Eric

I didn’t even need to pee on the stick to know it would be positive. I’d been feeling a different pull to Vincenzo for a few weeks, and whenever he was off the property, the ache in my chest was so intense, I wanted to wallow in my bed the whole day.

Some days, I did.

But I couldn’t just lie around and ignore what was happening any longer. I had decisions to make, and if I didn’t make them soon, someone else would make them for me.

I knew the rules. I’d agreed to them. I’d seen them enforced.

Whenever an omega in the pack got pregnant, there wasn’t any discussion about what would happen next. The pregnancy was terminated, and in many cases, the omega was sterilized. It was the risk we all agreed to accept when taking the job. We were meant for the alpha’s pleasure, not to bear their children.

And now, I wondered why the hell I had thought that was okay. Why did I sign the contract? Why did I think living in luxury as a fuck boy would possibly be worth the sacrifice I was making?

In my heart, I wanted a family.

Before joining the pack, I’d assumed I’d have one someday. After joining, before I’d fallen for Vincenzo, I assumed I’d retire someday and be able to start a family of my own. I was paid well, and if I had kept my head down and didn’t make waves, I would have been able to retire wealthy at a very young age.

None of that was possible now. This baby was my one and only chance, and if I didn’t make a move, I’d lose that chance forever.

Not only that, but this was Vincenzo’s child. Whether he wanted it or not, I did. I wasn’t gonna let anything happen to my child.

Leaving didn’t feel like an option but neither was staying. No one was gonna take my baby from me. Which meant I had to run. I had to take the chance. I might not survive it, but if I stayed and they did what they always did…I wouldn’t survive that either. Grief and a broken heart would take me from this world.

I wasn’t rich, not like the Santiagos, but I had been paid well by the family, and I did have a bit of savings I could use to get out of town. Out of state. Maybe out of the country. I could get a regular job and live like a regular person rather than whatever I was now. The family wasn’t gonna use their resources to find one omega. I simply wasn’t important enough.

Dominic had shown me that escaping wasn’t the hard part. Staying alive after that was where things got dicey.

As I started putting together a plan in my mind, I got a text from Vincenzo. The text I knew was coming but I wasn’t looking forward to now that I had a positive test in my hand. Come to my room in 20.

There was no way I could get away before seeing him. He’d know something was wrong as soon as I didn’t show up. And really, I needed to see him. One last time.

A final goodbye, even if I was the only one who was saying it.

I quickly showered and put on a pheromone-blocking cologne in an attempt to mask any evidence of my pregnancy that Vincenzo was likely to scent. Not all alphas would notice it this early on, but the siring father was usually the very first to know of a pregnancy. I just had to keep my secret from Vincenzo until he went to sleep.

Then I could make my move.

I had my bag packed with as much clothing as I dared to take and a few personal items I didn’t want to leave behind. I couldn’t take it all, though. I’d leave the silly purchases I’d made on a whim. All my books and knick-knacks would be cleaned out and tossed by the household staff.

My beautiful golden pothos vines draped over my bookshelf, but that would have to stay. I let myself shed one tear for everything I was leaving behind. I couldn’t arrive in Vincenzo’s room with a puffy, tear-streaked face.

Exactly when he was expecting me, I knocked on the door to his bedroom suite.

The door flew open, and Vincenzo was there, looking me over from head to toe. “Hey, baby. I missed you.” His lavish grin spread across his face. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he pulled me into his arms and held me tight. “Is everything okay?”

I held him a little longer than usual and breathed in his natural scent. “Yeah, I just missed you too.”

He pulled back and looked at me a little closer, raising an eyebrow as he brushed his thumb across the bags under my eyes. “You sure everything’s okay? You seemed upset earlier when you were with Dominic.”

I allowed Vincenzo to pull me farther into his room and shut the door behind us. “Yeah, just some drama with the other omegas. No big deal.”

Vincenzo furrowed his brow. “The other omegas? Isn’t Dominic taking care of that stuff?”

