Alpha Ying and Beta Yang

Chapter 1 - From the Beginning

                Aza Marie Collins was born on a November 6th. It was a cold day and her mother, Michelle, wasn’t expecting her for another week. Throughout Michelle’s pregnancy, she didn’t have a mate to help comfort her through her pregnancy. She had her best friend Rose who was also pregnant. They would make jokes that if one of them had a boy and the other a girl that they would probably grow up and end up being mates because of how close they were. On a cold November night, Michelle’s water broke, and she went into labor. Rose did her best to try and help Michelle through the process, but being heavily pregnant herself, she struggled. Thankfully, this wasn’t Michelle’s first rodeo. She had already given birth to a baby boy three years prior and knew what to expect. She was relieved that she went into labor earlier than Rose so it would be easier for her to walk her through the process because this was Rose’s first pup.

                “Michelle, you need to push. Your contractions are less than a minute apart.” Rose exclaims.

                “I can’t Rose, I’m so tired.” Michelle responded going through another contraction.

                At this point, Michelle had been in labor for almost eight hours. She was indeed tired and without the proper medical treatment that she needed, this was no easy birth. Rose lifted Michelle’s night dress to try and check her dilation and her fingertips touched hair.

                “Michelle, I really need you to push and I need you to do it right now!” Rose shouted trying to encourage her best friend to keep going. Michelle began to push and about four minutes later, Aza was born. A loud cry bounced off the walls of the tiny apartment they shared as Rose began to tend for the baby.

                “It’s a baby girl.” Rose whispered through tears.

                “What? No. It can’t be.” Michelle said with tears filling her eyes.

                “It is.” Rose responded wrapping the baby in a small blanket. She handed the tiny infant to Michelle and began cleaning everything up. Michelle just wept both tears of joy and tears of great sorrow.

                “Rose, what are we gunna do?” Michelle asked through tears.

                “We’ll figure it out. I promise.” Rose responded.

                “I won’t let him have her. I’ll die before I ever do that.” Michelle said sternly.

                “We will figure it out. I promise.” Rose said reassuring. “But you need to rest now before you pass out.” Michelle just nodded her head and handed Aza back over to Rose.

                “Her name is Aza. Aza Marie.” Rose said before falling into a deep sleep. Michelle looked down at little Aza and just smiled. Aza was like Michelle’s little sister. She basically adopted her on the road as a rogue. When they heard that Crimson was taking in rogues, they decided to see if they would offer them shelter. As it turns out, any female between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one were taken to the Alphas mansion upon arrival, everyone else, male or female were given jobs. Later, Michelle learned that Aza was picked as one of the “Chosen” and was forced to live in the Alpha’s mansion. It has been fifteen years since Michelle has seen her. She was twenty-two at the time Aza was stripped from her and has regretted stepping foot into Crimson ever since. The only thing good that ever came out of it was meeting Rose.

                Rose slept for the majority of the night. Michelle stayed by her side caring for her and little Aza. A few times Michelle was afraid for Rose because her breathing had slowed down so much that she thought she was going to stop breathing. Michelle would just wake her and have her hold and nurse Aza.

                “How are you feeling?” Rose looked down at a very pale Michelle and asked.

                “Tired.” Michelle responded.

                “Here, drink some water. You need it.” Rose said handing her a glass. Michelle drank it and handed it back to Rose.

                “Thank you. Rose, if something happens to me,” Michelle started when Rose quickly cut her off.

                “Stop, you’re going to be fine. You just need to rest. You can’t leave me here alone. You can’t leave her alone.” Rose said pointing at Aza. “I won’t let you.”

                “Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry.” Michelle said drifting back off to sleep.

                “Get some rest. I’ll put her down to sleep.” Rose patted Michelle’s hand and took Aza from her. She slowly walked into the next room where they had set up a small makeshift nursery. This room was technically the dining area, but Rose and Michelle thought it was a perfect place for both babies once they arrived.

                A few months back, they both went up to the trade center and traded have of their food portions for the month for two small little bassinets. They washed and hung old bright yellow sheets they had from the ceiling so each baby would have something covering them. Sort of like a canopy on a bed. They also found some old dark tablecloths in the trash and used them to cover the windows next to the basinets.

