Black Out Days // P. Lahote

two

Cassandra felt uncomfortable being under everyone's scrutiny. She sat in an armchair off to the corner of the living room, trying and failing to hide from view. Sam paced back and forth as he and Jared threw out different ideas while Emily and Kim watched them from the couch.

"Hospitals will require insurance which can be traced," Sam argued.

"She needs a doctor," Emily affirmed. "Just to get a check up and to check on the baby."

Cassandra drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. Her body screamed in discontent with her movement, but she felt the need to become smaller. Maybe they would stop looking at her if she became small enough.

"I'll call Billy in the morning. He and Harry will probably have a better idea."

"Then we should probably get some sleep now," Emily announced. "Kim, Jared, you can use the other bedroom. If anyone needs anything, the house is all yours. Don't be afraid to wake me up."

"Thank you," Cassandra said. She slowly pulled herself up and off of the chair. Kim gave her a quick hug before Cassandra departed for her bedroom and Jared offered her a friendly smile. Cassandra shut the door behind her and leaned against it with a sigh of relief. She just needed a moment to herself without the sad, pitying eyes of the others.

Her hand drifted down and she lifted up the edge of her tank top, leaving it to rest just below her bust. She ran her hand along the tiniest swell of her stomach, barely visible to anyone who didn't know her body like she did.

"Hi," she murmured. "It's mom. I told you I would protect you and I did. We did it, baby. We got out. I'm so scared that I'm going to fail you. I want to be the best mom I can be. I love you so much."

Cassandra turned off the lights and settled under the old quilt, her hand resting on her stomach the entire time. Thanks to getting barely any sleep in the past thirty six hours, she was asleep in minutes, her arm curved protectively over her stomach.

Sam waited until they heard the door shut before he turned to the others. His face was set, dark eyes hard and jaw tense.

"Paul, you can come back now."

They waited a moment before the front door quietly opened and shut. The newest shifter entered the house, clad in some athletic shorts. He shook out his cropped hair and ran a hand over it before joining them.

"Is she okay?"

His question surprised the group. Paul had only shifted for the first time two months ago and already was proving to be the most difficult to control the shift. He was already hot headed and rash before the shift and Sam was struggling to help him. Sam hadn't even wanted to let him go off alone today, but they needed him away from Cassandra. There was no telling what could happen with a volatile new wolf in front of a traumatized human.

"She'll be okay," Kim vowed. "She'll need time and help. Hell, she's going to be a single mom. Fuck..."

Kim buried her head in her hands and Jared quickly slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. "Hey, just like you said, she'll be okay. She has us. I'm sure Mary will help out once you tell her. She's not alone in this and neither are you."

"There's going to be complications. We're going to have more shifts thanks to the Cullen's," Sam spat the name of the vampires with venom. "Paul, until you can control that anger, I don't want you near her."

Paul stiffened, his dark eyes darting around the room to look at everyone's face. The idea of being away from the newcomer made something in his chest curl with displeasure. He remembered the things he had seen in the forest. He had recognized Kim's car and followed after it to ensure they weren't tracked, but Cassandra had looked at him and when her eyes met his...

Peace. The feeling washed over him. Something he hadn't felt since a bad calculus grade tipped him off and he shifted into a massive wolf. He felt a tug in his chest and he stumbled slightly. She looked at him with wide, surprised eyes but he didn't sense any fear that normally would come with seeing a wolf the size of a horse.

"No." Paul's disagreement made everyone pause once again and look at him in confusion. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not going to hurt her, but I'm also not going to hide away from her."

"Paul, you can barely go two days without shifting out of anger," Jared pointed out. "The last thing Cassandra needs is you getting pissed around her and hulking out into a massive fucking wolf."

Paul clenched his fists, trying to ignore the seed of anger that bloomed in his chest. He didn't want to prove them wrong right here and right now. He sucked in a deep breath and shut his eyes, thinking about those curious dark eyes peering out at him. The anger started to subside and he relaxed, opening his eyes to find Kim staring at him with her lips pressed in a firm line.

"Please," he breathed. He didn't care if it sounded like the prayer of a desperate man.

"You son of a bitch," she seethed. "You imprinted on my fucking cousin."