Page 56 of Bully Alpha's Pregnant Mate

She looks up at me, her expression softening. As her fingers brush over my hand, I feel the same relief, the same intensity mirrored back. “We did it,” she says, her voice carrying that edge of pride and awe that makes my chest ache.

“We did,” I agree as my hand finds hers. I can feel her pulse against my fingers, steady, alive. “Isadora, I…” I trail off,realizing I don’t know where to begin. How to tell her everything I’ve been feeling, everything I don’t have the words for.

She looks at me, something in her gaze shifting, and now she’s the one gripping my hand a little tighter. “Alec, I… there’s something I need to tell you.” Her voice wavers slightly, and she glances down before looking back up, eyes steady but searching as if she’s weighing each word carefully. “I’m pregnant.”

A surge of emotion tightens my throat, and I have to take a second to process it. Even though I’d known, hearing it from her, seeing her face as she says it, brings the emotions crashing over me in a way that’s almost overwhelming. “I know,” I say quietly, my voice filled with all the things I can’t quite say.

She blinks, surprise flitting across her face, followed by a flicker of uncertainty. “You… you knew?”

I nod, pulling her close, and my hands settle on her shoulders as I try to convey in a look what I can’t put into words. “Jade told me. She saw it in a vision. But hearing it from you…” I shake my head, and a smile breaks through despite everything. “Isadora, you’ve been everything to me for a long time now. Knowing this just makes it all feel right.”

Her shoulders relax slightly, but there’s still a vulnerability in her gaze that makes me ache. “So… you’re not… worried?” Her voice is soft, and I can feel the weight of the question, the way she’s bracing for my reaction.

“Worried?” I echo, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “Not for a second. This changes nothing about how I feel about you, except maybe to make me even more certain. I want this, Isadora. Us, all of it.”

For a second, the world around us seems to still, and she lets out a shaky breath, a tentative smile breaking through as if she’s finally letting herself believe it. “I wasn’t sure. I mean, Ihoped, but you know how complicated things have been between us.”

I brush a thumb across her cheek, my gaze steady. “Then let’s make it less complicated. I love you, Isadora. Let’s build this life together. We’ve fought for everything else. This—us—we can figure it out as we go.”

She laughs, a sound filled with relief and something more. She steps into my arms, burying her face against my chest as I wrap her close, feeling the steady beat of her heart next to mine. The others around us start to gather, filling the space with laughter and shared relief, but for a few seconds, it’s just us in the center of it all, holding onto the future we’re just beginning to imagine.

“I love you, too, Alec,” she says. “So, so much.”

Chapter 26 - Isadora

The council chamber feels stiff and formal, as usual, and I can’t say I’ll miss it when we’re done. Though we’re finally wrapping up, the energy’s still tense, like everyone’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. The alphas and council members exchange nods of approval, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is far from over.

Damien stands and clears his throat. His voice booms over the others as he speaks. “I think it’s safe to say that we owe you both—Isadora and Jade—a debt we can’t quite repay. Your contributions, the risks you took… I don’t think any of us could have anticipated how close we’d come to losing everything. And it’s thanks to you that we’re not facing a portal leaking demons right now.”

I feel Alec’s hand brush against mine, grounding me as the weight of Damien’s words settles in. It’s not that I need the credit, but hearing it from someone as stoic as Damien is a rare thing, underscoring how close we came to losing all of this.

Gray adds, “The packs owe both of you.”

Jade, for her part, doesn’t look remotely satisfied. She has her arms crossed, and she’s sporting a slight frown. “I appreciate that, Gray, but you all need to know that this is only a temporary fix.” She casts a wary glance around the room. “We didn’t destroy the portal; we only sealed it. If I had more strength or support, maybe we could’ve closed it permanently. But as it stands, it could reappear somewhere else.”

A murmur runs through the room, a few council members exchanging concerned glances. Alec stands a little taller beside me, keeping his eyes steady on Jade, taking in every word.

Gray’s eyebrows raise. “Are you saying that this might not be over?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Jade replies. “I did everything I could, but this kind of energy—demonic dark magic—needs more than just one witch’s power to close down entirely. We might need someone with experience in the dark arts if we want to keep this from happening again.”

The conversations around us rise a notch. I bite back a sigh, knowing how they feel. This “victory” we’re celebrating is only the tip of the iceberg, and Jade’s making it clear that we’re not out of the woods. It’s a sobering reminder, but she’s not wrong. As the packs continue to talk, Alec’s hand finds mine, and his thumb grazes the back of it in a subtle but steadying gesture.

Finally, after more back-and-forth, the meeting starts to wind down, and the council members disperse with reluctant nods and expressions that look a bit more shaken than I’m used to seeing. As they file out, Alec tugs me gently toward the door, a gleam in his eyes that’s at odds with the seriousness of the meeting we’ve just left.

“Alright, we’re done here,” he announces.

I raise a brow, letting him lead me down the hallway. “What’s with the sudden urgency? Got more demons to slay?”

He chuckles and pulls me a bit closer as we step into the open air. The sky is a blend of orange and pink, with the last traces of daylight sending a warm glow over the forest around Glory Town. “Just come with me,” he says. “You’ll see.”

We walk in silence, his hand warm around mine as he leads me down the winding path that cuts through the trees. The scent of pine and moss fills the air, mingling with the cool bite of evening. Despite my curiosity, I find myself relaxing, letting the tension from the meeting melt away. Alec glances over hisshoulder at me with that glint of anticipation still sparking in his eyes.

“You’re being suspiciously quiet,” I comment, unable to keep the grin from my face. “Should I be worried?”

He laughs, a rich, warm sound that wraps around me. I feel a little flutter in my stomach. “You don’t trust me?”

“Oh, I trust you,” I reply, nudging him. “But it’s the ‘just follow me’ part that’s a little concerning.”

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