Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
“I’m…pregnant,” I revealed, my voice trembling.
“Oh, honey, come here, it’s all right,” my mom said, drawing me into a comforting hug.
Relief poured over me like stepping into a warm shower after a long day. My parents would help me get through this. Everything was going to be okay.
My dad closed the hospital room’s blinds with a snap.
“We need to keep our voices down,” he said with his back to my mom and me.
The mood in the room changed. My mother and I froze with our arms still wrapped around each other.
My dad turned around and ran a hand through his dark curls. Since the Rogue wolf attacked me, patches of gray began to grow in my father’s hair. His muscular build had shrunk over the last couple of years, stress causing him to barely eat my mom’s delicious cooking. Each time one of our pack members died from a Rogue attack, it destroyed my dad. As Delta, he was responsible for the pack’s protection. But the attacks weren’t his fault. He didn’t have the money, warriors, or resources to defend our territory.
As my dad walked toward me with an unreadable expression, my stomach jolted. Was he angry with me for putting a wrench in Liam’s marriage deal with the Alpha King?
“Ella, it’s going to be all right. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” my dad promised and squeezed my hand.
Uh, what?
“What do you mean, Theo?” my mom asked, and her eyebrows rose in concern. “Why would anything happen to her?”
“I’ll explain in a second, Vivian,” my dad replied and looked down at me. “Ella, are you completely sure that this baby is Liam’s?”
Heat crawled up my skin, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment.
“Of course, Dad! He…he’s the only one I’ve ever, you know, been with. When we discovered we were Fated Mates, the bond was, um, hard to ignore.”
“You didn’t sleep with Noah before you and Liam bonded as Mates?” he pressed.
“What? No!” I said and took a sip from the cup of water Healer Elijah had brought me, wanting an excuse to look away from my dad.
My mom rushed around my hospital bed and stood in front of her husband with her hands on her hips.
“Why the hell are you interrogating our daughter?” my mom demanded. “She’s been through enough today.”
My father’s shoulders slumped, and he seemed to fold in on himself.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said and drew me in for a quick hug. “I’m just…terrified of what being pregnant with Liam’s baby means for your safety.”
My mother’s face drained of all color, and she put a trembling hand to her mouth.
“Oh…no,” she whispered as she looked at me. Her eyes widened with horror as if I’d just been set on fire before her eyes.
The back of my neck prickled, and my temples pulsed with fear.
“What are you guys talking about?” I questioned. “You’re scaring me.”
My father took both of my hands in his and looked me in the eyes. Whenever my parents had to give me bad news, the job always fell to my dad. He was the more direct of the two.
“Honey, if anyone in our pack found out that you are pregnant with Liam’s baby, you could get exiled from the pack,” my dad revealed.
If a wolf was exiled from their pack, they were made to live with the other Rogue wolves.
My heart stopped beating as fear gripped it. Flinching, I rubbed the scar on my arm, remembering the pain of sharp teeth ripping into my flesh.
“Our pack wouldn’t do that to me!” I protested. “I’ve been attacked by a Rogue wolf before! I’m sure people will be mad, but Liam and I are Mates. Wouldn’t everyone eventually understand why we, um, spent the night together?”
“I’m sure some people would understand,” my father allowed.
“So, why couldn’t we just…I don’t know, hide the truth about who my baby’s father is?” I suggested and cupped my hands around my stomach, still shocked there was a baby growing inside of me.
“Ella, if your baby looks even remotely similar to Liam or someone saw you two together, people will begin to ask questions. An investigation could take place, and with one paternity test, the truth will come out. And how would we even keep this from Alpha Everett? He’s Liam’s father.” My dad scrubbed a hand down his face as the weight of the situation settled on him.
“But why would I be exiled?” I asked.
“Honey, wolf law is firm on the fact that if a pack member knowingly puts its pack in danger, they will be exiled without trial,” my dad explained. “There have already been four deaths and numerous injuries to our pack members because of the Rogues. Each day, their army is growing. We think that our pack’s borders will soon be brought down by them if we don’t have extra protection.”
I must have still looked unconvinced because my father continued.
“Do you remember Mrs. Pierce? She was your third grade teacher for a month, and then Mr. Dawson replaced her.”
His subject change threw me for a loop.
“Yes,” I answered. “I was sad when she left. She was really patient with us kids, even when we were being a handful. Didn’t you tell me that she moved to another pack?”
“I said that to protect you, honey. Mrs. Pierce fell in love with a Rogue wolf that used to hang around our territory. He manipulated her into helping him get past our guards and the Rogue killed someone. Mrs. Pierce was exiled without trial and the Rogue that she thought loved her killed her the night she was exiled.”
I clasped a hand to my mouth and gasped.
“But it wasn’t her fault the Rogue had tricked her into helping him!” I protested. “Mrs. Pierce was just a trusting person. She was probably just lonely and wanted someone to talk to.”
“I agree with you, Ella,” my dad said. “I’m not telling you about Mrs. Pierce to upset you, but to warn you. It doesn’t matter what your intentions are, if the Elders think you put our pack in danger, you will be exiled.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?