Page 60 of Sold to the Alphas

“I’m not asking again,” Marshall growled, his voice low and deadly. “Put. Her. Down.”

“No,” I shot back, my own voice trembling with fury. “I’m not leaving her here to get hurt again. Not by August. Not by you.”

Marshall’s eyes flared, his wolf so close to the surface that I could feel its presence like a heatwave. “You have no idea what you’re doing. You’re running blind, and it will get her killed.”

“She’s not safe here!” I roared, taking a step back. “Look at everything that’s happened tonight. August nearly broke her, and you—what, you think just keeping her in that room makes it all fine? It’s not fine, Marshall. None of this is fine!”

“I’m trying to keep her alive,” Marshall barked back. “Something you’re about to ruin with your impulsive—” He stopped himself, a muscle in his jaw twitching as if holding something back.

“Say it,” I challenged. “Go on, say whatever it is you’re choking on.”

Marshall hesitated, his gaze flickering to Elisabed for a split second before snapping back to me. He clenched his fists, the words tumbling out like an explosion. “She’spregnant,Finn!”

The world seemed to tilt on its axis.

“What?” My voice came out hoarse, the air punched clean out of my lungs. I stared at him, my mind scrambling to understand what he’d just said.

“She’s pregnant,” Marshall repeated, his tone tight with urgency. “The healer confirmed it earlier. That’s why she can’t go anywhere, Finn. She needs to stay. She needs to be protected here.”

I looked down at Elisabed, her face pale and tear-streaked. She wasn’t denying it. My heart hammered in my chest, the implications slamming into me like a freight train.

“Pregnant?” I echoed, the word foreign on my tongue.

Elisabed closed her eyes, a fresh wave of tears slipping down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I am.”

“Damn it,” I muttered, my grip on her loosening as I tried to process the revelation. My wolf, always so sure of his instincts, now howled with confusion. “How...how could this happen so fast?”

Marshall stepped closer, his towering presence a mix of authority and frustration. “You know how,” he snapped. “It’s been over a month since the first time. Our bond with her, the marks...it’s not just physical, Finn. It’s everything. And now she’s carrying our child.”

“Which one of us—”

“Does it matter?” Marshall cut me off sharply. “It’s all of ours. That’s how this works. And you can’t take her away from the only place we can keep her safe.”

I couldn’t find my voice. My mind raced with images of Elisabed—fragile and hurt, but stronger than any of us gave her credit for. And now...now she was carrying a life inside her. A life we were responsible for.

“Finn,” Marshall said, his tone softening slightly. “I know you’re angry. I know you don’t trust August, and I don’t blame you after tonight. But running isn’t the answer. It’s not just about us anymore.”

Elisabed moved in my arms, her tears glistening in the moonlight. “Please,” she said softly, her voice barely audible. “I just want to find my sister.”

Guilt hit me like a punch to the gut. I’d been so consumed with my own anger and my own fears that I’d almost forgotten what this was all about for her. I tightened my hold on her, hating how small and fragile she felt in my arms.

“I want to find her too,” I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. “But you can’t help her ifyou’renot safe. Ifyou’renot whole.”

Marshall stepped closer again, his gaze unwavering. “Let’s take her back inside. We’ll figure this out together. But not out here. Not like this.”

My wolf snarled in protest, and the thought of surrendering her to anyone else sent me a fresh wave of anger, but deep down, I knew he was right.

I finally relented, gently setting Elisabed down on her feet and steadying her. “This isn’t over,” I said firmly.

“I know,” Marshall replied, his gaze meeting mine with equal determination.

Elisabed looked between us, her expression unreadable. “Let’s go,” she said, her voice soft but resolute.

I watched as Marshall moved to guide her back toward the house, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin. The fire in my chest hadn’t dimmed—it had only grown. But for now, I swallowed it down, knowing that the fight wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

33

Elisabed

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