Chapter 30 : What Can I do?

Rose lay beside Henry, who had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. But Rose would find herself drifting in and out of sleep, constantly being awoken by gun fire and screaming. At one point, it sounded like something was right outside the window. She guessed she slept about half the time they'd been in the room. Probably less. It was starting to get dark, and Rose worried it would all start, for real, soon. Hopefully, they could stay safe in the house and keep the monsters at bay.

Her stomach rumbled, pulling her away from her terrifying thoughts. They hadn't eaten anything all day. Henry tossed in the bed, and she wondered if he would wake soon? Slipping from under the sheets, she decided she would make something for everyone to eat before whatever was going to happen tonight started. First, though, she quietly padded to Kai's room where she could see him curled under the blanket still.

Aiden poked his head out of the office. "Ms. Rose, may I have a word with you for a moment, please?"

"Um, sure." She said nervously, walking toward the office. She'd tried talking with Henry before they fell asleep, about why everyone was saying she and Kai weren't his. But he'd dismissed the topic. She wondered if it was bothering him too.

"Have a seat." Aiden was a handsome man. His green eyes were bright, and his skin was fair mocha. She sat in the chair opposite him, twiddling her thumbs. "What can you tell me about your grandfather?"

"Um, nothing. I've never met him before and mom's barely told me anything. I just know they don't get along."

When Aiden's eyes narrowed at her, she got the distinct feeling he didn't believe her.

"Okay, so, you have no idea what he wants out of this?"

"No, sir. I have no idea." She squirmed in her seat.

"What can you tell me about your, whatever he is, your ex-mate?" He sounded irritated, like saying such a thing tasted bad.

"We were never really... I mean, we were in a relationship for about two years, sixteen years ago. He got me pregnant, left a painful bite mark on the back of my shoulder, and left. I haven't spoken to him since Kai was born." She looked down at her hands. "Look, the truth is, I had no idea about any of this. My father apparently couldn't shift, and it turned him into an ugly alcoholic who abused me until the day he died. Apparently, I can't shift. So, mom kept all this a secret. Carlyle showed back up, because Kai's sixteenth birthday is tomorrow. Or I guess tonight."

"How did Henry get caught up with you?"

"He's been really nice to me the last few years. Asked me out a few times. I finally accepted a few nights ago. While we were sitting in my hot tub after our first date, someone threw a rock at us and through my kitchen window. That's how this part of it started. It's just continually gotten worse since then."

"I see." He studied her for a moment. "How do you honestly feel about Henry?"

"He's a lifesaver. I don't even want to think about how this all would have gone down if he hadn't been there. Or stayed with me. I've thought about him a lot since I met him four years ago when he first moved in. I brought him a pie, and he looked so disheveled and tired the day I went over to introduce myself, that I brought him a few meals over the next few weeks. He was always standoffish at first. So, I stopped. We met again a year or two later at the shop, and he was overly nice. I mean, he asked me out to a movie and dinner a few more times, but I've been burned by guys my entire life. I figured someone that looks like him, who could have anyone they wanted, why would he ask me out? I just assumed... well, that doesn't matter. The point is, I did finally say yes. And the night was amazing. I haven't had that much fun with another person in... well, never. When he smiles at me, it's like a light gets turned on. When he enters the room, I can feel my body start to buzz with excitement. We've been together for a whole three days, but I don't want to go back to how it was. I like knowing that there's someone who cares enough about Kai and I to stick around and help. I like thinking that I can come home to him, or be home when he gets back from work. I've never had that before, and that's what I see in my future for the first time in my life. I mean, Kai seems to adore him too. Usually, the moment anyone heard I had a kid, they ran for the hills. On our first date, when Kai called me and asked if I could go home early because he wasn't feeling well, Henry was the one who suggested it when I told Kai I couldn't. I thought for sure that would have ended things, but he honestly seemed to care." Rose twisted her hands in her lap. "I... I haven't had a lot of that in my life." She wiped her palms on her knees, trying to get rid of the sweat that was forming. "I don't even want to think about what it would be like if he walked away from us now." She was starting to feel emotional just thinking about it. "Do you... can you tell me what I'm doing wrong? I suppose I can't shift, but I never really tried. Or at least don't remember if I did. But everyone keeps saying that we're not mated, and we did that yesterday. I have the mark." She pulled the neckline of her shirt down to show the top of the mark Henry left on her. "I mean, I did it back to him too. But I don't feel any different. I think he does. But, I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know why I can't make this work." Her fingers fluttered over her cheeks, wiping away the tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

Aiden sighed, sitting back to staple his fingers over his mouth. The silence made it hard to ignore the beginnings of her nervous hiccups which started. "Listen, if you just told me the truth, then perhaps your inability to shift might have something to do with this. An unfelt bond, or at the very least, a silent one between you two." He looked up, studying the footage before him, "Look, you and Henry both marked each other. It would make sense, since he's an alpha and neither you nor Kai seem to have one, it would make sense that you would both automatically choose him as yours. Especially, considering the circumstances. Perhaps your indecision comes from your lack of knowledge and not where your loyalty comes from. But to those of us who have lived in this world our whole lives, this detachment leaves us worried and feels unnatural."

"What can I do to make him my alpha?" Rose asked. He was being straightforward with her. Maybe he could help? "I swear, I'll do it right now."

Then he made a face. "I don't know. I am the alpha of my clan. I became their alpha when my father passed and I was able to beat his beta for the position. It's not common for any shifter, other than an alpha, to choose their place. You choose to be the alpha, or you choose to follow the one you are born to. A female may change if she mates with someone from another clan, but then she chooses to follow his alpha. This, in and of itself, is also a very rare occurrence. Changing clans is not something done often." Aiden looked around the room. "I wish I could explain how to fix it. But I've never seen it before. So, I honestly don't know." The silence in the room felt all consuming. When Rose looked up, he seemed engrossed in his own thoughts.

Rose nodded, "I'm going to head downstairs to make some food. That shouldn't be a problem, should it?" She felt so disappointed. She had been hopeful that he might be able to help. But he didn't seem to understand what was going on with them any more than she did.

Aiden shook his head, "No. Once I realized you were in heat, I had all our men take the inhibitors. They should be mostly affected by you. Kai was low, so I gave him a few more too."

"Thank you." Rose left Aiden to continue whatever he was doing. She checked on Kai and Henry again, but both were still silent under the covers. She would let them rest as long as she could. Aiden had said all the guys had taken those pills, so she felt better about heading down to make some food.

It was almost 7:30 at night. So, it felt odd to be making a pot of coffee this late. But it was going to be Henry's morning. For better or worse. Rose broke open a few packs of bacon and sausages Henry already had in the freezer, and then pulled out a dozen eggs and a loaf of bread she'd brought.

Soon, the bread was sliced and an egg mixture was created as she started to make french toast. With sides of bacon and sausage, it should be enough to fill everyone's stomach and give them the energy they needed to get through the night. Humming along as she cooked, she drifted off into her own head. She was thinking of when Henry would wake up. How excited she was to be able to go back to normal life with him and what that could look like. She had complete faith that they would make it past this. Henry had this amazing home that would help protect them. Once they couldn't use Kai anymore, they would leave them alone, right?

As she reached up into the cupboard for some dishes, she felt the presence of someone directly behind her. As he placed his hands on her hips, she smiled.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up." She smiled, turning in his arms. But it wasn't Henry standing behind her.