Fuck!!!! I'm Having The Alpha Princess's Baby.

We took Princess’s car. I texted her that I was heading out of town so she wouldn’t have some weird panic that I was running off with her pups because I was never going to. I didn’t tell her the reason why, but she sent a thumbs up. I asked if we could take her car too, and she sent another thumbs up.

Thumbs up means yes, right? I stared at the screen for a second, wondering if she was actually busy or just being short with me.

On our way out, we stopped for burgers and more donuts which were obviously for Malo and I also brought Kali with me. She was in the back seat inside her backpack, a perfect place to be. The transparent bag let her look out at the passing trees. And no Sasha. Malo said he didn’t want her to come.

Well, he was calling the shots today. I guess that was part of my apology tour.

”So where are we going?” I asked as Malo drove. He had both hands on the wheel, looking more serious than I’d seen him in a while. We had passed Oakland now, and seeing the sign *Goodbye, hope to see you again* meant we were officially out. The air outside felt different, less heavy, like the city’s secrets couldn’t reach this far.

”Blackwood,” he said.

I paused, the burger halfway to my mouth. I remembered going there once. It was the night I tried to find Wolfsbane, and almost got killed by a hedge Wolf.

”You’re going to distribute Leo’s drugs in Blackwood?”

”Nah, that’s against the rules. No giving drugs to outsiders, only Oaklanders and those inside Oakland. Princess will fire my ass if she finds out I’m distributing drugs outside Oakland,” he said. He reached over and grabbed a donut, steering with one hand as he took a massive bite.

”But you said you were going to distribute drugs. If you’re not distributing drugs, what are we going to do in Blackwood?”

”Well, to find this...”

He reached into his pocket and showed me a paper with the drawing of a shrimp. The paper looked old, yellowed at the edges, and looked weirdly familiar. I squinted at it.

”Shrimp? You want to go to Blackwood to find a fucking shrimp?” What happened to a sea house?.

”Not just any shrimp, a mantis shrimp,” he said. He gave me a look like I was the dumb one before focusing back on the road just as he almost bumped into the bumper of another car.

”Dude, be careful, okay? I need to get back to Oakland in one piece before some Alpha goes crazy over me not taking care of her pups,” I said. I gripped the door handle, my heart jumping. Good thing I had my seatbelt on. I would’ve hit my head on the dashboard for sure.

”Sorry. I need to focus on the road, no more looking sideways. Let’s talk about something else. Did Princess tell you what day it is?” he asked, eyes glued to the pavement ahead.

”No, she didn’t. She just said she was spending time with her brothers, nothing much,” I said. I took a sip of my Diet Coke, the bubbles stinging my throat.

”Okay.”

”Wait, is there something happening today?” I turned in my seat to look at him, but he just kept driving, his jaw set.

”Well, she didn’t tell you, so I’m not telling you.”

”Fuck you. If you weren’t going to tell me, why bring it up, you dumbass?” I felt the frustration bubbling up again. Everyone had secrets today, and I was tired of being the only one in the dark.

”Well, I thought she told you, that’s why I brought it up. Since she didn’t, never mind.”

I wanted to know what day it was. I wasn’t going to let it go. I kept asking as he drove, poking at his arm and bringing it up every five minutes, but he was like a vault. We drove for an hour until we finally got to the location he had planned. He parked the car in a small, dusty car park, and we had to walk the rest of the way.

We were heading deep into the forest. Blackwood lived up to its name. It had a lot of trees, way too many, and they blocked out most of the sun. It felt like walking into a giant green cave.

I carried Kali on my back, feeling her shift around in the bag. Malo had a fishing net in one hand and a detector in the other, plus a heavy backpack. He looked like some kind of weird tourist who got lost on his way to the beach. I would’ve asked why he was searching for a mantis shrimp in the middle of a forest, but my mind was still stuck on Princess and whatever she was doing with her brothers.

”Seriously, dude, you have to tell me. What does today mean to Princess? Is it something special or what? Please tell me, I need to know.” My boots crunched over dry leaves and twigs.

”Faye, we really need to focus on this mission first,” he said, not even looking back.

”Okay, tell me now,” I said. I picked up my pace, stepped in front of him, and blocked his path. I folded my arms, giving him my best I’m not moving look.

He stopped, letting out a long, dramatic sigh that ruffled his hair.

”How about this, after we find the mantis shrimp, I’ll tell you what today means to Princess.”

That sounded like a fair deal. I didn’t like waiting, but at least there was an end in sight.

”Okay,” I agreed. I stepped aside, and we continued walking.

We kept moving as he checked his phone for directions, turning it around and frowning at the map.

”Malo, if we’re looking for a shrimp, why can’t we just go to the sea or a seafood place? What are we doing in some fucking forest?” I asked. My legs were starting to ache, and the humidity was making my hair frizz.

”There’s a lake somewhere around here. Once we find it, we’ll be one step closer to finding the mantis shrimp...” he said. He pulled out that old paper again, holding it up to the light.

Now it had my full attention. Something about the drawing felt wrong for a normal animal.

I grabbed it from his hand before he could tuck it away and turned it over. My eyes widened. The shrimp wasn’t just a shrimp. It was merged with some kind of being, with jagged edges and features, looking like some were-shrimp. When I read the small, cramped handwriting beside the sketch, I realized exactly what I was holding.

”You’re looking for a Beast Morph.”