Filed to story: Alpha’s Regret After His Pregnant Luna’s Death (Evelyn & Declan)
Now I was a street cleaner, I was disposable.
People always said the only way to fight power was with more power. And maybe they were right.
My gaze drifted back to Mrs. Mrs. Jennifer. Someone like her didn’t survive the world by being soft.
Maybe, just maybe, she could help me.
I took a step forward, my voice steady but sure. “Mrs.,” I said, meeting her eyes, “I can help you find your ring.”
“Come back tomorrow morning at nine-thirty. I’ll have it returned to you by then.” I said it like I meant it. My wolf prowled under my skin, low and hungry for the truth to be found.
She looked up at me as if she’d been handed a puzzle that might be worth solving. She looked tired but my words seemed to wake up something in her. Maybe hope.
“You really think you can?” she asked, studying me. I could feel the question sizing me up, measuring my life against hers: a janitor’s uniform, a baby tucked close under layers, a dirt-smudged face.
She saw what she wanted to see – a woman scraping by.
“Yes,” I said simply.
She cocked an eyebrow. “And what’s your name, young lady?”
“Evelyn Thorne.”
“Alright, Ms. Thorne.” She rose with the help of her guards, regal and tired at once. “For the sake of your child, and because I do feel for a single mother struggling, I’ll take you at your word.”
Her eyes snapped colder. “But if that ring isn’t returned, I won’t make it easy for you.”
Evelyn’s POV
When Mrs. Mrs. Jennifer left, my gaze snagged on the other street cleaner – the man everyone said had no family, living off scraps and favors. He lounged lazily on a bench near the hedges, his arms folded behind his head, his tools abandoned at his feet. His name was James, Anita’s nephew.
Anita. The woman who’d cost me three thousand dollars with the snap of a finger. My fingers closed around the broom handle until the wood creaked.
James had slipped something into his pocket ten minutes ago. Now, he sat there like he owned the world.
I had no choice but to risk it all. It was either risk or retreat – and I’d promised Lana I would not let anyone take away what kept her alive. So risk it was.
Dusk bled into the streets. Under the street light, I kept sweeping, each stroke a counting of minutes until I could go home, until I could tuck Lana into something warmer than this thin blanket.
I was just finishing my section, nudging a stray wrapper into a neat pile, when the voice came. It was loud, arrogant and carried a deep sense of entitlement.
“Hey! You – the one with the kid. Come sweep over here too. You hear me?”
Popcorn skittered across the pavement as he spoke. My eyes found James across the street, stretched out on the bench, the limp obvious in the way he favored one side. His clothes were too clean for a cleaner’s, his posture too relaxed. He shoved the empty tub of popcorn aside and watched me like I was a show.
“Sorry, who are you?” I said, and meant it. I let my confusion slide across my face like a shawl as I pretended not to know who he was.
James scowled, his eyes full of lazy contempt. “My aunt’s Anita. Does that ring a bell?” He jerked his chin toward me, then nudged a broom across the pavement with his boot. “Go sweep this area too. And when you’re done, let me know. If I catch you slacking, I’ll have her fire your ass.”
He picked up his phone and started watching some nonsense, a live-streamer giggling, the screen flashing bright. He smirked, satisfied, as though the world owed him obedience.
I caught a glimpse of his phone screen. Top donor. Figures. He was the kind of man who threw money at strangers online but couldn’t buy a shred of decency in real life.
My fingers tightened around the broom and I just started sweeping again in slow, mechanical strokes.
Prison had burned a lesson into me: sometimes, survival meant bowing your head. It meant knowing when to act small, when to let your pride rot in your gut and pretend you didn’t feel the sting. Because one wrong look, one word too sharp, and the whole world could crush you for daring to fight back.
So when James barked the order, I obeyed, broom in hand, head low, shoulders tight.
But after a few strokes, the fury started simmering in my blood. It hummed beneath my skin, hot and electric, my wolf stirring, restless.
Why are you bowing, Evelyn? she whispered in the back of my mind. You’ve served your time. You’re free. Stop letting them step on you.
I clenched my jaw. The air was thick and hot, my throat burning with thirst. I reached into my bag and pulled out my water bottle, unscrewing the cap. Just one sip – that’s all I wanted.
Before the rim even touched my lips, a rough hand snatched it away.
James.
He tipped the bottle back, gulping half of it in one go, some of it spilling down his chin. “What’re you drinking for?” he sneered.
