Page 31 of Rejected By My Stepbrother Alpha
Mommy is going to keep you safe, little one.
For my unborn child, I couldn’t afford to break down.
Now was the time for action.
With a new purpose. I began to pack. From the closet, I grabbed the worn suitcase I’d brought with me to Russell's house when my mother and I moved in. I only packed the clothes I owned before I moved here. I wouldn’t take anything that would remind me of Asher. Next, I wrapped the pregnancy test in toilet paper and stuck it in the front zipper of the suitcase. I’d throw it away in a random dumpster. I couldn’t leave it behind for my mother or—Goddess forbid—Asher to find.
As I stuffed my toiletries into my suitcase, I paused.
Shit.
I’d been so focused on getting out of here as fast as possible, I had no idea where I was headed to.
Should I try to go back to my old pack? Maybe I could move in with Maeve and her parents. Was that far enough away from the man who had rejected me?
Panic began to churn in my stomach. I had no place to live or a pack to call my own. What kind of life was I going to give my child?
Stop. That's just your anxiety talking.
I didn’t have to have everything figured out right now. I could take this one day at a time. I’d been saving up, and I had enough money to survive until I could find a job that would hire a pregnant twenty-year-old with no experience.
As I zipped my suitcase closed, I took a deep breath.
This decision felt right. With the way things were going right now, anywhere was better than here.
Twenty minutes later, I was ready to leave my life behind and start a new one.
There was a small part of me that was screaming to find Asher and beg him to help me take care of our unborn child.
But I shoved that voice to the back of my mind.
There wasn’t room in my new life for someone who had shattered my heart.
Chapter 11
The Corner Office
Ivy
*Seven years later*
“Goodbye, sweetheart,” I said and kissed my son on his cherubic cheek. “I hope you have the best day.” I squeezed him tight, wanting to prolong the moment before I had to let go.
“Mom,” Adrian grumbled. “Everyone is looking.” His bright green eyes glanced around the brightly-colored daycare.
I began to pull away from our embrace, but surprisingly, Adrian tightened his little arms around me.
“Okay, wait, maybe just a few more seconds, Mom,” he whispered so that none of his friends would be able to hear him.
My sweet boy.
The back of my eyes pricked, and I inhaled his sweet scent. He still smelled the same as the day he was born.
“Matteo's here!” Adrian said a second later and shot out of my arms.
Well, that was a nice moment while it lasted.
My son ran over to Matteo, his cousin, and the two began to talk a mile a minute. They were as close as brothers.
