Alpha's Regretful Mate

Compromise and Acceptance

I ran through the streets even though it was a little dark, my breath was raggedy as I ran. It was freezing outside, almost like when I was in the woods, but I didn’t care for it, I needed to be focused on one thing, escaping. My chest was hurting but I had to keep moving.

The house I was in was now far behind me, I had gotten into a different part of the town and I realized that it was way bigger than I expected. People were not much outside, it felt empty and quiet but I could see people looking at me. They were talking, but I couldn’t hear them, the only sounds I heard were the sounds of my feet pounding on the floor and my harsh breathing. My legs burned from the strain, but I pushed myself harder and did everything in my power to ignore the ache.

I thought that I had gotten faraway after turning so many corners of the town, but I saw something familiar, it looked like the back of the house I just escaped from, which means that I just ran in circles, I moved off to the side, ducking behind a row of buildings. I glanced over my shoulder, but no one was following. The part of the street was empty. I slowed down, cautiously looking around. Then I decided to slowly towards the building opposite Reed’s house and hide behind it.

I got there pretty fast. My body urgently needed rest, and my stomach growled loudly, I suddenly became very hungry, even though I wasn't hungry at all when I was on the bed. It must have been the healer’s magic.

I pressed a hand on my stomach. And I tried to ignore how weak I was. I needed food. The thought of eating made my stomach clench. I honestly couldn’t stop feeling hungry, I was pregnant so I was kind of feeding two people The question was, what could i find to eat? I didn’t know the anyone or anywhere, and the last thing I wanted was to draw attention by taking food from the wrong place.

Her eyes scanned the streets, searching for any signs of people that I could beg from. There were a few dim lights flickering in the distance, but most of the houses were dark. I could take her chances, but I didn’t want to risk getting caught.

Suddenly, a voice broke through my train of thought. “Lily!”

I froze. It was Reed’s voice. My senses flared up. How did me find her so quickly? I turned around, but there was no sign of him. I panicked and took off again, faster than before. I didn’t even bother to look back.

Why was he chasing me? What did he want from me? If he wanted to help me, why was he so persistent? I didn’t know what he wanted but there was an ulterior motive, but I wasn’t about to stick around to find out. I pushed herself harder, ignoring the pain in my body.

My foot hit a loose stone, and I stumbled, falling to my knees. I cursed and quickly pushed herself back up. The sound of footsteps grew louder behind her. He was getting closer.

“Lily!” Reed called again, this time his voice closer.

The forest was my main objective, If I could just make it to the trees, I might be able to lose him in the woods.

I turned a corner and found myself at the edge of a small alley. The way ahead was clear. I could clearly hear Reed’s footsteps now, but they were farther away. I was almost there. I ran towards the back of a huge rock, my eyes were focused on the forest was just in front of me.

Very shockingly, a figure appeared in front of me, perched on top of a nearby tree. I gasped, startled by the sudden appearance. Reed was standing there, his gaze fixed on me, and he didn’t look out of breath at all. She couldn’t believe it.

“How did you—?” I stammered. I couldn’t believe her eyes.

Reed gave a small, wry smile, as though he had expected my question. “I’m not as slow as you think, Lily. I don’t even look that frail.”

I took a defensive stance. “Stay away from me!” My hands were curled into fists, ready to fight if I had to.

Reed seemed unfazed. He didn’t move, just tilted his head to the side and observed me carefully. He looked at me pitifully, and he jumped down from the tree, landing lightly on his feet. In his hands was a plate of food.

I blinked at the food, my stomach growling louder at the sight of the meal. My mouth watered, but I refused to let myself loose. “What is this?” I asked, eyeing the food warily.

“A peace offering for the gods, it's obviously food.” Reed said, holding the plate out toward her. “I know you’re hungry. I didn’t want to scare you, but you need to eat, and I’m not letting you starve.”

I still couldn't trust him, what was his end game? “Why would you help me?”

