  Dad was ordered to cool it overnight in the basement, so Nikki and I crashed in a guestroom while Mike stayed up with Eddy and the alpha. I didn't want to know what they talked about.

  

      Dad didn't "cool it" for a few weeks after everything happened. He didn't talk to me. He communicated with me through grunts and that was only if I asked him a yes-or-no question.

  

      Mike had been right. The alpha pulled together a pack meeting to discuss my situation. It was the first pack meeting I had been to as an adult. The only reason I was allowed in was because I was the topic of this meeting. I was about 10 weeks along by then, so when they did the math in their heads they knew that Eddy had already mated with Margaret around the time I conceived.

  

      After the humiliating meeting, my dad talked to me for the first time since finding out about the baby. Maybe he talked t

  "Hi. I hope this is Mac's phone. This is Emily from a few months back. I was hoping that I would be able to catch you. There's something that I'd like to discuss with you, so call me back!" I gave my number and hung up.

  

      Once the deed was done I collapsed onto my bed. I felt so relieved that I didn't have to talk to him.

  

      Then my phone started ringing. I looked at it and saw one of the pictures of Mac and I that we had taken at the bar which made me shoot up off the bed. I groaned. I wasn't ready! Maybe it wasn't Mac's number and they were just returning the call to tell me that.

  

      I cast my eyes at the ceiling before answering. "Hello?"

  

      "Emily? It's Mac." I didn't need him to tell me. I recognized his voice. It made butterflies erupt in my stomach.

  

      "Uh, hi." I said unsure. I started pacing.

  

      "I just missed your call." I hear

  I packed a beach bag just in case Nikki and I made up and went to the lake. I had to dress in my workout pants because my jeans wouldn’t button. They were borderline fitting before, so when they didn’t button, I wasn’t mad that I had gained weight. Plus, I had been eating crap while I was working so much, so it wouldn’t have surprised me if I’d gained a pound or two. This would just end up being an excuse to go buy new clothes. It had been so long since I’ve really gone shopping.

  

      It was the last Saturday in August, so it’d start getting cold soon, but that wouldn’t stop the wolves. They were like impervious to the cold. They’d go to the lake if it were snowing. I was the only one who had to pay attention to the weather.

  

      When I got to her home, Nikki opened the door before I could even knock. Before I could even say anything, she wrapped me up in a bone crushing hug.

  

      “I missed you so much!” She rocked us back and forth. “I don’t want to go so long without talking again.”

  

      “I missed you too.” I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her too. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I just got so caught up in work.”

  

      She nodded. “I know. I’ve been calling your dad.”

  

      I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You would.”

  

      “Are we okay?” she asked as she pulled away.

  

      I nodded. “I think we both overreacted a little bit.”

  

      She smiled and nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”

  

      A throat cleared behind us. Mike was in his swim trunks and a cotton tee. “You two ready to go? We’re going to miss the food.”

  

      “I need to change!” I grabbed the bag from my car and ran into the house to change.

  

      We ended up being a little late for the food, but no one had gone for seconds yet, so there was still plenty of it.

  

      This time the lake wasn't so painful. It still hurt to see them together, but no one threw it in my face. No one even gave me those looks that I hated. It was almost back to normal. Nikki and I floated on our rafts for most of the day. We only went to shore to eat and grab sun block. I didn't want to get sunburns out here.

  

      Everything seemed to be leveling out now. I couldn't feel the massive tension which had been there the last time I had come to the lake. The pack members were contented that I wasn't going to make a massive scene, and that made everyone happy.

  

      The end of my first week back at work from paid vacation was eight weeks after that fateful night with Mac. I hadn't even thought about him, but it was then that I started to worry about the repercussions of a drunken night in a hotel room with a complete stranger.

  

      I didn't go out and buy a drugstore test. My father would've found it. He knew about everything that happened under his roof. I didn't want him to think it was Eddy's. That was worse than him knowing that his first grandchild would be the result of a one night stand. If he thought it were Eddy's he'd stomp into the alpha house and demand help for me.

  

      I could only imagine Margaret's disappointment in her husband. I didn't want her to think that she wasn't going to have Eddy's first child. As much fun as it would be to torment Eddy making him think that I was having his kid, I couldn't do that to Margaret. I actually liked her now.

  

      I did the test at work. It wasn't hard. I just asked a favor from one of the lab tech's that did the in-house testing. I had a result in 30 minutes. I kept the results in my back pocket as I worked. It wasn't until I was off and in my car that I looked at the results.

  

      I stared at the positive pregnancy test for a while. Over the past year, when I had been with Eddy, I thought that someday I would be bringing his child into the world. I would’ve been over the moon that I was pregnant with his child. I would’ve been terrified, but happy. I never once thought that I would be having a child with a stranger I didn’t know. Hell, I didn’t even know his last name. All I had was the number he gave me. I hoped it wasn’t fake.

