Chapter One
Winter Di Matteo sat in the hospital waiting room waiting to hear word on his best friend, Caroline, andher baby’s diagnosis.
Caroline and her alpha husband Richard were on their way to her last doctor's appointment when they were in a tragic car accident. Winter was on his way home from work when he'd gotten the phone call from the hospital, informing him about Caroline and Richard. The worst thing was that Richard had been killed instantly and Caroline went into forced labor. Eight months ago when Caroline had told him that she had found her mate, and that she was going to have a baby, Winter couldn’t help but be happy for his best friend.
He and Caroline had been friends ever since they were in the third grade. They connected from the first moment time that Winter had become in Caroline’s words her defender and lawyer. Caroline was accused of stealing one of their classmates’ lunch money. It was common knowledge that Caroline’s family lived in one of the poorest parts of Crosstown City.
But that didn’t matter to Winter. He saw a friend in the strawberry blonde and bright blue-eyed girl who became his sister in every way. He was the only one that knew of Carline’s secret, that she had both male and female parts that made her either an oddity or someone to treasure in society.They had a lot in common, both only child and omegas who wanted to conquer the world together.
Their world was broken up by hierarchy society: alpha, beta, omegas, and thetas who were rarely born. Each structure brought a different aspect to the world, alphas being the one on the top, betas in the middle, followed by thetas, and omegas at the bottom of the heap. Alphas andomegaswere the complete opposites, but the fates believed they belonged together and were a mated pair. Thetas are best suited for betas and are rare to find.There were someinstances where a beta and omega could marry, but their union would not result in either of them having children. The same applied to thetas and alphas.
Society viewed omegas in many different lights. To some, they were cherished because they could carry children, while others, mostly religious zealots, labeled omegas as unnatural and immoral things that needed to be wiped off the face of the earth. Thankfully, there were a few laws that protected omegas. Those caught and found doing bodily harm to male omegas were sent to jail for the rest of their life.
Someone shifted beside him alerting him, of where he was and why he was there. A smirk crossed Winter’s lips when he remembered the promise he and Caroline made to each other. They would never let an alpha come between them. It was Winter and Caroline’s wish thatthey’d get pregnant at the same time. So they could terrorize their mates into pampering them. They also went to the same college and became teachers. Caroline worked for a public school while he worked for a private academy even though his dream was to be a college professor.
They were always there for each other. Seeing each other through the good and the bad moments in life. When Caroline’s parents died, Winter was the one that helped her take care of the funeral arrangements, and he held her while she mourned her loss. And in turn,she was there for him when his father had a heart attack. Winter couldn’t envision a life without Caroline in it, and she was a part of him as he was a part of her. Caroline was so in love with Richard, and it made Winter happy seeing her life filled with joy. He remembered the first time she’d told Winter about Richard.
"He doesn't care about my body, Win. He said it simply makes me extra special and there's more of me to love."
“Why should he care? You are not only wonderful, but you’re beautifulas well.”
Winter leaned forward looking down at the floor. He was praying to all the gods that Caroline and her baby made it. Winter couldn’t live without her in his life. He realized he would need to be a crutch for his friend to lean on during this time more than ever. Richard was Caroline’s entire world. And Winter knew how much Richard loved Caroline. Winter admired them not only for their love but for their generous hearts. Winter was going to miss Richard. The man was becoming not only his friend but also a big brother he never knew he wanted.
Winter sighed and pulled out his phone to call Terry again but decided against it. Winter had tried calling his and Caroline’s friend, Terry, but the call had gone straight to voicemail. He’d tried several times to leave a message, but they were cut short due to Terry’s voicemail being full, Winter was sure that was the issue. Winter and Caroline had met Terry when they had gone to Italy after their college graduation. Terry had quickly become the third turning them from a duo to a trio.
Why the fuck does he have to be on one of his disappearance acts when I need him here with me?
Winter looked up when he heard footsteps and stood when he saw the doctor heading in his direction.
“How is she?” he asked, holding back the tears threatening to escape.
The doctor sighed, and it felt as if a heavy bag of lead dropped to the bottom of his stomach. “It’s not good, Mister Di Matteo. She’s awake, but I’m not sure for how long. She’s asking to speak to you.”
“And the baby?”
That time the doctor smiled. “The baby is doing fine. He's a strong little trooper. Is there someone we can call such as her parents, siblings? How about her mate?”
“No,” Winter said shaking his head. “He died in the accident, and I’m the only family she has.”
“Oh okay, I'm sorry to hear that. I want you to know we did everything we could to save her long enough to see the baby."
Winter's knees buckled, and he was lucky that the doctor was quickand caught him before he hit the ground. He was guided to the chair he had just vacated. He felt nauseated and prayed that he didn't throw up. His head hurt, and he felt light-headed. He was going to lose a part of his family.
"How long?" he asked.
"It's hard to say, she lost a lot of blood, we tried to repair the damage to her spine. After she delivered the baby, her heart stopped twice, and I'm afraid when it happens again, we won't be able to revive her. I'm afraid her heart isn't pumping fast enough.”
Winter nodded to everything the doctor just told him, but honestly, he didn't understand a word. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Winter was trying to calm his thoughts before he went and saw Caroline. He was sure she knew what was happening. He'd always thought that she was stronger than he was.
"Would you like to see her?”
Winter wanted to say no, but all he could do was give a sharp nod. The doctor stood and waited for Winter to do the same. He took in a deep breath, finally standing and followed behind thedoctor as he started walking. He didn’t understand how he was moving.
A part of him was dying, and he could feel it. They stopped in front of a door to Caroline’s room. The doctor turned and looked at him resting his hands on Winter’s shoulders.
“Take as long as you need,” he said, squeezing his shoulders lightly.
The doctor walked away, leaving him alone. He raised a hand to push the door open but stopped, and he couldn’t do it, he didn’t have the strength to walk inside and say goodbye to the only woman besides his mother that he’d ever loved.
