Alpha Mendoza

Chapter 4

Alessia:

The pack clinic always smelled of mint and antiseptic, but today it reeked of dread.

I sat on the cold examination bed, fingers twisting the hem of my shirt while the medic frowned at the test results. She checked them again. And again.

“Well, at least we now understand why you can’t seem to heal the Alpha.” She said, coldly.

“I don’t understand? I’ve never had issues with that before. Whether or not he knew about it.” I said, looking down at my feet as my heart raced.

She went quiet, and it was at that moment that her silence was worse than any scolding.

When she finally turned to me, her eyes were wide with something between disbelief and pity. “Alessia… you’re pregnant. I should have understood the second that you chose not to heal…”

The world tilted.

My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Sage whispered, stunned, Alpha blood… our pup has Alpha blood… our pup is our mate’s child.

I clutched the edge of the table. “No. There must be a mistake. I… Lucien and I haven’t…”

The medic shook her head. “This child… its energy signature is strong. Stronger than any normal fetus. This is Alpha lineage. A strong one too.”

Alpha lineage.

Alexander.

Told you so. Sage said calmly. Though, I didn’t need her to confirm anyway. I just didn’t want to admit it.

My pulse stuttered violently. Horror crawled up my spine.

Not only was I pregnant with the enemy’s child… but this meant…

“Your healing blood,” the medic said quietly. “It’s already changing. You can’t use the Blood Buff anymore. Not while carrying Alpha life. Your body needs all the power it can save to heal you and to keep the baby healthy. Your wolf would be protecting the pup.”

Before I could breathe, the door crashed open.

Lucien stumbled in, supported by two warriors. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, staining his pristine shirt.

“Lucien!” I rushed toward him, panic spiking. “What happened…? You are bleeding!”

He swayed dramatically. “I…I pushed too hard during training… I… couldn’t stop the bleeding… it should stop eventually, but now I believe that I am going to need to take a seat.”

He collapsed onto the hospital bed, hand pressed to his chest. I reached for him, but his father shoved me aside with a scowl.

“Look at what you’ve done!” Alpha Garren roared. “Did you think that I didn’t understand the second that your blood did not heal my son that you were playing games?”

“I am not playing anything.”

My stepfather stormed in behind him, face twisted with fury. “Oh, do not play the game of fools. This is your fault, Alessia! Your pregnancy ruined your bloodline strength! You can’t heal Lucien anymore! The man who is to be your husband is going to die because of you.”

I froze, nails digging into my palms.

Pregnancy.

Bloodline.

Lucien dying.

“My… pregnancy?” I whispered. “I didn’t know…”

Lucien looked up at me with hollow, trembling eyes. “Don’t blame yourself. If the child matters more to you than my life, I understand. I will be happy knowing that you’ve made the right choice by following your heart.”

A crack split open inside my chest.

“No! That’s not… Lucien, I…”

He gave a weak, pitiful smile. “As long as you choose happiness… I don’t mind dying. Just… tell me you’ll remember me. Tell me that you are going to tell the baby all about me.”

He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath, his entire body trembling like he was moments away from death.

Sage growled sharply. He is faking. His heart is steady. He’s manipulating you. The blood that he has is one of training, a normal bleeding of training. He is trying to guilt charge you.

“What am I to do?” I asked her, knowing well that one wrong word could break everything. “He is dying because of me.”

He is not!

But there he was, my childhood friend, the boy I was supposed to marry, bleeding for me.

Because of me.

Alpha Garren slammed a chart onto the counter.

“There is one way to fix this,” he spat. “One way to restore her blood so it can heal my son. And you are going to do it whether or not you like it.”

“Alpha…”

My stepfather nodded, eyes burning with cold greed. “Only by aborting the bastard can her blood cleanse itself. Once the foreign Alpha blood is gone, her healing will return. All can be forgiven after that. If you truly feel guilt for what you’ve done, for the game that you chose to play.”

The word bastard hit me like a blade.

“Alessia,” Alpha Garren thundered, “your loyalty is being tested. Choose the pack. Choose your future Luna position. Choose Lucien. Otherwise, we will all know you for the treason of blood. The treason for your kind. And the treason for everything that was offered to you.”

“Choose your duty,” my stepfather sneered. “Unless you want Lucien to die for your mistake. And I believe that you are no fool. You were raised for a role, do not lose it because you are choosing a mistake that would be neglected by the father. And if you think that carrying his heir would save you… then you are very wrong. He would kill the two of you. This, however, is going to save you the shame.”

My vision blurred with tears.

I could barely breathe.

Lucien opened his eyes just enough to whisper, “Don’t cry… it hurts more if you cry… please, Alessia… do not cry. ”

My knees buckled.

I stumbled forward and slid down to the floor, my hand instinctively covering my stomach.

And then I felt it.

A faint… flutter.

A heartbeat.

Fragile, tiny, but alive.

My tears fell freely.

“This is my child,” I choked. “My baby… you are asking me to kill my child.”

“Your shame,” Alpha Garren snapped. “The thing you are carrying is going to carry shame with it as you go. And had my son not seen you differently, not claimed to still want you, you would have been long dead.”

“This is a baby, an innocent soul.” I tried to reason despite the tears that fell from my eyes.

“A mistake,” my stepfather hissed.

“A death sentence for me,” Lucien gasped dramatically.

I curled protectively around my stomach.

Sage whispered, fierce and desperate,

Don’t let them touch our pup. Not for guilt. Not for them. Not for anyone.

I squeezed my eyes shut, sobbing.

“I don’t know what to do…”

“Give her the pill.” Alpha Garren said, not bothering to care. “It is the safest option to ensure she can have others.”

“Alpha…”

“Be thankful for this incident.” He said, stopping me as he kept his eyes on the healer. “To say the least, we know you’re fertile. You would be leading my son on in vain…”

He turned to the door before looking at me over his shoulder. “I expect to hear of the ending of this abomination before nightfall…”