Two weeks went by.
A hard knock against the car window startled me awake. I looked up and saw a man pointing a flashlight through the glass, checking the front seats before moving the beam toward the back of the car. The light landed right on my face, so I lifted a hand to block it. He immediately angled the flashlight away.
"Ma'am, you can't keep staying here," he said with clear exhaustion in his voice. His uniform showed he worked as local security.
Vennen shifted from the sudden light and began crying in irritation. The man quickly lowered the flashlight toward the pavement, and my son slowly settled down again.
"I've noticed this car parked here almost every day for close to two weeks," he continued. "This is a train station parking lot."
I carefully picked Vennen up from the small crib I had put together out of an old fruit crate. Then I lowered the window just enough for him to hear me clearly.
"Do you seriously not have anywhere else to stay? No relatives? No family?"
"No..." I rubbed my tired face before glancing across the nearly empty parking lot. "The city council already forced me out of the park."
"And the baby's father?" he asked.
I slowly shook my head.
From the very beginning, he wanted nothing to do with me. Every time I called and tried to tell him about the pregnancy, he'd end the call the second he recognized my voice. I even tried showing him the ultrasound once, but he still refused to listen. After a while, I gave up trying to reach him.
"There's people out there who'd give him a proper home," he told me. "You'd still have a chance to fix your life."
"I'm not throwing my child away the same way my parents threw me away," I replied immediately. Even hearing those words hurt more than I expected.
He let out a heavy sigh. "This isn't a life for a baby. You're still young. If another family takes him in, you could start over and get back on your feet. Think carefully about it. I'll let you stay one more week, but after that, you can't remain here anymore."
I quietly nodded before rolling the window back up.
I watched him disappear across the parking lot. After that, I picked Vennen up and held him close for a moment before laying him back inside the fruit crate beside me. Every night, the same fear stayed with me. I was terrified I'd fall asleep and accidentally crush him inside the cramped car.
I pulled the blanket over both of us and shifted around, trying to find a position that didn't hurt.
A tear slid down my face while his words kept repeating in my head. This wasn't a way for a child to live.
Was he right?
But the thought of giving Vennen away felt unbearable. He was the only person I still had.
By the next morning, rain hammered against the car windows. I let out a groan before climbing out of my seat and searching through the trunk for my umbrella. After making sure Vennen was warm and fully covered, I grabbed my bucket and pushed open the hatch. The sun still hadn't risen yet.
Holding my son close against my chest, I hurried toward the train station restroom while trying not to slip on the rain-soaked pavement. Inside the accessible stall, I balanced the bucket beneath the sink and filled it with warm water while keeping Vennen in my arms the entire time.
That part exhausted me the most. I never had anywhere safe to put him down.
After finishing, I pulled my pants back up with one hand, cleaned myself as quickly as possible, and shut off the faucet.
Walking back to the car felt like a struggle every single time. I had to carry Vennen, hold the umbrella steady, and keep the bucket from spilling over. Somehow, I still managed to make it back.
I placed the bucket down, opened the hatch again, and carefully laid Vennen inside the car. I changed his diaper, cleaned him with a damp washcloth, and dressed him in fresh clothes. Once I finished, my little boy was finally ready for the day.
I used the remaining water to wipe myself down as best as I could.
More than anything, I missed taking a real shower.
There were rest stops where I could've cleaned up properly, but getting there would've wasted gas. Right now, every single coin mattered too much for that.
When my parents threw me out, I still had some money saved and a job at a small restaurant downtown. But after Vennen came into the world, everything slowly collapsed around me. My savings disappeared on formula, bottled water, diapers, and baby clothes. The car was overflowing with necessities, almost like a tiny moving pantry, yet I was still running out of everything.
Inside my wallet, I only had a hundred dollars left.
I needed to find a solution soon, because I was running out of time.
I leaned against the car door and stared at the rain pouring across the parking lot. The restaurant no longer wanted me working there. My parents wanted nothing to do with me. And when I tried reaching out to Vennen's father, I was warned to stay away from his territory completely.
I still remembered the one time I managed to speak to him on the phone. He laughed at me. He said there was no chance he'd ever willingly touch someone my age. But things hadn't gone the way either of us expected, and now I was raising his child alone.
That night at the hotel club never should've happened.
My sister and I only wanted to see the older Alphas up close. We used fake IDs to sneak inside the private club while the meeting was taking place. Alpha Valentin had already been drunk, and honestly, so had I. He didn't recognize me that night. Then one reckless mistake changed everything.
Something happened between us that I never planned for, and no matter how much time passed, I knew I'd never forget it.
I forced those memories out of my head and took a bite from a granola bar. My stomach twisted in protest immediately. I missed real food so much. I missed the warm meals my mother used to cook before everything in my life fell apart.
A tear slipped down my cheek while I looked at my phone.
The service had already been cut off, but I still kept the old photos saved inside it. Back then, I still had a family. More than anyone else, I missed my little sister.
The rest of the day blurred together while I desperately tried thinking of ways to earn money. The security guard's warning stayed stuck in my head the entire time. I felt completely lost and had nobody I could ask for help.
By the time the five o'clock train arrived, darkness had already started creeping across the station.
I reached for my candle and tried lighting it, but the lighter had no fuel left.
With my umbrella above my head, I stepped out into the rain and searched for someone willing to help me.
"Excuse me, do you happen to have a..."
Nobody stopped long enough to listen. People kept walking past me as if I wasn't even there.
Just as I was about to give up, I spotted a young man wearing a suit.
I recognized him immediately. I saw him almost every day. He always boarded the first train in the morning, and he always returned on the five o'clock train in the evening.
He was tall, with blond hair, green eyes, and the kind of confidence that naturally drew attention.
The moment I walked toward him, his expression turned cautious. Then I felt it instantly. His aura.
I recognized him right away. He was one of the Betas who attended the Alpha gathering. Valentin's Beta.
I acted like I hadn't noticed.
After spending so long away from the pack, my own aura had faded to almost nothing. I had never even completed my shift before. Part of me still missed that world badly... but my son came first now.
"Can I borrow a lighter?" I asked before he could brush me off or walk away.
For a second, he looked unsure. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small green lighter, and handed it to me.
I hurried back to the car and lit the candle resting on a small saucer beside my seat.
When I turned around again, my chest tightened.
He had followed me.
I nearly jumped from the surprise.
"Thanks," I said quickly while handing the lighter back to him.
He gave a small nod and started to walk away, but Vennen suddenly began crying from inside the car.
"It's okay, I'm here," I whispered while reaching for the hatch.
Then he stopped.
I turned around and found the Beta standing there, holding the hatch open for me.
"There's a baby inside?" he asked.
The moment those words left his mouth, panic crashed into me.
Was he going to report me? Was he about to call social services?
Vennen's cries grew louder, and without thinking, I pulled him tightly against my chest. The man kept staring at me with an unreadable look before taking a slow breath, almost like he was trying to recognize a scent drifting through the rain.
I held Vennen even closer.
"This won't last forever... please don't contact social services," I whispered desperately.
He slightly tilted his head. He didn't look suspicious. Instead, he looked like he was trying to piece something together in his mind.
"Does the car still work?" he asked while glancing around the parking lot. Then he lightly nudged one of the tires with the tip of his shoe.
"I ran out of gas. I'll leave tomorrow, I promise," I answered, my throat tightening painfully.
For a moment, I wondered if he worked for the city council somehow, but nothing about him matched that idea. The suit he wore looked far too expensive.
His gaze settled on me again. Then he quietly muttered, almost under his breath, "Your scent feels strangely familiar..."
