Unreject Me

Who's My Dad?

Kaya’s pov

It was just another normal day. I got up early and made breakfast before waking Archie up. Waking him up was the only thing I liked about the mornings. I went into his room and let the light come in through the curtains. Archie was curled up into a ball on his bed, sporting a little smile on his face. He must be having a pleasant dream. Or maybe he was just comfortable. My lips curled into a smile, and I sat on the bed.

“Arch? Baby?” I whispered as I caressed away the hair from his face.

His lips pushed into a tiny pout as he stretched and stirred in his sleep. I took a few moments to admire his features. Before I knew it, he would grow up. The softness of his skin and his tiny frame wouldn’t last forever. And then he wouldn’t smell the same. I bent to kiss his soft cheeks, inhaling his pure scent. Mira purred in contentment. Since the day he was born, I have adored his scent. It brought happiness to my mourning heart, and I felt more lively. My wolf, too, loved his aroma. It helped us heal the wounds we concealed from everyone else.

“Hey, its time to wake up, darling,” I whispered into his ear.

He covered his ear. My breath must have tickled his ear. Giggling, I nudged his neck with my nose, tickling him more, until he eventually burst out laughing.

“Oh, where is that little tummy? Here it is!” I said with a chuckle, tickling his abdomen.

“Mommy, mommy, stop!” he squealed in between his giggles, trying to push my hands away.

“It is almost time for school, honey.”

“School?” he said with a yawn.

“Hmm.”

A frown wrinkled his eyebrows. “Mommy, why do some kids have a mommy and a daddy? Sometimes Noah’s dad takes him to school in his car. Noah said all the pups will have a mommy and a daddy. I told him he was lying because I only had a mommy. Then he said, I didn’t have a daddy because I was a bad pup.”

My lips parted. I knew I would eventually have to answer his questions about his father, and I thought I had prepared myself for that day. However, when the question came, it came like a slap in the face. I wasn’t ready for it. Not today.

“You aren’t a bad pup, Archie. You have poppa.”

I trailed off when he shook his head. “No mommy. Noah said Poppa isn’t a daddy.”

I was at a loss for words. If adults did not discuss it in front of the five-year-old, I could not think of any reason Noah would use such hurtful language towards his classmate. I didn’t have anything against Noah’s parents, nor was I aware of anything they might have against me. I was aware that Heath's former partner was related to Noah's mother. If my relationship with him was the reason they had spoken ill about us in front of their little pup, that was just so juvenile. I was furious, but I had to be better than them.

I cupped his face and looked right into his eyes. “Poppa isn’t your dad, Arch, but that's okay. Poppa and mommy love you so much.”

He silently fixed his gaze on me. My lips drew into a line. I detested the fact that my son had already encountered bullying at school. I just hoped he knew how important he was to me.

“You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You are the sweetest little boy I know. You make mommy so happy, Arch. I love you so much.”

His lips quivered. "Do I make you happy?”

My heart broke a little when I noticed the way he was looking at me. “Of course you do.”

“Why do I have only a mommy?” he asked me, his bright blue eyes piercing into my eyes.

I heaved a breath. Telling him the truth was what I always intended, so that was what I was going to do.

“Well, you also have a daddy, but sometimes mommy and daddy cannot stay together. There are many reasons.”

“Is he here? Can I see him?”

“Uh, Archie, baby. He isn’t here. He doesn’t live in this pack.”

He studied my face in silence for a few minutes. “Where is he?”

“I think in his pack?”

“Is that why my mommy and daddy cannot be together? Because he lives in another pack.”

I shrugged. “Kind of.”

“Let’s go there, mommy? I would like to meet my daddy.”

I kept my demeanour as calm as possible, despite the bothersome questions he was confronting me with.

“Yeah, someday we will,” I said, heaving a deep sigh. “Right now, we need to get you to school. You need to grow up and get strong first, right?”

It was a relief to see his face relax as he nodded his head. I picked up his towel to carry him to the bathroom.

“Now let's get that stinky butt to the shower.”

He jumped on the mattress, giggling, in an attempt to dodge away from me. I barely managed to catch his arm, but he quickly slithered away from my grip.

“You stinky butt!” he squealed, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. He raced to the toilet, screaming and squealing in excitement. I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to chase him and let him win the race like we always did.

“Come here, you little...” I growled playfully, giving him a little chase, until he ran in through the open door.

“I win!”

“Of course you do. Now let’s brush your teeth and take a shower. You have school, and mommy has an important meeting.”

***

The plan was to head out immediately after breakfast the next morning. Sasha, Nikita, and Liana were going to travel with me. Heath chose to stay with Archie, while Andre decided to stay back because he was now the alpha. I needed someone to babysit him while I was gone. Heath thought it would be a great opportunity for them to catch up, so he wanted to stay. If we needed help or the trip became serious, they would join us with reinforcements.

“So you will be going after such a long time, huh? Are you excited?” Heath asked me as I packed my bags.

I grimaced. “Why would I be excited about going back to the pack where I was humiliated on a daily basis? Yeah, they sheltered me, and I am thankful for that. They could have done a better job at taking care of an orphan.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, but now you aren’t that timid, Kaya. You are a badass fighter who led the mission that saved our territory. All the wolves look up to you now.”

“Eh. I doubt Black Woods will show any respect. I hope I will be able to work with them,” I said as I shoved the last of my clothes into the suitcase.

"Here, let me help you,” Heath said, offering to zip it up for me.

I stepped back to let him close the suitcase. I hadn’t packed a lot of clothes. Just a few, as I hoped to return within a week at the latest.

“I will be back as soon as possible,” I promised him.

“I know you will,” he said, standing up. “And I know you have help. Sasha, Nikita, and Liana won’t let you down, but if anything happens, inform us.”

“Sure,” I said. “No worries.”

He wrapped his hands around my waist, wrapping me in his embrace, and rocked me in his arms. “I will miss you.”

I closed my eyes and pursed my lips. Was it bad that I still felt nothing towards him? I liked him, but I just couldn’t fall in love with him, and perhaps I wouldn’t miss being around him. Nonetheless, I would immensely miss Archie.

“Yeah, me too.”

My voice was barely audible, but being a wolf, he wouldn’t have any trouble hearing it. He released me and gazed deeply into my eyes. It was at moments like these that I wished Archie would barge in and interrupt us. Having intimacy with him was fine, but getting all lovey-dovey just felt bizarre.

“I really like you, Kaya. I think I am in love with you.”

I cringed but was able to quickly mask it with a smile. Saying the LI word was too much. I just couldn’t say it back to him. Would he lose his temper if I didn’t say it back? This time, at least he wasn’t drunk. I offered an anxious smile. A moment of awkward silence passed. Was he waiting for me to say it back to him? That wasn’t going to happen today.

“Okay,” I said.

He chuckled. “Maybe you will say it back soon. But before you leave, I would like you to have this.”

To my surprise, he went down on one knee, took a little black box from his pocket, and revealed a sparkling diamond ring.

“Getting into a relationship was slow, but we have known each other for quite some time. And I think it is time for us to take the next step. Kaya, will you give me the honour of being your husband?”

What? That was unexpected. Lord, help me.