Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Rory pov

"I can't just stay here with you forever though. That would be me leaching off you just for nothing and I genuinely won't be able to live like that. I'm sorry, Raya." I responded after a little while, heart fluttering about the fact that she was even kind enough to not want to send me back into the street.

She shifted closer to me and took my hand in hers. I squeezed her hand a little while my heart clenched a little in my chest.

"I have an idea of what you can do." She spoke up moments later and I perked up at once, eyes widening as I sat up straighter.

"What's that?" I asked and she tried suppressing her grin as she spoke next.

"How about you babysit people's kids?" She asked and my eyes widened even more, because for one, that was something I've never considered doing before.

"Me?" I breathed out and she nodded eagerly.

"Of course! You're clearly great with kids. Parents would kill for someone like you, plus I heard it psys a lot. With a job like this, you won't be put through too much stress, which means it's very great for your baby." She glanced down at my still flat stomach at the end of her sentence and I blushed a little because I was still yet to get used to that fact.

"Doing a job like that would make it possible for you to be able to save more money, and that way, you'd be able to easily put money aside for your future and that of your baby's." She continued and it was clear that she had really thought this out.

When I pointed this out, she let out a wry laugh before bouncing again in suppressed excitement.

"So, what do you say?" She urged and I awkwardly cleared my throat.

"I don't know… I've never babysat a child before." I admitted and at the shocked expression on her face, I hurried to explain further.

"I've been around a few kids back at my pack, and perhaps I babysat a few of them when I was still very young. After I presented as an omega, I stayed away from kids because it was a reminder of something I couldn't have. So, I don't know if babysitting is something I can do." I admitted but she waved me off.

"Nonsense, Rory. I'm very certain it's something you can do."

~~~

Rays ended up being right.

It really was something I could do.

I had no idea of how to go about it at first, but with Raya's help, I was able to finally pull it off.

She did most of the work to be honest.

She told her friends about me and even helped me come up with a particular price for every hour. A price which I felt was too costly but she insisted was perfect.

In her own words, they could all afford it.

Raya offered up one of the rooms in her home to me. She also lent me some money to set the room up with things I'd need for the babysitting job, along with personal things for myself.

She refused to accept that I'd pay her back, but ended up agreeing after I kept insisting because I believed she had helped me out enough and didn't need to keep doing more.

I promised to pay her back as soon as gather some money together.

I had thought it was gonna take weeks before I'd start seeing people interested in letting me babysit, but the very next day after I set everything up, I started getting customers.

The kids were a little stressful for me because they were five in total, but I was able to pull it off at the end of the day. Having Raya with me most of the time helped as well because she was a very great company.

On the third night after I started babysitting, after we had put Mel to bed together, with Raya giving her a Goodnight kiss this time, once we were back in the sitting room, I tried repaying her the entire money she had spent on me.

Even though after I removed that large amount, the money left was quite small, but I didn't mind one bit, because if it hadn't been for her kind heart, I wouldn't have that small amount, nor would I have food to eat and a roof to sleep under.

She refused to accept the money and insisted I keep the money, claiming that I'd need it more because when I birth my child, they're gonna need a lot of money for their upbringing.

"I don't know what I'd done without you." I mumbled into her shoulder after she tugged me into a hug.

She laughed softly as we broke the hug. "You'd have probably met someone else who'd have been willing to help you, but then I wouldn't have gotten to meet you, so I'm glad our paths crossed… thanks to Mel."

We both laughed softly after that.

But she was wrong though. If she hadn't decided to help me that day, no one else would have.

I'd have ended up dying on the street.

~~~

A week later, Raya's husband and mate finally returned.

I was so anxious at his arrival because I was currently living in his house.

Raya kept reassuring me that he's already aware and would literally fall in love with me like she did, but I was still feeling very skeptical.

I remained in my room, too worked up to come out. I could hear a man's voice in the sitting room, along with so much laughter from Raya and her daughter, Mel.

Without even witnessing it, it was obvious that they were a happy, cozy family.

I felt like an intruder for being present right now, and it made me sick to my stomach.

But I knew I couldn't stay hidden away in this bedroom forever, which was why I finally got the courage to step out of the bedroom.

However, I walked right into a hard chest.