ChapterOne
Briar
“You’re pregnant.”
I never thought those words would cause my entire world to crumble around me.
What had I envisioned? If I had to answer, I’d probably say that at the very least, I’d be surrounded by my pack, the room filled with love and joy. Those words would be met by cheers, maybe even a few happy tears or one of those corny but cute celebration dances. My alphas would be handing out those bubblegum cigars like the proud dads they were. It would be a moment that I’d cherish because it would mean that I would be starting a real future with the people I loved.
But no, they hit the air like an explosion.
My ears rang, and my panic rose with each beat of my pounding heart. I was waiting for the walls and building to crumble around us. This couldn’t be happening to me, not now, not with him.
“No, no, no,” I muttered over and over. Tears burned my eyes, and even the alpha doctor seemed upset on my behalf. He didn’t ask about the circumstance, but I’d say my reaction was enough of a tell. That, or he could smell my sheer panic and fear despite his mask. My baby’s father would rather die than claim me or this baby, and I couldn’t raise it alone. Hell, I was just an intern. My salary was shit, and now I was in a situation where it would be next to impossible to get anything better. Finding work as a pregnant omega would be impossible.
Once an omega was pregnant, society expected us to be supported by a pack. That wasn’t my case, and no pack would accept me now either. No alpha would be eager to raise another alpha’s baby. It wasn’t necessarily them being cruel or judgmental; it was instinct. The primal part of an alpha would always recognize that there was something about the child that wasn’t right, that wasn’t theirs. What kind of man would be willing to ignore that screaming voice to give me a chance?
My only other option was the Omega Center. But I’d heard horror stories about omegas and unsuccessful pack placements. No fucking thank you. I had enough on my plate.
No… I’d be on my own, with just the baby as a reminder of what had happened to me. As crazy as all of this was, it wasn’t the baby’s fault, and I couldn’t find it in me to hate it. The idea of getting rid of it did nothing to make me feel any better. In fact, it made me feel worse. Something about this little life growing inside me had already settled in my soul, even if my mind was still processing and panicking.
The doctor awkwardly patted my shoulder, unsure how to handle a hysterical omega babbling to herself like a psychopath. But honestly, who could fucking blame me? I was sure I was going to have to go back to work with raccoon eyes and an aura of defeat. There was no way I could squash my emotions down enough that those around me wouldn’t scent them. Even now, the claustrophobic exam room was filled with the sour scent of my distress. The scent was bitter and nauseating, only adding to how badly I already felt.
“We have resources for you. I’ll send in our omega advocate,” he promised quickly. “You’ll get through this, Briar.” The kind words had the dam breaking, and tears began to free fall as I wallowed in self-pity for a moment. His footsteps hurried out of the room, and in any other situation I might have laughed at the hasty retreat.
This shouldn’t be happening.
I wasn’t in heat when he… No. Don’t go there.
Their tests have to be wrong.
But even as I had those thoughts, I knew this was real. Their tests were far more reliable than the over-the-counter ones in stores.
A soft knock on the door had me glancing up as a perky omega woman with a bright smile firmly in place burst through the door. She had on a flowing colorful sundress and a cardigan that complemented her curled blonde hair and pink-painted smile. She was the epitome of sunshine, and I wanted to run far away before she even opened her mouth. I couldn’t do cheery right now. On a regular day, her mood was something I matched, but right now, it just grated on my nerves.
“Hello, Briar. I’m Stephanie! I hear we got some unexpected news,” she said, her voice dropping to a calming cadence as she sat down on the metal stool. Her entire presence was too bright and colorful for the cold white walls and metal equipment in the room.
“But I wasn’t in heat,” I argued weakly. I knew it wasn’t doing much of anything to help my current situation, but it was the only real argument I had. And it was one hundred percent true. That night had been weeks away from my next heat. This should have been impossible. “He needs to check again.”
Her lips pursed together at my pleading tone, and her eyes hardened a bit, like she was tired of doing this over and over. I knew then that she was about to flip a switch. The signs were easy to recognize. My mom was the same way, having a perfect mask for strangers until she couldn’t hide behind it anymore.
“Your levels are past the area of doubt. You’re definitely pregnant,” she said, holding out the lab results. I didn’t even read it, not that I could’ve. The words all blurred together as my eyes misted with unshed tears. She pulled them back, placing the papers on her lap. I didn’t even care what else she had at this point. What I needed was time to process.
I’d be forced to tell my family, and I knew that they wouldn’t take it well. This situation was everything my mother had warned me not to do. Good little omegas found a pack and settled in, let them claim her, then had babies. I definitely had no pack and no intentions of telling the father. Plus, it wasn’t like I’d had a say in the matter. He had taken what he’d wanted, regardless of my feelings. Alphas could be assholes, so I never understood why they were regarded so highly, especially him.
“It’s rare for this to happen, but sometimes it does. The probability is only .009 percent, but… What can I say, dear? Your reproductive system is apparently an overachiever!” What in the world made her think that was the right strategy? Her silver-linings peptalk needed a real kick in the ass. And I needed to get the hell out of here.
“Can I just have the info and go?” I asked, gesturing at the papers. “I can’t do this right now.”
“Of course. There are some cards with information for you in there,” she agreed, eyes wide at my aggressive tone. It wasn’t directed at her; it was just me doing everything I could not to keep from breaking down further. She handed me the papers, then I all but ran through the office and into the afternoon sun. My stomach churned, a mix of nerves and hunger since I’d skipped lunch for this shitshow.
Glancing at my watch, I noticed I had only fifteen minutes to get back to the office. That meant I had just enough time to stop somewhere quick… but my mind ignored the hunger pangs and instead went for a pregnancy test instead. It was stupid, especially with the doctor’s confirmation, but I didn’t care.
Tucking away the packet of information, I practically ran to the convenience store on the corner, thanking whatever god was listening that I’d worn flats today. I thought I was just dealing with a rough heat, not creating a fucking life.
There was a long line at the checkout, and I held back a growl of frustration, heading for the tiny pharmacy section and nabbing a pregnancy test. Sure, it was irrational, but that was where I was at today. As I passed a display of candy bars, I nabbed some dark chocolate to tide me over. When dealing with news of the life-altering variety, a girl had carte blanche to treat herself, right?
I barely heard the cashier as I finally checked out and sprinted back to the office building. Thankfully, City Hall was just down the road from the clinic, which was why I’d chosen it. Working as an intern for the mayor’s office wasn’t a job I took lightly, even now that he’d ruined my life. I wasn’t naive enough to think he couldn’t ruin it further if I made a big deal about this. I’d be gone in two months, way before this pregnancy became an issue, and with an internship like this under my belt, well, I’d be a step ahead of most. For now, that was all that I could focus on. Fake it until I made it, get the recommendations, then get the fuck out and deal with this baby situation.
With ten minutes to spare, I made it to the ladies’ room and claimed the biggest stall. The instructions were clear enough. Pee on the stick, wait three minutes, get the results.
The fact that I successfully managed to straddle the toilet in the tiny stall and pee on the stick was a feat in itself. But I was in no mood to celebrate. Each passing second felt torturous. My heart was slamming in my chest, and with how tumultuous my stomach was feeling, I was glad I hadn’t eaten lunch.