Pregnant by the cold Alpha

Under siege

The packhouse descended into chaos within minutes. Warriors flooded the hallways, armed and alert. Damien had his phone pressed to his ear, barking orders while keeping one hand firmly on Lily's shoulder like he was afraid she'd disappear if he let go.

"I want every entrance and exit guarded. Check everyone who comes in or out—I don't care if they've lived here for twenty years. Victoria has people on the inside." He paused, listening. "No, I don't know who yet. That's what you're going to find out."

Lily sat on Damien's office couch, her mind still reeling. Fated mates. He'd said they were fated mates. That should have been a happy revelation, the kind of thing she'd dreamed about as a lonely teenager reading romance novels in the orphanage. But right now, all she could think about was Victoria's final message.

Everyone you love will pay the price.

"Damien," she said quietly, interrupting his phone call. "My coworkers at the clinic. Sarah, Dr. Martinez. Victoria knows I care about them. What if she goes after them?"

Damien's expression hardened. He spoke into the phone again. "Add the medical staff to the protection detail. No one from the clinic goes anywhere alone." He ended the call and crouched in front of Lily, taking her hands in his. "I've got guards on everyone who matters to you. They're safe."

"How can you be sure? She said she has eyes everywhere."

"Then we'll find them." Damien's silver eyes blazed with determination. "Every person in this pack will be questioned. Every phone will be checked. Anyone who's been in contact with the Blackwood Pack in the last six months will be investigated. We'll root out her spies, I promise you."

The door opened and Marcus came back in, this time with two other wolves Lily recognized as Damien's top warriors. One was a woman named Kate with short blonde hair and cold blue eyes. The other was a massive man called Jax who looked like he could bench-press a truck.

"We caught the guy who tried to poison the water supply," Marcus said grimly. "It's David Chen from maintenance. He's been with the pack for eight years."

Lily gasped. "David? But he's always been so nice. He helped me move into my apartment when I first started at the clinic."

"He confessed pretty quickly once we had him in custody," Kate said, her voice flat and professional. "Said the Blackwood Pack approached him three months ago. They threatened his family—his elderly mother lives in Blackwood territory. He didn't want to betray Silverstone, but they gave him no choice."

The words hit Lily like a punch to the gut. David had been in the exact same position she'd been in just an hour ago. Forced to choose between betraying his pack or protecting someone he loved.

"Where is he now?" Damien asked.

"Pack cells, under guard," Jax said. "What do you want us to do with him?"

Damien was quiet for a long moment. Lily could see the alpha in him calculating, weighing justice against mercy. "Keep him contained for now. We'll deal with his punishment after we've handled Victoria. Right now, I need to know if there are others. Kate, I want you personally questioning every pack member who has any connection to the Blackwood Pack. Family, friends, business associates—anyone."

"On it." Kate left immediately, all business.

Damien turned to Marcus. "What's the status at the borders?"

"Tense. The Blackwood warriors are still there, but they haven't made any aggressive moves yet. They're just... waiting."

"Waiting for Victoria's signal," Lily said, realization dawning. "She was supposed to get those files from me by noon. When she doesn't, she'll know something went wrong. That's when they'll attack."

Damien checked his watch. "It's 11:30 now. We have thirty minutes to prepare." He stood and moved to his desk, pulling up a map of the territory on his computer. "Marcus, I want our best fighters on the northern border where their forces are concentrated. But keep a strong presence on the east and west borders too—Victoria's smart enough to try a diversion."

"What about the south?" Marcus asked, studying the map.

"The south backs up to the river. It's nearly impossible to cross with a large force, but put a small patrol there just in case." Damien's fingers flew across the keyboard, sending orders to his commanders. "And get me the pack council. They need to approve formal defensive measures."

While the men worked, Lily sat quietly, feeling useless. Everyone around her was doing something important—planning, strategizing, protecting. And she was just sitting here, the person who'd brought all this danger to their doorstep.

"Stop it," Damien said without looking up from his computer.

"Stop what?"

"Stop blaming yourself. I can practically hear you spiraling from here." He finished typing and turned to face her. "None of this is your fault, Lily. Victoria would have found another way to attack us eventually. You refusing to help her doesn't make you responsible for what she does next."

"But if I'd just—"

"If you'd stolen those files, you'd have given her exactly what she needs to destroy this pack," Damien interrupted firmly. "You did the right thing. The brave thing. And I'm proud of you."

The simple words made Lily's eyes burn with tears. No one had ever said they were proud of her before.

A knock on the door interrupted the moment. An older woman entered—Lydia, the head of the pack council. She was in her sixties with silver-streaked hair and sharp intelligent eyes.

"Alpha, we need to discuss this situation," she said without preamble. "The council has concerns about escalating to full defensive measures. The Blackwood Pack hasn't actually attacked us yet. If we go to war based solely on the word of one nurse—"

"That nurse is carrying my child," Damien said, his voice going cold. "And she's my mate. If you're suggesting we ignore a direct threat against her—"

"I'm suggesting we verify the threat before we start a war that could cost hundreds of lives," Lydia said calmly. She turned to Lily. "No offense, dear, but we only have your word that Victoria Blackwood threatened you. Do you have any proof? The messages, perhaps?"

