Page 5 of The Alpha's Pregnant Mate

While she waited to see Laurent, she explored the lower level. Space was clearly at a premium, the Alpha had made that much clear, so why did it seem like these rooms were half-empty? She’d imagined a house this large would be home to more wolves than just Laurent, but these rooms weren’t being used for anything but storage. And by the time she found herself in Laurent’s office again, she knew exactly what she wanted from him.

“Good morning, Alpha.” His tone was unfriendly as always, but she was pleased to hear him actually use her title. “I understand you and your pack made the journey without serious demon interference. And you located the tents without trouble?”

“Just like old times.” She smiled at him, noticing again the way his shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly at the gesture. She’d been wondering for days if it was possible that he was this hostile to everyone. It simply couldn’t be. No man could survive under that kind of tension for a week, let alone his whole life. “That storm last night was something else, though.”

“Storm?” He looked genuinely nonplussed for a moment. “Oh. I suppose it did rain a little.”

“That’s a little?” Rhietta was stunned, but she reminded herself that she was here with a purpose in mind. They could make small talk about the weather once the most vulnerable members of her pack were safe and sound. “Speaking of the rain,” she said brightly, ignoring the defensive way his silver eyes narrowed. “I was hoping to arrange some drier quarters for a few of my pack.”

“It’s a little late to be revisiting the terms of our agreement,” Laurent said stiffly. “I’ll remind you that hosting your pack even under the current arrangements has put my pack under a considerable amount of pressure—”

“Which is why I’m not requesting that all of us be taken indoors,” she said, hoping her cheerful smile would ease a little of the insult associated with cutting him off mid-sentence. “Only a couple. Only those with the direst need.” She’d always had a knack for melting through the defenses of even the most stoic members of the pack, but Laurent had been in a league of his own even before they’d come here. He had to have a beating heart behind that impassive brick wall he called a face…but Rhietta had certainly never seen it. Still, she had to try.

“As I warned you days ago, Alpha, there’s no space.”

“There are four uninhabited rooms in this very building,” she countered, not liking the nasty tone that was creeping into his voice when he used her title. “And I have two young families with sick babies, living in leaking tents.”

His eyes narrowed. “So you’ve been snooping around my home?”

“This whole building is your home?” Her voice was getting louder, her indignation rising. She could see the judgment in his eyes, knew without so much as a word from him that he was even now passing judgment on her for letting her emotions show so clearly, but she didn’t care. “How can you justify taking all this space for yourself? How is that practical?”

“An Alpha needs to maintain a certain distance from the wolves he leads,” Laurent said coldly. “I’ll remind you that your own father—”

“My father lived with his family,” Rhietta said with an impatient scoff. For just a moment, she saw an unfamiliar expression on Laurent’s hard face. Was it possible that he’d been hurt by that, by the reminder that he had no mate, no children, no family to speak of? But before she could apologize or even change course, the expression was gone, replaced by the usual wall of ice.

“Nevertheless.”

“Laurent, I’m talking about babies,” she pressed him, feeling desperation rising in her. “These are infants, not even six months old yet. This isn’t about luxury, this is about survival. Anik’s come down with a fever overnight, and she’ll only get sicker if she has to stay in that drafty tent another night. You have room here. Please.”

“That wasn’t the arrangement.” That impassive face of his—it was like talking to a hard stone wall. Was he even breathing? There was no sign of movement in him, not a flicker. She found her desperation giving way to anger, and she welcomed it.

“Seriously? You’re willing to risk the lives of infants because of the arrangement? Laurent, we were all one family a year ago. These are your wolves, too.”

“On the contrary,” he snapped, his voice cold. “They made the decision to follow an incompetent leader. And I will not be blamed for the outcomes of decisions I did everything in my power to prevent.”

“These babies weren’t even born when the pack split, Laurent,” Rhietta snapped, horrified by the coldness of his reasoning. “You’d let them die out of spite? To avenge yourself on their parents?”

“You’re out of line, Alpha,” Laurent said, rising to his feet. She realized, in that moment, that she hadn’t seen him standing for almost a year. She’d forgotten how tall he was, how concealed his formidable frame was. Was it intentional, she wondered, the way he allowed that large desk to diminish him? Now, by comparison, he loomed over her, and she was reminded that as demanding and rigorous as he was when it came to the physical strength and fitness of the wolves he led, he applied the same standards to his own training tenfold.

“Forgive me,” she said, voice thick with sarcasm. “I’ve allowed my foolish emotions to cloud the subject of infanticide.” Her voice broke on the final word, tears spilling from her eyes again. She was honestly surprised it had taken her this long to start crying.

“Now, that’s simply absurd,” the Alpha said through clenched teeth. “But if it will remove you and your hysterics from my office, fine. I’ll see to it that my storerooms are rearranged to make space.”

For a moment, Rhietta was convinced she’d somehow fallen asleep in the middle of the conversation—it seemed like she’d skipped several minutes of back and forth. “You mean—”

“Have the families bring their belongings this afternoon. Only the families with infants,” he said sharply. “I’m not inviting the whole blasted—”

But he wasn’t able to finish the sentence, because Rhietta had pounced. Stepping neatly around his enormous desk, she ducked in under his guard and threw her arms around his waist. Later, she’d wonder what had possessed her to do such a thing. There had certainly been nothing in his foreboding countenance to indicate that the gesture would be welcome, or even tolerated—she was very much risking that he’d immediately retract the offer he’d just made. But something much stronger than reason had driven her to do it, and something about that sudden moment of physical contact made her suddenly wonder why she’d always been so intimidated by him. His face and his voice might have been ice cold and rock hard, but the body in her arms was made of warm, yielding flesh and blood, just like hers was.

“Thank you,” she murmured, squeezing him as tightly as she dared. He was stiff as a board, completely rigid, but she held him a little longer regardless before she moved away, looking up at his face just in time to catch a look she’d never seen on those imposing features before. The broad, toothy smile she flashed him before she left his office lingered on her face all the way down the stairs and out into the morning sun.

Something told her that she was one of the few people in the world who’d ever seen Laurent at a complete loss for words. And that was a victory she was going to savor for a long, long time.

Chapter 4 - Laurent

What the devil had gotten into him? Laurent had the whole morning to himself to reflect on the question—he’d intended to spend it patrolling the outskirts of the settlement to ensure there’d been no unusual demon activity in the wake of their new arrivals, but now he had a more pressing task on his list thanks to the houseguests he’d unwittingly invited. That was the second time that maddening woman had come to his office unannounced…and the second time he’d given into her demands without an ounce of resistance.

Twice was bad enough. He absolutely could not allow it to happen a third time. How could he lead effectively if he had to contend with the knowledge that a few tears or a beseeching look from that wretched woman could erode his resolve so completely?

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