Reed smiled, and he sighed. “Because I’m not your enemy. I’ve already told you that. I want to make sure you’re safe. I want you to rest, but you can’t do that on an empty stomach.”

I hesitated. I knew that I couldn’t trust him completely, but my hunger was overwhelming. My stomach growled again. The food smelled so good, and I hadn’t eaten in what felt like days. I couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Reluctantly, I took the plate from his hands and sat down on the ground. I didn’t care if it was rude or if it made me look weak or stupid, I was starving. I devoured the food quickly, barely pausing to chew. It was gone in minutes.

When I finished, I sat back against the stone, feeling a little more stable, though the hunger was still there. “There,” I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “You happy now?”

Reed watched me quietly. “Not entirely. You’re still not strong enough to go anywhere. You need more food, and you need rest. It’s not safe out here for someone in your condition.”

I frowned. My limbs still felt like lead, and my head was fuzzy. The hunger had not completely gone yet.

“Wait, how do you know about my condition?” I asked, I didn't tell anyone that I was pregnant or did I have any other condition that I didn't know about? “What do you mean ‘condition’?”

Reed hesitated for a moment before responding. “You’re pregnant, Lily. I know.”

I stared at him, shocked. “How… How do you know that?” I stammered, my hands instinctively covered my stomach like I had to protect it. I didn’t know how he could have possibly known that. I made sure to hide it well with my attitude and clothes. But, I was naked in the forest and when I was in his house, I had clothes on, so he must have seen me naked and made a deduction. My stomach wasn't big enough though.

He looked into her eyes. “You’re not the only one with secrets, Lily . I’ve been paying attention. You’ve been acting different, and I’ve seen the signs. You’re carrying more than just a child, aren’t you?”

I swallowed hard. I kept trying to process his words. More than just a child? What did he mean? Was there something wrong with her baby? Did he know something about who I was and where I was coming from?

“You don’t have to answer that,” Reed added quickly. “But you need to understand. You’re carrying more than one life. That makes things… complicated for you and your well being.”

My breathing suddenly increased. “More than one life?” I whispered. I didn’t know if I wanted to hear what he had to say, honestly, he could easily be lying. “I—I don’t understand.”

Reed took a step closer, he realized that I didn't know how many babies were in my womb. “You’re carrying triplets, Lily . That’s why you’re so sick. That’s why you’re so weak. That's why you have been so hungry all the time.”

My mind went into overdrive as I tried to process the news. Triplets? I didn’t even know that I was pregnant until about 6 days ago, and now I was having Triplets. This was too much to handle, especially after everything that had happened.

“I didn’t know that you never knew. I'm glad I told you though.” Reed continued, he tried to sound as concerned as a person should be. “But it’s important you know. You need to take care of yourself, and you need to be careful. You can’t keep running like this.”

I shook her head, trying to clear all the thoughts and alarms that were head. “Why should I trust you? Why are you telling me all this?”

Reed sighed deeply. “Because I want to help you, Lily . I want to make sure you and your babies are safe. But you need to come back with me. You can’t survive out here alone. When you are fully okay and able to make a living for yourself, I'll support your going.”

The thought of going back to him, back to the house, made me sick, but he was the only one offering and he had saved me twice now. I was weak, tired, and pregnant with three children. I couldn’t keep running forever. And I wasn’t sure that I could survive on my own, definitely not in this condition.

“I… I don’t know.” I whispered.

Reed said to me. “You don’t have to trust me completely. Just come back with me, and I’ll make sure you’re safe. I won’t hurt you.”

I was wary but I don’t seem to have an option. Could I trust him? Or was this all part of some bigger plan? I didn’t know. But I couldn’t keep going like this.

“Please,” Reed said, his voice gentle but firm. “For your babies’ sake, you need to rest. Come back with me.”

I looked at him for a long moment, but I finally made the decision. I nodded and said. “Okay, I’ll go back but if you try anything, I will kill you.”

Reed smiled. “Thank you,” he said, extending his hand to help me up. “Let’s get you back before you collapse again.”