Fuck!!!! I'm Having The Alpha Princess's Baby.

We were in the mall eatery, me and Malo. It was Sunday afternoon, and the place was loud with the sound of families and clinking silverware, but we weren’t really there. We sat in a booth facing each other, both still staring at his account balance. It was the account he used to get paid for the mantis shrimp.

"I can’t believe this," he muttered. He swiped his thumb across the screen just to make sure the image didn’t disappear or glitch out.

"Me too. Money made from just one fucking shrimp that had superpowers," I muttered. I was still staring at his phone, my eyes tracing the zeros. It felt heavy, even though it was just data on a screen.

We had been staring at the balance all night just to make sure it was real. Malo dropped me off at my house last night and he was a mess. He was even scared to drive home, thinking he might get robbed at a red light. Even though he didn’t have the actual cash on him, he was still worried about cyber theft, like some hacker was going to snatch the money out of the air while he was driving. Well, at least he took Kali home with him. I felt a little better knowing that man-eating snake was guarding his room.

We were meant to share the money today. That was the plan. But we were still busy smiling at the numbers before dividing it. It was hard to let go of the total. Seeing that million as a whole number felt powerful.

"Hello guys, you won’t believe what happened last night. I had the best night of my life..." Sasha said as she slid into the booth and sat beside me. She brought a scent of expensive perfume and chaos with her.

"Hello, Sasha," Malo and I greeted her at the same time. Our voices were flat, and our eyes were still glued to the screen. We didn’t even look up.

"You wouldn’t believe who I hooked up with last night..." she continued. She was leaning in, waiting for us to ask, but we were in our own world.

"Yesterday, I was at the Petrova Library trying to find any book about the Moon Wolf. FYI, there’s no book with that name. Just that painting. Also, I got caught snooping."

"What?!" That finally got Malo’s attention. He pulled the phone away and looked at her.

"You can’t get caught right now. We need that Beast Morpher book, and we need you to keep working there," he said. His voice was hushed but urgent. He looked like a man who was afraid his golden goose was about to be cooked.

"Relax, I wasn’t fired. I made up an excuse. But here’s the juicy part. I had sex with a Petro...."

Now that got my attention. I turned my head so fast I felt a pop in my neck. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"You slept with the hot mom?" I asked. I was wondering how that was even possible. That woman looked like she didn’t even breathe the same air as the rest of us.

"No, no, no," Sasha said. She paused for a second, a dreamy look crossing her face. "That would be magnificent, though. Ending up in that goddess’s bed..."

"The fuck did you sleep with?" I cut in. I needed her to bring it back to earth.

"The daughter. I slept with the daughter."

The table went quiet. Malo and I just blinked at her.

"Which one?" Malo asked. He was staring at her like she was a science experiment.

"Kiara. Me and Kiara clicked yesterday. She saw me at the library and asked why I was snooping around. I told her I was just cleaning up. She didn’t believe me at first, she had that suspicious look in her eyes. But long story short, she bought it. After my shift, I offered her my chips because she looked sad sitting there in the corner. I told her a beautiful girl like her shouldn’t be sad... and then she kissed me. Right there in the library we..."

"Please stop..." Malo said. He held up a hand. He clearly didn’t want any of the details.

I tried to process it. My brain was spinning. She slept with Kiara. The same girl I pushed into the pool yesterday. The girl who looked at me like I was dirt under her shoe. The girl who might be my enemy. The ex of my baby mama.

"You slept with my enemy?" I said. I felt a surge of annoyance.

"I had no idea she was still your enemy. I saw an opportunity, and who the fuck would pass that up? She offered herself, and I’m not saying no to something that delicious," Sasha said. She looked completely unapologetic, like she’d just found a twenty-dollar bill on the sidewalk.

"I thought she was dating Antonio," Malo added. He looked genuinely confused by the social math.

"Well, a cheater is always going to be a cheater," I said. I turned to Sasha, leaning into her space. "Sasha, you don’t get to sleep with my enemy. My enemy is your enemy. No matter how hard they throw themselves at you, you resist.... Instead of sleeping around, why don’t you go for someone who actually likes you?"

"Who is that? There’s no one in this town who likes me. They just want me for my body, and that’s something I can live with," she said. She sounded casual about it, but there was a tiny flicker of something else in her eyes.

"What about Haley? Your assignment partner. She’s beautiful. You should try asking her out. I’m sure she doesn’t just want sex... but a relationship."

I said it casually. I was trying to play matchmaker to keep her away from tangling in Kiara’s web. It seemed like a safer bet.

Sasha didn’t see anything wrong with what I said. She didn’t get defensive. Instead, she actually stopped and thought about it. She nodded slowly, admitting Haley was beautiful. Then she stood up to go order our food, swaying her hips as she walked toward the counter.

I noticed Malo staring at me. He had a weird look on his face.

"You literally just told her who to date. That’s not genuine," he said.

"I was just suggesting."

"That wasn’t a suggestion. The other day on the school rooftop, she didn’t care about the consequences. She was ready to throw me off just waiting for a command. She does whatever you tell her... like a sire. And do you know who has that kind of authority? The leader of a pack."

"I’ve noticed that, but I suggested it. And I’m not a fucking Alpha like everyone says. I’m an Omega. You know that," I said. I felt a little defensive.

We stopped talking as the noise of the restaurant rushed back in. We went back to staring at the screen, but the magic of the numbers felt a little different now. I couldn’t help thinking about what Malo said.

What if the Moon Wolf isn’t just a myth? What if it’s an Alpha? And more importantly... who actually knows the truth about it? I looked at the reflections in the mall windows, wondering how many secrets were walking past us right now.