Chapter 2 High School

David came to me when I just reached eighteen years of age when I was still attending high school.

I was sitting on the bleachers, down in the Omega section, studying for a quiz that was due the next day when I saw a shadow fall over me, blocking the light. I raised my head from my book, confused as to who had come to me.

And felt my breath catch when I was the frickin Alpha's son.

David Aspen is still the pack's celebrity. He is the golden boy, the prom king at high school, the captain of the football thing, and the one person who commands the respect of the pack who is only second to his father. He is the heir to the pack. He is handsome and charismatic, brave and authoritative. Wolves hang on to every word he utters, and half the student body used to think that the sun rose and set on him.

He was all these things back then as well, perhaps mixed with a bit of obnoxiousness and narcissism. Of course, I couldn't blame him for feeling good about being who he was. Heavens knows that had I been the firstborn of the Alpha, I'd have been the same. Being Alpha meant you could have everything.

So, when the Alpha heir came seeking me, I was honoured, even before I knew what he was there for.

And when I learned that I was over the moon. Because he thought I was beautiful, he thought I was a sweet girl who was better than others, even though I was just a lowly Omega, and he wanted to be friends with me. I admit now, I pinched myself when he finished complimenting me. I was pretty sure I was dreaming because things like that did not happen to wolves like me. No matter how pretty you were, Alphas did not consort with Omegas in any way, other than giving orders or punishments.

For the first few days of our acquaintance, I existed as if I was floating in the sky like a cloud, feeling like I'd won the lottery. Of course, he did not associate with me in public, that would be absurd. He had a reputation to manage. But he would always join me when I sat on the bleachers, he would come around to my house and sneak into my room to do homework, he'd drop treats into a bag at school when he passed me in the hallway, and when no one was looking, he'd give me the sweetest smile in the world and with each flash of his perfect teeth, I fell more and more in love with him.

And in turn, he loved me.

I nearly fainted the first time he told me that, after sex no less. I thought it was a friends-with-benefits arrangement because Alphas did not date Omegas, but as usual, David was proving me wrong. He treated me like a girlfriend, albeit secretly. He made love to me, whispering sweet words in my ear, he would hold me while I slept afterward and look at me with adoration when I woke the next morning. For my birthday he would get me an expensive gift. It would be anonymous, left on my bed for me to see when I retire to my room after the day, some designer handbag or a pair of shoes, or a bottle of some really nice perfume, and once a golden necklace with a pendant of a wolf which I still cherish with all I have.

He's the best boyfriend ever, and the only thing that was blocking our happiness was the archaic laws of our pack. I've heard that the other packs weren't like that, anyone could get married to anyone, and mated pairs are cherished no matter what their designation is. Maybe it's just wishful thinking they exist because we will never know if they do. Sataria is one of the most isolated packs there are because of our insistence on following the old customs.

So, if I tell him that I'm pregnant, there is a chance he will be happy about it. After all, werewolves love their young. The idea of his child growing inside the woman he loves...I mean, I adore that idea. I can just imagine his face when I relay this information to him. At first, he will be shocked, because neither of us expected this. And then that full smile will burst through his face, rendering him ten times more handsome, and he would take me in his arms, and he will kiss me...

Of course, we have to figure out what to do with the baby. We could not marry; we could not acknowledge our relationship. But maybe with his grandchild growing in an Omega, the Alpha will see it fit to change the rules. Or maybe give his own son leniency to marry me.

The thought of being David's Luna...it's an impossible dream. I don't even care if I'm not the Luna, of course. I just want to be with David. I just want him to be the father of my child. I just want his love and affection for both me and my child.

That's not too much to ask, is it?

And so, instead of going home, I make my way towards the spot on the edge of the pack where we usually meet. It's pretty secluded from other areas of the pack, mostly with trees. There's an abandoned cabin there that no one had gotten rid of yet, half-demolished and in the process of being reclaimed by nature. We met there and shared kisses a number of times during these years, and it was a safe place.

And so, I sit on a rock near the cabin and wait for my lover to arrive, my hand rubbing over my belly.

A baby. I am going to have a baby. I am going to be a mother.

And finally, through the woods, he arrives.

"Arielle," he smiles at me, although his expression is one of concern, taking my face in his hands to bestow a kiss on my forehead, "how are you? I heard from the pack grapevine you visited the hospital today. Is anything wrong? Are you sick?"

"Um, no," I reply, and give him my own smile, "I thought I was. But no. In fact, I've got news."

His brows furrow, and I can't hold it in any longer.

"I'm pregnant!" I confess with barely concealed glee.

David's mouth falls open, and he blinks.

I anticipate his next words.

He says, "no."