Zuria
I laughed dryly, watching Danny sit there, his body stiff from shock. He leaned forward, his face inches from mine, eyes wide.
"What?" I couldn't help but laugh; the look on his face was too funny.
"You're pregnant? How is that possible? You just moved here a few weeks ago, and last time I asked, you didn't have a mate... or at least you didn't want to talk about him…" He paused. "You're sleeping with someone else?" He wiggled his eyebrows.
I burst out laughing. It was strange how quickly Danny and I had become so close. In less than a week, he'd become a ray of sunshine in my life, distracting me from the mess I'd come from.
"I'm not sleeping with anyone, Danny."
"Then how did you get pregnant?" He sat back in his chair.
I sighed. "It's not a long story, but I'll tell you the essentials, since you're my friend." He leaned forward, his blue eyes full of curiosity.
"Well, I did have a mate. Well, I did." His eyes widened. "Over a month ago, I found out my mate was the next alpha of my pack at a gathering, and I was so happy. I thought I was going to be with him forever. He accepted me, and I moved into his house. He treated me like a princess." I found myself smiling at the memory before snapping out of it.
"We had sex several times, but I noticed he never marked me. I asked him about it, and he said he wanted it to be special." I scoffed as Danny watched me, silent. "Naive little me believed him. Until one day, I caught him cheating on me with a girl named Cherry, in our bed." I stared out the window, not wanting to see the pity in Danny's eyes.
"I'm not in the mood for pity, Danny."
"He said he didn't want a mate like me. I wasn't his type. He only accepted me because he wanted sex. Then, he rejected me in front of Cherry and told me to leave." I choked on the words. "So I left. A week ago, my wolf told me I was pregnant. Not with one, but three babies. So... here I am."
Danny just sat there, his frown deepening as he listened. I watched him, waiting for something. Anything.
"Wait, your mate rejected you? Is that even possible? I've never heard of that before." He asked, bewildered.
"I never heard of it either, Danny. I guess I wasn't good enough for him."
"How could he reject you?" He shook his head in disbelief. "He rejected a mate given by the Moon goddess for another woman?"
I shrugged. "I guess it happens."
"Wow," Danny said slowly, processing everything. "This all happened in just a month? No wonder you were so angry when I mentioned your mate." He grimaced. "I'd want to curse him, too."
I smiled. "Trust me, I've thought about it."
"I don't get it," Danny continued. "Why would he cheat on you with her? Especially after all that time? Didn't he know how much you hated her?"
"Cherry was like his favorite," I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. "He slept around with almost every girl in the pack, but she was special to him. I hated her because she always flaunted that she was his go-to girl. I mocked her, even when I became his mate. Then, when I found out he was cheating on me with her, I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut."
Danny fell silent as the waiter arrived with our food. He set it down in front of us, and I quickly grabbed the tray to keep it from falling.
"Thanks," I said, barely looking up.
"Wait, hold on a second," Danny interjected, his voice low. "Did you just say Arien Calloway? From the Blue Moon pack? As in, the prestigious Calloway family?"
"Umm… yeah?" I raised an eyebrow.
His eyes went wide. "You're telling me your mate was Arien Calloway of the Blue Moon pack? The next Alpha of that pack?"
I nodded slowly, feeling exhausted by the conversation.
"I never knew you were from the Blue Moon pack, let alone mated to him," Danny said, still processing the information. "That's... crazy. Blue Moon is one of the most powerful packs in the country. The Calloway family's practically royalty in our world."
I rolled my eyes, not in the mood to discuss how "honored" I should feel.
"Well, all that's gone now," I said flatly. "So, no need to make it sound better than it was."
He frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive. But really, Zuria, you just left your pack? You didn't have anywhere else to go. No family?"
I paused, taking a bite of my burger. "I just heard about this city and thought it would be a good place to start over."
"That's... really brave," he said, his eyes softening. "But the pregnancy? What's your plan? What are you going to do?"
I sighed. "I don't know, Danny. I don't even have money for an abortion, and I'm not sure I want one. I could give them up for adoption, but I'm not sure. Every time I look at them, all I see is Arien and what he did to me. It's hard to imagine loving them."
It was true. I felt conflicted, resentful even, about the children growing inside me. They weren't at fault for anything, but it didn't stop the pain.
"I can barely take care of myself, let alone three babies," I added, my voice bitter.
Danny sat up straighter. "But you don't have to do this alone, Zuria. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me. You're not in this by yourself."
I swallowed the lump in my throat, not wanting to admit that part of me was touched by his offer. "I don't like people helping me out of pity, but I do appreciate your support. I'll think about it."
Danny gave me a nod, then paused, as if gathering his thoughts. "I don't want you to feel like you're alone in this, Zuria. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
I smiled at his sincerity, although a part of me knew I would never be able to lean on anyone that much. "Okay," I said, my voice soft. "Thank you."
As I took another bite of my burger, I tried not to let my emotions get the best of me. But the truth was, I wasn't just worried about myself anymore. I was worried about the babies growing inside me. What would happen if I couldn't provide for them? What if I couldn't even love them?
Before I could fall deeper into my thoughts, Danny's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, his face lighting up as he glanced at the screen.
"Excuse me for a sec," he said, quickly getting up from his seat.
I gestured for him to go ahead. As I watched him walk away, I leaned back in my chair and sipped my drink, trying to relax. But then I spotted them—Peter and Celeste, crossing the street outside the burger joint.
My heart dropped.
Why did my life have to be this complicated?