Chapter 18

With another sigh, Allie climbed out of the lonely bed and strode towards the open balcony door. The air outside was much warmer than inside the room, but she still shivered, dressed only in her nightgown.

The omega hugged her arms around her torso and let her eyes wander over the lit-up city before her. Knowing that somewhere out there, possibly in some expensive as shit club with pretentious company, was Nate, drinking, dancing and laughing about making a bet on her.

Just thinking about it made her throat close up. She still couldn't be love that he could be that cruel. But now Allie was alone she couldn't help but feel that her entire life is over. She let him have his way.

Fuck! The omega cursed under her breath, swallowing against the bile rising in her throat the more she thought about it. Tears burned in her eyes as she wished to be at home. Mostly to be near her big brother. Allie just wanted to talk to him about all the shit that was going wrong right now, and she found it impossible to do so over a Skype call, where the omega couldn't hope for more than worried glances and empty words of comfort, which would change nothing at all in the grand scheme of things.

Then again the omega didn't even want to think about her big brother's reaction on finding out she's carrying a Hellhounds baby.

A shudder racked through her body just thinking about it. Surrounded by her friends, she still never felt more alone.

***

The next morning Allie woke up with her stomach in

knots and she let out a strangled retching sound before her brain was even able to catch up with what's happening. She reflexively pressed her left hand over her mouth, ignoring the weird glances from her roommate the omega swiftly bolted out of the room.

The nearest bathroom was a few feet away down the room, and Allie rushed through and fell in front of the toilet. She retched repeatedly, and bitter bile made its way out of her mouth, as she hadn't eaten much in the last 24 hours. Not even those sugar-filled doughnuts. Ashton should have known better than asked for cream fillings. Its already sweet so why did he have to ruin it with more?

Allie felt sweat accumulate on her forehead and soak the back of her negligee. Knees brushed against the tiles caused her to sting. Tears made their way down her cheeks, provoked by the pungent smell hitting her nose and the disgusting taste left in her mouth.

Why couldn't she stop it? Helpless to stop her chocking the omega decided to stay put above the toilet bowl. Just then she felt a warm hand touching her back, making her still on the cold tiles. Her heart stuttered at the familiar scent.

The omega wanted to bash her head into the cold porcelain bowl of the toilet just to make everything stop. She bought it on herself. Slept with an Alpha Hellhound of all people in the university. Weak as she was, Allie let herself lean back into friends arms. She was so desperate for affection; it didn't matter where it came from.

When she was finally able to lift her head, she realised her skin prickled with goosebumps all over.

Rachel pulled her as if she weighed nothing at all and turned the omega around gently. Her eyes settled onto Allies indeed pale face.

"What's going on Al? Did you not see the doctor yesterday?"

The omega sighed, wiping her mouth. She couldn't even meet her friend's eyes, cheeks turning red. How as she supposed to tell her the truth? Or anyone of them for that matter.

"I-I am fine. The doctor prescribed some antibiotics, so don't worry about me."

"Okay. Let me help you to bed then" Rachel smiled, eyes still narrowed.

***

"Good morning, dear!" The nurse greeted her with a warm smile. Rosa was a werewolf fortunately and an excellent person to talk with. "How are you doing today?" She came over and gently grabbed for the omegas wrist to get her pulse, then fleetingly felt her cheeks for any high temperature. Allie took it as a good sign when she hummed satisfied.

"Better than before, actually" Allie answered while sitting up straighter in her chair.

"Good." The nurse patted her knee. "Now I know you're on your own, but there's nothing more we can do here. You are expecting Hellhounds baby, and their approach is—"

"Traditional?" Allie breathed.

"Yeah." Rosa sighed. "So be careful. That's all I can say."

There was a baby.

And if she didn't decide for this baby, whether this decision included Nate or not, it would sooner or later be born into this world. And it would be her baby, meaning she would have to take care of it. For the rest of her pitiful life, there would be a human being that shared her DNA and depended on her for — a long, long time.

The fact itself didn't scare Allie, at least not as much as she first anticipated it might. She always wanted to have children, planned on having lots of children with a suitable mate. The omega grew up in the pack house surrounded by many pups who demanded attention a lot. So the mothers took her help sometimes that's how she had the basics down; knew how to hold a small child the right way, could change a nappy and feed a bottle.

However, looking after a baby for a few hours was still entirely different from having to raise her own.

Then, there were the obvious issues with the person she spent the night with. Nate Harper. A hellhound who had no idea about her true identity. The stress and heartache of being around him were hard to handle already, but just considering bringing a baby into this mess made her shudder. This wasn't how a family should start. This just wasn't right.

***

It was raining. The strange gloomy energy in the morning made Allie curl into herself. People walked around in raincoats and windbreakers, umbrellas on each of their shoulders to shield from the rain.

Finally, she texted Nate and asked him to wait in the frat house for her.

The moment Allie stepped inside, silence greeted her. It prickled at her skin. Despite that, she choose to remain in the same room, looking around the empty space. Where was everyone? Did Nate send them away? She hoped so.

"Hey," The Alpha murmured, his deep voice rumbling in his chest as he slowly approached her.

Allie couldn't deny the quickening of her heart rate. She mumbled a barely audible greeting in response, not capable of doing much more. Its been a whole month since she last saw him.

Was it bad that she wanted Nate to kiss her, even though she knew more than well that it's a terrible idea? The omega sighed dejectedly. This caution in dealing with each other, it was the most heartbreaking thing.

Allie had pulled away from her thoughts when Nate spoke up again, now standing much closer than before. "I was so worried for you; you have no idea. Its been a month. What happened Allie?" The Alpha extended his hand as if he wanted to touch her to which she flinched. Nate then seemed to recall that this wasn't something they did anymore.

"Sorry" He coughed awkwardly. "Force of habit."

And what, for fuck's sake, was even going on right now? Did Nate just expect her to act as if nothing was wrong? That she should just forgive him after a month of radio silence, which would lead to a passionate kiss and pretend nothing had happened? Did he expect everything would be okay after this?

"Uhh...The boys will be back from practice any minute now. We can go talk in my room."

She chewed on her lips, eyes tilting to stare at the brow oak door. So many bad memories there. With a sigh, the omega nodded her head and followed him.

Nate shut the door and turned around.

Allie glanced around the room, actually taking it in. There were no clothes on the floor, no personal items on the dresser, it's pristine. Almost as if someone made an extra effort to look presentable.

Her nerves were eating her alive. The omega couldn't hold out any longer, Nate needed to know. Allie was more than skittish, palms clammy as she kept shifting on her feet. Her heart was racing, but she was determined to tell the Alpha.

"I have to tell you something." She murmured, eyes on the floor.

"Go on," The Alpha hummed.

This was it. The weight on her shoulders was going to disappear; she was going to come clean and tell Nate something that made her scared. Allie felt so alone these past few days. He deserved to know.

Taking a deep breath, she nervously clenched her fists before crooning softly. "I'm pregnant."

***