The Mother Hen

Danica

Three days and going

I tensed in my sleep, hoping to God that my instincts weren't right.

Someone was in the room with me. No….I breathe in more deeply...to someones apparently.

But the scent was familiar. I stiffened when a hand stroked my cheek, but then I sighed and blinked open my eyes. Olivia Sanchez stared back at me, Awe and affection in her eyes. Her mate, Casper Sanchez came into view also smiling at me. I waited for the freak show, the disgust, the revulsion that I'd gotten so used to expecting. But they only started, the question in their eyes.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up from the bed.

"Alpha…. Alpha Mate." I greeted.

Olivia laughed then, her eyes twinkling with happiness, the feeling radiated off her in waves and that was when I saw her hand rubbing her stomach, the act seemed unconscious, but I picked up on the vibe, Olivia Sanchez was pregnant.

I was happy for them, considering stories I heard about Casper bullying Olivia and then finding out she was his mate, Olivia kinda freaked out, they both did actually, I heard about how Olivia wouldn't stop whining about how she was going to reject Casper. It was funny actually, trying to imagine how they were in the beginning to how they are now. I wanted what they had. But I couldn't have it, not if I had to look at my back every moment, fearing for the day he would come for me.

"So I'm guessing I'm in trouble for not seeking permission to enter your territory."

"Don't be silly, Olivia slapped my arm, "of course you are always welcomed, you don't need to ask for permission, you could have stayed with us though, instead of renting this." She waved her hand around the room.

Oh how nice and innocent Olivia was, I waited for the expected question and when it didn't come I got confused, normally people would ask, 'weren't you a girl before, how did you become a boy.'

'Look at her, she's a freak of nature.'

'Why don't you pick one, Be a twink or a whore.'

The greatest mistake I ever made was thinking going to school was going to help me. When I was twelve, I was already perfect in the act of compelling people, so I compelled the principal of an elementary school to enroll me. I told the counselor about my problems because she was a shifter. She said she'd help me, and the next day in school, my problems had gotten out. When I approached, she begged and said she had no idea how it got out. I liked to believe I never actually attended a school, my plan worked. Believe you didn't go to school, then that meant it never happened.

"But why are you here though, even though you hate public places?" Casper wasn't wrong, I did hate it, but I had nowhere to go. I still waited for the questions though, at least they'll ask me how I turned into a boy. Or should I be the one asking them how they knew it was me.

"So how did you know it was me?" Olivia actually scoffed. "You don't look any different, sure your hair is short...hmmm...what else, oh! Now you look handsome, but still beautiful."

Oh, Olivia, how I wished she was my sister right then, how I wished we were related. They both accepted me the way I was, looked at me like I was normal, talked to me like I belonged when no one ever did. I broke into sobs, Olivia sighed and rested my head on her shoulder, I cried more but knew I'd feel embarrassed later, emotions overcame me. I moved back and rubbed my eyes.

"I'm not the pregnant one." I muttered under my breath.

They both laughed.

"So why are you here?" Leave it to the Alpha to point out the obvious.

So I lied, "My house caught fire so I had to move."

"Oh, how are you planning on renovating it?" Casper asked.

I lied again, "Oh no, I'm not, I'm actually living in another place now, I just came here to think." But of course Olivia caught my lie this time.

"Or you're trying to hide." I flinched as the words left her mouth.

"Oh Danica, I didn't mean to hurt you, I know what it feels like to feel weird, to be rejected, to be bullied," she gave Casper the eye, then turned back to me, " but how would you know who truly cares for you if you keep running, what are you scared of, who are you hiding from, why should you care what people think of you when you can kill them just with the click of your finger," I had to smile at that," I was the poor introverted girl that cared about what everybody thought of her, but now look at me, I'm happily married, I'm pregnant, I'm the Alpha's destined mate, and we are mated and no one can take that away from me, so why should I fucking care what others think of me." I flinched like she had slapped me. Casper noticed my reaction but didn't act on it.

I was also an Alpha's destined mate, but he wasn't mated with me. My legs trembled with the need to run back to the woodlands pack, tell Jerome all my secrets and become his official mate. But I knew life wasn't just full of roses, they were thorns hidden in them.

"You shouldn't care what they think of you when you know in your mind that if you choose, they could die by your hands, so why care, you should look at them like little ants crawling at your feet!"

Casper coughed at her choice of words, Olivia glared back at him before turning to look at me but I didn't miss the way Casper mouthed. "Pregnancy hormones."

" You're coming with us right now, we are visiting the Alpha of woodlands because he sought our alliance."

I might have overreacted by moving back, hitting the back of my legs against the bed and then falling on it, while my head bumped against the lamp beside it.

They both watched me in confusion while my cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"So you want to tell us something?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.

Oh shit!!