  

      My stomach squeezed at the idea of talking to him. I didn't want to hurl again because of nerves, so I decided that I'd just call him later. What was the harm in waiting a few more weeks?

  

      I drove home as slow as I could manage. I knew that when I get there my dad would know something was wrong and I would have to tell him. I really didn't want to, not yet. I just found out about it! I wanted to have some kind of plan when I told my father that I'm pregnant.

  

      So I didn't go home. I had to talk this through with Nikki. She'd know what I had to do. She'd know the best way to break the news to my dad. She knew him as well as I did, maybe even more so since she was a wolf too.

  

      Nikki wasn't expecting me. I knew it because there was a frantic rush from her bedroom when I walked through the door. I didn't holler for her, she knew I was there. I only felt a little guilty that I had interrupted her intimate situation with her mate. But I knew they'd just continue once I left, well, if my situation didn't completely ruin her mood.

  

      The last time I saw her was a week ago at the lake. She probably thought I was just getting sick, not pregnant. I went to the kitchen and looked for something to eat. I spotted a bowl of cut up fruit in the fridge and fished it out. I needed to eat healthy now. It wasn't just my body anymore.

  

      Nikki was in her short silk robe when she walked into the kitchen.

  

      "This better be very important." She growled.

  

      "It is." I could see the amber streaks in her eyes. Her wolf wasn't happy about my untimely interruption. "I think you might want to change."

  

      She groaned and rolled her neck. "Are you sure it's that important?" She sighed in the disappointment of the lost moment with her mate. Her face fell. "You don't have cancer do you?"

  

      I shook my head. "The thing growing in me isn't cancer." I just stared her right in her eyes.

  

      I could see instant joy, excitement, then reality settled in and I saw confusion and fear. "I'll go change."

  

      I carried the bowl over to the table. Mike was at the bottom of the stairs looking concerned at his mate as she went back up to their room. His shirtless torso didn't even faze me. Growing up around wolves made nudity not seem like a big deal. Working in a hospital made nudity normal.

  

      Nikki whispered something to him as she passed, and he looked right at me. His eyes were angry as he looked over me. I knew they were thinking that I was pregnant with Eddy's baby.

  

      As Nikki vanished upstairs Mike sat down across from me and picked out a watermelon cube. "Just tell me it's not his."

  

      Go figure he'd want an answer while my mouth was stuffed. The seriousness of his face made me want to burst out laughing, but that reaction would've been highly inappropriate. I covered my mouth with my hand as I nodded. He was right.

  

      I saw terror in his features for a few seconds; Nikki stumbled down a few steps after the fastest wardrobe change ever, from feeling her mate's reaction. I held a finger out to him as I quickly finished my bite. The cold fruit hurt my teeth.

  

      "It's not Eddy's." I felt relief enter the room. "Remember when you got pissed at me because you thought I killed myself over Eddy?" I saw her annoyance, but I was still a little bitter and my tone showed that. I would use that dig when I could. "I had a one night stand with a guy from the club that night and voila, you have an honorary niece or nephew on the way!"

  

      Nikki slowly sat down on the chair next to the one I was occupying. I could tell by the look on her face that she was processing. She just needed a minute.

  

      So Mike spoke. "You know everyone's going to think it's Eddy's regardless of what you say."

  

      I shrugged. "I guess they're going to have to build a bridge."

  

      Mike's confused face made him look constipated.

  

      "Babe." Nikki sighed in disappointment. He really should understand some of the dumb sayings we had by now. "Build a bridge and get over it."

  

      Mike rolled his eyes. "This isn't a time for jokes Emily."

  

      "This isn't the time for jokes." I mocked. "This is the perfect time for jokes. I'm freaking out here and it makes me feel better."

  

      Nikki reached over and grabbed a grape. "This is going to be so dramatic."

  

      I nodded. "And I'm going to get fat."

  

      She looked down at my still flat stomach. The unflattering scrubs hid everything anyway. "So there's really a baby in there?"

  

      I pulled out my test. "That's what this says."

  

      "How are you going to tell your papa?" I could see the exaggerated fear in her widened eyes.

  

      "I don't know. I came here for advice. He's going to think it's Eddy's too."

  

      She nodded. "He's not going to be so calm about it either."

  

      Mike huffed. "Imagine how Eddy's going to freak when he finds out."

  

      "Maybe I should get shirts made that say Eddy is not the father and wear it around the pack."

  

      Nikki laughed at that. "That's so tacky."

  

      Mike sighed. "It'll be easier to call a pack meeting."

  

      I shook my head no. "That's so embarrassing. I don't want everyone to think I'm a whore! It was just one time!"

  

      Mike shrugged. "It doesn't matter. The pack will be in distress if they're gossiping over you. They don't want Eddy's first child to be from you. They want that for Margaret."

