Chapter 56: alpha fever

"Come home with me." Kai murmured

"I..." The loud sound of a phone ringing cut her off. She sat up, recognizing the ringtone as hers. It was coming from outside the office at the Secretary's desk.

"Excuse me." Karen said. She picked up her clothes and put them back on. Just like at his pack, getting dressed and leaving.

She rushed outside the office and quickly located her purse. It was in one of the drawers. She took out her phone, her heart skipping a beat when she saw the caller ID.

Amanda.

"Amanda, hi." Karen said as she picked the call.

"Miss!" Amanda voice was full of panic. "David is running a fever! It's not going down!"

A fever? Karen's heart skipped a beat. Werewolf's had high immunity. Human diseases didn't affect them. So what could be wrong?

"I'm on my way." Karen said. "You wait okay? Wait for me."

"Should I call emergency."

"No!" Karen exclaimed immediately. "I'm on my way right now okay?"

"Yes miss. Please hurry."

She ended the call and put her phone back into her bag. She turned to Kai, an apologetic smile on her face.

"I have to go home now. I'm sorry to cut our time shut"

A mask had appeared on his face. "Your son huh?" He asked.

"Yes He..."

"The son you had with another man?" Kai spat, all the kindness gone from his face. In it's place was cold anger. It broke Karen's heart.

"Yes." She said. "That son."

"Get out " he said coldly.

Karen sighed. Her body tingled but there was nothing she could do. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said. Without waiting for a response she turned and walked out.

She hurried to her car and drove off. She silently prayed to the moon goddess that David would be okay, and it would just be a fever and nothing more.

She didn't have access to a healer. And she wasn't sure Kai would let her use his anyway. It had been going so well, so damn well. And then he was reminded of her son.

She wished she could tell him that the boy was his, so that all the heartache would end.

Karen arrived home and rushed out of her car before the engines were killed. She ran into the house, bolting up the stairs till she got to David's room.

"David!" She cried out. She rushed to his bed side, taking his small hand in hers.

He looked at her and smiled . "Hello mommy."

Karen touched his forehead. He was burning up. He held her hand tighter. She looked won at his hand and was shocked to see the tiniest bit of fur on his hand. She clamped her hand over his tightly and turned to Amanda.

"Is dinner ready?" She asked

Amanda shook her head. "No miss, I haven't been able to."

"You should make dinner now." She said. "I'll take care of David myself."

Amanda nodded. "Sure. Any particular thing you want?"

"Toast." David said.

"Very well." Amanda replied. She turned and walked out of the room.

Karen exhaled softly. That was so close. So damn close.

"Mommy, what is happening to me?" David asked.

Karen looked at him and sighed. She hadn't expected it to happen so soon, but it had started already. She held her son's hand and gazed softly into his eyes.

"You're not like other kids. " Karen said. "You're different. You're stronger, you're faster, you're not human."

He didn't look surprised as she had expected. "I thought so." He said.

"Huh?"

"I just always knew I was different." He said.

"Yes but... this isn't supposed to happen now. It's supposed to happen much later."

His wolf was starting to activate. Alphas typically got their wolf earlier than every other members of the clan. But no alpha had gotten their wolf under the age of five. The earliest recorded was eight.

Karen guessed it must be because David was the son of two alphas, maybe that's why he was having the fever earlier than expected.

"Is it a bad thing if it happens now?." David asked.

"No, not at all. It's not a bad thing at all. It just means you get to be stronger faster. And then you can help a lot of people."

"If I'm strong enough do you think daddy will come and see me?"

Karen's heart broke. She patted his head, smoothing his golden curls. "I'm sure he will " She said softly. "You're his son."

David smiled. "And we'll all be a happy family?"

"Yes, yes we will."

He nodded and smiled. "I already feel so much better already."

Karen looked down at his hand, it was smooth the fur gone. She exhaled with relief. If Amanda had seen it, she wasn't sure how she'd explain it to a human.

