Picture/Banner by Maya_2011

When I was a child I knew that werewolves had the worst track record of having children. They were always so much more thankful for children than humans were. I had never considered that I'd lose my baby before I could give birth to it. It didn't matter that I was already pregnant. It wasn't down to a science, but werewolf pregnancies weren't guaranteed until well into the second trimester. My mom and dad had failed plenty of times before I was born. They had tried again after me, but I never got a sibling.

I brushed my teeth (It was necessary to have a tooth brush in my purse now) and delivered the boxed brownies into the kitchen. No one was there, so I had time to collect myself. I’d have to tell Dad what I now know. He’d want to tell his alpha, which would end up with new rules for me. I sighed and put the boxes away. The only reason I didn’t bake a box was because Margaret’s cake was probably chocolate.

I was definitely craving chocolate today.

I didn’t want to tell Dad here. I'd wait until we got home. He'd make a scene and ruin Margaret's birthday. I didn’t want to take away from her birthday party because I was having some baby daddy drama.

When I went outside, I spotted my dad, so I went and sat next to him. He was alone, looking into the trees that surrounded us.

“What’cha thinking old man?”

He shrugged. “Nothing that matters anymore.”

“Care to share?” I knew what he was thinking about. He always thought about my mom and most of the time it broke my heart. Over time I remembered less and less about her, but I knew that dad would never forget. The only reason I remembered what she looked like was from old pictures. She died a long time ago trying to change into a werewolf.

He shook his head. “You have enough on your plate to worry about me.”

“Well if you don’t tell me I’m just going to bother you more and more until you tell me. No secrets, remember?”

He nodded and took a deep breath. “I just wish you weren’t having to do this by yourself.” I could understand that. But if he knew the other option I was sure that wouldn't make him comfortable either. “I wonder what your mother would think if she were here.”

I looked at the ground for a moment, ordering my thoughts before I said anything. Dad didn’t speak of mom very often. It was usually when he was really sad. “Well, I think she’d look at the whole situation. She’d see that I made a mistake when I was trying to get over Eddy. She’d see that it’s not something I’m proud of, but I’m grown enough to take care of my own… I’m 26 years old dad. I’m not a baby. I’ve been through college. I’m making enough money to take very good care of this baby. I don’t care that I’ll have to do this by myself, but I can’t do this if you’re going to be sulking the whole time.”

He smirked. “So it’s my fault if you’re not enjoying your unplanned pregnancy?” He had a bit of an attitude.

“Yes. It’s unplanned, but it’s happening. If everyone sees that you’re ashamed of me, then that’s how everyone will act towards me.” I made him look me in my eyes by grabbing both sides of his face. Which was quiet the achievement since this werewolf was usually so damn stubborn. “This is my child, your grandchild. You need to get yourself together so I can have someone to lean on if I need it. Like it or not, you’re all I have.”

He looked down and nodded. “Alright. Go back to the party. I’ll be there when I’m ready.”

I stuck my tongue out at him before strolling back to the party like nothing happened. Margaret was at the BBQ with her father-in-law Jerry, giving him the burgers.

I stood next to her. She winked at me. “Get the goods?”

Subtle, I thought. “I got a bunch. When you find them I know you’ll be surprised.”

Jerry just looked between us skeptically before saying, “You two should go beat the boys at volleyball.”

I looked at my dress. “Not exactly a dress sport.”

Jerry looked in the pool area. “It’s water volleyball. I’m sure you brought your suit. Plus the food’s not going to be ready for another hour or so.”

I shrugged. “As long as it doesn’t get too rough.”

He nodded. “Go change. I’ll take care of the boys.”

Margaret and I walked into the house together.

It was an oddly warm day for early November, but I didn't plan on being in the pool for very long. I didn't want to chance getting sick.

I changed in the downstairs bathroom and left my purse in there. I turned to the side and looked at myself in the mirror. I had a bit of a belly that was rounded enough now. I liked it. The chance of losing my baby because of his or hers werewolf father scared the life out of me.

I walked over to the pool like I wasn't self-conscious about having a growing stomach. I didn’t want any of these guys to look down on me, so being confident about what was happening was the only way to do that.

I took the team that Eddy wasn’t on. Margaret would want to be on her husband’s team.

“Awe, look at the little baby bump.” Jason, Eddy’s best friend commented. I was on his team.

I stuck my tongue out at him. He smiled widely and lifted me up in a big hug.

“It’s cute and I won’t stop teasing you until the baby’s out.” Then he kissed my cheek before putting me down.

Margaret came out and got on Eddy’s team and then the games began. We were in the pool for what felt like minutes, but soon Jerry was calling that food was ready. All the guys jumped right out of the pool for food like there were sharks in the water. It wasn't something humans could do, so I walked to the edge of the pool to help myself out. Jason was there, waiting for me at the edge, extending his hand down for me.

He hoisted me out of the pool. He was the only one who stayed behind.

He threw a towel at me with a smile. “You okay?”

I nodded and dried myself off. “As good as I can be, I guess.”

He nodded. “You can talk to me. Just because I’m Eddy’s friend doesn’t mean I can’t be yours.”

I smiled and sat down on one of the lounge chairs. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He wrapped the towel around his waist then went to the hoard of werewolves trying to get food. Margaret sat beside me.

“They are insane.” She said looking at the craziness. I nodded. I didn’t feel happy at that moment. I felt exhausted. My hormones were definitely giving me a run for my money.

Then she looked towards the side gate and smiled widely. It must be her family. I hadn't met them yet and I heard a rumor that they were all stopping by for a surprise visit. I looked over, eager to see her family since I had never met any of them before. The small group looked happy to see her, but the last one through the gate made my stomach drop. It was Mac.

