Page 11 of The Alpha's Surrogate

Callahan glanced at Josie. He hated how quickly she agreed with the doctor. Did she really want absolutely nothing to do with him anymore? There was only one way to find out. If—

“Mr. Finn?” Dr. Stephanie’s voice cut through his thoughts. He blinked and looked up at her. She was watching him expectantly.

“Of course, it won’t be a problem. Sorry.” He saw Josie watching him out of the corner of his eye and did his best to ignore her. There was something she wasn’t telling him, and he was determined to find out exactly what it was.

“Awesome.” Dr. Stephanie’s smile returned and Callahan curiously wondered what the pleasant, petite woman would do if she caught members of her program getting intimate behind her back.

“Josie, please come with me. The lab is just in the back. I’ll try not to take too much of your time,” the doctor said, getting to her feet.

Josie nodded and got up as well, walking toward the door without saying another word to Callahan. He tried not to show how hurt he was by her action, even though it burned a hole inside him.

Dr. Stephanie stopped at the door and turned. “Alpha Callahan, this may take a while. You don’t have to wait. We’re done here today. I’ll let you know how the tests go, and I’ll advise on next steps as soon as possible.”

“Oh, great,” he said, getting to his feet. He shook hands with the doctor and stretched his hand toward Josie. He half expected her to swat it away or ignore him, but to his pleasant surprise, she shook the proffered hand.

“Pleasure to meet you, Callahan,” Josie said coolly, and walked out of the room on the heels of Dr. Stephanie.

Callahan watched the two women walk down the hallway and enter a room at the end of the narrow corridor. Probably the lab. He considered waiting around, but Josie would think him rash and desperate. He also had no intention of revealing his relationship with Josie to the doctor.

Grudgingly, he walked in the opposite direction and left the building. Despite Josie’s coldness, Callahan’s heart was racing with anticipation as he walked back toward his car.

He had missed her. There was no use denying that fact. Not much had changed about her, although in her defense, she’d said the same thing about him too. Regardless, it seemed more than a coincidence to him that he’d run into her here.

Of all the women in the world, she was the one to carry his child. That couldn’t be a coincidence. That was fate. First, he was going to have a proper conversation with her, to find out why she had entered the program at all.

And then he would pick things up from there. He didn’t care much for destiny, but he didn’t ignore the signs either when they were staring him in the face. He turned on his car, his mind fully made up, and drove away from the surrogacy center.

Chapter 5 - Josie

“These test results are wonderful,” Dr, Stephanie said, flipping through a sheaf of papers. “Honestly, I couldn’t have found a more perfect surrogate for Callahan if I’d created the person in a lab.”

Josie smiled weakly, oddly satisfied. What the doctor had called “some tests” had ended up being an extensive process that lasted over an hour. It had taken every bit of patience Josie possessed to see the process through to the end.

That, and the fact that she needed things to go smoothly so she could earn the balance without a hitch. Klaus had left her a few missed calls and several texts while she was with Dr. Stephanie, and she didn’t need to be psychic to know that the man was angry.

Dr. Stephanie had tested everything. According to her, they were the first members of the program, and as a result, they had to get it right the first time. Success here was all the publicity they needed, and that meant leaving nothing to chance. They needed a near perfect match between the pair.

Also, the child Josie was going to carry was a potential heir to the Summer Rain pack. She was going to be the surrogate of an alpha. That meant finding a strong and healthy candidate. To Josie’s surprise, even her mana reserves were tested.

At some point, she’d started to develop some fear. What if they found something they didn’t like, or they deemed her an unsuitable host for Callahan’s seed? Would she have to return the money she’d already received? Or would she have to wait until they found someone else for her? Who knew how long that would take?

“You look pleased,” the doctor said, smiling. “That’s a good sign. Earlier, I was a little worried that you and Alpha Callahan did not see eye to eye. I’m guessing I was wrong?”

Josie’s breath caught. “Oh no, not at all. We…understand each other. You probably saw wrong. I’m eager to get this whole procedure over with. I have no problems with Mr. Finn, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have any with me either.”

“That’s good news,” the doctor said. “It would have been a shame to lose you. You really are the perfect match for him. I dare say you’re the finest surrogate I’ve ever met.” She said the last part musingly, rubbing her chin as she flipped through the test results.

“You’re too kind,” Josie said with a smile. She perked up and cleared her throat. “So, does that mean I can get inseminated today?”

“Huh?” Dr. Stephanie said, looking up from the results. “Oh, dear God, no. It’s not a process to be rushed, and you need to be on your merry way. The day’s already far gone. Besides, we need to speak to Alpha Callahan and let him know where we are before we proceed further.”

“Of course,” Josie said, trying to hide her disappointment. “Is there anything else, or can I leave?

“We are done here for today,” the doctor said, putting the results in a folder and storing them in one of her desk drawers. “Here, let me walk you to your car.”

They left the office together and walked toward Josie’s car in the parking lot. The fancy sports car was gone, and the parking lot was near deserted. The sun was riding low in the sky, and in a little time it was going to dip below the trees.

Josie had no idea so much time had gone by, and dreaded the long drive back to Silver Peaks. If she didn’t have to work the next day, she would have seriously considered getting a room in a local motel.

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