Page 5 of Unravel Me

I get to my feet, and Storm does the same. I shake both of their hands, doing my best to keep myself composed.

The conversation could have gone far worse. I came here carrying little more than a flicker of hope, and somehow that flicker is still there. I just have to believe; it's the only path forward, isn't it?

A little while later, after we leave Storm's office, we head to the café where Alex is waiting for me with Tommy sitting on his lap.

The moment Tommy sees me, he throws his little arms out toward me, and my heart flutters. I scoop him up without a second thought and hold him close.

This little boy is everything I have left, the fulfillment of my dream, or at least part of it. I always wanted a big family and a peaceful life in the country. But my dream still feels incomplete.

A little later, as we walk toward the car together, I give Alex a brief rundown of everything Storm told me.

Alex nods before saying, "I have faith in Storm. There are extraordinary gifts running through his family. And I know quite a bit about them, I basically lived with the Nolan family as a teen while dating Bay."

His confidence in the purple alpha’s abilities is infectious, and I find myself taking a small breath of relief.

"Okay. I'll be patient."

Alex walks beside me quietly for a moment with those amethyst eyes of his fixed on the concrete surface of the parking lot.

"You really believe it, don't you? That once you find him… everything will finally fall into place?"

There's something very serious in his voice. And I know he probably thinks about his situation with Bay, which was painfully complicated. They’re supposed to be fated, but somehow it didn't work out, and happiness still hasn't found them.

I let out a weary sigh as I climb into the car and secure Tommy in his pink toddler car seat.

"I don't even know why. Maybe it sounds ridiculous, but something deep inside me believes that if I find him, he will… unravel me. Set me free. Almost magically… transform my world. And my nightmare will finally be over."

"Well, I can definitely see why you want to believe this," Alex responds as he gets into the car, his expression pensive. "I kinda… hope for the same for myself." He averts his gaze toward the road.

I don’t respond. I don't want to stir up the pain he has fought so hard to bury.

Instead, I lean over Tommy and kiss his temple. His light blond hair is exactly the same shade as mine, and when those green eyes lift to meet mine, they hold the kind of bright, carefree expression only a child can have, something I lost a long time ago.

"Dada…" he mumbles, tugging gently on my ear.

I smile back, and his little face lights up. I'm grateful he takes after me.

It means I'll never have to look into the face of my past.

CHAPTER 2: JARED

2 and a half months later

I toss and turn in bed. The sheets itch, and everything inside me is twisting into knots. I can feel this damn thing creeping closer. I don't know exactly when it'll hit because I can't afford to see my doctor and have him calculate the date. If I showed up there, maybe I'd draw their attention.

I've spent the last two months almost entirely locked inside Alex's small house, staying off my phone and avoiding anything that could leave a trace of me online.

If Alex didn't take Tommy out for walks and to the playground, my poor son would've been living like a prisoner through no fault of his own.

It's early morning, and I've been writhing in bed for over an hour. A warm patch of dampness spreads across the sheet between my legs. No, no, no! Damn it.

My eyes drift toward Tommy's crib.

I can't do this with a child in the room, so I drag myself out of bed.

On my way to the door, I grab my pendant and slip it over my neck. I always wear it. It's my ritual. Mark never knew where I'd gotten it. I told him it was a family heirloom.

I look around the hallway, listening intently.