She shot up and ran over to her family at the speed of light. I, however, was stunned into paralysis.

What is he doing here?! Is he related to her?

He looked distracted and tired. I wasn’t surprised to see that. I suppose that was the reaction from guys when they were told they were going to be dads with a complete stranger for a baby-mama. It was a good thing he was distracted too, otherwise he would’ve spotted me. That would’ve created a scene. His eyes stayed vacant until Margaret wrapped him up in a hug. His face completely changed. He had tucked away all his personal feelings; I saw that in older wolves all the time. If he was old…that meant that maybe Mac was her father?

I felt the very real sensation of vomiting with that thought. I couldn’t run into the house without causing notice. So I got up and walked in at a normal, unsuspicious speed. As soon as that door was shut, I sped to the bathroom I had changed in before. After that bout of puking, I put my dress back on. I decided on flats. I was going to be walking home and I couldn’t do that in heels.

When I opened the bathroom door dad was leaning against the opposite wall. He startled me, so I hopped back a fraction of a step. He slowly looked up at me. “What scared you away from the party?”

I scratched my head. “I had to get dressed again. I don’t want to walk around in a bikini when I have a pudgy.”

He shook his head. “Don’t lie to me Emily.”

I looked down. “That wasn’t necessarily a lie dad.”

Dad’s eyes lightened to the amber color of the wolf’s eyes. He was already angry and I hadn't even said anything yet.

“What’s with the short fuse dad? Geez.”

“You don’t have a mate and you’re pregnant.” His tone told me his wolf was the one talking to me.

“I. Am. An. Adult.” I felt the anger starting to quickly boil up.

He huffed. “Right.”

“I am 26 years old. That’s an adult to humans. I know it’s been a while since you’ve been one.” I shoved past him. “Looks like I get my short fuse from you.”

Then I walked out of the house. Sometimes living with werewolves is worse than living in a house full of girls. I did my best to keep calm and collected. If I stampeded my way through the pack, I'd call attention to myself. I didn't want Mac's attention. Not now. I sat down next to the pool and took off my shoes before putting them in the cold water. I was in my own world, until slender hands grabbed my shoulders and almost pushed me in the water.

I looked back, probably with terror on my face to see it was Nikki. She smiled at the scowl I gave her. I was so glad she didn’t push me into the pool, I hadn't bring any spares. When she sat next to me, I noticed she was wearing a sundress too.

“Hey preggers.” I stuck my tongue out at her, unwilling to talk to her. When she tried to grab it, I quickly drew it back in before she could. “So how’d your little meeting go?”

“I learned a lot today.” I said vaguely in case someone was listening.

“Is that a good thing or bad thing?”

I pursed my lips, thinking. “Both I guess.” She waved her hand, urging me to continue. “He showed up and didn’t get pissed off. Well, not at the café. I think he was in shock.”

She nodded. “Understandable. Did he say anything about being there?”

I didn't want to look over at Mac. Nikki would catch on and there would be a scene, so I just shook my head. “Didn’t get that far.” I knew that people finding out that Mac was the baby's father would create a circus. It was all just going to explode and I was going to be right in the middle of all of it.

I heard soft running, but I didn’t think anything about it. Not until I heard the diving board. By then it was too late. Jason was flying towards the water, his heart set on soaking Nikki and me.

“Oh shit.” Nikki and I said in unison. It felt like slow motion watching Jason's shit-eating grin. Then the water hit us both. He landed perfectly so the water jettisoned to us. We were soaked and I regretted wearing the white, floral printed dress.

I just sat there while Jason surfaced slowly. “Nice.” He was still smiling.

“I don’t have any more clothes.” I glared at him.

He spit water at me. “You can have my shirt. I’m sure it’ll cover your ass.”

“Awesome.” I muttered.

When he tried to get out of the pool, Nikki pushed him back in with her foot.

“Asshole!” She called him as she wrung out her dress.

Margaret came over and gave Jason scolding eyes. “I’ll let you guys borrow clothes. Follow me.” A breeze gave me goose bumps when the cold stuck to my wet dress.

We nodded and followed her into the house. I kept my eyes on my wet clothes or Nikki. I didn't want to chance making eye contact with Mac.

Margaret's jeans didn’t fit me. I felt super self-conscious when I couldn’t get the button.  When I tried to suck it in Nikki stopped me. She didn’t want me to hurt the baby.

Margaret gave me some of her warm leggings that definitely looked like they would keep me warm. At least they fit. She gave me a pink shirt that fit me nicely too. It was loose enough so I didn’t look fat.

I was dreading going back outside. I knew that Mac would have seen me. Jason had ensured that. Even if he hadn’t looked up at the commotion surrounding the pool, he would’ve kept an eye on Margaret. My father was always keeping an eye on me, so I knew if Mac was related to Margaret, he’d be watching her like a hawk.

My stomach turned again and I went right to the bathroom. Nikki knocked on the door. “You okay?”

“Maybe.” I groaned as I tried to keep my hair and the borrowed clothes out of the stream of vomit. “It’s like this kid’s attacking my insides.”

She burst out laughing. My stomach clenched sending what little food I had right back out of me. Nikki just kept laughing.

“Keep it up.” I mumbled threateningly.

She gasped for breath between laughing fits. “I’m sorry.”

“Go away.”

“We’ll wait for you downstairs.” Nikki said laughing still. If I could, I’d hit her. “Come on Margaret. She’ll be fine.”

I heard a small protest, but Nikki ushered her out of the room. I felt so queasy. When I felt confident enough that my stomach was settled I opened the door. Sitting on the end of Margaret’s bed was Mac and his gaze was locked with mine.