aiden's eyes.
"I wasn't being serious. I was just joking around so you don't have to get all tense like that. If I'm being honest, I would much rather the two of you talk to me like this than like a lot of other pack members do. I get I'm their Luna and all and they want to show me respect, but I sweat the way they talk to me sometimes makes me feel like I'm seventy-eight instead of eighteen!" The guys chuckle and soon we are on our way toward the store.
The knots in my stomach seem to grow the closer we get and by the time we actually reach the store, I feel like I'm going to start hyperventilating. Brandon just keeps telling me to relax and breathe, but I don't think he realizes how scared I am right now. Mason and I have talked about having pups multiple times. But, what if he doesn't want them right now? With everything going on, it's going to be just one more thing to deal with. It's going to add on more stress and I don't want that for him.
This isn't the right time for me to end up pregnant.
"Come one, Alaina. You're going to be worse if you don't find out," Brandon says as he glances at me over his shoulder. Aiden climbs out of the car and moves around to open my door. "This is the easiest way to do it without going through the pack doctor. Aiden and I will go with you and then once you have what you need, we'll go straight home so you can have some privacy." He waits for me to nod my head in agreement before he turns and climbs out of the car himself. I manage to suck in a deep breath and look at Aiden's offered hand. I let him help me out of the back seat. I glance towards the entrance of the store with nothing but fear filling my body.
God, please don't let this be positive.