"Dinner is ready." Amanda said form outside the door.

"I'm fine now mommy." David said. He got to his feet and showed her. Karen thought she was imagining it, but he looked bigger than he had in the morning.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes. The pain is gone now."

Karen didn't want to imagine her four year old son shifting. It was a process she hated because of how painful it was, plus how huge her wolf was. She hadn't seen Kai's wolf, but alpha's had huge wolf's.

That meant that David would have a huge wolf too. She wasn't sure his body could handle it.

She sighed and pushed the thoughts out of her mind. There was still time. The fevers came a few month to the actual first shift. Sometimes a whole year. And they weren't a regular occurrence.

So there was some time to figure it out. There was still time to get a healer and have him examined by one of their kind. Perhaps if she told Kai the truth during that time he would....

She shook her head wildly. That was a huge bad idea.

"Let's go and eat." Karen said.

They went down to the dining area. Amanda had made toast and some fresh orange juice. Karen had already had dinner, she sat at the table with David and listened to his stories about how he made friends with a stray dog at school.

For some reason, his description of the dog sounded like a wolf, a natural one. Karen found it strange that he was able to control wild wolves too. He kept talked about he fed it his lunch and even got to pet it. He did seem sad that it didn't want to follow him home though

Karen hadn't heard of any werewolves that could talk to and command natural wolves. She stared at her son, wondering just what kind of wolf he was.

"That's a good story." Amanda said. "You can be a good writer one day."

David frowned. "It's not a story. It happened today"

Amanda laughed softly. "Very well, I believe you."

David pouted. "You don't."

"But I do!" Karen said. "I believe you, and I would love to meet your dog friend one day."

His face lit up with a smile. "Sure. I'll introduce the both of you and you'll get to have fun!"

"Amanda, could you stay with David for a while, I have to get some medicine in case his fever starts again at night."

"Sure thing miss."

She made a mental note to get some human medicine and keep in the house, so as not to seem suspicious.

"You be a good boy okay.?" She said to David as she got ready to go out, wearing her coat and grabbing her car keys she has thrown on the floor.

"Bye some Candy on your way back!" David said, waving at her as she walked out of the house.

"Sure!" She replied.

Karen left the house and got into her car. She drove to the closest pharmacy. It was nearly a thrity minutes ride. It was late at night but They were still open.

She walked inside, picking you random things as she didn't know exactly what to pick. She bought some bandages, creams, some pills and some vitamins. She picked up a box of candy and added it to her basket. Looking down at her loot , she decided she was done. This should be enough to allay suspicion.

Karen turned to leave and pay for the stuff when she bumped into someone. "I'm sorry I didn't see you..."

"Hi I..."

Karen was staring face to face with Verena.

Verena's eyes widened, her jaw dropped. "Karen?" She asked.

"No, not Karen. Bug. Cockroach. Whore." She pushed her cheek out with her tongue. "Should I go on?"

"You look so... different."

Karen rolled her eyes. "Yeah. It's nice to see you too, Verena."

Verena sighed softly. " I know we weren't the best of friends back then."

Karen folded her arms. "Tell me about it. You had me whipped and bled dry the very first day you saw me!"

Verena sighed and raised her hands in surrender. "I know I did that and a whole lot more. But I... I'm really glad to see you're alive. "

Karen rolled her eyes. "I'm not happy to see you at all. "She remembered seeing Verena and Nicolas together when she should be Kai's fiance.

Karen looked around for Nicolas and couldn't spot him in the pharmacy. She glared at Verena hotly. "Please move out of my way"

"Oh, sorry." Verena said and moved out of the way. Karen brushed past her, bumping her shoulder with hers intentionally.

"Can I see you again?" Verena called after her.

"It'll b a cold day in hell." Karen replied.

She didn't like how calm this Verena was. This was wasn't like her at all. She was ruthless and fierce, sh wasn't timid and shy. Not for any reason.