Chapter 6: Go With Him

Scarlett

After Atlas basically threatened to “kidnap” me because he wasn’t going to leave LA without the baby or me, I tried to calm down and let him speak.

He told me about how there were people who were going to try to hurt me if they found out about me or that I was mysteriously pregnant with his baby.

He assured me he was only trying to protect me because the ritual shouldn’t have reached a human in the first place, and that something must have gone wrong.

He also said that there were people who would come looking for the child if I didn’t come with him, and when I asked who they were, he refused to respond.

But the look on his face and the unsaid words in Marcus' expression told me everything I needed to know. I wasn’t about to lose my life over some mysterious shit I didn’t even understand.

That was why I was currently in my car, driving home to my mother's place. Atlas was driving closely behind me because I told him he had to follow me home to clear this shit up with my mom.

She needed to know that I was still a virgin and wasn’t *whoring around as she claimed.

But how in the world was it that werewolves really existed? And was this stalker driving behind me really an Alpha of a pack?? I glanced into my rearview mirror for what felt like the hundredth time.

He was still driving very closely behind me, and I'm sure anyone observant enough would notice he was following me by now.

About 30 minutes later, I got to the house, parked the car, and immediately jumped out. The black SUV stopped a few feet behind me.

The driver’s door opened.

I didn’t even wait for Atlas to get out, I just marched straight toward the front door.

Because if there was one person who could tell me I wasn’t losing my mind, it was my mother.

She had to listen now.

She had to.

I knocked loudly, and a few seconds later, the door opened. Mom stood there staring at me, and for a brief moment, neither of us spoke.

Then her eyes shifted past me, toward Atlas, and something strange happened. Her face went completely still.

“Mum?” I called cautiously, but she didn’t respond.

“Mrs. Wright.” Atlas stepped forward, and Mom’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Who are you and why did you follow her here?” She asked.

“My name is Alpha Atlas Voss, and your daughter is carrying my child.” He said, and I nearly screamed. What the heck was wrong with him? Why did he have to start with that?

Atlas remained calm.

“As strange as this sounds, I can explain everything, but you’d have to usher us in.” He said, and mom nodded after thinking for a few seconds.

Once we got inside, I found a corner to sit, ignoring the fact that I was sweating profusely.

“So explain to me the simple biology of how you got my daughter pregnant by sticking that tool between your legs into her, go on, explain.” Mom urged sarcastically.

Atlas ignored the sarcasm in her tone and spent the next several minutes explaining everything. The Blood Moon, the ritual, the soul-echo, the bond, the heir, how the pregnancy came about, and every single ridiculous thing.

I stood there waiting for my mother to finally lose her patience and slam the door in his face. Instead, she listened quietly the entire time.

By the time Atlas finished, silence settled over the room.

Mom simply stood there staring at him, then she looked at me, then back at him, then at me again.

“So what you’re trying to say is that you didn’t sleep with my daughter and she’s still a virgin?” She asked, and my breath caught.

“Yes,” Atlas replied.

“I don’t know this man, Mom. I’m indeed still a virgin.” I immediately nodded.

The silence that followed was deafening as I looked at my mother, hopefully waiting for her to tell me she believed me and that I hadn’t secretly slept with some random man.

She knew I wasn’t some irresponsible girl who got pregnant and made up excuses. And now she would know that I wasn’t crazy or lying.

I was telling the truth.

For the first time since this nightmare started… I felt hopeful. Mom looked at me, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the apology to come.

“Go with him.” She said instead, and my eyes flew open immediately.

“What?” I asked in disbelief.

“Go with him.” She repeated, and I just stared at her in surprise.

“Mum…”

“Go with him, Scarlett.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, and she sighed tiredly, like she had already made up her mind.

“If you stay here, what exactly are you going to tell people? I mean, you’re pregnant with a baby nobody can explain.”

My chest tightened painfully as those words left her mouth. Each word felt like a slap.

“If this gets out, your career is finished. Your reputation will be ruined. People will talk, they won’t stop talking, and they'll start making fun of our family too.” She continued, but I stopped her.

“This isn’t about my reputation.” The knot in my throat grew bigger. “This is about me, your daughter, how would you advise me, your daughter, to go to some pack with a stranger I’ve never seen or been with before, that’s insane, Mom.”

“You’re literally feeding me to the wolves, no pun intended,” I said with tears in my eyes. Atlas remained completely silent beside us.

Mom stepped forward, her voice quieter now.

“This is for your own good, Scarlett. Go with him, have the baby, give it to him, and then come back home.” She said, and my eyes widened.

“Mum…”

“Come back and continue your life as if nothing happened.” She concluded.

The words hit harder than anything else because I knew she was serious.

She wasn’t thinking about my safety; she just wanted me to have this baby somewhere else and come back, like this child was some inconvenience that could simply be tucked away and forgotten.

All because she was ashamed of me for something that I was literally the only victim in the situation.

My throat burned.

“Mum…” I called, but she looked away, and that… that right there hurt more than anything because it simply meant her decision was final.

Without another word, I turned around and walked out of the house.

“Scarlett….” She called after me, but I didn’t stop.

I walked down the driveway, past Atlas’s SUV, past my own car, and past everything.

I heard voices calling my name, but I couldn’t stop. I just continued moving, and the next thing I knew, I was running with tears in my eyes.

Why me??

Why did this happen to me?

Those were the only words in my head as I continued running to heaven knows where.