“And what’re you staring at, huh? Hurry up and finish sweeping so I can clock out. You’re holding me up from watching hot girls.”
He laughed, shoving another handful of popcorn into his mouth.
I stared at him in silence. My heartbeat slowed, heavy and cold. He was a tall man and looked quite ruthless. I had a baby in my arms. If it came to fight, I might be nothing but a punching bag.
He drained the rest of my water, then crumpled the empty bottle and tossed it at my feet like garbage. “Pick it up,” he muttered, already glued back to his screen, laughing at whatever filth he was watching.
I said nothing. Just looked at him.
Lana stirred against my chest, letting out a soft sigh. I brushed my hand over her hair and whispered a silent promise to her. Soon. Just one more day. Then they’ll see.
Because I had a plan now. Jennifer Mrs. Jennifer wasn’t some ordinary woman- and tomorrow, her power might be the weapon I needed to finally make them pay.
Then, suddenly, James cursed, clutching his stomach. “Damn it-why the hell’s my stomach acting up now?” He glared at me, his eyes wild. “Did you put something in that water?”
A deep, loud growl echoed from his gut – not the kind that came from anger, but from agony. His face went pale, his knees buckled, and he clamped his legs together, gripping his backside as if his life depended on it.
Evelyn’s POV
I froze, my broom in hand, my pulse drumming in my ears. “I didn’t do anything”, I said.
James sneered. “Yeah, right. Like you’d dare. Must’ve been that pasta place I had for lunch-knew there was something sketchy about it. Always craving it, and now this.”
He gritted his teeth, his legs pressed together like he was holding back the ocean.
“Keep sweeping! If I come back and you’re slacking off, I swear I’ll beat the hell out of you!” he barked before waddling off, shoulders hunched, his gait uneven.
I lowered my head, gave a small nod – the submissive gesture he wanted. My wolf hated it. Every muscle under my skin wanted to bare fangs, to growl low enough that only he’d hear it. But I stayed still.
When he was gone, I lifted my head and watched him hurry toward the public restroom, his thighs clenched tight. The sight almost made me laugh.
Under the streetlight, I noticed the crushed plastic bottle I’d swept up earlier. Its label caught the light – the expiration date had been yesterday.
So that’s it. Fate had done me one small favor.
I snorted softly and went back to work. The broom rasped against the pavement, each stroke scraping against the ache in my hip. The night air was cold, but sweat drenched my back. My legs felt like lead.
Then I heard it – a soft, hiccupping cry from the bundle strapped to my chest. My girl.
Lana.
Her tiny whimper carried a note I knew by heart: she was hungry.
I looked down the last stretch of the street. There was just a few feet left. My body screamed to stop, but my wolf, stubborn and fierce, refused to yield.
Gritting my teeth, I finished my section and turned away, limping slightly but proud.
Later, when kara met me at the door, her eyes went straight to the bruise blooming on my leg. She didn’t even need to ask. But she did anyway.
“Anita’s nephew gave you trouble again, didn’t he?”
I hesitated. “No.”
The lie tasted bitter, like iron on my tongue.
She sighed, angry on my behalf. “That bastard… always picking on the cleaners. You and the baby, alone… How can someone like him still be walking around free?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled my pant leg back down and laid Lana gently on the bed.
Whether my plan would work tomorrow depended on Jennifer. I just had to hold out a little longer.
I bent down, brushed my nose against Lana’s cheek, breathing her in, and whispered a prayer to the moon goddess that watched over us both.
—
The next morning, I hadn’t even stepped out the door when Anita burst in with her little pack of cronies.
“Evelyn,” she snapped, her voice sharp as glass. “You swept your trash into someone else’s assigned street. Do you think that’s acceptable? Get over here and apologize to James.”
I tightened my hold on Lana. Her small warmth grounded me as my pulse spiked.
“I’ll apologize,” I said evenly, though my voice carried a growl beneath the surface. “But first, I want to see the site for myself. I need to confirm that trash is actually from my section.”
Lana blinked up at Anita, unafraid – her wide beautiful blue eyes, just like mine, full of challenge.
“Trash is trash,” Anita sneered. “You think you can tell which garbage belongs to you?”
I smirked, my wolf showing in that small, defiant curl of my lip. “Exactly. If even I can’t tell, then how did James magically know the trash on his street came from mine?”
