Chapter 8
Reyna Cruz:
The past few weeks have been the most challenging period of my life. I’ve been juggling taking care of Turner and working online as a freelance copywriter. I go by the name Ena C.
So far, my earnings have been quite meager, but it’s been enough to buy essentials like diapers and other baby supplies for Turner. The only thing that’s been weighing heavily on my mind is my own comfort. I’ve hardly had any sleep during these past few weeks. Whenever I’m with Turner, I find myself carrying him around constantly because he’s quite a fussy baby. When he does manage to fall asleep, I seize the opportunity to work, jotting” down my assignments on paper using the library computer.
It’s been an immense challenge, mainly because children aren’t permitted in the library for an obvious reason. However, the librarian graciously allowed me to use the laptop for half an hour, but only if I brought Turner along while he slept.
“Ahh!” I massaged my temples as my head throbbed. Turner had just fallen asleep after staying awake all night, and I needed to grab some food for myself. I’d been skipping meals, and it was affecting my ability to produce
breast milk.
‘He’s asleep; we can make a quick trip to the new store,‘ Nera suggested. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone anymore and Nera was great company.
“What if he wakes up?” I sighed, rubbing my face with my hands to warm up my body.
‘He just went to bed. By the time he wakes up, you’ll be on the floor,‘ Nera expressed her concern for me, and appreciated her caring nature. Nevertheless, there wasn’t much I could do.
‘Maybe I can ask someone in the building to look after him while I’m gone? I’ll be quick,‘ I muttered, contemplating if that would be a good idea.
‘Perhaps ask Polline,” Nera recommended.
Polline, our landlord, hadn’t spoken to me much, just like the others. However, since she was our landlord, I still had occasional interactions with her. I was also grateful that she hadn’t evicted me, as many others had suggested. Nobody seemed to care about where I’d go with a newborn baby.
1/4
I left the door open and spotted her. I waved to get her attention as she crossed the street. I noticed the familiar look on her face, similar to the one I received from people every day.
“What is it?” she asked in a harsh tone.
“I have to grab some food for myself—could you please stay here for a few minutes and keep an eye on him?” I whispered, my voice sounding vulnerable. I was starving and had lost so much weight that I trembled as I spoke.
She shot me a disdainful glare, then looked behind me at Turner. I noticed her expression softening.
“Fine. Be quick,” she agreed, and it was like a moment of relief that I hadn’t experienced in weeks.
“Oh my! Thank you so much,” I stammered, my voice now shaky, a far cry from my usual tone. To be honest, I lived in constant fear of rogues abusing me at any moment.
I grabbed the money and left the house–in a rush. I wanted to return as soon as possible, and the store was conveniently right across the road.
When I entered the store, I was astonished by the abundance of items on the shelves. It felt like a whole new world to me, even though it had only been a year since these simple luxuries had been taken away from me.
As a mother, I wanted to buy things for my baby, but I didn’t have enough money.
I selected some items, and when I reached the checkout counter, the cashier gave me a disdainful look. It was fortunate that we now had a rogue king who was heavily investing in the thriving rogue community. I had heard he was previously the leader of a pack as an alpha before he decided to change his status to a rogue.
Once the cashier tallied up the bill, I felt foolish.
“I only have this much,” I stated, placing the few dollars on the counter. Everything was so overpriced now.
“Babe! I fucking love this. The rogues should be so happy that the alpha king is helping them out as well now,” the voice from behind me sounded familiar.
Hunter, clad in a brown jacket with freshly–cut hair, stood tall, with Tara by his side in a matching brown dress, her hair curled and her eyes beautifully radiant. Her skin looked so soft, and it made me touch my face, realizing I was no longer a match for her.
וויוי”
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