Chapter 43

It's been two months since Alpha James has become a shell of himself. Two months since Trishanna rejected him and the pack and left with another male. At first, he drank the night away. Then he tried sleeping with all the she-wolves he could find. When that didn't help, he ran rampant in the human realm seducing anyone who slightly resembled Trishanna. Of course, no copy could replace the original. His wolf was thoroughly disgusted with him and shut him out. Even when he shifted, it was painful as his wolf refused to cooperate with him. He got his ass handed to him by even lower-ranking warriors, and everyone was disgusted with his behavior. They couldn't understand how 'Trash' leaving was so bad.

Many of Bloodmoon's members even joked, saying, "It was time to take out the Trash", or "Alpha Bradley was just a 'Trash' collector." They soon learned not to make those comments in James' presence as he would go into a rage. Now all he does is wallow in his room or his office. Refusing to eat, and drinking his time away. He rarely showers and hasn't shaved his in weeks. Most just avoid him, only bringing him more alcohol whenever he bellows for it. He even replaced the lock on the door to Trishanna's room and ordered that no one should enter. Yet there are times during the night, a few omegas have seen him sneaking into Trishanna's room and curling up on her bed, crying.

It was just another blurry day, staring at the mountain of paperwork that James has ignored for weeks when suddenly his wolf began to pace in his mind. It was strange to feel his animal counterpart after his bout of silence. James tried to reach out, just noticing how much he actually missed his other half but all he got were grunts and "something's up". James tried to pry further, but his wolf just blocked the connection again. However, this time he could feel him in his mind and that brought the first smile to his face in a long time.

This trend carried on for a few days. Since his wolf was back, so was his appetite, and soon he began to eat even more than he usually did. He noticed thought that he was getting indigestion and a glass of orange juice first thing in the morning usually settled his stomach. He really had a hankering for strawberries these days and one time almost threw a fit because they made chocolate chip pancakes instead of strawberry ones. Thankfully there were fresh ones that he simply ate, thus avoiding a huge disaster that day.

Thanks to all these changes, James' productivity skyrocketed. He was able to do the work he had put off for weeks in just a few days. All he needed were strawberry treats to munch on. Soon he was up to date and even got back into fighting shape. Richard was glad to see his friend's improvements and decided to visit him in his office later today. First, he noticed that it was in order. Secondly was that James was showered and shaved. Richard was glad since he stayed away unless needed, due to James' poor hygiene.

He found James staring at his phone, which he quickly put away upon his entry. "Hey Alpha, I wondered if you're down for visiting the bar tonight? Some of those girls keep asking for you. They said that you rocked their world and they can't stop thinking about you." James scowled at that and inwardly cursed his past self. Just the thought of anyone else made his stomach turn and he quickly linked someone to bring him a glass of orange juice.

He just shook his head, afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would show Richard just how repulsed he felt about that idea. Soon his juice arrived and he chugged it down. Maybe he should invest in a mini fridge and have some stocked in his office for times like this. Inhaling, James turned to Richard and firmly stated, "I have no intention of visiting those kinds of places or doing those kinds of things. I now understand why some choose to wait for their mate and from now on, that's what I'll do. I hope that you can share that with the pack." With that, James turned and looked out the window, leaving Richard no other choice but to leave.

Hearing the door close, James returned to his desk and took out his phone again. A few weeks ago, he found a picture of Trishanna on Richard's Stargam account. He downloaded it and whenever he had the chance, he looked at it. There were many nights when he begged the photo for forgiveness, but he knew it was not forthcoming. He was jolted out of his thoughts with his wolf finally talking to him.

"We should go for a run tonight." James jumped at the suggestion. He all but gave up on shifting unless absolutely necessary. "What brought this on?" Maybe his wolf was feeling restless, or maybe he wanted to burn off the very few pounds he seemed to have gained in his gut. "There's something I want to check out. Just a feeling I keep getting." James shrugged but agreed. It would be good to get some exercise.

There was no moon that night when he shifted and began running through the forest. James decided to sit back and let his wolf take the lead. Things were going well as they soon came upon a rabbit and had a lovely time hunting and enjoying the spoils of it. Yet it didn't take long for him to realize that they were now heading in the direction of Goldmoon's borders. His wolf sniffed around, before finding a spot where they could slip in with little to no trace that they were there. He frowned since he worried that his could lead to Trishanna being in danger. His mind was telling him to turn around, yet his heart couldn't resist the chance, no matter how slim to see even a glimpse of her.

They stayed well within the trees, ensuring to stay downwind. James guessed because he came in from his side of the woods, there were fewer guards, and the other sides were open to rouge attacks. It made sense and he could not be mad that Trishanna had a mate like that. His wolf stopped behind a tree and looked up to a lit window. James knew that it was Trishanna's room and he waited with bated breath, praying that he could see her. It seemed that his prayers were answered as she came to the window and opened it, as it was a bit warmer than usual.

James and his wold simply sat there, inhaling the faint fragrance that he missed. Immediately he sensed that it had changed slightly, and his wolf jolted at the realization. Without a word, his wolf turned and raced back to their pack, heart pounding. James reached out to find the reason for his retreat and what he said shocked him to the core.

"She's carrying a pup. Trishanna is having our child."