Alpha Brothers - the Lonely Brother (book 3)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22
Tarna
"How are you feeling, Tarna?" Liv asked as the four of us lied on her and Callum's bed, talking.
"Okay," I said unsure, "my nipples are keep achin'?"
Instantly, Amy and Allie falling into giggles.
"Been breast feedin' Malcolm to much huh?" Amy mocked.
"Oh my god, he's my brother," Allie groaned.
"I don't know," I said, completely clueless to what was going on with me, "I mean, I'm vomitin' non-stop, my boobs are achin'. Liv, what's goin' on?"
"I don't know, I'm not a doctor. It's just food poisoning."
"But you guys aren't sick."
"Your just not use to the food around here."
"Oh yeah. My gut played up for weeks when I first came here," Amy added.
I nodded, accepting their theory. What else could it be?
"Anyway, I want to talk about Allie's date," Amy said changing subject.
"Oh, that's right, your date," Liv stated, remembering, "How was it?"
"It was...okay."
I had never heard Allie's voice so soft.
"Oh my God, what did he do?" I asked her, filling with anger.
No way in hell was I going to let a blood sucker take advantage of my family.
"He didn't hurt you?" Liv asked, jumping on bored my anger train.
"He was fine. It turns out, I'm not name for a long-term relationship," Allie told us.
I frowned, "what does that mean?"
Allie's cheeks instantly redden as she bit her lip.
"Oh my god. You hooked up!" Amy yelled.
"Shh, Amy," she hushed, "do you honestly want my brothers to hear? Justin wouldn't live it see his balllocks cut off."
"How did you get him out of the house?" Liv asked.
"Who said I took him here?" Allie muttered.
"Oh shut up!" Amy yelled, slapping her arm.
"Ow!" Allie shouted, "God, for a human you slap hard."
"You screwed him in the bathroom didn't you?"
"Oh Amy, like you haven't done it."
"I'm not judging you," Allie gave her a dumb look, "I'm not judging you! I'm just shocked that you didn't come and tell me when you got home."
"Ahh, I got home at three in the mornin' and you share a room with my brother. Didn't you hear me about the whole not livin' to see his bullocks cut off thin'."
Amy rolled her eyes, "I can handle Archie. I have a super power."
"And what is that?" I asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm his next lays for the rest of his life. If he pisses me off, I have the power to turn his balls blue."
We all broke into laughter not stopping till Callum came through.
"I see that girl talk as moved to our room now," Callum stated, walking over to kiss Liv, before mumbling, "I love you," making her giggle.
I had been around long enough to notice that every time, Callum walked into a room where Liv was, he would kiss her and tell her that he loved her. I thought it was unbelievably cute.
"So what's girl talk this time?" He asked, moving over to his chest of draws.
All of us shared looks and it was clear that what happened last night between Allie and Justin was to stay in this room.
I decided to take one for the team, "my nipples hurt."
The girls bit their lips and stifled their giggles.
"Really?" Callum said turning around, looking just as amused, "Malcolm can't take care of that for you?"
"I thought you could give him a few tips," Liv said, smirking.
"I don't know Liv," he moaned walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her and whispered, "Those moves are for you and you only."
All I could do was giggle.
"Anyway, I've got to go," he said turning for the door.
"Wait," Liv stopped him, "what are you doing?"
"I have two meetin's with Alphas of packs not far from here. Apparently there's a new alpha in town."
She frowned, "apparently. You don't believe them?"
He shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't heard anythin' so we'll have to see. I'll see you later."
I frowned as another person's voice enter my head, I don't want people to know that I'm back in town but I want you to be my massager. You tell any rogue friend of yours that you see that there's a new alpha in town. And the punishment that I give them if they cross my territory will make yours look like child's play. Do you understand?
The new alpha. I've met him.
"Wait Cal -," I stopped when the door shut.
I guess I would tell him later.
"What's up?" Amy asked me.
I opened my mouth to tell them when they all seemed so innocent to my eyes. Even Allie. The fact was that none of them understood the rogue life. They didn't understand what it was like to be tortured just for the sake of sending a message. I'm sure putting a post-up on Facebook would have gotten his message across faster than I had.
"Nothin'," I quickly said, avoiding their gaze.
Amy quickly changed the subject, not noticing my uneasiness. In a way, I kind of envied her. She was a happy person with a heart bigger than her head. She clearly loved her sister and loved Archie too. Thought sometimes you couldn't tell.
As the girls continued to talk, I got up to use the toilet. A luxury I was not given in the forest. With the sudden movement my headache returned causing my head and my bladder to have a battle to go first. My bladder won.
After I had washed my hands, I went straight to the bathroom cupboard. I groaned when I couldn't see the Panadol. Why does everythin' have to be so hard? With my headache growing, I searched for anything that could help it. I didn't see anything drop till I heard the smack of the box hitting the tile floor. Praying that it was Panadol, I looked down and spied what I had dropped. I frowned, not sure of what I was looking at. A pregnancy test?
Why am I not puttin' it back? I asked myself, just put it back where you found it.
But I couldn't. My gut was telling me to use it but I didn't understand why I had to. I wasn't pregnant, I wasn't –
My heart stopped.
My stomach dropped.
I couldn't feel my wolf anymore. If I was pregnant, I wouldn't be able to shift. And it would explain all my weird mood swings, the vomiting, headaches and it had to be the reason why my nipples ached. There was only one way to find out.
I could have done it there but I felt weird. The girls were right outside and this was Callum's and Liv's bathroom. I suddenly felt like I needed to be in familiar surroundings. My mind was changing to my wolf side when my body couldn't. And like all animals, when they were distressed, they wanted home.
The only problem was, how was I going to sneak the test out without the girls knowing?
Swallowing, I got up the courage to open the box. I wouldn't even look at it. I just slid it into the waistband of my jeans and folded the box three times before it fitted nicely in my back pocket.
Biting my lips, I entered the cage where the loins lied.
"Um, I'm goin' to go lie down," I stated, causally stepping towards the door.
The three of them frowned.
"Are you okay?" Liv asked, sitting up.
I nodded, "Aye, I just feel a bit off."
"Well, I hope your nipples feel better," Amy said.
I giggled before leaving them with their laughter.
The walk from Callum's and Liv's room to mine and Malcolm's was a blur. I don't remember getting there, I don't even remember peeing on the damn thing.
All I remember is the wait. It felt longer than all those cold lonely nights on the streets. Longer than the hours that my adopted mother cried the day after I had shifted back. Even longer then the days Malcolm had taken to clear his head and come to terms with having a mate.
But when it came time, I wasn't ready.
Oh God, I wanted to be sick again. My eyes started to sting as tears threatened to fall. I didn't even know why I wanted to cry. I guess because I didn't want to be feeling like this. I didn't want to have all these emotions flowing through me.
I was a simple person. I followed my gut, my instinct. Nothing else got in the way.
My gut was telling me now to look at the stick and be fine with whatever it told me. Pregnant or not pregnant. So why couldn't I look at the stick that sat on the kitchen bench. Just look at it Tarna, I told myself, you have to know.
I did have to know. So, standing on my shaky feet, I made my way over to the bench. I was going to be sick. I could feel it in the back of my throat as it cut off my breathing. All I wanted to do was cry, scream, laugh – just because this was stupid.
I wasn't pregnant, I couldn't be – oh god. I looked down at the stick and the two red lines that it showed. I was pregnant.