I nodded, making sure he didn’t think it was worth investigating. “Yeah, he is. Just petty stuff. Nothing important.”

He scrutinized me for another minute before letting it go. “Well, then, get your ass over here and let me show you how much I missed it.”

That was easier than I expected. I fell into his arms and allowed him to carry me to his bed, kissing every inch of his face and neck before he dropped me onto the comforter.

Emotion clogged my throat. If I kept kissing him, then I wouldn’t have to speak any words out loud.

My body needed him like it needed air, and if this was the last time I’d feel his body inside mine, I wanted to make the most of it. “Give me your knot, alpha. All night long.” Desperation soaked my words. I was shaking with it.

Vincenzo could write it off as simple lust, desire for him. I had that in spades as well.

“Fuck yeah, baby.” He peeled me out of my clothes and then shimmied out of the loose shorts he was wearing. “You won’t be able to walk straight tomorrow. Let me take care of you.”

It felt like goodbye.

Every kiss. Every touch. Every one of the seconds that he moved inside me were both the best and worst moments of my life. Because as great as it felt to be with him, as soon as I woke up alone in the morning, I’d really be alone.

Just me and my baby in hiding for the rest of my life.

Tears streamed down my cheeks when I finally slipped out of Vincenzo’s room and made the walk of shame to mine. He had left for the day and I’d slept right through it. Now it was time for me to leave. I wasn’t gonna take much with me because I didn’t want to look suspicious, but I needed at least a few changes of clothes to get by.

Just as I was about to enter my room, Dominic appeared. He took one look at me and the dam broke, all the tears I’d been holding back began to flow.

He hugged me and ushered me into my room. “What happened, honey?”

I dropped onto the edge of my bed and buried my face in my hands. “I have to leave, Dominic. You know I do.”

Dominic pulled me into his arms and held me. “Yeah, I know. I’ve been thinking about how we can make this work, and I just don’t see any options.”

“You can’t tell them that you spoke to me. They can’t know.” It was dumb to tell anyone, especially a member of the family, but Dominic was my only real friend. The only person I could trust other than Vincenzo, and I couldn’t trust Vincenzo with this.

He sucked in a long breath and blew it out. “I won’t tell. I don’t like lying to Lorenzo, but this is different. He’d never understand.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, unable to find the words to really convey my gratitude. And my fear. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

“Me too. Our children could have grown up together and been best friends. I never had a friend growing up.”

“Me neither,” I said.

Dominic wiped a few tears away from his cheeks. “I have a credit card you can take.”

“What?” I didn't know what to say to that. “I have some money saved up. I’ll be okay. I don’t plan on living crazy. I just need to get out of the city.”

He shook his head. “Babies are expensive. If you find a job, you’ll need daycare and that’s not cheap. Besides, I have plenty of money. Just take it and get an apartment or something. Far away from here.”

“What if it’s tracked?”

“It’s not.” He pulled out his phone and removed it from the hidden pocket in the back of his case. “I pay it myself. Lorenzo doesn’t even know about it. It’s not a secret, but I use my own money for it, so don’t worry.” He handed it over to me. “It’s yours.”

“Thank you.” I hugged him tightly before I went to see if there was anything else I could take. “Do you think you can cover for me for a few hours? I was thinking I’d ask the chef if I can go with him to the market because I want to make a special meal. We’ve done that before. And once we’re there, I’ll just grab a cab to the bus station.”

“Yeah, If anyone asks, I’ll say you wanted to bake a cake for…your birthday?”

“If no one’s gonna check, then yeah. That’s fine.” I thought about it for a minute. “Say cupcakes. I love cupcakes.”

Dominic nodded his head sadly. “Cupcakes it is. Will you call me when you get where you’re going?”

I tensed. “I can’t. The more you know, the harder it will be to lie to Lorenzo. At least this way, you can easily tell them I quit and left for a simpler life.”

A sadder one, too.