CATRINA

The moment I walk into my house after my shift, I know that someone's been here. Feeling scared, I walk further into my house with very light steps but find my house empty. It is empty but I know that someone's been here.

The vibe of someone searching for something, touching my things and then keeping those things back into their place to make them look undisturbed gives me the creeps.

How did the person enter my house? It was locked with the same latch that I had used yesterday before leaving for my shift. One of the nurses was unavailable so I had to fill-in for her duty.

I check all the windows one by one and confirm that all of them are locked then how did the trespasser enter my home? Calling the security guard of this apartment, I wait for him to pick up.

"Hello, this is Catrina St. Clair. Was there anyone asking for me, in the morning?" I ask to the guard who tells me that there was no one.

Then why do I feel that someone has been in my house?

The sour taste of bile rising up in my throat has me running into the toilet and I vomit all my breakfast. Retching and dry heaving for what feels like an hour, I finally sit back on my haunches, breathing hard as if I've run a marathon.

Looking around the bathroom, I finally let my gaze land on the mirror where it's written in bold red lipstick, the only bold color that I owned.

"Beware, Catrina Vlček"

The scream that leaves my throat as I read and reread the letters on my mirror might have woken up the neighbors. A slight chortling sound is heard which I think is from me but when the silhouette over my bathroom window moves and my gaze shifts to look at him in my mirror, my thought about the trespasser is confirmed. Where there was a glass pane over my toilet, now sits my trespasser with the glass panes methodically removed and kept along the window pane. As soon as I turn to look at him, he jumps out of my window but not before waving at me.

My entire form trembles in fear and I feel a lot colder than the atmosphere is at the moment. Walking out of the bathroom in silence and as if he'll come back to kill me, I walk straight to my purse, pick out my phone and dial Connor's number.

He picks up on the first ring and then walks into my apartment.

"What happened?" he asks, bringing me out of my daze and I realize that I just had a hallucination. He's not here. No one's here. Oh my God, I am going crazy. I am sure I must have imagined it.

"Nothing! I wanted to call Cayden but called you by mistake. Bye," I say, not so sure about myself anymore.

"Hey, hang on. Why are you panting? Tell me what's wrong now," he commands.

"I... I thought I forgot my phone in the hospital and nearly panicked but found it on the bottom of my purse. Yeah! That's it," I say and smack my forehead. Even a fool can make out that I am lying.

"Are you sure, Catrina? Because that sounds like a bullshit story," he says and I can imagine him frowning.

"No, I am not lying."

"I didn't say you were. I am coming there right now. Don't get out of your house. In fact, you are moving in with me. It's not safe for you anymore," he says, cutting me off and it's my turn to frown at his words.

Am I in danger? Was that trespasser really here? Or was it my imagination?

Walking back into my bathroom, I move towards the mirror to see that it's clean, not even a speck of my bold red lipstick is seen on the mirror. I turn my head to look at the window pane and see that it's completely in its place.

Was it really my imagination?

Oh, God! I am going crazy.

"You there, baby?" he asks once again breaking my thought process.

"Yes, I am. And don't baby me. I am just tired. It's nothing. It's been only two days since our date so I need more time before you barge in my life. I am going to take a nap. Don't come here. If I need anything I'll call Cayden," I say and go to hang up but his soft voice stops me.

"He's not your mate. I am," he says and that's when I realize that me preferring to call Cayden and not him, has hurt him.

"Connor, I need to call Cayden. Mom and him, they both want to see my house, so please, there's nothing to feel hurt about."

"Promise me you won't go out of your house, alone," he adds.

"Why? What is there outside?"

"No one," he replies quickly, too quickly for my liking and I frown.

"Okay," I whisper slowly, clutching onto my phone hard.

"Are you sure, you okay?" he asks and I want to tell him about this incident but I have no proof. I don't know if it happened or not. It's better to let it go.

