I was locked up in my room, and honestly, I didn’t want to step out. I’d pretty much been like that ever since I made my way back after the council meeting with the Alphas.

Max is right, I tried to tell myself. They’ll find out eventually. I need to tell them.

Just knowing that didn’t make it easy, though.

After our talk, Max had held me for a long while, before we had to part ways again. This time, though, he left me a way to contact him. We’d both agreed that I had to tell my parents about the pregnancy before my body showed too many changes, and he’d even offered to come back with me to help. I’d quickly shut that idea down, though.

While having someone to hold my hand would be a great help, I knew better than to try that shit with my parents, especially Whit. It would be better for me to just go back alone and tell them. I’d thought that, but the moment I got home I ran to my room and stayed there. It had been a whole day already, and I still didn’t feel ready.

How will Whit react?

That was the one thing that had kept me from acting too much. How would Whit react to hearing the news his only Omega son was actually pregnant? Max was a prominent Alpha, too, so would knowing the father help or make it harder for him to accept it? The whole thing was stressing me out and it wasn’t good for my pregnancy!

“Today,” I murmured to myself. “I need to go today.”

I couldn’t stay the way I was, with my nerves so frayed. I could barely even sleep last night just thinking about it. It would be a lot simpler on myself if I just got the whole thing over with. So I uncurled myself from where I was sitting on my bed and hugging my knees. I headed for my bathroom as I stripped down.

My intent was to take a shower, but once I was in there, I instead moved to the mirror. It was against the wall, just above the counter in the bathroom, and it was low enough that I could see my stomach just fine. I bit down on my lip and turned to the side, trying to see the bump I could already feel with my hands. It was pretty small, as long as I covered up with my clothes, no one could even tell. I wondered if anyone would look at me close enough to be able to tell, anyway.

In my mind, I pictured the bump growing much bigger. I poked my stomach, and the skin didn’t give like it usually did. It was still a bit hard to believe that I was carrying a baby inside of me.

I knew, thanks to where we lived, I would have to live in seclusion until after I had the baby. I would have to put my teaching on hold, too, and sooner rather than later.

After a long moment of just staring at myself, I finally moved away. I went toward the shower and turned the water on, waiting for it to warm up before standing under the hot spray. I just stood and let the water wash over me. After a while, I picked up some soap and scrubbed myself, then stepped out. I picked up a towel on the way to my bedroom, then walked over to my closet to pick up some clothes. I went with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and got myself dressed quickly, taking in my own scent, and nodding. More and more, I knew my scent was changing. By the time I hit around my second or third month, every shifter that could tell the difference would know about me.

I wonder if I’ll be going to stay with Max after this.

That would be the best scenario out of everything I’d already thought of. It would be too awkward to stay home while I grew a baby, with people that didn’t care much for me around. Max and I hadn't discussed anything, but I assumed so, with the distance between our packs it wasn’t like he could just keep coming to visit me.

Once I deemed myself ready, I took a deep breath, and walked out of my room.

First, I needed to find them. More often than not these days, the two of them would spend all their time together. I’d thought it was because of what happened at the gala. Whit must have cared for Dad, seeing as the two of them had been together for so long. I never saw the two of them act affectionate, even when I was a child, but I did know they had mutual respect for each other.

I followed the scents in the house. Actually, I’d come to realize that my nose was a little more sensitive than usual, and I wondered if the pregnancy had something to do with it. I caught their scents easily enough, and I followed it to the open front door. I hesitated when I saw them sitting out on the porch. They were on separate seats, facing each other, and not really talking. They both looked a little lost in their thoughts, with drinks set on the table in front of them that they would occasionally take a sip from.

Now or never, I told myself encouragingly.

I didn’t move, though, to take a step closer or to run away. Instead, I stood there nervously, trembling and sweating a little, trying to organize my thoughts, think of how I was going to tell them this. I could feel my heart beating faster against my chest, but outwardly, I made sure I maintained my composure. When talking to Whit, showing any form of fear was like stringing your own neck up.

After some minutes of just standing there, I took in a deep breath and took some steps forward.

“Evan!”

The sudden bark of my name surprised me, and I jumped a little. They’d already noticed me while I was lost in my head, and I hurried outside, standing stiffly. Whit was looking at me with a face full of impatience. Dad shot a dark look at him, before sending me a reassuring look. Whit didn’t see either look.

“Alpha,” I greeted politely.

He scowled at me. “Speak,” he snapped. “Whatever you came here for, just say it already. Why are you even out here? Weren’t you in your room?”

I pursed my lips. “I was, but I wanted to speak to you both about something important.”

Dad looked curious, but Whit looked like he couldn’t care less.

“Get on with it,” he said, frowning. “And make it quick. We were in the middle of something. We have important matters to discuss.”

I wanted to point out that they weren’t really doing anything but sitting there. I knew better than to talk back to him, though, so I held my tongue.

“It’s…um…” I hesitated.

Even though I knew not to be anxious, how could I not be in this position? And seeing Whit’s frown turn into a glare with his impatience growing didn’t make it any better.

“Well?” he prompted.

My eyes shot to Dad, before resting back on Whit. I’d come out here without a real plan, so I still didn’t know how I was going to explain this whole thing to them. They might have questions, and I wasn’t sure I could answer them all.

I couldn’t think of any better way to say it, so in the end, I just came out with it.

“I’m pregnant with Max’s baby,” I said in one breath, my voice as clear as I could make it.

