“What do you mean hell no?? Do you have any other plans?!”
“I don’t, but Ethan? Ethan is in New Orleans! How the hell is he going to come down to New York to save me?” I wondered with a scoff.
“The same way you came from New Orleans here! You know how much he cares about you. Why don’t you use that?” Kiara insisted.
“That was before I left New Orleans! Now, he probably hates me and never wants to see me again.”
“At least you would reach out to him to find out if your thoughts are right. He’s the only one I can suggest right now. And if you don’t listen to me, I’ll never tell you anything again! You never listen to me.”
“Fine! Fine! I’ll reach out to him!” I uttered in almost a yell, causing the taxi driver to look back at me through the rear mirror.
“Are you alright, Miss?” He asked, and I nodded, putting on a faint smile.
I clicked on my phone log and zoned out shortly after. “But… I can’t remember his phone number.” I said to Kiara.
“That’s a huge lie! Both of us know you just don’t want to reach out to him! Type the damn thing already!” She smacked, and I rolled my eyes as I typed in his phone number.
As I dialed it, I heaved a deep breath. My heart began to beat very fast in anticipation.
“But, Kiara…” I wasn’t able to finish when the line connected.
My eyes widened as I slowly put my phone against my ear.
“Hello?” I heard his voice.
I gulped hard as I responded. “Hi, Ethan.” I shut my eyes tight, expecting to either yell or hang up the phone at the sound of my voice.
“Celine?? Celine, is that you?” He asked. I could hear the excitement and shock in his voice, and I felt a little relieved.
“Yes, it’s me, Ethan. How are…”
“Holy goddess! Where the hell have you been?! You disappeared without saying anything to me. Why would you do that?” He butted in.
“I’m very sorry, Ethan. I know I hurt you and I deserve every hatred you feel towards me right now. But please, can you help me? I need your help.”
“Wait... are you… are you okay?” He inquired worriedly.
“No, I’m not, Ethan. Can you please come to me? I’m in New York as we speak.”
“New York?! The hell! What are you doing in New York?!” He yelled in awe.
“I know I need to explain, Ethan. But can I do that when you come here? Please, I need you right now. My life depends on this.” I uttered, my voice shivering in fear.
“But, it will take me a day to get there. Are you in danger? Should I tell your dad?”
“No! Don’t tell my dad! I ran away from home.”
“Again? And you didn’t tell me? I’ve been sick and worried about you. I had to leave my pack and go to your house, only for your father’s guards to chase me out.”
“I know, Ethan. I’ll explain and apologize when you get here. He can’t know where I am. Please.” I uttered, hitting my head in frustration.
“Send me your address. I’ll start making plans to come over there.” He responded, and I nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes. Yes. Thank you so much, Ethan. I owe you a lot.” I answered and hung up afterward.
“I told you it wouldn’t be that bad,” Kiara said almost immediately.
“You think? I have to critically think about what I’m going to tell him when he comes.”
“You tell him the truth.”
“Which of the truth? That I was mated to an Alpha, got pregnant, and ended up getting rejected? Or that he’s only coming to help me and nothing can ever happen between us again.”
“I don’t know. Tell him all if you can. You can’t keep stuff from someone who wants to help you. Remember that Alpha Marcus is now after you, and who knows, Alpha Kilhan’s pack.”
“No. Not Kilhan. He wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I hope so too. He already gave you a head start. Run as far as you can.”
I heaved a loud sigh as the chat with Kiara was beginning to stress me out mentally.
Why is it so hard to just be a normal wolf?! Why is my life so shitty?
“Miss.” The voice of the driver caused me to open my eyes.
“We have been driving for thirty minutes now. You still don’t know where you’re going?” He asked, and my eyes popped wide open.
“Thirty minutes already??” I checked the time on my phone, and my jaw dropped. ‘We’ve been driving that long?’
“Where are we now?”
“We are in Coney Island, Brooklyn.” He answered, and I raised my brows and looked out of the car window.
“Brooklyn? Wow.”
