If she didn't go back to work, she was going to lose her mind. Rain had ignored protocol, which would have involved gaining the Alpha's permission to return to the pack's daycare, and instead just showed up at 8AM the next morning. Despite their barely knowing one another, Layla looked thrilled to see her.
"Where have you been?" the beautiful, blonde she-wolf inquired. She moved about the large main room fluidly, as though each move was unconsciously baked into her memory. She began setting up chairs, re-disinfecting counters, and preparing the center for its tiny little inhabitants.
Rain followed her around, assisting where and when she could. "I wasn't feeling great and the Alpha said that I could take some time off."
"Because you're pregnant." Layla didn't miss a single beat. "With his heir."
A part of her had wanted to be prepared for this line of questioning, had felt that she was ready, but Layla's words hit something inside of Rain that unleashed a torrent of emotion. Tears coursed down her cheeks and she reached a hand out to steady herself against the wall, suddenly uncertain that her feet would hold her weight. She turned her tearful gaze down to her sneaker clad feet, and sniffled.
The other woman stopped what she was cleaning, set her paper towel aside, and stepped toward the now-sobbing she-wolf. "I'm sorry, Rain. I don't have much of a filter, but I didn't mean to upset you. I take it back, okay? We don't have to talk about this; it's none of my business."
"No," Rain waved her hands through the air in a kind of curious surrender. "I need to talk to somebody."
At this, Layla tugged out a wheeled desk chair and gestured for Rain to take a seat. "You talk then, and I'll listen as I clean. But I have to warn you, the Alpha will be here any minute with his pup. He drops her off each morning, makes a fuss like she's the princess, and then goes about his Alpha business."
Rain's eyes widened, and she looked a bit frantic. "My mate is adamant that I not see him!"
Layla snorted. "Tell Ryan to grow the fuck up!"
Rain laughed nervously at this. "There's tension between the Alpha and the Beta."
"Tell me something I don't know," Layla snorted again but continued rubbing at the counter with the changing table. "There's been tension between Chris and Ryan since Ryan was born."
Before Rain could open her mouth to respond, or even decide what to say in response, the phone rang, and Layla raised a hand before answering the call. There was a series of "okays" and "uh huhs" and then she hung up and shrugged. "Interesting. The Alpha is 'taking the day off' to stay with his little princess, and she will not be attending today." She paused and then smirked. "So, what happened yesterday that everyone is avoiding each other today?"
Spinning in a slow, anxious circle in the chair, Rain shrugged her shoulders dramatically. "Can I just start from the beginning? That would be much easier."
YOU ARE READING
White Lightning
Werewolf[Ongoing Serial Novel][Werewolf] [MIW] In our world, for every female pup born there were five very eager and wanton males waiting for her to turn of age. Some packs considered their females to be ripe at sixteen, but my great-grandfather had establ...