Lily pulled out her phone with trembling hands. "The number's unknown, but—" She stopped. The messages were gone. All of them. The entire conversation thread had vanished like it never existed.

"That's impossible," she whispered. "They were here. I saw them. The threats, the photo of my apartment building, everything."

"How convenient," Lydia said, her tone making it clear she didn't believe Lily at all.

"She's telling the truth," Damien growled. "My mate doesn't lie."

"Your mate?" Lydia's eyebrows rose. "Alpha, you haven't completed the mating bond. You haven't even marked her. And now suddenly she's pregnant and claiming the Blackwood Pack is threatening her? Forgive me for being skeptical, but this seems awfully convenient for a low-ranking omega trying to secure her position."

Lily felt like she'd been slapped. "I'm not trying to secure anything. I'm trying to protect my baby."

"Or you're trying to manipulate the alpha into starting a war with a rival pack." Lydia turned back to Damien. "I'm sorry, but the council won't approve defensive measures based on this. Not without proof."

"Then the council can go to hell," Damien snarled. "I'm the alpha of this pack. I make the final decisions."

"And the council has the authority to challenge an alpha who's making decisions based on emotion rather than logic," Lydia countered. "We all remember what happened with your father, Damien. He let his heart rule his head, and it got him killed. Don't make the same mistake."

The room went deadly silent. Even Marcus looked uncomfortable at the mention of Damien's father.

Damien's hands clenched into fists. For a moment, Lily thought he might actually lose control and shift right there in his office. But he took a deep breath and spoke with forced calm.

"Get out of my office, Lydia. Now."

"The council will be watching this situation very carefully," Lydia said as she left. "Don't do anything rash."

After she was gone, Damien slammed his fist on the desk hard enough to c***k the wood. "Damn it!"

"She's not wrong though," Marcus said carefully. "Without proof, half the pack will think Lily's lying. And if we go to war over what looks like a pregnant woman's unfounded claims, we'll lose support fast."

"I know that!" Damien snapped. Then he took another breath and rubbed his face. "I'm sorry. This is just—"

His phone rang. Unknown number.

Damien answered it on speaker. "What?"

Victoria's smooth voice filled the office. "Hello, Alpha Cross. I hear you've been having quite the morning. Poisoned water supplies, pack lockdowns. So dramatic."

"Where are you?" Damien demanded.

"Somewhere you'll never find me. But I thought I'd call with a proposition. You see, I'm a reasonable woman. I don't actually want a war. Wars are messy and expensive. So here's my offer: give me Lily."

Lily's blood turned to ice.

"Give her to me for just 48 hours," Victoria continued. "I'll keep her comfortable, I promise. Just a little insurance to make sure you behave. And in exchange, I'll pull my warriors back from your borders and we can all go back to our peaceful lives."

"You're insane if you think I'd hand over my mate," Damien said.

"Am I? Because from what I hear, your pack council doesn't even believe she's your mate. They think she's a manipulative omega using pregnancy to trap you." Victoria's voice turned mocking. "Poor Damien. Stuck between the woman carrying his bastard child and the pack who thinks he's being played for a fool. What will you choose?"

"I'll kill you myself if you come near her," Damien promised.

"Such passion. It's almost sweet." Victoria's tone hardened. "You have until noon tomorrow to reconsider. If Lily doesn't surrender herself voluntarily by then, I'll assume you've chosen war. And trust me, Alpha Cross—you don't want to see what I've planned for your precious pack. The wolfsbane in the water supply was just a taste."

The line went dead.

Lily couldn't breathe. She wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively as the full weight of the situation crashed down on her. Victoria wanted her to surrender. To willingly walk into enemy hands to save the pack.

And the terrible part was, Lily was actually considering it.

"No," Damien said, reading her expression. "Whatever you're thinking, no. You're not going to her."

"But if I don't, she'll attack the pack. People will die because of me."

"People will die if you go to her," Damien said fiercely. He crossed to her and cupped her face in his hands. "Listen to me, Lily. Victoria doesn't want you as a hostage. She wants you dead. You're carrying my heir. My fated mate. The second you're in her custody, she'll kill you and the baby to hurt me. This isn't about protection or peace—it's about revenge."

"He's right," Marcus agreed quietly. "This is a trap."

Lily knew they were right. But knowing it didn't make the guilt any easier to bear.

Damien's phone buzzed with a text. He looked at it and his face went pale.

"What?" Marcus asked. "What is it?"

Damien turned the phone so they could see. It was a photo of the pack's elementary school, taken from across the street. The playground was full of young wolf children playing during recess. And at the bottom of the photo was a message:

"So many innocent pups. It would be such a shame if something happened to them. Tick tock, Alpha. Noon tomorrow."