“You should quickly inform Ethan you are in Brooklyn now,” Kiara uttered, but I ignored her.
“I’ll alight here. How much is it?”
“It’s $90, Miss.”
“90 US Dollars?!” I exclaimed, and he turned to look at me.
“What did you expect? I drove you for thirty minutes. That’s the fare.” He uttered with a fierce look, causing me to gulp hard.
I went on my phone again and quickly checked my account balance. Luckily for me, I still had some money from the job I worked in Beacon City.
I had about $600, which I believed was enough to get me a hotel for the night.
“Okay. I’ll make a transfer to your account now.” I answered.
After making the transfer, the remaining money in my account made me tighten my jaws.
“The cheap hotels better not be fully booked,” I mumbled, grabbing my luggage with me as I alighted.
I breathed out deeply and looked to the left and right of the road. I was unsure of where to find one of the cheap hotels.
So I decided to stop by another taxi. I waved down a taxi and stood by the window.
“I need you to get me to the cheapest and closest hotel from here,” I said to the driver, and he nodded.
“How much?” I asked. I need to know if it was pretty affordable or I’d just use Kiara’s incredible running skills to get what I wanted.
“It’s $5, Ma’am.” He answered, and I nodded with a sigh.
“Thank Goddess.” I hopped into the car and hit the road again.
After about ten minutes, he parked in front of a nice-looking hotel called Quality Inn. I creased my brows and moved closer to the driver’s seat from behind.
“Are you sure this is cheap?” I asked fearfully, and he nodded.
“Trust me. It’s highly affordable.” He answered, and I heard Kiara scoff.
“We want cheap, not affordable. What if we can’t afford it?”
I paid the driver and stepped out of the car. I admired the building for a minute before going in.
The cool air from the Air conditioners in the reception graced my skin, causing me to instantly feel comfortable.
Getting to the receptionist, I asked; “How much for a night?”
“$125, Miss.” She answered, and I almost leaped for joy.
That price wasn’t so bad for what I was seeing. But how do I survive a week here?
‘Ethan, you really have to show up for me.’
I made the necessary reservations and ended up paying for two nights. It was going to cost me the nice hotel food, but I didn’t mind.
Deep down, I kind of trusted that Ethan was going to come through for me.
Getting into my room, which was of course, beautiful, I slammed into the bed and hastily shared my location with Ethan.
I placed my phone on my chest and stared blankly at the ceiling. Just then, reality was beginning to hit me harder.
‘I am carrying a baby! And the father doesn’t even know.’
I shut my eyes as tears heated my eyes. The memories of my time with Kilhan, the fact I was going to be a mother and had absolutely no idea what motherhood was all about, brought me to tears.
I cuddled up in bed and broke into more tears. ‘When will all these stop?
‘I have always been on the run from one thing or the other in my life, but I never wanted the same thing with Alpha Kilhan. I should have never kept it from him in the very first place.’
I cried and cried, and Kiara let me cry without interruption until I grew tired.
“Can you start rehearsing what to tell Ethan now? I need to be sure you’ve got this handled.” Kiara uttered, and I rolled my eyes.
I got out of bed and walked to the mirror. Pretending that the image in the mirror was Ethan, I began to speak.
“Ethan, I know you’re so mad at me right now, but I had to leave my father’s house. I couldn’t take it anymore. I know I should have told you and reached out to you, but I couldn’t and I didn’t, and I’m sorry.
“I know you care for me so much and we had the best time together as a couple...”
“What if he asks if you’re still in love with him or if you can get together again? What are you going to say? Remember he is your only hope now.” Kiara interrupted.
“I won’t be with him again because I need his help. You know what… screw this! I’ll just tell him the truth. I am the bad ex and I’m not trying to change that. I just need Marcus off my back!”
I walked away from the mirror and placed my hand on my belly. It was still flat and I felt nothing at all.
Sadness overwhelmed me again as I stared at my belly.
“The world is too dangerous for you. I don’t want you here.”