Page 35 of Alpha's Baby Girl
“Or you could join Fenrys’s pack with me,” I had offered. Her face had lit up and while she hadn’t answered there and then, I knew she was considering it seriously.
I was dressed in a gown of red with shimmering gold panels down the sides of the dress and along the neckline, which hugged my chest. By the time evening came and we were directed downstairs, to the banqueting hall, I was nervous enough to grow light-headed.
“She-wolves, please make your way inside and take your places at your designated seats. Fenrys is waiting for you inside.”
“Like there’s any suspense,” Shiba scoffed. “I know my parents didn’t receive an invitation. Got to save them the humiliation.” Her eyes narrowed on me. “Then again, you’d know more about that than any of us, right? We all know the history of you and Fenrys, Thalia. It’s an unfair advantage, don’t you think?”
“Just because you didn’t win, Shiba, doesn’t mean that Thalia isn’t loved by Fenrys,” Dakota snapped.
“Oh, admit that you’re only sucking up to her in the hopes she’ll keep you hanging around.”
“Maybe if you hadn’t been such a showybi—”
“That’s quite enough,” Graham warned. “Please proceed inside.”
I glared at Shiba as I passed her. It wasn’t her fault she had tried so hard. I could only imagine the pressure she might have been under.
In the banquet hall, several empty seats were around the table we’d dined at together. Inside, I saw the Mayoress, Fenrys’s mother. She sat alongside my own parents, lost in deep conversation. My stomach clenched nervously. Even though I knew this would be the outcome, having that so blatantly displayed to the other she-wolves made me anxious.
At the head of the table, with one seat next to him empty, and the other taken up by his mother, was Fenrys.
His hair was styled in gorgeous curls that fell over his forehead, the dark shade of his hair only emphasizing the brightness of the blue in his eyes. He wore a suit of deep blue that matched his wolf’s eyes, and he sought me out immediately.
It was then that I realized who had gathered for the winner’s banquet. My parents which I’d seen already, who both turned to me with proud smiles on their faces. It had been so long since I’d seen any of them look so unburdened. I mustered a weak smile, ignoring the sickness that kept threatening to knock me off guard. The entire council was also present and—Oh, God, thatwasFenrys’s pack, all present to greet the future Luna. I recognized the one who called down to Fenrys, a long brown-haired male who was almost as tall as Fenrys. That was Conall. The last time I’d seen him properly to talk to, my college best friend, Anya, had been hanging off his arm. They’d broken up not long after graduation. I recognized a few of the other pack members.
The room was spinning in a sickly motion, and I felt myself swaying. Fenrys got to his feet, talking, thanking the she-wolves that had gone on ahead of me. Disappointment soured Shiba’s face, and Fenrys talked to Dakota, both of them glancing in my direction. I hoped he was offering her a place among his pack if she wanted it. He gestured to a man in a pale green suit who stood up, broad-shouldered, with a buzzed head. He sat opposite Dakota, leading her to her seat. Her cheeks were flushed.
“I would like you all to raise your glasses in a toast,” Fenrys announced before I could approach the table. All glasses lifted, even Shiba’s, and eyes swept in my direction. “My mother and father met during their Mating Games, and solidified their bond and led their pack to a prosperous future. Silverlake Valley has respected both of them and watched their love bring them a successful life together, before my father’s tragic passing three years ago. However, the Mating Games brought them together. And now, those same Games have brought me back to my mate.” His eyes were on me. “Thalia, my Luna. Would you do me the honor of joining me at the head of the table?”
Before I could take another step forward, the room began to spin. I made a weak noise and my hand flew to my stomach, another clasped over my mouth.
I ran from the room, just making it to the bathroom in time to be sick.
How long would I ignore that I was pregnant? I was carrying Fenrys’s child. I had snuck out after breakfast and bought a pregnancy test from the nearest convenience store. The positive lines had haunted me for hours now, even as I’d held it together while getting ready. Sweat beaded on my brow, and I sighed, slumped against the cool basin that did little to stop the sickness in my stomach. What a little trouble-causer he or she was already turning out to be. And still, beneath it all, a sad sort of joy sparked to life. Fenrys had just declared me his mate, and the room had erupted into cheers and champagne toasts, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to even give a weak smile.
Footsteps came closer. “Thalia?” That was my mother’s voice outside.
“I’m okay! Just a minute.”
“Nerves are perfectly fine, sweetheart,” she assured me. I winced.
“Right. Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Can you let Fenrys know I’ll be right in? I’ll be there in a minute.”
“I’m proud of you, Thalia,” she said before I heard her footsteps retreating. I wasn’t prepared to process that pride. Of finally undoing the shame I had caused them years before. My hand ran over my stomach. How would Fenrys react when he found out the woman who betrayed him carried his child?
I needed to talk to him. No more running, no more second-guessing myself. My child would be safe. I would make sure of it, even if it meant begging for Fenrys’s protection, whether he still accepted me or not.
I got to my feet rinsed my mouth and cleaned up. My lipstick was all but wiped off but that was a meagre sacrifice. I made my way back to the banquet hall, following the sound of talking. A figure hovered in the doorway to the hall, and I went to call out to them, thinking my mother hadn’t actually gone back to the banqueting hall, when a hand smothered my mouth and nose. Something hit the back of my head and darkness swum in my vision. The floor rushed to greet me as I slumped forward. A dark peal of laughter echoed in my ear and all I could think of was keeping my cub safe as I went unconscious.
***
When I woke up, it wasn’t to the sound of cheers or congratulations, and my mate’s scent was nowhere near to comfort me. I panicked when I felt my arms were tight and bound behind my back. Slumped against a wall, I opened my eyes to the sight of a dark basement, a single light swinging above a figure in the shadows.
“Well, well,” a voice I knew all too well drawled, “Look who’s finally awake. If it isn’t Silverlake Valley’s new favorite she-wolf. Or perhaps the new most hated one, depending on who you ask. That poor woman really wanted your mate, didn’t she? I should employ her next. At least she’ll get the job done.”
A man crouched down in front of me, his head buzzed, and a tattoo running down one side of his face. His mouth pulled up into a harsh sneer. Kato.
“Hello, Thalia. Our meeting has been long overdue, hm?”
