“We have to find her,” I say, my voice suddenly hoarse with emotion. “Now.”
“Where would she go?” Drake asks, still staring at the pregnancy test in his hand.
“Maybe she just went for a walk,” Elias suggests. “To clear her head after finding out.”
“Or maybe she went to her sister’s,” Rowan adds. “Carmen would be the first person she’d turn to with news like this.”
My mind races, trying to think where she might go, what she might do. The omega carrying my pack’s pup is out there somewhere, probably terrified and heartbroken, believing she has to face this alone.
“I did this,” I say, the weight of my actions crashing down on me. “I drove her away when she needed us most.”
Drake’s hand lands heavily on my shoulder.
“We’ll find her,” he says firmly. “And we’ll make this right.”
But as I stare at the positive pregnancy test, the stark reality of what I’ve done hits me with devastating force. I didn’t just reject my omega. I rejected the mother of my pack’s child. The thought makes me physically ill.
Thirty
FRANCINE
“Francine? Earth to Francine?”Carmen waves her hand in front of my face, her perfect brows furrowed in concern. “You’ve been staring at your feet for ten minutes straight.”
I blink, forcing myself back to the present moment.
The spa smells of eucalyptus and lavender, with soft music playing in the background as the pedicurists work diligently on our feet. Carmen insisted we have this “sister day” . Little did she know I was hiding in my apartment, crying over alphas who don’t want me anymore and staring at a positive pregnancy test.
“Sorry,” I mumble, tucking a strand of red hair behind my ear. “Just tired.”
Lena, always the sweet one, reaches across the space between our pedicure chairs to squeeze my hand. “You look like you haven’t slept in days. I know Mother’s death is hard.”
If only they knew how angry I was at Mother for destroying my life even in death.
I haven’t slept properly since Kieran found those newspaper clippings and threw me out of his house and his life. The rejection burns like acid in my chest, a constant, gnawing pain that makes it hard to breathe. And now, with the baby... I pressa hand to my still-flat stomach, the reality of it all threatening to overwhelm me.
“I’m fine,” I lie, forcing a smile that feels more like a grimace. “Just a lot going on at work.”
“How’s it going with your new alpha boyfriends?” asks Carmen with a wink, and Lena gasps her eyes wide at the unexpected news.
“No, they’renotmy boyfriends,” I say. My throat suddenly turns dry. “I actually got fired.”
The words hang in the air between us. Lena gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. Carmen’s eyes narrow dangerously, her protective big sister instincts flaring instantly.
“What?” she demands, sitting up so suddenly the pedicurist has to jerk her hands away to avoid smearing polish everywhere. “That asshole fired you? What for?”
I shrug, unable to meet her eyes. “It’s complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it,” Carmen says, her voice sharp with anger. “Did he do something to you? I swear to god, Francine, if he laid a hand on you…”
“No!” I cut her off, panic rising at the thought of my sister confronting Kieran. “No, it wasn’t like that. It was…personal.”
“Personal how?” Lena asks softly. Her pedicurist has finished, and she carefully places her feet on the floor, leaning forward to study my face. “Franny, what aren’t you telling us?”
My heart pounds against my ribs like it’s trying to escape. I’ve kept the truth about our mother from them for months, ever since her deathbed confession. How do I tell them now? How do I explain everything that’s happened?
“I...” I start, but the words stick in my throat.
The flat-screen TV mounted on the spa’s wall suddenly increases in volume, drawing our attention. The afternoon news is on, a serious-looking anchor staring into the camera:
