PREGNANT WITH THE ALPHA'S SON

Chapter 7

ISABELLA POV

Being brought back to Silver Moon was like cracking open an old book I'd tried to set on fire. The nostalgia was there, the well-known landscape, the scents of the woods, the rhythm of the pack but so too was the fear, thick and suffocating.

I had told myself I'd never come back. I had vowed that I would never let this place pull me back in. And yet, here I was, strolling down the streets that used to be my home, and feeling like I was somehow trespassing in my own past.

I told myself it would be fine. That I could stay low-key, come and go without digging up past demons. That Kaden wouldn't be an issue.

But I had been foolish.

Even though I'd been in another pack, I still hadn't forgotten about him. He invaded my head, sneaking in at the worst times. I reminded myself it was Charles' connection with him, that Kaden was his father and would therefore be in the picture somehow and that's why he continued to have space in my head.

But that wasn't the whole of it.

Distance had done nothing but make it worse. The years had not so much as dulled him from my head, and now, being near him again had awoken something I wasn't prepared to handle. I'd gotten glimpses of him here and there, always distant, always busy with pack business. He hadn't even caught sight of me, and I told myself that was probably for the best.

But my heart didn't seem to be getting the message.

I shook the thoughts out as I glanced down at Charles. He was aggressively chewing on a peanut butter sandwich, his fingers sticky with its goo. His eyes darted around inquisitively as we approached the pack school.

"Are you excited?" I asked, squeezing his little hand.

He gave a thoughtful sound. "Mm… kinda. But what if the kids are mean?"

"They won't be," I said to him, though I wasn't convinced myself. "And if they are, just ignore them."

Charles laughed. "Easy for you to say. You're big."

I stifled a smile. "I wasn't always."

The school building came into view, a sturdy building between tall trees. Just as I had recalled, red-bricked walls, big windows, and a tiny playground to the side. We stepped inside, and I escorted Charles to the front office, where a smiling woman with grey hair welcomed us.

"Are you looking to enrol?" she asked with a friendly smile.

I nodded. "Yes, for my son."

After I’d paid the affordable training fee for Charles, he was taken to another room to undergo some tests. I took the opportunity to look around, seeing the clean corridors and the paintings on the walls. A part of me felt strange but at ease here, as if this was a place that would give Charles a sense of normalcy.

And then there was my name suddenly being called. "Isabella?"

I spun around, my breath catching on a hitch. A woman was standing there, her afro like dark hair in a low bun, her brown eyes warm but guarded.

Something about her was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I spoke cautiously. "Uh…sorry, do I know you?"

She smiled slightly, a look of understanding. "Fair enough. We weren't really friends. I was the…" she trailed off, as if not knowing how to finish.

And then it came to me.

A memory hit me with jarring force:

‘I struggled to breathe past the searing in my lungs. I forced myself to reach out, hand extended for the tray, but my hands shook too much to keep hold of it.

A light touch on my arm startled me.

Another omega, a girl I’d never seen before, stepped forward, gently tugging the tray from my hand. "Come," she said, her voice gentle but authoritative.

I let myself be led away.’

That day in the conference room five years ago, the humiliation, the heartbreak. This woman had taken my hand, pulling me away after Kaden had rejected me callously. She had saved me from making a great fool of myself, from crying in front of all those dignitaries. I never asked for her name. Did I even thank her that day?

I took a harsh breath. "You…" Her smile softened. "So, you do remember."

I nodded slowly, the knot in my throat constricting my ability to speak.

"I heard that you’d left. Just…disappeared. I went looking for you…after," she said, tilting her head to the side. "I'm surprised to see you back. How have you been?"

I blinked, attempting to think of what to say. "I… I'm fine. Good."

She extended a hand. "I'm Mekka, by the way."

I shook it, feeling very unsteady. "Nice meeting you… again. I glanced at the papers in her other hand. "Do you work here?"

She chuckled, glancing down at them. "Yeah. I met my mate soon after… you know." She waved a loose hand, talking about that dreadful day. "He's one of the army trainers. I left the omega life and started teaching here. Best decision ever."

I smiled, genuinely pleased for her even with the pain in my chest. "That's…great." It hurt a little to see other mates happy while mine…

Mekka looked at me for a moment. "So, why did you come here?"

I didn’t have the chance to respond to her question before something, or someone, a little someone, rammed into me with a blur and I let out an oof.

"Mommy!" Charles latched onto me, grinning. "Those were some very simple questions! Pfft. And I made a friend named…" He cut off the rest of the sentence when he spotted Mekka, his little face flushing. "Oops. Hi, ma'am."

Mekka smiled down at him. "Hello there. What is your name?"

"Charles," he answered, scooting over behind me.

Mekka glanced up at me again, questions in her eyes. I looked away briefly, my throat tightening.

She didn't press. Instead, she placed a gentle hand on my arm. "It's nice to have you back again, Isabella. Now that you're home, maybe we can be friends this time."

I gulped hard, something heavy and emotional sticking in my chest. "I… I'd like that."

She smiled, no form of judgement in her eyes. "Well, I've gotta run. See you around?"

I nodded, and she walked off with a wave.

I breathed, glancing back at Charles, who was looking at me intently. "Who was that?" he asked.

"Oh, just…an old friend," I told him, messing with his hair. "Let's go."

In the office, they instructed me that Charles could start school the next day. We said goodbye to them and walked out, hand in hand.

As I walked home from there, I couldn't help but think of Mekka, and a small spark of something, hope, maybe? Flared in my chest.

I extinguished it. I wasn't planning to stay in Silver Moon. On settling here. Not for a period long enough for any of this would count.

It didn't make sense to make connections that would only end up hurting us when we'd have to leave again.

I just needed Charles. Just Charles.