The both of them stared at me, shock evident on their faces. Though Dad looked shocked and Whit’s expression was just blank, but that was pretty much stunned for him. He had a cigar in his mouth, and at my news, his mouth opened and the cigar practically fell out of his mouth.

“W-what?” Dad asked. “Evan, what did you just say?”

I bit my lip, then decided there was no harm in saying it again after I’d already said it once. I took another deep breath.

“I’m pregnant,” I said, slower. “With Max’s baby.”

“Which Max?”

“Um, you guys might know him. He was at the gala with members of his pack, his father is part of the Alaskan shifter’s council?”

“I know who you’re talking about,” Whit said, his voice just as blank as his face. “What I don’t understand is how he could have fathered a child with you.”

“Are you sure you aren’t mistaken, Evan?” Dad asked me, though he looked skeptic even as he said it. “I’m pretty sure you had your heat maybe a couple weeks ago?”

“I did,” I said softly. “But it was different from before, and I was curious why. I did some research, and then…just naturally figured out that I’m pregnant.”

He suddenly looked concerned. “Why didn’t you say anything? Your heat must have been so uncomfortable…”

I wrinkled my nose. Uncomfortable didn’t even cover it. I knew a lot about heats because I was an Omega. What I didn’t know, however, was how pregnancy affected an Omega’s heats. Aside from making the Omega burn hotter, it lasted a whole day longer. I had been worried when it happened to me, because I didn’t know what was going on. Finding out I could be pregnant had been a surprise, also a huge scare, but I’d managed to confirm it.

“Wait a minute,” Dad muttered, frowning. “I wasn’t even aware the two of you knew each other, much less than you were interested in each other. Did you just meet at the meeting the other day?”

He had a look on his face, like he was thinking really hard about something. I knew he was reviewing his memories to try and figure out exactly when Max and I got acquainted. Then his face lit up, and I figured he’d realized it. He glanced over at Whit, though, and didn’t elaborate, for which I was grateful. He sent me a look, that I knew meant I would be explaining some things later.

“Are you sure Max is the father of the baby?” Whit asked, his eyes narrowed at me.

I started a little at his gaze, wondering why he suddenly looked so suspicious. I shot a glance at Dad, but he was already frowning at Whit because of his tone.

“I’m sure, Alpha,” I said respectfully. “Max is definitely the father.”

His eyes narrowed even further. “Because you know it’s dangerous to falsely claim a child belonging to an Alpha who isn’t the father.”

My eyes widened. Is that what he meant? Dad hissed at him as he caught the meaning, and I wasn’t even sure how to react. Why would Whit even think I would do something so stupid as to claim something that wasn’t true? Was that really how he thought of me?

“I’m telling the truth,” I said, standing by my word. “I am absolutely sure Max is the father of the baby I’m carrying.”

“We need to be sure…”

I pursed my lips. There was no need to go into too much detail, but some more info wouldn’t be bad, right? But I didn’t want to tell them. The problem, was with the timeline. They might figure it out later on, anyway, but I didn’t think I could be the one to say it. An even that had left him so mad he was still spitting nails occasionally in the weeks since, and I’d been off having fun with some Alpha? Even if I explained how things happened that way—something I wasn’t comfortable with doing anyway because it was my private business—I didn’t doubt Whit would find a way to work it all around to me.

“I’m certain Max is the father,” I said firmly, frowning a little. “If you want me to say it again, Alpha, I will until you believe me. We did meet after the council meeting the evening before yesterday, and I told him about it already. We talked, and decided it would be better if the two of you knew first. Max has already said he intends to be a part of the child’s life.”

With this much, it should be fine, right? I wouldn’t be bringing shame to the family by birthing while I wasn’t mated. Max and I hadn't exactly talked that far, but for shifters, it wasn’t like there was any formal ceremony. Ah, but because Max was now Alpha of his pack, there actually might be. I would just have to deal with that once it came.

Also, this might mean I would leave the pack. Whit and my brothers always acted like I wasn’t useful to them at all, like they could function just fine with me gone. It was pretty true, too, because it wasn’t like I interfered with them much. I was pretty sure the only one who’d be sad once I was gone, would be Dad.

“I can't fucking believe this,” Whit muttered to himself, running a hand down his face with a complicated expression.

I bit my lip, still wondering about his reaction. Whit wasn’t the kind of person to show it on his face if he was happy or pleased. Sometimes, I thought those were foreign concepts to him. So I could only wonder if my Alpha father was going to be happy or proud of me, if he would let it show. If he would treat me differently, because I hadn't done something wrong this time.

Soon, though, he made me realize just how naïve those thoughts were. It wasn’t like I hadn't been living with him for my whole life, after all.

“This…no fucking way.” When he looked at me, he was glaring, and I almost took a step back. “I absolutely refuse to accept this.”

“Whit—” Dad tried to speak up, only to get shot down quickly.

“No. I absolutely refuse to allow this. Evan, you are forbidden from leaving this pack to go and be with Max, baby or no.”

My jaw dropped. “Why?” I asked, for the first time in a long while, speaking back to Whit.

His glare was even fiercer, and this time, I really did step back.

“I did not give anyone permission to take my Omega son. If you were so desperate for an Alpha, I would have looked for someone more suitable for you, within the pack!”

“How is Max not—”

“This is not a discussion, Evan,” he growled.

I lowered my head, my whole body trembling. It was like I’d forgotten who between us was he Alpha and Whit just reminded me.

“Go to your room,” he commanded.

I couldn’t disobey him, turning around to walk back into the house, hiding the devastation on my face.

“And if you even dare to contact him, Evan, I will know!” he barked his last words at me.