Alpha Brothers - the Lonely Brother (book 3)

Chapter 24

Chapter 24
Tarna
Once I had calmed down, I instantly sought to find Malcolm. With the girls with me every step of the way, I found myself in the library and Malcolm was nowhere to be found.
It was only Callum and Archie that were in here, talking by the window.
"Oh," I said, almost disappointed.
They frowned, confused by my mood.
Quickly covering, Liv asked, "Are you done with the meeting?" before guiding me over to the lounge.
"Aye, all done," Callum told her.
"Incredibly borin' meetin', you mean?" Archie added, moving over behind the lounge and leaned over to kiss Amy's cheek where she now sat next to me.
She turned her head making him stop in his tracks and frown.
"What did I do now?" he asked with a little laugh, "I know that you keep track but this is gettin' ridiculous."
"If you don't know, I'm not goin' to tell you," she said, not even looking at him.
She was still clearly pissed that he didn't tell him about Malcolm's and Bonnie's baby.
"Oh you have got to be –."
"Hey guys!" I jumped at the door opening but felt my heart sink when it was Graham that came through.
"Look what I found," he stated, showing the stick that I was meant to be in my pocket.
My eyes widened and instantly turned to Liv for help. She looked just as hopeless as I did. This wasn't meant to happen. I was supposed to tell Malcolm first. Not his entire bloody family.
"It's positive," Graham said out loud making me just want to hit him with it before he looked around the room, "Is someone pregnant?"
"Liv?" Callum asked.
"Amy?" Archie asked.
Both of them became very still, waiting for at least someone to start speaking.
It was Allie, "how do you know that it's one of us? It could be one of the maids."
He shrugged, "Is it?"
Our silence gave him his answer.
"Oh my God, who is he?" Graham asked.
Allie frowned, "What?"
"Who is the piece of scum that got you pregnant? I'll kill him, I swear –!"
"Oh shut up Graham!" she yelled, "it's not me. I know how to use protection!"
Her face dropped and silence consumed the room as she realized what she had said.
"Sorry, Tarna," she muttered under her breath.
But of course, because they were werewolves, the boys heard her.
"Tarna," Callum started, "Are you pregnant?"
I bit my lip, still not being able to believe it myself. Closing my eyes, I nodded.
"Oh my God!" Archie yelled.
"Malcolm's goin' to be –."
"Shocked," Graham buttered in before Callum could finished.
"Really?" I asked, taking that as a good sign.
The last thing I wanted was him to freak out.
"He'll be happy," Callum reassured me.
I turned my body to face him.
"Really?" I asked again.
"Are you kiddin'? He'll be thrilled. This can be his second chance."
"Second chance for what?"
My heart caught in my throat when I heard his voice. Turning my body half way round, I could see him. His face glowed as he looked at me. God, please tell me I'm doin' the right thin'.
"Okay, everyone out," Allie ordered, standing herself.
My eyes were too focused on Malcolm's to notice the others filed out till it was just him and me. I wonder if our baby will have his eyes – where the hell did that come from, I asked myself, blinking away the thought, focus Tarna, focus.
"So," he started, taking a step towards me, "What's goin' on?"
"I have somethin' to tell you," I told him, not being able to contain my growing smile.
"Okay," he shrugged, "What is it?"
"Sit down."
He did as I asked, taking my hands in his.
Oh god, my heart felt like it was going to burst. I was so happy that I couldn't even remember how to use my words to speak. Malcolm frowned, his eyes flicking over my features as I continued to stay quiet.
"Well, come on," he said, "Tell me."
Before I chickened out, I blurted out the words, "I'm pregnant."
His mouth instantly dropped and his head turned away. My heart started to race as I waited for him to speak. Just say somethin'! I wanted to scream at him. But he had become an emotionless stature and no matter how much I wanted to wheedle the words out of his mouth, it wouldn't work.
"No."
That simple word caused my heart to break. His face hadn't even changed so I wasn't even sure that he had spoken.
"What?" I asked, not recognising my own shaky voice.
"No!" he yelled finally reacting.
He stood and looked the complete opposite to what I had hoped. He was furious, even possibly scared.
"No, you're not pregnant!" he yelled.
I frowned, "I am, I did a test and –."
"Then the test is wrong, your not –," he stopped when he realized that he was in denial. Of course I was pregnant, there was no way round it, "How could this have happened?"
"Well, we did...you know," I said, hoping it would at least crack a smile on his face.
"It's not that easy. It can't be. It's impossible," he argued.
I frown, standing, now furious that he was reacting like this, "I don't understand. Why aren't you happy?"
"I didn't want this Tarna!" He yelled, shattering my heart into a million pieces, "did you honestly think that I would?"
"Well, I -."
"I'm not havin' this baby, Tarna," he ordered, "I can't."
"Malcolm."
"No!" he yelled again.
"Malcolm," I frowned.
"No, this can't be happenin'," he muttered to the floor.
"Malcolm."
"Why do the Gods hate me?"
"Malcolm!"
"I have to get out of here."
"Malcolm!" I yelled at him as he turned for the door, "Malcolm!"
The slam of the door caused my body to drop to the floor in tears. Oh dear God what have I done?

