Page 10

Chapter 10

Freya

One Week Later

I bounce Stone in my arms, cooing at his tiny face as we wait in the hospital corridor.

Dr. Astor bursts through the double doors, nearly colliding with a patient. He glances at Stone and me, then whips his head toward the parking lot windows.

“Well, someone’s in a rush today,” I whisper to Harlow.

“Mm, he’d suit you perfectly.” Harlow’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “Both are a little crazy.”

“Oh, please.” I adjust Stone’s blanket as I stare at the clean shaven doctor. Tall, must be at least six feet with dark blond hair and slate-gray eyes behind those black-rimmed glasses. But that body. He is definitely an alpha. “That man is so far out of my league that he might as well be on Mars.”

“Stop that!” Harlow takes Stone from my arms, cuddling him close. “You need to quit putting yourself down. You’re amazing.”

Stone gurgles happily in her arms, and her face softens. “God, I want one of these. Jagger keeps asking when he’s getting a brother.”

“Just do it. All your alphas want the same thing.”

“Speaking of alphas.” She rocks Stone gently. “Have you seen Zane around lately?”

“Everywhere.” I lower my voice. “At the grocery store, driving by the apartment, even at the park yesterday.”

“Coincidence?” she asks, eyebrow hitched.

“He’s probably worried about Stone. I came off a little unhinged around him.”

Harlow laughs. “No way. Not you.”

“Sarcasm doesn't suit you.”

A patient’s name is called over the speaker. It’s not mine.

“It’s weird how you can go your whole life not noticing someone, and then suddenly they’re all you see.” I reach down and fidget inside Stone’s diaper bag, trying to dig out my phone.

“Dr. Astor, please take a call on line six.” The announcement echoes through the corridor.

Dr. Astor rushes past us again, his phone pressed to his ear but his eyes lock with mine for a strange moment, then drift to Stone. Something flashes across his face.

“Damn. He will definitely know I’m pack-less.” He talks on his phone as he disappears around the corner. “Probably calling the authorities.”

“Can Freya and Stone Rose please go to room four one eight, please? Freya Rose.”

“Did you think about that when you named him?” Harlow asks, a smirk on her perfect face.

“What?”

“Stone Rose?”

I shake my head.

“Like the band.”

I burst out laughing; the sound echoing down the sterile hospital corridor. “Oh god, I really didn’t think about it. I was just so overwhelmed with the birth and Zane being there...”

“And the thought of him being your alpha.” Harlow wiggles her eyebrows, Stone still snuggled in her arms.

“He’s not my alpha.” I sigh. “Should I rename him?”

Harlow whispers, “What if Zane is your alpha and when you become legally bonded, he asks you and Stone to take his name?” Harlow’s eyes dance with mischief. “He’ll be Stone Stone.”

“Stop!” I swat her arm. “Should I rename him?”

“Like Rock?”

“No!”

“Boulder Stone.” Harlow snorts. “Pebble Stone.”

“I was thinking of Limerick Stone, Lime for short.”

“Now you stop it!” Harlow chuckles. But we’re both giggling now as we turn down the hallway toward room four one eight.

“If you give him a sister, you could call her Crystal Lee Stone.” Harlow laughs again. “Wait, scrap that idea. It actually sounds like a stripper’s name. You can save that for your second daughter. They are always the rebels.”

“Harlow!” I gasp, but can’t hold back my laughter. “All my children will be pillars of the community.”

She adjusts Stone in her arms as he fusses. I hold out my arms and take my son back, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Don’t listen to her, Sand.”

Harlow laughs out loud as we reach the doorway.

I bounce my son against my chest as Dr. Landers flips through my chart. His eyes scan the pages quickly, barely lingering on any details.

“His one-week checkup is over and everything looks perfect. Both mother and baby are thriving.” He closes the file with a snap. “Any concerns?”

“None.” I’m surprised he doesn’t ask about Stone’s alpha, about my pack status. But the questions I’ve been dreading never materialize.

“Excellent. See you in two weeks.” He’s heading for the door. His hand grips the handle, opening it wide. And I feel like we are being thrown out.

Harlow helps me gather our things, and we make our way to the parking lot. My steps falter when I spot Zane sitting in a black sports car. His platinum hair sticks out a mile and despite his face staring at the phone in his hand, I know it’s him.

“Don’t look now,” I whisper as I tilt my head in the car’s direction. “But Zane’s here.”

