Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ana

The darkness has been my closest companion for the past few days, and I have not left my bedroom or even gotten out of bed. I feel like Alex ripped my heart from my chest, a reminder of our relationship. That meant so much to me and so little to him. There is no will inside me to breathe. The silence in the room speaks volumes, as if Star is grieving with me. The blinds remain closed over the windows, while trays full of food sit untouched on my nightstand.

I hear a faint knock at the door before it opens slowly, revealing Courtney. Dad hasn't come back into my room since he found out about something related to Mr. Sullivan–something about him being 'no human'. What did he mean? The latest gossip is that Shauna and Alex are expecting a baby, meaning that he had been cheating on me all these months. How could he fool me so easily and deceive me so cruelly?

Tears streamed down my face nonstop. I felt like I was going insane; I hadn’t showered in days and would only leave my bed for occasional restroom breaks. Court comforted me by lying next to me, holding my hand and whispering: “I thought it was all a misunderstanding that could be easily fixed, but now I can see the shock your body is in, and I am certain Alex is your mate too. I had my doubts before, but everything makes sense now. Ana, please just hear me out before you say no.”

“Courtney, what are you talking about?”

“I had my doubts about Alex from the start. I swear his aura was foggy or something.” Courtney and her energy talk - why if she wasn't a shifter, I'm sure she'd be some kind of healer or tarot reader, spouting off about people's auras and how their actions reflect something bigger.

“So, I did some digging around on Alex and his family, and did you know they're originally from Montana? The mountains, to be exact.”

“Okay… so?” I had lost interest in the discussion and was too tired to care.

“That's why I suggested Montana for our pack training trip. There is something strange going on here; the way Alex looks at you with pure adoration and love - that's not something you can fake. I'm telling you; it's got to be that tramp Shauna's doing.”

“It doesn't matter now, does it? They're engaged, and they're getting married. Plus, there's a baby on the way. There's no room for us anymore. Even if I would forgive him for cheating, he clearly has no warm feelings towards me—he even left me without telling me.”

“Have you blocked his number?”

“Of course, I have, Court! I'm never going to talk to him again. I know the rules; as Alpha, my emotions are so much more intense that I need to find someone before they crush me with heartbreak. I have little time—so why would I spend it in his home region instead of looking for a new mate? It makes no sense.”

She chuckles and snuggles up behind me. “Ana, we both know you won't have to look far if you want another mate. Max has been sleeping outside your room just to be close to you; he'd probably take Alex's place in an instant if you asked him. The guy is clearly still in love with you!”

She laughs softly and starts stroking my hair tenderly. After avoiding any sort of contact recently, it feels nice to be touched this way.

“Ana, I know something you don't know, and I need you to pay attention—Shauna is definitely not pregnant.” I roll my eyes in disbelief.

“How on earth would you know something like that? Did you call her up and ask her?”

“Let me explain,” she says.

“We werewolves have a stronger sense of smell than humans, so we can pick up distinct scents—like the difference between someone who is pregnant or not. So, I went back to school just to sniff her out.”

I nearly fall off the bed.

“You did what?!” My heart is pounding like I just ran a marathon. She explains further.

“Yeah, I knew you wouldn't believe me, so I brought Dylan along with me and we both agreed that her scent was still the same. A werewolf can pick up a pregnancy as early as within two days of conception, and Dylan could confirm it. We've been trying to reach you for days, but we needed to do something, so we went to check out Mr. Sullivan's house — it's surrounded in silver, which could be intentional because he knows about us. That's why we need to get the training there.”

I exhale heavily. Nothing seems to make any sense. "Just ask my dad; he should be able to explain it to you. He had mentioned that Mr. Sullivan is not a human—maybe he's a warlock, or something else. It doesn't really matter either way."

"No, Ana," Court interrupts me. "Mr. Sullivan is a werewolf, just like us."

I take a few moments to process her words. If Mr. Sullivan is a wolf, then what about Alex?