I'm the Alpha's Crush

Chapter 27

Standing on the front porch of my home, I awkwardly plucked at the stretchy, light material of my workout gear.

"Wear comfortable shoes and clothes you can move in."

I flexed my toes in my worn, well-loved sneakers.

Hopefully this works...

Down the block, I heard the approaching rumble of a diesel engine - a sound that was rapidly becoming familiar.

Adjusting the strap on my cross-body purse, I walked down the steps, toward the curb.

Malcolm's truck slowed to a stop in front of me, the passenger side window lowering as he parked.

"Hey, there," he smiled, his dark eyes warming as he looked me over.

"Hi!" I smiled as I approached the door. Peeking in, I take in the sight of his relaxed attire - a combination of a worn T-shirt and jeans topped off by his leather jacket.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

Glancing down at myself, I wondered aloud, "Am I dressed okay? I might have overdone it."

Malcolm shook his head, "You look perfect."

Raising my eyes to his, a blush flashed over my cheeks, "Okay." Pulling on the handle, I opened the door and climbed in.

When my seatbelt was fastened, Malcolm shifted into drive, and we began to move forward.

"So, how was your day?"

"Good," I answered, "Gerald dropped by with the new baby - she's adorable."

"Yeah?"

"Well," I amended, "she's, like, a week old? So she mostly looks like a potato, but a cute potato."

Malcolm laughed as he turned, "I don't think I've ever seen a cute potato in my life."

"Imagine one with a pretty pink headband and a onesie with a little, sparkly tutu on it."

"Okay," he conceded, "that does sound kind of cute."

Looking over at him, I wanted to ask how he felt about children, wanted to gauge his reaction, but hesitated.

"Do you want kids?"

I blinked, wondering for a moment if I'd spoken my thoughts out loud.

"Sophie?" Malcolm turned his head, noticing my confusion.

"Hmm?"

Turning his attention back to the road, he said, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to-"

"No, it's fine," I rushed, "I guess I do? Want kids, I mean." Continuing, I explained, "Growing up, I always heard the Elders talking about our population size and it just kind of became an inevitability in my mind - a minimum of two kids, one to replace me, one to replace my mate."

Malcolm stopped at the turn onto the main drag, "Do you want kids, or do you feel like you have to have kids?"

"I-" my voice cut off as I realized-

-I have no idea.

"Sorry if that's too personal. It's just, well, with what you told me about your Pack..."

"Yeah," I looked into the distance, thinking back to the Pack of my childhood, "that's fair. There's a lot of stuff that was treated as totally normal and expected when I was a kid that I'm only now realizing is kind of weird."

"So..."

I sighed, thinking about his original question. "I mean, I like kids - they've got this excitement and wonder for everything because it's all still new to them. But," I squeezed my fingers in my lap, "it's also a massive responsibility - I mean, making an entirely new person and trying to raise them to adulthood without fucking them up irreparably? It's a really daunting challenge."