Chapter 7

BRYCE

Damn…

After a late meal at the diner, Uriah escorted me back to my apartment where I could finally get some sleep.

I didn’t get much though.

I laid in bed. I closed my eyes but I didn’t rest easy. It all felt like some strange dream. All of the food and along with a baby beginning to grow in my stomach was a constant reminder that this was all too real.

I tried to come to terms with my feelings as quickly as I could. All of the one-night stands I had before were just that. Men I’d gotten over as soon as they were out of sight. Fate had decided that Uriah was the man I was destined to be with.

If circumstances were normal, I wouldn’t have anything to complain about. He was a good man. A cop in Snow Falls who was just trying to help out. He was good-looking, too. I’d never tell him but even when I first met him he caught my eye.

Of course, circumstances weren’t normal. They were never normal with me. I was beginning to think that I could never have the life I always wanted…

I woke up late in the morning, surprised that I’d gotten any sleep at all. My stomach was already rumbling with hunger despite the meal I had previously. I stuffed myself as much as I could then headed back to Brickstone to open up for today.

There weren’t any customers in the bar that early. Most people in the West Bay were busy at work, so I had a good amount of time before anybody else showed up.

It was almost noon when the entrance finally opened up. Cade walked in with a group of friends I was more than familiar with.

They all shuffled in and took their places all over the bar. Some of them got busy playing pool while a couple of them went over to the jukebox. Cade headed behind the bar to get him and his crew a couple of beers.

“Bryce,” he said without looking at me. “How was it last night?”

“Last night,” I sighed. “It was fine… I suppose.”

“Just like any other night.”

“I would go that far but… it was okay.”

I looked over at the pool table where Cade’s buddies were playing. The memories of what Uriah and I did last night came back to me. I had to bite my lips to stop a smile from coming to my face.

“Whoa…”

I turned and saw Cade standing right in front of me.

“What happened to you?” he asked. “Are you all right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your face… It looks like you didn’t get any sleep. Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I was just a little restless, that’s all,” I said with a deep sigh.

“Bryce…”

“I’m fine,” I said, shrugging at him.

“Bryce…”

Cade knew me better than anybody. And he knew when something was bothering me. There was no point in trying to hide the truth from him even though he was going to pull it out of me eventually.

“Come on,” he said.

“…I need to tell you something.”

“Of course.”

“In private.”

I headed toward my office in the back of the bar and Cade followed me in. Despite how serious it was, Cade seemed as nonchalant as he usually was. The smile on his face gave me a bit of relief but it didn’t make it much easier to tell him. He plopped into his chair and held his hands out.

“What’s up?”

How do I say this?

I looked down at the ground, searching for the right words to say.

“Just tell me the truth, bro.”

“Right…”

I exhaled another deep breath and smiled softly at him.

“I met someone,” I said.

“You met someone?”

“Yes. Someone… Someone special…”

“Special?”

“Oh, come on, Cade. You know what I mean.”

“Okay, okay!” he said with a laugh. “I know what you mean. Why are you telling me this?”

“They’re not just special though. They’re really special.”

“What are you getting at?”

I looked into my brother’s eyes and smiled softly at him.

“I was with him last night,” I said. “I… I didn’t think much of it but I…”

“You what?”

“I went into heat and…”

I didn’t finish. Everybody knew what happened when an Omega went into heat. And it only happened when they were around an Alpha.

I searched my brother’s eyes for some sort of acceptance. Some sort of reassurance. Anything that would erase all of the uncertainty I felt.

He stared at me and slowly got up from his seat. He took a step toward me and shifted his eyes down toward my stomach.

Oh, no…

I started to fear the worst but suddenly a smile slowly curled onto his lips.

“You’re pregnant.”

He whispered the words softly and his grin grew even wider.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Bryce…”

He reached forward and put his arms around me. All of the weight of the stress on me lifted from my shoulders. I melted in my brother’s embrace as he squeezed me tight. When he pulled away, there was such a proud look on his face.

“You’re not upset?” I said.

“Why would I be upset? You’re pregnant. You found the Alpha you were meant to be with.”

“I couldn’t help it. I’d only just met him and—”

“Nobody can help it. These things just happen. Why would I be upset with my brother when he’s found the one thing that so many people want but rarely ever find?”

Another tight hug made me forget about everything that had me worried. I knew that the feeling wouldn’t last for long, so I enjoyed it for as long as I could.

“Who is he?” he asked.

