My Mate's Baby

Chapter 35

Where am I? Glancing around, I notice I am stood in a hallway. The walls are cream and the carpet beneath my feet is worn. There are decorations scattered around on the furnishings and a wreath on the doors.

Home. Thats where this is. My old house in my old pack. The place where I grew up. The house where I had so many good memories. And equal bad ones.

I turn to my right and walk through the small archway, taking me into the living room. The large Christmas tree in the corner is the first thing that catches my eye and the large pile of blue and green wrapped presents.

"Arden, ready to open your presents honey?" Her voice washes over me like a bucket of ice water. Thats when I notice her, walking into the room with a small blonde haired boy holding her hand. My mother and Arden.

They both sit down in front of the Christmas tree and my brother doesn't hesitate to begin ripping apart the presents. I watch as my mother smiles at him before it drops and she glances behind her. I follow her eye line and spot a little girl with baby blue eyes - identical to mine.

She is sat in the opposite corner to the tree, holding a small brown teddy and sniffling to herself. A scowl appears on my mothers face and she turns to face her daughter.

"Don't cry, it makes your face puffy. No male will want a puffy face mate. Do you want to be a disappointment to your mate?" Her voice is calm but the words cut like fire "What have I always told you? Never let them see weakness or illness, they'll reject you on the spot. Look at you now, if your mate ever saw you like this they would be disgusted."

I gasp awake, darting up in the bed and glancing around frantically. My heart race calms when I notice that I am back in the hospital room, its dark and there is still a breeze from the still-open window.

It was just a dream. But it wasn't. It was a memory, so faint that I could barely remember it but those words will always be burnt into my brain. I could never forget them, how could I? She used to tell me everyday.

With a soft sign I let myself drift back to sleep.

The next few hours I fell in and out of sleep, each time I woke up to someone in the room. Rebecca, Darcy, Cameron, Tristan...

Each one apologised for not being there for me and I would say sorry for the way I acted. They all made me feel so guilty for my actions but I couldn't explain it properly to them. They didn't understand.

The way I deal with pain or upset is to lock myself away. My family were never ones to share or be sympathetic so I never showed it. Found it easier to keep it bottled up.

I'm pulled from sleep once again but this time my wolf is pouncing around in my head, making it throb in pain. Slowly, I open my eyes and notice its dark - must be the middle of the night.

The window is open and I can hear the faint sound of the wind and light rain but no wolves. Everyone must be asleep. I pull myself up in the bed so I can look around and frown when I notice I am alone.

Its the first time I've been alone since I came into the infirmary. I'm sure its because they all believe I will run if I get the chance. But I do know they're all just looking after me.

They're such an amazing family and I'm honoured to even be a small part of it.

My wolf barks in the back of my mind and I grip my temples in protest. What is wrong with her? She's going crazy and making my head spin. This is not what I need in the middle of the night.