"So, why don't you tell me... who exactly is Ethan Miller?"
The name hung in the dark kitchen, more lethal than a loaded gun.
My heart completely stopped. The blood drained from my face so fast the room spun. He interrupted the phone call. His knowledge about the backup apartment reached him. He knew the fake name I had just given Mrs. Higgins.
"I don't know what you're talking about" I choked out while I pushed my hands frantically against his bare sculpted chest. It felt like I needed to push against a solid brick wall.
"Don't lie to me" Dominic growled. The vibrating octave of his voice reached a dangerous level which made my inner wolf submit to him by showing her neck. His hand slid from the back of my neck to hold my head up by tangling his fingers into my dark hair. "You made a panicked call to a British woman. You moved a boy to Brooklyn. A boy you told her to hide from me."
"Stop spying on me" I hissed while my panic transformed into desperate maternal fury. "You have no right"
"I have every right" he fired back while he stepped closer to me. The cold marble counter dug painfully into my lower back but the blistering heat of his body pressing against my front was far more overwhelming. His large calloused hand slid down my waist to grip my hip through the thin silk of my robe. "A boy Sophie A boy who smells like my bloodline. Tell me the truth before I tear this city apart and find him myself."
"The truth is he is adopted" The lie ripped from my throat with loud frantic force.
Dominic froze. His silver eyes became narrow glowing slits which looked dangerous.
I swallowed hard while I created the lie in my mind. "He... he's the son of a former client. She passed away three years ago. The father was out of the picture. I took him in. I changed his last name to protect him from the foster system. That's it, Dominic. He has nothing to do with you."
The kitchen remained silent because of its unbearable quietness. Our breathing created heavy ragged sounds which were the only noise in the room.
Dominic stared down at me while his gaze calculated my defenses. A dark terrifying smirk appeared on his lips which developed slowly.
"Adopted" he repeated softly while the word contained venomous disbelief.
"Yes."
"A tragic story" he murmured while he leaned his massive body against mine. His knee parted my legs as it slid between my thighs. I gasped because my hands flew to his broad shoulders after a violent jolt of electricity shot through my body. "But it has one fatal flaw little bird."
"D-Dominic" I stuttered while my body went against my will. His thick sweatpants created friction which made a heavy liquid heat accumulate between my legs.
"An adopted child doesn't carry my scent" he whispered while he bent lower. The rough stubble of his face touched the sensitive skin of my jawline. "An adopted child doesn't make my Alpha instincts tear at my chest demanding I protect a pup I've never even seen."
He did not allow me to answer the question. His mouth descended upon my neck while his hot tongue traced my racing pulse point. A helpless moan escaped from my lips which echoed loudly in the dark room.
No. I have to push him away. The mate bond was a tyrant. Seven years of starvation crashed down on me all at once. I felt his teeth graze my sensitive spot as I dug my nails into his skin while my fingers held onto his shoulders.
"You are shaking" he growled against my skin while his hand pushed my silk robe higher. His calloused fingers brushed against my sleep shorts while they created a trail of absolute fire which followed their path. "You still want me. Your body knows exactly who it belongs to after seven years."
"I hate you" I breathed while tears of sheer frustration pricked my eyes and I arched into his touch.
"Lie to me all you want" Dominic rasped while he shifted his grip to cup my jaw and force my lips up to his. "Your body tells the truth. You will reveal everything to me before long."
His mouth crashed onto mine with a hungry force which completely destroyed my being. The kiss served to destroy me because it wanted to consume my secrets and eliminate my determination. I tasted the dark smoky amber of his scotch which made me feel intoxicated. My mind became trapped in a dangerous and erotic haze. He kept touching me in this way that I would break down and reveal everything to him.
Crash.
The heavy double doors of the kitchen swung open with violence to slam against the walls.
Dominic ripped his mouth from mine as he detached himself from me with a blood-chilling snarl. He pushed me behind his body while he used his size to protect me from danger because his eyes showed the terrifying solid gold color of a fully enraged Alpha who planned to kill.
The kitchen lights turned on to show blinding bright illumination.
Marcus stood in the doorway with an expression of extreme irritation. In his massive grip he held a shrieking disheveled Vivian Hart.
"Apologies Alpha" Marcus grunted as he shook my mother roughly to make her stop talking. "She never left the grounds. I caught her trying to sneak out the servants' entrance with items from the east wing."
Dominic's chest heaved while his fangs extended because he struggled to control his transformation into a wild animal. "I told Sterling to escort her off the premises three hours ago."
"Nobody was stealing anything" Vivian shrieked while she fought against Marcus's grip. She looked completely unhinged her pristine funeral dress was wrinkled her hair wild. "I went to my daughter's old room! I knew she was hiding something, Dominic! I knew it!
My blood ran completely cold. The east wing. My old bedroom.
The moment I left my position behind Dominic my body became leaden. I asked my mother about her current activities by saying Mother what are you doing.
Vivian looked at me with her eyes showing both madness and extreme hatred. She forcefully pulled her arm away from Marcus after which she started searching through her designer bag.
Vivian accused Sophie of being too smart for her own good. The innocent victim role which you played was a scheme to show that Camille forced you from this house.
Dominic spoke to Vivian in a deadly calm manner when he said Vivian get out before I throw you out myself.
Vivian sneered at Dominic while she took out a wrinkled faded paper from her bag. She showcased the document to others. I discovered it wedged behind the loose baseboard in her old closet because she tried to conceal it before her departure seven years ago.
My heart stopped beating completely because I recognized the paper as what it was. I had searched for it throughout the night after I received my banishment order because I was afraid someone would discover it.
Dominic advanced on her position and took the paper from her grip.
I observed him in slow motion as he used his silver eyes to examine the document. The document contained a receipt from a private clinic located in another state which provided maternity services for supernatural beings. The document was dated one week before I left New York. The doctor wrote on the note which appeared in bold black letters Fetal heartbeat strong. Gestation: 8 weeks.
Dominic went to an unsettling state of complete immobility. The room remained in absolute silence which became unbearable until the air apparently vanished from the space. When he finally raised his head his silver eyes showed no trace of warmth. The eyes of a monster who realized he had been stolen from him looked back at me.
"You were pregnant," Dominic whispered, his voice cracking like breaking ice. "When you left this house... you were carrying my child."