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

So thanks to those three people, my mind hasn’t stopped thinking about one question. It was looping over and over like a broken record. Does Yuki have a crush on me? It sounded crazy when I said it out loud, but the way they listed everything made it hard to just ignore.

After closing from work. Still no sign of Uncle PP. I’m starting to think something bad has happened. The air in the shop felt stale, like it had been empty for too long. Malo and I have decided to go back to Blackwood and ask for his whereabouts from his aunt. It’s strange that his contact isn’t reachable. Him leaving his shop for this long is something he hardly ever does, according to Malo and Eriko. He lives for that place.

After locking up the front door, it turned out that Yuki was waiting for me. She was leaning against the brick wall, looking like she belonged on a magazine cover. She didn’t bring her car today. She told me she wanted to walk home with me instead. Also, Kali was with Malo. We’ve been taking turns on and off.

As we walked, the thought in my head kept getting worse. It was itching at me. The best way was to just ask her before I went insane. I needed clarification. I needed to prove those three wrong and show them that Yuki doesn’t see me in any romantic way.

I won’t lie. Back in Redwood, I used to fantasize about ending up with Yuki. She was high on my list, like top three. And yeah, she kinda hot when she smiles. Her clothing style is always on point, and her ever-changing hair color is cool as hell. Last week it was blue, but today it’s green, bright like neon moss.

But things are different now. Ever since someone named Princess marked me and broke up with her long-time girlfriend just for me, everything changed. We had that two-week thing going on, which I still think is going on, because when people break up they’re supposed to stay apart, right? Princess has been occupying every corner of my mind. Yuki shifted from a crush into someone I’d rather just be friends with. Nothing romantic. Just a solid bond.

So I needed to clear this before it caused chaos later. I didn’t want any misunderstandings.

"Yuki," I called out. She was scrolling on her phone as we walked toward the cottage, the evening sun hitting the trees.

"Huh?" she murmured, not looking up.

"I don’t want to sound like some freak or weirdo, but I need to ask this question. I just need to put my thoughts to rest and shut my friends up. They’ve been saying some really weird things lately about us," I started, feeling my face get a little warm.

"I do not have a crush on you."

I stopped in my tracks. I didn’t even get to ask the actual question before she answered it. How did she even know? I stood there with my mouth open for a second.

"I-I didn’t even ask yet. How did you know that was what I was going to say?" I stammered.

"I heard your friends at the cafeteria today. I have super keen hearing. Even if you whisper in a crowd, I can still hear you if I focus," she said. She finally looked up from her phone, her green hair catching the light.

I was stunned. My jaw was practically on the sidewalk.

"Wow, that’s awesome. Most wolves don’t have that ability, at least not that super sharp. The cafeteria was noisy as hell and you still heard us?"

"It takes practice. And more practice to focus on one sense at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed," she explained.

And here I am, still wearing earbuds half the time because I can’t handle my own senses. It made me feel like a pup. Now I’m wondering how powerful she really is. She defeated an Alpha in a fight, after all.

"Then if you don’t have a crush on me, why act like you are...?" I trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"Let me clear the doubt right now," she said.

She stopped walking and faced me. She slipped her phone into her shorts and looked me straight in the eyes.

"I see you as family, Faye. Like my little sister. I treat you the way I should treat my little sister," she said. Her voice was soft, but firm.

She placed her hand on my head. She started patting me like a puppy, ruffling my hair.

"My cute little sister... the one I’m supposed to protect from the world."

"Okaay..." I muttered. I stood there while she patted my head, feeling a mix of relief and confusion. This was definitely awkward.

Why does she always say that? Protect. Look after. It felt like she was reading from a script sometimes.

"I don’t want to sound ungrateful, because I appreciate it, but why do you act like you’re trying to protect me? I’ve noticed that since you arrived here," I asked.

"Like I said, you’re my little sister. Every big sister protects the younger one. It’s just how it works," she said.

That was all she said. There was no real explanation, no deep story. So I stopped asking and just accepted it. She even said she’d clarify things with Malo and the others tomorrow so they would stop gossiping.

Still, deep down, it was a bit disappointing. The thought of my idol having a crush on me was just an illusion I had let myself believe for a second. Yuki dates celebrities. She dates people in her league. I’ve seen the magazines. MMA fighters, a pop star, even rumors about a famous actress. She doesn’t date Omegas from small towns, not some who happens to be pregnant.

We were almost at the house when Yuki started telling a funny story about Suzy. She described a time Suzy got drunk and started stripping naked at a private karaoke party because she thought she was in hotel room. The way she acted it out, mimicking Suzy’s confused face, was too much. I couldn’t stop laughing.

"I can’t believe singing naked would be that hilarious! Hahaha!" I shouted, clutching my stomach.

I was laughing so hard I didn’t even notice the red heels sitting by the shoe rack near the door. I just kicked off my sneakers, still giggling at the image of Suzy.

Then I looked up.

The laughter died instantly. It felt like someone had poured ice water down my back.

Standing by the couch, holding a huge bouquet of flowers, was Princess. She wasn’t smiling. She was standing perfectly still, giving me the absolute archaeopteryx death stare. Her blue eyes were piercing, and the tension in the room was so thick I could barely breathe.

Fuck.