It’s difficult to explain.

Considering the fact that I got pregnant at 17 and had my son at 18, straight out of high school, there was little I could offer my baby at the time. All we had was what my parents could offer us.

Truth is it took some time for me to find a job, especially because I dedicated myself entirely to my son for the first six months after he was born. Richard’s parents helped with some money, considering Charlie is their grandson, but what they contributed the most was in baby products and time spent with him.

It took me a while to get my bearings as an adult, fortunately I had parents who supported me - and my child - fully and never let me worry about money. They made sure I had everything I needed for the both of us. I love them dearly.

But there was no splurge, no money to spare. Every dime was accounted for. It was a simple life and I had no complaints, but let’s just say I could have used some child support from Richard.

It is not a crime to be poor and again, my son was fed, loved and taken care of. He had toys to play with and juice to drink, but it was rough sometimes. I knew how much of a burden I was being on my parents, I should have been earning some money if I were Beta of the pack.

If I had a steady paycheck, I could have raised my son in much better conditions. I could have supported us both and not depend on my parents for everything, not that they complained about it, bless their hearts.

By the time I was able to find a good job, it took years. In the first year, I accepted whatever was available to me part time. I did what I could, from working at a grocery store to customer-service at the local mall.

When you have to think about your child, you take what you can get. When Charlie was enrolled in school, it got better. I could work full time and I did everything I could to provide for him. I repeat, Charlie was a happy child who wanted for nothing. But money was always tight in our household.

I just could not expect my parents to keep footing the bill for all my life. I felt embarrassed about it. I worked through it, I made an effort. Eventually, things got better for me. I was working as an assistant manager in a shop downtown where I lived. I had a good life for me and my son, just no money to splurge.

So, this situation with Stephano is freaking me out. Him making a purchase without asking how much it costs first and examining everything before buying something is a foreign concept to me. I never had that, not with my parents growing up and especially not now.

When I first met my mate, I thought I hit the jackpot because he is a handsome man with a steady job who initially seemed to be accepting of my son. I could never have imagined that I had hit the jackpot literally.

But my son is having a blast. Children don’t really care about where the money comes from, they care about getting things. I mean, that someone buys things for them. Unlike me, Charlie is completely up for being bribed.

As long as he is the one getting toys and a new tablet, why should he worry about anything? I can certainly see from his perspective. The reason why he is getting presents is inconsequential. To him, the important part is to get gifts.

If only life was as easy as it is from a child's perspective…

As an adult, I know that nobody ever gives anything for free. Though in this case the agenda is clear to me. Stephano wants to win Charlie over. If my mate conquers my son, it would be that much easier to win me over. It’s a no brainer.

It is not a particularly bad strategy, appealing to my son. I have never heard of a parent who thought that someone showing kindness to their child was a bad sign. Of course the quickest way into my heart is being good to my boy, I am a dad.

It took months for me to wrap my head around being pregnant with my rapist’s child. It took years for me to stand proud of myself and I was diligent in becoming the best dad I could be, even without Richard’s support. I convinced myself that neither Charlie nor I needed him.

But becoming a proud father was a struggle for me. I got it in my head that this was my journey and ultimately, I was making the best decision for me. I also thought to myself that by doing this, I would be securing my chances of getting pregnant again by my mate, whenever I discovered him.

Had I taken pills to get rid of the pregnancy, who knows what would happen to my reproductive system. There is so little information around male Omegas, despite the fact that we have been around for centuries.

For the longest time, I wracked my brain trying to figure out why I was being punished by the lack of mate. Did I actually bring this upon myself? Was I not supposed to fight to succeed my father as Beta? What could I have possibly done wrong?

When so many people question your motives and turned a sexual assault into me ‘fulfilling my fantasy’ or ‘realizing my lust on my crush’, you begin to wonder if ever I brought this upon myself.

The shortest answer is: NO. Never. Not in a million years.

There are many reported cases of incidents involving Omegas while struck by heat. Hundreds of children were born because of this situation. But that was not what happened to me. It wasn’t an accident, I was targeted by a sociopath who didn’t want me to be (his) Beta.

It was never my fault. Not the sexual assault, nor the long time it took for me to find my mate. Though those things aren’t completely unrelated, I can honestly say I have led an honorable life so far. I never cheated, stole or deceived anybody for any reason whatsoever.

I would never claim to be a saint, no. Just a hard working single father trying to do his best for his son. He is the most important thing in my life. Always was, always will be. And I will never regret having him, no matter the horrible circumstances in which he was conceived. He had no fault in that.

It’s Sunday, the third day of my son and I in Regency Falls.

After Stephano took us to his house and the mall yesterday, Charlie is on cloud nine. Not only does he have a new toy, he also has a tablet to play games. That coupled with the brand new PlayStation my mate bought to install in his house - in what would be my son’s room - and the already working playroom inside the pack house, the boy is ecstatic.

He hasn’t stopped playing since yesterday afternoon, with short bathroom and food breaks. I love that for him, I really do. But life is not about fun and games. I need to get serious for a moment and think about what is best for him.

Though clearly he is doing very well in this pack already and I have no rush to take him anywhere else. Where would I find such a welcoming reception? Plus, my mate is here. I am not going to leave his side unless I have to. Why would I flee a man who is good to my son?