"Yes, I am fine. Bye," I say and hang up.

~~~~~~

The doorbell rings alerting me of my mother's arrival. Quickly removing the gloves from my hands, I skip on my way towards the door.

It's been a week since my date with Connor and four days since the trespasser incident. In need of some time with my real family, I've put Connor, the trespasser and any other potential problems into the corner of my mind for the time being.

Opening the door to reveal my brother and my mother, I smile brightly to welcome them inside my house but my happiness is very short lived.

Standing behind them is Connor, my cousin Fenris, his wife and Connor's mother.

"We are sorry to interrupt, Catrina but my mate insisted to visit your house so here we are," says Fenris, making me feel rubbish about myself. I shake my head and welcome them all inside.

"It is my pleasure that all of you joined us today. Please don't feel awkward at all." I say, wishing that he would understand about my problem which is definitely not them but my so called mate whom I asked for some space.

"Thank you very much. You just have to say and I'll throw my friend out of your house in a minute," he adds, earning himself a glare from Connor and a loud clap on the back from Cayden which makes me chuckle.

"I am sorry, I made a meal only for three people," I say, thinking of a nearby take-out joint from where I seldom order food.

"Oh, no worries, sister. I got us food as well," says Sierra pointing towards the bags of food which are being unloaded by Cayden and Fenris. Sierra gives Connor a what-the-fuck-are-you-waiting-for look. Connor rolls his eyes and then starts helping out both of my siblings.

Dinner goes by as Aurora shares funny stories of Connor's childhood where he bossed around Tatiana and how Sierra has taken up on the duty of bossing around Connor as his Queen.

"What about Cayden's childhood?" I ask, wanting to know how my brother's childhood went by. Was it like mine? Or was he spoiled by mother and father?

A huge silence falls over the dinner table as soon as the questions falls out of my lips. Christine goes to answer but is interrupted by Connor.

"Your father was not there for your birth, Solnyshko. He died a month after they announced their pregnancy," he says. Christine frowns, Fenris shakes his head as if disappointed and Cayden growls lowly making my gaze shift from Connor to him.

"What is it, Cayden?" I ask not quite sure if he's angry with Connor for sharing the news or with something else.

"It's nothing, Cat," says Connor and it's my turn to frown at him.

"Why are you answering for him?"

He just shrugs as if to say that he doesn't care about who answers my question and it makes me angrier. He's not letting me bond with my family. I go to put him in his place not really caring that his mother's right there sitting with us when I am stopped by a painful groan which is coming out of Sierra.

I turn to see her holding her belly and breathing hard as if she's having a contraction. Fenris is by her side in a second who picks her up and carries her over the sofa. Going into my maternity nurse mode, I quickly walk of my chair and motion for Fenris to turn her on her side so that she doesn't feel the weight of the baby on her stomach since she just had food.

"Take deep breaths Sierra. How do you feel?" I ask, taking her hand in mine and checking for her pulse rate.

"Fine, I feel better now. She just kicked very hard," she gasps out.

Looking at her swollen belly, I can't help but notice the hugeness of it.

"When is your due date?" I ask.

"November, 29th," says Fenris as he lifts Sierra up carefully and sits her in his lap with her thighs landing sideways on him. She puts an arm around with the other one caressing her belly while she leans into Fenris as if he's some cushion. The sight of her belly is much bigger than any normal pregnant female and I have seen quite a lot of pregnant women.

"It's in 5 days. Are you sure that you haven't passed your due date? Have you made all the hospital appointments?" I ask but instead of Fenris or Sierra answering, my mother answers.

"No, she's on time. Her pregnancy is different from the human ones," she says while coming forward and whispering something into Sierra's ears. Sierra nods and then looks at Fenris who smiles at her. The way my mother gives motherly advice to Sierra makes me jealous and the saddest part is that I can never feel it again. No one will give me motherly advices about pregnancy. When I was pregnant, nobody wanted to help me and now when I can't be pregnant ever again, I found my mother.

Irony of my life!

Thinking that I am the only one who doesn't know about werewolves and in need of some space, I decide to give the couple some privacy.

Walking into the dining room, I feel relieved as well as disappointed that Connor didn't follow me here. Did he not know that I was relieving my short months of pregnancy or was he that absent-minded?

Not allowing myself to dwell on such depressing thoughts I start cleaning up the table. Sierra's small incident happened after everyone's dinner so everyone's plates are empty which makes my work of throwing them in the sink is easier.

"Let me help you, kotyonok."

I look up at Cayden and smile at his brotherly endearment. He quickly starts helping me and in no time we have put all the dishes in the dishwasher with the dining table cleaned as new.

"Thanks for helping me, Cayden," I say as I towel dry my hands.

"Do you miss being a mother?" he asks all of a sudden which makes me realise that Cayden knows. Who told him? Connor? Does mother know?

"I kind of eavesdropped on Connor's and his mother's conversation," he says sheepishly.

So, Connor told his mother. Does my mother know about it? I ask Cayden to know for sure.

"Yes, she knows. I told her. She is waiting for you to tell her," he says and I nod. I will. I would've if Connor hadn't interrupted me.

"So? Do you miss it?" he asks and I shake my head.

"I never became a mother. I lost my chance. Maybe I am just not fit to be a mother," I say, shrugging my shoulders even as the thought pierces through my heart. It's been eating me since 7 years now. I really am not fit enough to be a mother.

"No, Catrina. Don't be..."

"Enough about me, tell me about your life? Do you have a mate?" I ask in the hopes of distracting him from this painful conversation and sigh in relief when he takes the bait.

"Oh, I am Fenris's Beta that means his right-hand man. Means his second-in-charge."

I nod my head interpreting that his job is quite an important one.

"So do you get paid?" I ask, nervously not wanting to offend him.

He laughs and then shakes his head.

"No, sestra. We werewolves live together in communities called as packs. Every pack has a leader. Our pack happens to be the royal one because this pack's leader is a royal blooded Alpha."

"Oh! You should tell me more about your lifestyle. I am clueless here," I say and chuckle at my own lame joke. What would my life had been if I were with my parents? Would I have met Connor then?

"Sure, sestra. You should really think of moving in with Connor. He's not a good mate but I am sure he'll try to be."

I only nod my head at Cayden and smile. I don't know if he'll be a good mate or not. I am just too stuck up in the past that I cannot forget about my loss without looking at him. Am I at fault here? I don't know what to do.

~~~~~~~~

Sooooo? What do you all think about this chapter? 

A new turn to the story is going to happen in the next chapters. So stay updated. Also, I'll be updating in the next week instead of after 10 days like I had earlier told you all. 

Henceforth, I'll try updating once a week at least.  

Please vote and comment if you like my story. 

Thank you so much for reading!