“Is he following you?” she gasps. Her eyes dart around, like she’s just taking in the scenery.

“I said don’t look. You’re making it look so obvious.”

“I’m looking at the birds in the trees.”

I sigh. “Harlow.”

She stares at me as I open my car door. “He could be waiting for anyone. Maybe another firefighter? Or a pack mate might have a hospital appointment.”

“Yeah.” I fumble with Stone’s car seat, clicking it into place. “Or he might have an appointment.” I think of the scars on his body.

“Go talk to him.” Harlow nudges my shoulder. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

My stomach twists. “I can’t.”

“Can’t?” Harlow’s eyebrows shoot up. “Since when does Freya Rose say can’t? You’re the most can-do person I know.”

“This is different.” I smooth Stone’s blanket, avoiding her gaze. “What if...what if he was just being kind? During the birth, I mean. What if he saw me coming out of the hospital and is just pretending that he can’t see me and he’s not really on his phone?”

“Freya—”

“I’d rather not know.” I climb into the driver’s seat, my hands shaking slightly as I grip the wheel. “Can we just go to the park? Stone loves the fresh air and I need the exercise.”

Harlow sighs as she slides into the passenger seat. Her expression on her face is one of concern. “Of course.”

As we pull out of the parking lot, I force myself not to look in my rearview mirror, not to check if he’s watching us leave.

Then, before I can stop myself, I spin the wheel, circling back through the parking lot. My heart pounds against my ribs as I drive ahead.

“What are you doing?” Harlow asks.

“Being brave.” I pull up next to Zane’s sports car. My fingers tremble as I roll down the window. “Hey, are you okay?”

Zane’s head snaps up, phone dropping to his lap. “Yeah, just...waiting for my appointment time.” His voice is softer than I expected, almost hesitant.

“Oh.” My stomach sinks, a hollow feeling expanding inside me. Of course, he’s not here because of me. He’s here because of his scars. The doctor’s office suddenly makes perfect sense. I shouldn’t have interrupted his private moment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“How’s Stone doing?” He lifts his shirt collar before he leans his head out his window, craning his neck as he stares toward my passenger seat where the baby sleeps peacefully, tiny fists curled against his chest.

“Fantastic, actually. He’s so good, and he slept through the night these past two nights.” I can’t help the pride that seeps into my voice. “I finally feel human again instead of some sleep-deprived zombie.”

His smile lights up his entire face, transforming his features. The scars that mark his skin seem to fade when he beams like that. “That is great.”

“Won’t last though, I’m sure it’s not normal for one week old babies to sleep so much at night. They save it for your waking hours.” I tap my fingers nervously on the steering wheel, creating a soft rhythm against the leather. “Babies are tricky that way.”

“You obviously have a good baby.”

I smile and nod. “Well, see you around.” I resist the urge to linger, even though something in me wants to stay.

“Where are you headed now?” he asks.

My pulse quickens. Don’t read into it, Freya. He’s just being nice . “The park. Trying to get some exercise, you know. Get rid of this baby weight.” I gesture vaguely at my midsection, immediately regretting drawing attention to it.

A low growl rumbles from his chest. “You’re perfect.”

Slick floods between my legs at the sound, and my thighs clench involuntarily.

Our eyes meet. The reaction is so primal, so immediate, that I have to grip the steering wheel tighter to ground myself. His scent of strawberry, lime, and tequila intensifies around me.

Beside me, Harlow cannot suppress her snicker, her turquoise eyes dancing with amusement as she turns to me.

“Bye,” I squeak out, hitting the gas maybe a little too hard. The tires slip slightly against the ground as we pull away.

“Oh my god.” Harlow fans herself as we exit the lot. “He is gorgeous. But young.” She tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Her head tilts as she watches him through the side mirror. “Just how old is he?”

“Twenty-one,” I murmur. The number makes me shiver the moment it leaves my lips.

“Twenty-one,” she repeats as she checks her side mirror. “Wow.”

“Is he too young for me to be thinking about him as much as I do?” I ask, chewing my bottom lip. Seven years isn’t that much when you’re in your thirties, and without babies to think about.

“You want him!” She punches my arm playfully. “And I think he wants you too.”

“There is no way that he looks at me with anything but concern or because he is worried that I’m not a decent mother.”

“Well. Keep driving as normal when I tell you this, because he’s following you.”