                The next morning Rose and Michelle woke to a crying Aza. Rose got up as quickly as she could and walked into the nursery. When she walked in she found Michelle picking up Aza and quietly rocking a shushing her. She sat down in one of the old dining chairs and began to nurse the baby.

                “How did you sleep?” Michelle asked Rose looking up once she was sure that Aza had latched on.

                “I slept alright. I was worried about you though most of the night.” Rose responded sitting down in another chair next to Michelle.

                “I’m sorry that I worried you. I just felt so tired after everything yesterday.” Michelle responded leaning on Rose.

                “I know you were. Now I’m more worried about this little girl. What are we going to do Chelle?” Rose said concerned.

                “I’m not sure. But we have to do something. I’m not going to let him have her. I’m not. I’ll die before I let that happen.” Michelle answered sternly.

                “Maybe we can reach out to…” Rose began.

                “No. He doesn’t deserve her either.” Michelle answered shaking her head and looking down at Aza.

                “Jackson isn’t like Jabez Chelle. He can help. Think about it, we could finally get the hell out of here!” Rose said with a bit of excitement.

                “And how exactly would we be able to get in contact with him Rose? We don’t know his address, nor can we look it up. We don’t have his phone number? Sooo, how would we do that?” Michelle said blinking her eyes at Rose with a sarcastic questioning tone.

                “Okay, yeah. You’re right. You don’t have to be a b***h about it though.” Rose responded annoyed. They both laughed until Aza let out a small little cry. Michelle rocked her a little bit and she settle quickly.

                “There is one other thing we can try.” Michelle said staring off into space.

                “What?” Rose asked.

                “Phillip is going to be fifteen soon. He’s gunna be given a job. I wonder if he can get a job that allows him to leave the pack territory.” Michelle said hopeful.

                “And how are we supposed to let him know that he needs to get a job like that? We aren’t aloud to have any contact with the men. Do you even know who he is and what he looks like now?” Rose questioned.

                “Yes.” Michelle responded.

                “What? How?” Rose asked a little freaked out.

                “He’s the laundry boy for his building. Every Saturday he brings the building’s soiled laundry to be washed. Why do you think I’ve refused to ask for a new job placement all this time?” Michelle answered.

                “So you mean to tell me that you’ve had contact with your long lost son all this time?” Rose asked raising an eyebrow.

                “Not, all this time. I figured out who he was about a year ago. He came in with the laundry one day and handed me the sacks of clothes to be washed. Afterwards he took off his work shirt and handed it to me. On the front of it, his name was stitch in. I smiled and told him that I had a son named Phillip once and that I never knew what happened to him. He asked me what my name was and I told him and we put two and two together.” Michelle explained.

                “And the guards didn’t care that you two were talking?” Rose asked.

                “No, this was right before the mating month. I figured that they just thought he was a kid preparing to get lucky or something.” Michelle answered.

                “That’s disgusting.” Rose said and made a fake gagging noise.

                Michelle giggled, “Hey, at least it worked. Now I just need to find a way to send a message to him to take a job like that.”

                “I mean, you do the laundry right?” Rose said with a lightbulb turning on in her head.

                “Yeah…” Michelle said giving Rose a very questionable look.

                “What if you wrote him a note and folded it up and put it in his shirt pocket? Then later when he went to put his shirt on, he’d find it.” Rose said more excited.

                “That is brilliant!” Michelle said.

                So thus, began the planning to get little Aza out of the pack’s territory and away from Jabez and Mara forever. As the years went by Michelle and Rose found little ways to keep in contact with Phillip to plan their big escape. On November 14th, eight days after Aza was born, Rose gave birth to another baby girl. She named her Demmye Anne. Demmye after the sister she lost when she was a child and Anne after her mother. The birth went really well since Rose sort of knew what to expect from watching Michelle go through it. Michelle did the exact same thing that Rose did for her. Sat right by her side and helped her deliver her baby. Once both girls were born and settled in, Michelle and Rose had to report their births to Mara. With their babies in hand, they walked to the pack house to seal Aza and Demmye’s fates. Luckily, Michelle and Rose were already making other plans for the future to get the girls out.