Malcolm
I stood, looking down at Bonnie's grave stone. If I wasn't running to the attic, I was running here. I wasn't even sure why. But then again, Bonnie wasn't the reason I was here. It was because of my parents who rested next to her. I guess I had always run to them as well.
I had been so happy. Everything was perfect. Why did I have to go screw thin's up, make thin's complicated? Tarna and I, we were fine as we were. Why did things have to change?
"I'm lost," I said to the three grave stones, "last time this was happenin', I had forced myself not to want this and it ended horribly. Now I feel like, I could want this even more, but how do I stop it from endin'...horribly."
I could almost hear my parents' voice speaking to me.
You can't my Father told me.
You've got to trust yourself, trust your wolf, Ma said.
"But I did that," I muttered, "And it got the woman I love dead."
Did you love me? Bonnie questioned.
"Yes, of course," I said, almost forcing the words out of my mouth.
You just think that you did. It's okay, Malcolm. I'm okay.
I swallowed, feeling my throat start to ache as I remembered her voice. Remembered the heart break I had caused myself. Maybe she was right. Maybe I didn't love her. Not as much as I loved Tarna.
"I thought I would find you here," I jumped at the sound of Callum's voice.
Calming my nerves, I smiled and asked, "How's Tarna?"
"A mess."
I groaned, hating myself with everything that I had.
"What's wrong with you Malcolm?" he asked, "I thought things were goin' good between you two, great even?"
"They are," I snapped, before I remembered how I had reacted, "They were."
We fell into silence, not knowing what else to say. My gaze turned back to the head stones and before I could stop myself, I asked, "How do you remember Bonnie?"
He shrugged, "Nice girl, quiet. You two were pretty happy."
I nodded remembering that too.
"See the thin' is, the more I spend with Tarna; the more I realize that I don't think we were. Not really."
He frowned, not really understanding, so I added, "She didn't want the baby."
"What?"
"She tried to kill it and herself the day I found out."
"Oh my God," he said, shocked.
"Maybe that's the real reason why I didn't tell you all. I didn't want to admit to myself that she couldn't stand carry somethin' that was apart of me."
"I-I'm sure that's not sure," his stuttered just pulled his argument apart, "Bonnie was damaged, even an idiot could see that. Macangus had taken her soul and ripped it apart. If she didn't want a child, it was because she wasn't strong enough to grow another soul inside of her."
"And you think Tarna is?" I asked him.
He frowned, "Don't you?"
I opened my mouth to speak, when he buttered in, "Tarna has tried to convince you, time and time again, that your past doesn't bother her. I don't even think even the fact that you had claimed another woman bothered her."
I couldn't help but smile, knowing that it was true. She was more pissed that I couldn't have waited more than me claiming another woman.
"Why are you so determined to believe others wise?" he asked.
I shrugged, knowing only one reason, "I'm the Lonely Brother."
"Oh Malcolm –."
"Just hear me out," I told him, stopping his lecture, "everythin' in my life has gone wrong. Even the things that are wrong, go wrong. What if I let myself want this? I have already fallen for Tarna though I tried not to. So what if I let myself fall in love with becomin' a father? And then I stuff up."
"Malcolm, what happened to Bonnie isn't goin' –."
"Why?" I asked him, "Because Nathair Macangus is no longer walkin' on this earth. Because Hector Macangus has to have a death wish if he shows his face around here again. But that doesn't mean, I can't hurt her."
"Malcolm, I went through the same thing," I scoffed, not believing him, "I did. When Hector Macangus poisoned me and I shifted, I was so scared that I would hurt her."
"This is different."
"Why?" he asked, "Liv is just as vulnerable just Tarna, maybe even more. So is Amy. So is every single person inside that house. But you cannot let that stop you from bein' happy."
"Happy," I couldn't help but chuckle, "I don't even know what to do with that word. Every time I think I'm happy, somethin' ruins it."
"Well maybe you have to ask yourself somethin'. Do you think you're happy or are you happy?"
"I don't think I know that difference," I admitted.
"You do Malcolm," he told me, "These past couple of weeks, I've never seen you so happy. You need to stop thinkin'. You need to let her in."
"I thought I had," I admitted, "I promised her I would change. I would stop bein' the coward that I am and start bein' the man she needs me to be."
"And what type of man do you think she needs now?" he asked.
"Me."