A Baby for the Alpha King

WHY IT HAS TO BE DONE

CLEO

“I already told you you don’t have to do that. Especially this. What if you get hurt?” I flinched when I heard Isabel’s voice. She stole the knife from my hand. I pursed my lips but didn’t argue and backed away.

I woke up earlier than her, hoping that I could do some work, but Isabel woke up earlier than expected, too.

It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve been here, and the majority of that time, I was just stuck inside the house. Isabel accompanies me and brings me stuff to keep myself entertained, but I’m simply not used to this kind of life. It’s chipping off my sanity, and I don’t even know how long I could last.

“You’re awfully stubborn, aren’t you? You’re living in a nice home, you don’t have to work every single day of your life, only to get scraps and be treated like nothing. Most especially, you are protected by the king himself. Do you have any idea how many omegas and other she-wolves would kill to be in your place? Just be thankful to the goddess for where you are right now.” She uttered, continuing where I had left off in preparing our meal.

I found myself scoffing, her words hitting a nerve even though I knew it was true and where she was coming from.

“And in return, I get to be a glorified babymaker for my own mate that I clearly cannot be together with because of the status I was born in and because he was married to someone else. I stayed for Alpha Solan, but given other circumstances, I still prefer my old life. It was never easy, and even among omegas, I was also judged because of my condition, but at least I got to be myself, and I have a loving mother. Right now, I’m in the biggest pack territory, and yet I feel so suffocated and alone. I just… I just want to pick up my life again. Little by little, I want to feel alive again. Is that too much to ask?”

Isabel turned back to me, surprised by my reaction. She doesn’t look angry, but doesn’t agree with my sentiment entirely.

“You’d only lose your mind if you continued thinking like that, Cleo. You won’t survive like that.” She answered after a moment.

I bit my lip, realizing that I had gone overboard with what I said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I was just frustrated.” I admitted and quickly folded. I shouldn’t pour my frustrations on people, especially those who were helping me.

Once again, I ended up in my room, practically spacing out while staring at the ceiling. I haven’t seen Alpha Solan since we talked about my condition, and he said he’d talk to the doctors about it. He had already done what he could for me and made clear of our arrangement, and yet I still find myself sulking.

Maybe I’m just bitter about it, not even at him, but with my fate. I hate this, and what makes me feel. I feel so lost, and I’m constantly stuck between my feelings for my mate and knowing better not to assume we’d have something more.

I wanted to stay and be with Alpha Solan, but can I really live like this? It’s only been a few weeks, and I was already close to losing my mind. The days blur out to the point that I couldn’t tell what day it was.

I shook my head, trying to snap awake, though I was perfectly conscious. I couldn’t afford to think like this, or I would really lose my mind. I had to focus on myself and how to adjust to this new life.

Somehow, I had to make it work. Like Alpha Solan said, I got to give him a chance to make it work.

A sudden knock on my door effectively pulled me out of my thoughts. Isabel entered after another knock, poking her head slightly inside. “Cleo, someone wanted to talk to you.”

My forehead crumpled for a second. I could always sense if Alpha Solan were near or around, surprisingly better than anyone, but I felt nothing. If he wasn’t the one who needed to talk to me, who could possibly be asking for me?

Despite my hesitation, I followed Isabel out. She led me towards the receiving area and found a familiar face I also hadn’t seen in a while.

“Theodore?” I called in confusion.

He gave a small smile after he saw me.

“Why do you want to talk to me?” I asked curiously.

“The Alpha King has requested your presence,” Theodore answered, not wasting time for small chitchats.

My heart skipped for a second. I was just thinking about him earlier, and now he suddenly wanted to talk to me. Would he finally say something? Maybe the doctors found something about my condition. What if he already changed his mind? What if he’s here to say that the arrangement is off and he’ll be breaking our bond?

A whimper in my mind cut my panicked thoughts. My wolf scolded me, insisting that we trust Alpha Solan.

“May I ask why?” I asked a second later.

Theodore slowly shook his head, “I would tell you if they did say something else, but I was just ordered to fetch you and bring you to the king’s place.”

“Of course,” I mumbled in realization and quickly nodded, “Just please give me a moment, and I’ll be with you.”

I rushed back to my room as soon as he permitted and changed into more appropriate clothing. My eyes landed on the mirror. Why am I even preparing like this?

We promptly left the house, and even my wolf felt so happy that we were able to finally leave the house.

“You look chipper,” Theodore commented, “I guess you’re excited to get out.”

I chuckled awkwardly, “I’m sorry. It felt like forever since I could get out. It feels nice to catch some fresh air outside.”

“Maybe you should tell that to the king.. It’s hard to be cooped up in a place like that with barely anyone around, but then again, I think the king is just trying to protect you.” He casually responded.

I looked at him, wondering if he was just saying it out of the responsibility to be respectful of Alpha Solan, but he seemed genuine in his remark.

“This is the Alpha King’s territory. This should be the safest place among the werewolf lands. What is there to protect? Especially for someone like me. I might be the king’s mate, but my existence is a secret to most people anyway.” I answered, genuinely curious at what he meant.

Theodore let out a small sigh. “I wish that were the case, but the situation is more complicated than you think. The queen isn’t just the queen because she was chosen by the council. She came from a very influential beta family, which was close second to the king’s lineage.” He leaned closer and whispered, “As you already know, she hates you, and the queen is known for her… ways. She gets what she wants, and she has eyes everywhere. She could get you assassinated and cover it up as an accident, especially if you don’t carry the alpha’s child yet.”

I felt terror crawling down my spine. Here I am complaining, not knowing that the thoughts running in my mind could potentially harm me.

“I am not defending the king’s decisions, but I hope you understand how complicated your situation was. There were a lot of things to consider. It’s a heavy burden on his hands. By all the issues the pack is facing, along with his personal problems, I honestly don’t know how he manages.”

“Thank you for telling me, Theodore. It means a lot. I have no idea about a lot of things.”

He simply smiled, “I sincerely hope it’d work for you, Cleo.”