Page 10 of Amaris Rejected

Chapter 7 - Alpha Blake

***Trigger Warning -Child Loss***

Amaris - Present Day

After bathing Zoe and scrubbing off the spaghetti and berry stains, I tuck her in with a story. I follow that up with a long, hot shower, brush my teeth, and change into my pajamas. But when I lie in bed, sleep refuses to come. Thoughts of Devon keep circling in my mind, and I can't turn them off. Of course, I run into him after all these years! I knew Alpha Blake was hosting an Alpha Conference, but after searching for Devon without success for so long, I eventually put finding him on the back burner. Life had other priorities.

I guess that after being abandoned and juggling the responsibilities of single motherhood, attending school, and building my career, I no longer felt any real obligation to track him down and tell him about his daughter. I was running on empty—no time, no energy, and emotionally exhausted. So, eventually, I gave up.

Things were really difficult when I first arrived here. Thankfully, I had my car and my monthly stipend that first year. I also emailed Alpha Black asking for an extension of the stipend for another year since I was going to university while pregnant, and it was approved without question. At that point, they still had no idea where I had moved to, so I was able to stay under the radar and focus on giving birth and raising Zoe.

At the same time, I started online college classes, and my professors worked with me so that I could finish my assignments early. During that period, I also began working forThe Healing Hand, creating various remedies and cures. Although Zoe was born into a stressful situation, the shifters I met here adopted us and helped me care for Zoe while I finished my degree.

At night, even though I was constantly exhausted, I barely slept during that time. But when I did, I dreamed a lot. Many of those dreams guided me, showing me the way forward. I’d dream of certain shifters who needed a specific cure, and the next day, they would show up at the shop asking for help. I also dreamed of childbirth and my babies before they were born. I’m incredibly blessed to have Zoe, though my heart still aches for the loss of her older twin brother, my baby boy, Blake. He was so weak. The stress I was under at the time probably played a part, but I did my best, and I miss him.

I reach over to my bedside table and pull out the scrapbook Julia made for me, filled with photos from my pregnancy and the birth. There are pictures of me throughout my pregnancy. Since a shifter’s gestation period is 4 - 5 months, I grew huge, fast. A few photos are from the delivery room, and there are others of me holding both my son and my daughter immediately afterward. He was tiny, though, so they placed him in the NICU, where he stayed for a few months before he left us. He was a fighter but was too precious for this world. I’ll see him again when I leave this world.

The last pages of the scrapbook are of me holding him after he died. The final one is the most heartbreaking one of all, with me holding him up to my chest, sobbing. I had completely fallen apart. The pure sorrow on my face captures the devastation. I close the book, weeping once again as I put it back on the shelf.

I have suffered significant losses and spent most of my life on my own. My fated mate abandoned me after getting me pregnant. But I’m strong, and with my dedication and reputation, I’ve built a strong community around me. I don't need an unreliable male to complete me. Still, he's here now, and I have to face the fact that our daughter deserves a father. He has both the duty and the right to be in her life if he chooses, but that remains to be seen.

The following morning, just as I’m about to see the first patient, I get a summons from Alpha Blake.

"Amaris, can I visit you on your lunch break?"

"Sure, Alpha. 1:00 p.m.?"

"I'll see you then."He closes the mind link.

I’m not ignorant. I know this is about Devon. He didn't mention bringing anyone with him, so I assume it will be just him and me.

My assumptions prove correct when Alpha Blake shows up at my office door, alone, at exactly 1:00 p.m. He’s punctual, if nothing else.

"Hey, Amaris." He greets me with his wide, dimpled grin as he closes the door behind him. He sits in the armchair across from my desk, leans back, and clasps his hands behind his head.

"I guess you know why I’m here."

I nod, and he continues. "I spoke with Alpha Devon Wright yesterday."

“Okay.” I nod again.

"He told me a sad tale. I told him it sounded like he was screwed." He barks out a laugh, and I can’t help but join him.

Alpha Blake is one of the kindest wolves I’ve ever met.

He continues. "Seriously though, Amaris, I don't want to pry too much, but as your Alpha, I want to offer some counsel. After what my enforcers told me yesterday, I don't think you want anything to do with Alpha Devon personally. However, I know you well enough not to fear you’d keep a child from her father."

"That's correct, Alpha,” I confirm. “I was just sitting at the diner yesterday evening, feeding Zoe, when he just appeared out of the blue. It was shocking." I pause, then continue. "And you’re also right in assuming that I want nothing to do with the male who abandoned me the next day after we mated. I honestly consider him nothing but a mistake...a one-night stand."

He leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and sighs heavily.

"Alpha," I continue, "I don't even know what happened or why he left. The next morning, we were in bed together, fully mated, after signing all the bonding documents the night before. Then I wake up to him yelling, 'What have I done?!'”

“He was gone as soon as he had his pants on, the rest of his things in hand. He never came back, and I didn’t hear from him again. He left me pregnant and alone, without a word of explanation. I even passed right by him in the lobby when I left, and though I saw him sense me, he never acknowledged me."

"He did share some extenuating circumstances with me, Amaris, but I think it’s his responsibility to talk to you about it."

"I think the way he left me was deplorable. Noextenuating circumstancescould explain why he did what he did, and the consequences of his actions devastated me. If I had had the support of my mate back then, my son would probably still be alive. So, no, Alpha, I don't care, and I don't really want an explanation. Maybe one day, he can explain himself to Zoe when she wants to know why he abandoned her mother." I growl. "But I want nothing to do with him except to be civil and allow him time with Zoe. I don't want her taken away from me just because she’s his daughter. I don't care who you are, there is no good or bad reason to cast aside your mate."

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