After we had breakfast in the guest dining hall, Charlie returned to the playroom while I met Stephano once again in the living room. He was looking sharp in plain clothes, but I don’t think my mate has ever looked bad in his life. *swoon*

“Good morning, mate. How are you doing?” He greeted me with a sunny disposition.

“Good morning. I am trying to figure out what my next step is.” I replied, pensive.

“Can I make a suggestion?” He inquired as we took our seats on the sofa that furnished the spacious room.

It is a communal place where residents meet outsiders, visitors who they cannot welcome in their rooms. There is a strict policy here of who can come up to your bedroom and absolutely no visitors are allowed with the exception of mates, of course. This is not a hotel, it’s the pack house.

I looked at him expectantly, waiting to hear his idea.

“Well, from what I can gather so far, Charlie has been away from school for a week now. The sensible thing would be to enroll him in school, but if you don’t want to do that, I can arrange for a private tutor if you want to home school him.” He suggested, politely.

Yeah, not what I would think he’d say. Once again, his first idea was regarding the well being of my son. I can see now that I am going to fall in love with him… faster than I could ever anticipate.

“My mother is actually a high school principal, so I can have her make a call for you. That’s no trouble.” He continued, surprising me with this information.

“Oh really? How nice. But I could never afford a private tutor…” I spoke, dismissively.

Stephano came closer to me on the couch and looked me deep in the eyes.

“You’re with me now! Forget about the cost, I only care about what’s best for your son. Whatever you want for him, that is what we’ll do. No matter what.” He asserted, confidently.

Oh my freaking Goddess!

I was a puddle before him, swooning hard at my mate’s smoldering good looks and concern for my son. Take me, Stephano! I am yours! I did not think this would happen… especially not this fast!

Considering he has been waiting eleven years to find me, this could have easily gone like this:

‘Hi, I am your mate. I’m hot. Let’s complete the bond.’

The fact that he hasn’t even asked about anything for him or what he wants out of this relationship is throwing my mind for a loop. He could just as easily make this about him or me, but he hasn’t so far. And that is genuinely making me fall for him.

Sue me, but I am a sucker for people who put kids first.

I blushed as he stared deep into my eyes, being assertive about his concern for my son, despite the cost. Though I am sure a private teacher for him wouldn’t be much, cost wise.

“I will think about it. Maybe I should ask him what he prefers.” I pondered after a while, trying to escape my mate’s powerful gaze but at the same time enticed by his magnetic presence.

“I have a pretty good idea of how he’ll respond.” He conjectured, leading up to something.

“My best days were spent with my school friends, especially at his age. I am sure he misses being around other kids.” He continued, reminiscing.

“Yeah, I agree with you. I hate that I had to pull him out of school. You’re right, he should be enrolled as soon as possible. I just fear Richard will use this somehow to track us down.” I spoke, my mind was running wild with endless possibilities of him trying to use this as a way of locating Charlie.

Stephano threw his arm around me in a comforting embrace and spoke in a low tone:

“I can have a warrior stationed at his school. I can also arrange a private escort from here to school and vice-versa. Charlie would be protected. Plus, it’d be suicide for him to trespass into our pack. He is not going to seek war with us.” He advised me in a soothing tone.

I basked in my mate’s warmth. I understand that the mate bond is a link that connects us mates and creates a romantic feeling where there was none. I was raised well, I know how this goes. But what I could never expect was that my mate would be so dreamy.

“I can’t let you divert resources from the pack to watch over my son, that would raise red flags for the Wolf Council. Last thing I want is for you to be impeached on my account. I would feel horrible.” I told him, feeling uneasy about his suggestion.

He laughed at that remark.

“We have 120 warriors, mate. Placing one in a middle school won’t cause the Council to impeach me. Besides, I would never be impeached. I am a third generation Beta. Not even Phillip could get enough votes. Even his father loves me. Both of them.” He scoffed, not letting me worry about it.

“Right. But you don’t need to arrange an escort for my son, I can drive him myself. That’s not a problem for me.” I said, feeling the close proximity to him strengthening our bond. He is so dreamy, I just want to be closer to him…

“Whatever you think it’s best. But I can also drive him whenever you need me. I am around and I don’t have a problem with waking up early to drop him off to school. Or to pick him up, in case you need me to.” He volunteered with a loving gaze my way.

OK, I am done for. This is it. I am falling much faster than I could ever anticipate.

Did I seriously get mated to a hot, handsome, rich and caring man?

For the love of Goddess, where have you been all my life?

Oh, right. Waiting for me to show up.

Well, I am sold. I am yours, mate. You won. I am so head over heels for him already, I cannot believe we just met each other three days ago! What the hell is going on with me?

If this was a chess game, I would have already dropped my King. Let’s go!

A|N: BOOM!

Wouldn’t it be nice if this happened in real life?

I hope it does, to be honest.

The challenge for me in this book is to think like a father, which unfortunately I am not - to no fault of my own, strictly speaking. I hope I can do right by Charlie. But challenges lie ahead.

Next is "Wide Awake".

PS: This is NOT the song I was going for originally. I had a total different tune reserved for the first part, but this SUCKER pretty much named itself.

Love,

Léo.