The morning sun filtered through my bedroom curtains, but I'd been awake for hours. Last night's run with the pack had left me exhilarated, yet uneasy. Isabella's presence there, her ability to sense us, to calm us—it was unprecedented. I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to change.
I dragged myself out of bed, muscles aching pleasantly from the night's activities. As I headed to the shower, my phone buzzed. A text from Isabella.
"Last night was amazing. Can we talk later?"
My heart raced. What did she want to talk about? Her new abilities? Us? I typed back a quick "Sure" before stepping into the shower, letting the hot water wash away my anxiety.
Work at the construction site was a welcome distraction. The rhythmic pounding of hammers and whine of power tools drowned out my thoughts. I threw myself into the physical labor, grateful for the normalcy.
"Smith! Phone call!" My foreman's voice cut through the noise.
Frowning, I set down my tools and made my way to the site office. Who'd be calling me at work?
"Hello?" I said, cradling the receiver.
"Damien?" A familiar voice sent a chill down my spine. "It's Sophia."
The world tilted. Sophia. My ex. The woman who'd shattered my heart and left me to pick up the pieces. What could she possibly want after all this time?
"What do you want?" I growled, my wolf stirring beneath my skin.
"I... I need to see you," she said, her voice trembling. "It's important. Please, can we meet?"
Every instinct screamed at me to say no, to hang up and forget I'd ever heard from her. But something in her voice gave me pause. Fear? Desperation?
"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "The diner on Fifth. Six o'clock."
I hung up before she could respond, my mind reeling. Why now? Just when things with Isabella were... well, I wasn't sure what they were, but it felt like the start of something incredible.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. I texted Isabella, postponing our talk. I couldn't deal with both of them in one night. She responded with a simple "Ok," and I tried not to read too much into it.
At six on the dot, I pushed open the door to the diner, the bell chiming cheerfully. The scent hit me immediately—floral perfume mixed with something else, something uniquely Sophia. My wolf growled low in my chest.
She sat in a booth at the back, her dark hair longer than I remembered, her face paler. When she saw me, she stood, wringing her hands nervously.
"Damien," she breathed. "Thank you for coming."
I slid into the booth across from her, keeping my face impassive. "What's this about, Sophia?"
She took a deep breath, her eyes darting around the diner before settling on mine. "I'm pregnant, Damien."
The words hit me like a physical blow. Pregnant? But we hadn't been together in...
"It's yours," she added quickly, as if reading my thoughts. "I'm about three months along."
Three months. My mind raced, counting back. The night before she left. The night I thought had been a new beginning, not an end.
"That's... that's impossible," I stammered. "We were always careful."
Sophia's laugh was bitter. "Apparently not careful enough."
I leaned back, running a hand through my hair. A baby. My baby. The wolf in me howled with a mixture of triumph and terror. A cub of my own, but with Sophia? The woman who'd walked out on me without a backward glance?
"Why tell me now?" I asked, suspicion creeping in. "Why not three months ago?"
She looked down, fiddling with a napkin. "I was scared. I didn't know what to do. But I... I can't do this alone, Damien."
The raw vulnerability in her voice tugged at something inside me. Despite everything, a part of me still cared for her. Still wanted to protect her.
"Does anyone else know?" I asked, my mind already racing with implications. A pregnant ex returning to a town full of werewolves and hunters? This could complicate everything.
Sophia shook her head. "Just you. I haven't even been to a doctor yet. I was hoping... maybe you could come with me?"
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. The responsible thing would be to say yes, to support her through this. But the thought of Isabella's face when she found out...
"I need some time," I said finally. "This is a lot to process."
Disappointment flashed across Sophia's face, quickly replaced by understanding. "Of course. I'm staying at the Pinewood Motel. Room 14. When you're ready to talk more..."
I nodded, already standing. I needed to run, to clear my head.
As I reached the door, Sophia called out, "Damien? I really am sorry. For everything."
I paused, hand on the door handle, but didn't turn back. Without a word, I pushed through and out into the cool evening air.
My feet carried me towards the woods at the edge of town, my mind a chaotic swirl of thoughts. Sophia. A baby. Isabella. The pack. How could I possibly navigate all of this?
As I reached the treeline, a familiar scent stopped me in my tracks. Wolfsbane. Hunters.
I spun around, scanning the shadows between the trees. A twig snapped to my left. I crouched, ready to run or fight.
"Well, well," a gruff voice chuckled. "Looks like we found ourselves a wolf."
I turned towards the voice, my heart pounding. Three figures emerged from the darkness, rifles gleaming in the moonlight.
"Now," the lead hunter said, leveling his weapon at my chest. "Why don't you tell us all about your little pack?"