Page 9 of Alpha's Regret: My Luna Has A Son

I don't know how long I run for, but I suddenly find myself on the city's main street—the line separating Nightshade Pack from Shadowmoon Pack, my father's pack, my old territory. My old house is only a ten-minute run from here.

Maybe he'll take pity on me; perhaps he might change his mind once he meets his grandson. I can only hope, at least for my son’s sake. I swallow, knowing I have no choice, or I'll be in the rain all night with a baby.

Deciding to take my chances, I start running home. I run the entire way before stopping in front of my old home. The lights are all off.

My heart twists as I look up the driveway of the single-story, lavish house. Growing up, I played with the pack kids in this street and rode my bike along the footpath with my sister. My father used to toss the football with us on this very lawn after work when we were little or help us climb the massive tree that sits on the side of the driveway. This was home.

Standing here, I suddenly miss my old life, miss my family; I just hope they miss me too.

ChapterSix

Quietly sneaking up the side of the house, I stop at my sister's bedroom window—she's asleep in her bed. I tap on the window and see movement; she flicks her lamp on, squinting around the room before looking at the window. Seeing me waving at her, Ava's mouth opens, and she's immediately on alert as she rushes over. As soon as she throws her window open, I pass her my bag, which she places on the floor before taking Valarian from me, so I can climb through the window.

“Sis!” she cries, hugging me. I inhale her scent, tears flowing down my cheeks, before pulling back to look at her. I am soaked, absolutely drenched, my hair dripping from the rain, but she doesn't seem to notice. She clutches her mouth before a sob escapes her. “I was hoping you would come back.” She looks down at my son in awe. “He's beautiful,” she chokes out. I gently close the window as she hugs Valarian close, smelling his tiny head.

“Gosh, I've missed you so much. Dad wouldn't let me look for you; he has me on a tight leash,” she says, tears streaking down her cheeks. “Grab some dry clothes, take whatever you want,” she whispers while pointing at her dresser.

I rummage through her drawers and find some warm clothes, trying to be quiet so I don't wake my parents down the hall. After putting on some of her pajamas, I have to roll the waistband of the pants to hold them up. My sister watches me before she breaks down again.

“You're so skinny,” she sobs, sinking onto her bed and looking at my body. She's right—you can see most of my ribs and my hip bones jut out. I've lost so much weight, this is the smallest I have ever been.

“I'm fine, Ava. I'm okay,” I try to reassure her, rummaging through my bag to retrieve a diaper. Thankfully, between my shirt and the blanket that was wrapped around him, Valarian was able to stay dry.

She just shakes her head, looking at my son as she rocks him. I sit next to her, and she moves over on the bed to give me space, leaning back against the wall. Together, we watch my son fall asleep in her arms. Laying my head down on her shoulder, I suddenly break down. Ava tries to soothe me, but I can feel her crying silently beside me. Ava was my best friend. It is almost impossible to beat a sister bond, someone who knows your hardships, knows what it's like to grow up with the parents you have, someone who shares every milestone with you and every heartbreak.

How times have changed?

I've missed having someone to talk to. The only interactions I’ve had were judgmental glares or a few words to show their disgust with me. Nobody asked how I was—nobody cared—and I was stupid enough to believe Beta Marcus would be able to help, stupid enough to think my mate would accept me.

“How is mom?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.

“She's okay; she asked Dad for a divorce when he kicked you out. But you know Mom, she would never leave him,” she tells me, and I nod.

It's unheard of for mates to get divorced. The bond stops mates from being separated. It weakens them; two souls, together, or that's how it's supposed to be.

Not for me, I guess. I'm not looking forward to the rest of my life feeling my mate whenever he's with another woman who isn’t me. I'm not looking forward to raising our son on my own or being alone.

When Valarian stirs, I get up and grab his formula before realizing I have no bottled water. Ava passes my son to me before grabbing his bottle from my hand.

“How much?” she whispers.

“Four ounces,” I tell her, and she nods, opening the door just as my son cries out loudly. I try to muffle the noise and soothe him by giving him his binky, but he spits it out and lets out an ear-piercing scream.

My sister stares at me in panic. Quickly, she tries to close the door, but within seconds it is thrown open and bangs against the wall, causing Valarian to scream even louder.

My father storms in and his eyes instantly find me. A growl escapes him. I cower away, shielding my son. Ava gets between us, trying to shield me from my enraged father, but he shoves her out of the way before stalking toward me.

“Please, Dad, please!” I beg. He grabs my hair, and I scream. So does my son in my arms as I try not to drop him. My reflexes want to pull his hands away; instead, I hold my son for dear life, letting my hair tug painfully from my scalp.

“Mom! Mom!” Ava starts screaming frantically before I hear feet slapping on the tiles in the hall.

“Please, Dad! Mom, help me! Mom, please!” I beg her when she rushes in, her mouth open in shock as my father starts dragging me toward the front door by my hair.

My mother grips his arm, pleading with him. “John, please let her go; she has a baby in her arms.”

He shoves her aside before dragging me down the hall to the front of the house.

“Dad, please, it's raining outside,” Ava begs. My mother is also desperately trying to stop him. My father doesn't care; he growls at them, ignoring them and my cries. He's just opened the front door when my mother shoves him.

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