“He’s a guy who came into the bar last night. I don’t know… Things just happened and I couldn’t help myself…”

“Hey, look at my little brother.”

Cade teased me and made my cheeks blush red. I could deal with the embarrassment if it meant it put a smile on his face.

“I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve found an Omega and just wanted to have some fun with them,” he said. “Of course, none of them ever went into heat. I still enjoyed it all the same. You need to have your fun, too, bro.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve got a baby on the way. And I plan on keeping this child. I’m going to be the best father I can be.”

“And I’m going to the best uncle I can be.”

He put his hand down and rubbed his palm over my belly.

“You’re already getting big,” he said.

“I think that’s just breakfast,” I said with a chuckle.

“It’s only a matter of time. This child is going to have everything. I know you’ll be a good father. And I’ll be the uncle they need me to be. There’s nothing I won’t do for them. Speaking of which…”

Cade took a step back from me and the smile left his face. The brief moment of joy we shared together didn’t last as long as I’d wanted it to.

“You remembered what I told you the other day?” he said. “About Rivera coming to Snow Falls?”

“How could I forget?”

“Me and my boys managed to snag a meeting with him next week. Must’ve gotten word about the reputation of the Chargers. There’s no getting around it. Rivera knew his best chance of making this thing work in the West Bay is with me.”

“You’re really doing it then. You’re really planning on making a deal with this guy.”

“Why wouldn’t I? With the kind of money he’s offering, there’s no chance I can turn him down.”

“But do you have to? Isn’t there some other way?”

“Some other way? Bryce…”

He moved back toward me, confusion all over his face.

“…You just told me you were pregnant. Why would I not want to do everything I could for my brother and his child?”

“It’s not like I’m completely struggling. Brickstone is doing fine. I can support a child and the Alpha—”

“The Alpha of your child doesn’t matter. It’d be wrong of me if I couldn’t do everything I could for my niece or nephew.”

There was no talking Cade out of it. At least not right now. He had every reason to go through with it. And I had every reason to tell him to not go through with it. The only problem was that I couldn’t tell him. There was no telling how my brother would react if he realized who Uriah was and what he was doing.

“I know you’re uncomfortable with the drugs,” he said. “I’ll make some money. And then I’ll pull out. Rivera is the one who’s putting his ass on the line.”

“I’m just worried that a man like Rivera is drawing a lot of attention to himself. The police are looking at him and everybody around him.”

“I know. I won’t be around Rivera by the time they snatch him up. Someone like him, he’s got a big target on his back. I won’t be near him when they start shooting.”

“You really mean that?”

“Of course. Just because I do some things that are dangerous doesn’t mean I’m looking for danger.”

“I don’t know, Cade… There were a lot of times when you went looking for trouble…”

“The Chargers never start beef with anybody. We only settle things. This won’t be any different. Don’t worry. You’ll see.”

He put an arm around me and pulled me close again.

Now what do I do?

I sighed because nothing came to me. Whatever answer I was looking for wasn’t coming to me as fast as I wanted it to.

“I guess that explains why you look so tired,” he said. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest?”

“I can’t. The bar—”

“The bar is in good hands. Rivera won’t be coming by for another week. The Chargers will take care of Brickstone. I don’t want to see you in this stinking place for a long time.”

“There’s no point arguing with you…”

“No, there isn’t. Go home, Bryce. Get some rest.”

Cade and I headed out of the office. The Chargers were the only ones in the place. Cade’s club had made themselves at home. I took some comfort in knowing that they were there in case anybody happened to try anything.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked Cade.

“I’m sure. Go. Why don’t you spend some time with your Alpha? I figure there’s a lot about him you need to learn about considering you just met him. When am I gonna meet this guy?”

“He’s… He’s busy. Work.”

“At least I know he’s not a complete loser.”

Cade gave me a smirk.

“My brother… I never knew you were such a slut.”

I rolled my eyes at his attempt to try to tease me then turned around to leave. Just before I stepped out the door, he called out.

“Hey, Bryce.”

“Yeah?”

“…Congrats.”

I smiled softly at him then finally left.

I had every reason to celebrate. Just seeing my brother’s happiness was enough to make me happy. But I knew what he was getting involved in. The deal he was trying to pull off was like nothing else he’d ever done before. I couldn’t shake the amount of worry I had for him.

As I made my way down the street, I couldn’t help but think about Uriah. I wondered what he was up to. I wondered if he knew a way out of the situation I was in. But more than anything, I found myself anxious to see him again.

I pulled my phone out and sent him a text message, eager to hear his response.