“Which apartment is hers?” asks Rowan.
“Third floor, door 306,” Drake replies, leading the way up the external staircase.
Each step feels heavier than the last. What if she refuses to see us? What if the damage I’ve done is irreparable? My wolf whines anxiously, desperate to see our omega, to make things right.
We reach her door, and I find myself hesitating. Drake rolls his eyes and steps forward, balancing his bouquet in one arm while he knocks firmly with the other hand.
No answer.
He knocks again, louder this time. “Francine? It’s Drake. We need to talk to you.”
The silence stretches on, broken only by the distant sound of traffic and someone’s TV playing in another apartment.
“Maybe she’s not home,” Elias suggests, but there’s worry in his voice.
A knot of anxiety tightens in my gut. “I’ll call her.”
I set down my armload of gifts and pull out my phone, finding her contact. The phone rings and rings, eventually going to voicemail. Her cheerful, beautiful voice asks me to leave a message.
“Francine, it’s Kieran,” I say after the beep, trying to keep my voice steady. “We’re outside your apartment. All of us. We really need to talk to you. Please... please just open the door.”
I hang up and wait, but the door remains firmly closed. I try again, calling twice more with the same result.
“Something’s wrong,” Drake says, his brow furrowed with concern. “When I left her yesterday, she was upset but answering her phone. She texted me last night that she was going to bed early.”
“Stand back,” I order, moving to the door.
“Kieran, what are you—” Elias begins, but stops when I plant my foot next to the door handle and kick hard.
The door frame splinters with a crack, the door swinging open violently. Her scent hits me immediately, layered with the unmistakable tang of deep sadness and dried tears.
“Francine?” I call out, stepping into the small apartment.
It’s tidy, with simple furnishings and a few framed photos on the walls. One photo catches my eye. It’s a younger Francine with two smiling men who must be her fathers. The sight makes my chest ache with renewed guilt.
“Francine, are you here?” Elias calls, moving past me to check the bedroom.
We spread out, searching the small apartment. It doesn’t take long to confirm she’s not here.
“I’ll check the bathroom,” Drake says, heading down the short hallway.
I stand in the middle of her living room, feeling utterly lost. Her scent surrounds me, reminding me of what I’ve thrown away. A small book lies open on the coffee table, a romance novel with a dog-eared page. A half-empty mug of tea sits next to it. It’s like she just stepped out for a moment.
“Kieran,” Rowan’s voice comes from the bathroom doorway. There’s something in his tone that makes my blood run cold. “You need to see this.”
I move quickly to join him, Drake, and Elias, already crowded into the small bathroom. Drake is holding something in his hand, his expression stunned.
“What is it?” I ask, though I already know the answer before Rowan holds it up.
A pregnancy test. Positive.
The world seems to tilt sideways, the bathroom suddenly too small, too hot, too everything. I grab the doorframe to steady myself, my heart pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears.
“She’s pregnant,” I whisper, the words barely making it past my lips.
“With one of our pups,” Elias confirms, his face pale behind his glasses.
The implications crash over me like a wave. Francine is carrying our child. And she’s alone, thinking we’ve rejected her. And probably thinking it’s her fault.