  

      I looked at Nikki. "I still like the shirt idea."

  

      My phone rang. We all looked down to see my dad's grumpy face on the screen. "Great." I mumbled.

  

      "Hi Dad. I'm not even out late." I chastised.

  

      "I need you to come pick me up at the alpha's house."

  

      I gave Nikki a confused glance. "Why are you there?"

  

      She just shrugged. "Should we come with?"

  

      "Yeah, sure. All of you come." Then my dad hung up. He knew it was Nikki.

  

      The couple went upstairs to change while I went out to my car and waited for them. We'd all fit comfortably in my car.

  

      It wasn't a long ride to the pack house, but once we were there I was a bit confused. What would my dad be doing here this late? Mike got out of the car and led us into the house. "Follow me."

  

      "Obviously." Nikki and I muttered simultaneously. We shot each other grins as we followed her mate.

  

      When he led us to the infirmary, I got a little worried. Maybe that's why dad needed me to pick him up. He was conversing with the pack doctor when the three of us walked in. I felt relieved when there was nothing wrong with him.

  

      "What's up dad?"

  

      He looked at me regretfully. I felt the bad news brewing. "I think you're getting sick. Albert here is going to run a few tests on you so we can figure out what it is so we can catch it early."

  

      I groaned and slumped my head down.

  

      "Time to shine." Nikki encouraged poking my side.

  

      My father's confused gaze switch from Nikki to me a few times, trying to catch on to our little secret.

  

      "Dad, I don't need a medical intervention. I know what you smell." Dr. Albert took a deep breath and smiled. He had been through this enough that he probably recognized the scent immediately.

  

      Dad looked at me expectantly when I didn't immediately answer. "Well?"

  

      I glanced at Nikki once for confidence before looking back at my father. "I'm pregnant."

  

      I felt Mike tense up. I knew why. Dad was mad. I knew exactly where his mind had gone. His eyes steadily turned amber as he looked at my stomach.

  

      "Dad, it's not Eddy's." I wanted him to hear it before it was too late.

  

      "He can't hear you right now." Mike stepped in front of Nikki and me. "Nikki, take her inside."

  

      Nikki nodded and grabbed my arm. "Let Mikey take care of it."

  

      I felt something in me break. My dad was supposed to be supportive. He was supposed to have faith in me. Wasn't a pregnancy a better alternative to what he was thinking? I wasn't sick and I didn't have cancer.

  

      Nikki led me into the pack house as the alpha ran past us. Nikki pulled me out of his way.

  

      "Why is he so mad at me?" I asked her. She had to know.

  

      She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "He's just caught off guard."

  

      "I'm his daughter. This is his grandchild."

  

      She nodded. "I know sweetie. He's just upset. He'll get over it."

  

      "You're pregnant?" Eddy said from the side of us. Nikki jumped looking over at him. She hadn't heard him coming either. "Answer me Emily!" He growled.

  

      Nikki growled at Eddy and stood protectively in front of me.

  

      "Yeah, I am, but it's not yours."

  

      He took another step forward. "How do you know?" Nikki kept a buffer between the two of us.

  

      "I just found out today. I'm like eight weeks pregnant."

  

      He huffed in relief. "Thank god!"

  

      The glass broke. The next thing I knew I was in Nikki's arms while she ran to the other side of the room. Dad was on top of Eddy while Mike and the alpha tried to pull them apart. Eddy was caught by surprise as my dad assaulted him. Nikki kept me far away from the fighting.

  

      I knew there was nothing I could do. Werewolves were fighting. I was human and pregnant, so there was no way I was getting close to that.

  

      It was a good five minutes before dad was sitting on the ground with his hands under his butt and his alpha grabbing his shoulder. I felt immensely guilty because this was my entire fault. Dad calmed down a bit when it registered that my child wasn't from Eddy. It didn't give him much solace to know that his baby girl had had a one night stand.

Dad was ordered to cool it overnight in the basement, so Nikki and I crashed in a guestroom while Mike stayed up with Eddy and the alpha. I didn't want to know what they talked about.
  
      Dad didn't "cool it" for a few weeks after everything happened. He didn't talk to me. He communicated with me through grunts and that was only if I asked him a yes-or-no question.
  
      Mike had been right. The alpha pulled together a pack meeting to discuss my situation. It was the first pack meeting I had been to as an adult. The only reason I was allowed in was because I was the topic of this meeting. I was about 10 weeks along by then, so when they did the math in their heads they knew that Eddy had already mated with Margaret around the time I conceived.
  
      After the humiliating meeting, my dad talked to me for the first time since finding out about the baby. Maybe he talked to me out of pity that I had been humiliated in front of everyone I knew.
  
      I couldn't

Chapter 4-1