Lena's Choice: Caught Between Two Alphas

Chapter 3: Bonds of Fate

Lena stumbled again from Damien, her lips tingling from their kiss. Her mind turned into a whirlwind of bewilderment and preference.

"Damien," she whispered, "what was that?"

His dark eyes bore into hers. "That, Lena, became the bond of real buddies."

Lena's heart skipped a beat. True pals? But how should that be? She became promised to Marcus.

Before she could reply, a spring snapped close by. They both turned to see Marcus standing at the brink of the clearing, his face a mask of hurt and betrayal.

"Marcus," Lena gasped. "I can explain for"

But Marcus held up a hand, silencing her. "Don't," he stated, his voice cold. "I see now what has been going on."

Damien advanced, putting himself slightly in front of Lena. "It's not what you suspect, Marcus. We only just found out"

"Realized what?" Marcus growled. "That you've been sneaking around in the back of my back?"

Lena felt tears welling up in her eyes. "No, Marcus. Please, permit me to explain."

But before she could say greater, a sharp ache shot through her abdomen. She doubled over, crying out.

Both Alphas rushed to her facet, their competition momentarily forgotten.

"Lena?" Damien's voice turned into a packed concern. "What's incorrect?"

Lena shook her head, unable to talk through the ache. Something was going on to his body, something she didn't apprehend.

As the pain subsided, she became aware of a brand new sensation. A flutter in her stomach, like butterflies... Or a heartbeat.

Her eyes widened with realization. "I... I think I'm pregnant."

The days that followed have been a blur of confusion and secrecy. Lena located herself caught between Marcus and Damien, her heart torn and her frame changing in ways she failed to understand.

She sat on the porch of Marcus's cabin, watching the moon upward push. The nighttime becomes quiet, but her thoughts become loud with unanswered questions.

Footsteps approached, and she turned to peer Marcus. His blue eyes were soft with the situation.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting beside her.

Lena controlled a small smile. "Better. Morning sickness isn't always as bad nowadays."

Marcus nodded, his face thoughtful. "Lena, about the baby..."

She tensed, looking ahead to the question she'd been dreading.

"Is it mine?" Marcus asked softly.

Lena's heart clenched. She desired to lie, to inform him. It could be simpler. But she couldn't.

"I... I don't know," she admitted. "It will be yours, or..."

"Or Damien's," Marcus finished for her.

Lena nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Marcus. I never meant for any of this to show up."

To her surprise, Marcus reached out and took her hand. "I understand, Lena. And I'm sorry too. I ought to have told you approximately the prophecy faster."

As they sat in companionable silence, Lena felt a shift in the air. She grew to see Damien rising from the forest, his dark eyes fixed on her.

Marcus stiffened beside her, however, didn't let go of her hand.

Damien approached slowly, his gaze flicking among Lena and Marcus. "We want to talk," he stated. "All folks."

As the three of them moved inside, Lena couldn't shake the sensation that everything changed.

The tension in the room became palpable as Lena, Marcus, and Damien sat around the kitchen desk. Outside, the moon forged long shadows throughout the ground.

"The prophecy," Damien began, his voice low. "It's no longer what you believe you studied."

Marcus leaned ahead, his eyes narrowing. "What do you imply?"

Damien took a deep breath. "The woman within the prophecy... She did not intend to pick between the two Alphas. She's meant to unite them."

Lena gasped. "Unite them? How?"

Damien's darkish eyes met hers. "By bearing an infant of both bloodlines."

The room fell silent as the implications of his words sank in. Lena's hand unconsciously went to her stomach, in which her child - perhaps youngsters - grew.

Marcus changed into the first to speak. "How long have you ever known this?"

Damien is regarded as down. "I suspected once I first saw Lena. But I failed to recognize the positive till..."

"Until we kissed," Lena finished softly.

Marcus stood all of a sudden, pacing the room. "This changes the entirety. The Elders, the packs..."

Lena felt overwhelmed. She changed into carrying a toddler - or children - that would unite two rival packs. It was regarded as impossible.

"What do we do now?" she requested, her voice small.

Damien and Marcus exchanged a glance. For the first time, there was no hostility between them.

"We defend you," Damien stated firmly. "And the child."

Marcus nodded in settlement. "Both packs will stand collectively. For you, Lena. And for the destiny of our type."

As the second Alphas commenced to devise, Lena sat returned, her mind reeling. She had come to them searching for help for her family. Now, she found herself in the middle of a prophecy that might trade the werewolf globally for all time.

Her hand rested on her belly, feeling the tiny flutter of existence inside. Whatever demanding situations lay in advance, she knew one element for sure: she could face them with each Marcus and Damien with the aid of her side.

As the night time wore on and plans were made, Lena felt a sense of peace settle over her. For the first time the reason that this all commenced, she felt like she changed into precisely where she was meant to be.

The future became unsure, however, she turned ready to face it. With her Alphas, her child, and the strength she by no means knew she had.