Off Limits

7. Everything Changes

Not a single day has gone by that I don't think about Carla. Each and every time I look at Eren, I see her. It wasn't fair. She was too young to lose her life. She should be the one here, raising her child.

These thoughts always run through my mind. They make me want to raise him the best way I can. A way that his mother would be proud of. He was an alpha, and alphas murdered her. Given all my power and strength, I would never allow Eren to grow up in such a way. Eren Jaeger will grow up to be a well mannered, thoughtful alpha.

But raising a child was hard.

Eren wanted my attention most of the time. This made things difficult, especially when I had to work.

Then there was enrolling Eren into the school system. He fought me on this for days. The small boy did not want to go, only to leave me alone. I knew deep down he feared losing the only person in his life he had left.

Thankfully once he started attending school. He loved it. He met a lot of friends who were his age, and shared his classroom. Two of them were closer to him than the others. A little omega blonde haired boy, named Armin Arlert.

And the alpha girl called Mikasa, who for some reason shared the same last name as myself. Was this mere coincidence? Lots of people have the same last name and aren't related. Or was there a connection somewhere there?

Needless to say, it was great to see Eren making friends. He needed this. After everything that happened to him, he needed others his age.

And who knew. Maybe once they grew up older, the little omega boy might capture Eren's alpha? Just the mere thought of Eren growing more into his Alpha side, puts myself on edge. How will I react the day he comes home with an omega, declaring they were his mate.

I hate to admit it, but I hoped deep down that day never comes. I know that it is wrong to think this way. But I can't help it. I am not prepared for that to come.

As years passed by, Eren started to grow more and more. Seriously he was like a freakish weed. He just kept sprouting. If he kept this up, he would most likely surpass me in height. Though most usually seem to.

"Eren dinner is ready!" Calling out from the kitchen I started to plate up the food. When I didn't hear his footsteps after a couple of minutes, he dared to make me call him again. "EREN DINNER."

Soon I heard him coming down the stairs as a heavy sigh escaped him. "Coming, coming. Sheesh relax will ya?"

I cringed at his attitude and the use of slang words like that. "It's you, not ya." I hissed out as I stared at the preadolescent teenager. If you thought taking care of a five year old was tough. Teen years are way worse. They now know how to talk back, and stop caring about certain things.

Eren in my eyes was growing up way too fast. It only felt days ago that he was that five year old boy who I took in. But now he stood before me at the age of twelve. Where did the last seven years go? This also meant I was no longer twenty years old, but twenty seven now. Thankfully I still looked closer to twenty three.

Sitting across the table at the growing alpha, I watched him pick at his food. "Looking forward to school tomorrow?" My question was received by an eye roll from him.

"No."

"Well are you learning anything new or interesting?"

"No."

Looking at my plate, I hated when he was like this. We used to talk about everything. However now it was hard to get much out of him it seemed.

"Eren have you uhh, started to have feelings towards anyone?" This was such a sensitive subject. In a couple more years he would be at the age where his alpha would grow stronger, and start to look for his mate. This could easily happen around the age of eighteen. However some cases with such strong alpha genes, much like Eren. This can happen earlier.

Looking up, I saw him staring at me. His face went red, as he stood up. " LEVI THAT'S GROSS!" I winced at the sudden yell. "EWW!"

Grabbing his plate he stormed off upstairs towards his room. But he froze part way and yelled again.

"EVEN IF I DID, I WON'T EVER TELL YOU ABOUT IT!"

Sitting at the table now alone, appetite gone, my hand pushed the plate of food away. "Good one Ackerman, good one." Hissing to myself, as I stood up and went to boil some water for tea.

Soon sitting on the couch with my tea, I stared at a photo on the wall of Eren with his mother as a young child. "Carla, what am I doing wrong?" My words were a whisper as the sudden voice behind me, almost caused me to spill my tea.

"Sorry for yelling earlier." My head snapped over and I saw Eren standing there looking ashamed. "You didn't deserve that, it's just an embarrassing conversation is all."

Patting the couch, Eren slowly shuffled over. Setting my tea down, he leaned in and cuddled against me. "I'm sorry for asking, I shouldn't have."

Feeling Eren shake his head, he looked up at me. "We discussed it in school. The whole when you get to that age, and well it scared me."

Knowing I couldn't answer every question he may have of being an alpha I pushed back his brown hair and spoke calmly. "What about it scared you?"

"Just, you know. The whole, oh once you find your one, you will want nothing but to claim them. And so on. What if I fall for someone else, but then get my alpha urge for another?"

"Eren, I don't know exactly what to say for being an alpha, but it wasn't easy for me either being an omega. Omega's have it tough."

Watching his eyes flicker to the photo of his mother and him he nodded. "You don't have to tell me that, I know that."

"Sorry, I didn't mean..."

The young alpha cut me off. "I know you didn't. But can I ask you a question? About being an omega?"

Nodding, I gave him a soft smile. "Of course, ask away."

"Well I've been wondering about this for a while now. Then we learned about it more in school and it made me question it even more." What exactly was Eren going to ask me? "Levi, where is your mate?"

My heart tightened. "Oh."

"Should I not have asked?" His question was full of concern.

"No, it's alright. Well the truth is, I just haven't met him yet." Eren tilted his head and this made me say more. "You are told as an alpha once you find your omega, you will want them. Well it will be the same for the omega. They will get a tugging feeling in their hearts to go to an alpha. I just never met an alpha who caused that."

"I see." He spoke then grinned. "But that's good. I like it like this. We don't need another alpha invading our home. That blonde tall ass is bad enough."

"Eren! language!" Shaking my head at his name for Erwin, he merely shrugged.

"What? I don't like him coming over here, I can't help it."

"Well that is because this is your home, no alpha wants another's alpha scent in their home. But that doesn't mean you can be mean to him or call him names." I always knew there was tension between the two, but this was the first time I heard of it.

"Fine." Eren mumbled as he stood up. He looked at me and smiled. "I have homework to finish. Uh thanks for talking about this with me Levi."

"Try not to stay up too late, Eren. You need your sleep."

"Not as much as you old man." He teased with a tongue stick out and ran off upstairs before I could get a shout in after him.

"Honestly, that kid." Shaking my head, I couldn't help but smile.

Oh how I wished this moment in life, would have warned me for what was about to come in later years.

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