The Alpha King's Surrogate

Chapter 8: A Phone Call From The Past

Kyra's POV

The new suite was too quiet for me.

They moved me late in the afternoon with the few things I owned, which were mostly the plain clothes that Crestwood gave me and the small bag I had brought from Westwood. No one bothered to explain why the change was happening so fast, all they said was that the Alpha King wanted the woman carrying his heir to be somewhere more quiet with better security, which now walking there felt like an understatement.

The corridor outside had thick carpets and fewer doors. There were two guards who took positions at both ends of it and didn't look at me when I passed by. Inside, the rooms opened into each other, there was a sitting area with real comfortable chairs, a bedroom with a bed big enough for three people, and a bathroom that still made me stare like I’d never seen running hot water before.

I stood in the middle of the sitting room after the servants left and tried to decide whether I felt safer or more trapped, then a soft knock came and one of the palace women stepped in, she was middle-aged, wore neat gray dress, hair pinned back without a single strand loose. She introduced herself as Annie and said she would be assigned to the suite during daylight hours, while another woman, younger, would cover evenings.

Annie showed me where the call button was, how the window locks worked, and which hours meals would arrive.

“If you need anything, press the button twice,” she said. “Otherwise we will not disturb you.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

She left and the door clicked shut and the silence rushed back in.

I walked the rooms twice, touching the edges of furniture like I needed proof it was real. The sheets were clean so were the thick curtains. There was a small table near the window with a pitcher of water that didn’t smell like metal. Everything about the space said I was valuable now, valuable because of what I carried, not because of who I was.

I sat on the edge of the bed and pressed both palms to my stomach. It was still flat and still the only thing standing between Lianna and the life I’d left behind.

The phone on the side table rang and I stared at it. No one had mentioned personal calls, so the line was supposed to be restricted.

It rang again and this time I picked it up.

“Hello?” I said carefully.

"Well, well, well." A low, familiar laugh slid through the speaker and turned my blood cold. "How's my little clever omega doing?"

My fingers tightened around the receiver until the plastic creaked. “Liam.”

“Alpha Liam,” he corrected, his voice was smooth and pleased. “Or did Crestwood already teach you to forget your manners?”

“How did you get this number?” I asked, keeping my tone flat.

"I have my ways, Kyra, don't insult me by asking questions you already know I won't answer."He paused, and I could almost see the lazy smile he wore when he knew he had someone cornered. “Congratulations, by the way. I heard it was positive on the first try. I always knew that body of yours was good for something.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "What do you want?"

"What do I want." He chuckled. "I want what's owed to me, omega. You signed that contract behind my back, remember? You ran off and signed yourself away without asking permission and left me with a sudden shortage of useful omegas and a very unhappy Council of my own. But I’m a reasonable man, you know I can be patient.”

“The contract is under Crestwood authority." I kept my voice calm. "You can’t touch me here.”

“I don’t need to touch you.” His voice dropped, turning almost gentle. “I still have Lianna. Your sweet, quiet Lianna who flinches every time a door opens too fast.”

My free hand curled into a fist against my thigh. “Leave her alone.”

“Or what? You’ll come back and stop me?” He clicked his tongue. “You’re not coming back, Kyra not until that child is out of you and the gold is in your hands and even then… well. The debts have a way of growing while you’re gone, there's interest, penalties for unauthorized departure, then the cost of replacing the labor you used to provide.”

"The payment I'll get will cover everything," I stared at the far wall and forced my voice to stay steady. “You know it will.”

“It might cover the original amount, but I’ve decided the price for your sister’s continued safety has gone up. Every week you’re gone, the number climbs and if the pregnancy fails…” He let the sentence hang. “If something happens to that royal bastard you’re carrying, Lianna and I will have a great deal of time to getting to know each other. I’ve been patient with her so far, kept my hands mostly to myself, out of respect for you, really. But my patience has limits.”

“I just got here,” I said carefully. “They won’t release funds until about fifteen weeks, even if you threatening me, it doesn’t change that.”

“I’m not threatening you, Kyra. I’m explaining the reality.” His tone turned almost casual. “You got out and she didn’t. Every day you sit in those pretty new rooms, eating their food and sleeping in their clean sheets, she is still here, wearing the same thin dresses, walking the same halls I walk and every time I pass her, I remember exactly how you used to look when you thought you could keep me away from her. It makes me nostalgic.”

My throat tightened. I swallowed once, then twice.

“If anything happens to her before the contract is complete, you get nothing." I said through my closed teeth. "I’ll make sure of it and Crestwood will hear every detail.”

"Ahh, you're still trying to protect people with words." He laughed again. " I always liked that about you. It never worked, but it was entertaining.”

A soft rustle on his end, like he was settling deeper into a chair.

“So here’s what you’re going to do." His voice dropped low. "You’re going to stay healthy and carry that child, then when the money comes, you’re going to remember that Lianna’s price is no longer the original debt. It’s whatever I decide it is that day. If you try to take her and run without paying the new total, I’ll find you both and I won’t be in a nostalgic mood next time.”

I pressed my free hand flat against my stomach. I felt nothing yet, no flutter, no proof,but the reminder was enough. It needed alive long enough to buy her freedom.

“I understand,” my voice was low.

“Good girl.” He said slowly. “I’ll be checking in, don’t make me wait too long between calls, and Kyra?”

“What?” my voice cracked.

“Sleep well in your new bed." He said. "Think of your sister when you do.”

The line went dead. I set the receiver down carefully, like any sudden movement might shatter something, then I sat there staring at nothing while the room tilted.

The panic finally cracked through the careful wall I’d built during the call. My breath went short and sharp. I folded forward on the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around my middle, and tried to remember how to inhale without shaking apart, hot tears burned in my eyes, but I didn't make a sound. I just sat there and let the fear run through me until my shoulders ached from holding it in.

A soft knock sounded at the door and I quickly wiped my face hard with the palm of my hands, straightened my spine.

“Yes?” my voice cracked slightly.

“The King sent me,” he said from the door. “I’m here to make sure the new suite is secure.”