Alpha's Pregnant Mate

11 - His Secret Mistress

She was holding his gaze, unmoving and unwilling to submit to him. At the same time, he could hear her heart beating fast and hard, but it wasn’t fear. He knew better than that. Threatening her might not be the smartest way to handle the situation. He knew she had been through a lot, having run away from an abusive boyfriend, and he wasn’t acting like the man he should be with her.

He sighed and relaxed his shoulders, submitting to her, which was new to him and not in his nature. But he considered her to be his equal. As his mate, she held all the power, even though she didn’t know it yet.

“I don’t know what you expect me to do,” she said, but then she lifted her hand and brushed a dark curl off his forehead, “my whole world is turning upside down, and I don’t think there’s a proper way to react. What does your council have to do with us? With this thing between us?”

“We have laws too,” he explained, “for several reasons. We try to stay hidden from humans, prevent war between species, and prevent war within species.”

“Like with Jake? That was his name, right?”

“Yes,” he nodded, “he’s just a beta, but he’s slowly taking over the pack and he’s not the friendly kind. He wants more territory. We are the only thing standing between him and one of the largest packs in this area. And humans,” he added with a serious expression.

“He called me a plaything,” she frowned, trying to piece it together, “why do you hate humans?”

“I don’t hate them! Don’t mistake me for him! But we are all wary of you. Nothing good ever came from exposing ourselves to humans. Witches were burned and-”

“Witches? They're real too?”

“Yes,” he nodded, “but we mostly stay out of each other's hair.”

“Ethan?” she whispered, and by the way her hands shielded her flat belly, he knew what she was asking. She understood that their relationship would be complicated, and a human pup wouldn’t make it any easier.

“I need to know about its father!” he said, finally leaning back to give her some space. Or maybe that was just him, bracing himself for what she was about to say.

“Why?”

“Because I need to know if he’ll come looking for you. I can’t get his name, so I'll know who I am going to kill!”

“Have you ever killed someone?”

“Yes!” he answered without hesitation, and it did not surprise her at all.

“A human?”

“Yes. He was part of the Holy Brotherhood. Hunters, if you will. The few humans who knew about us decided to hunt us down. And it all started with a human mate.”

“Of course it did,” she sighed, “do I even stand a chance?” she continued, “because if your people hate me so much, I probably shouldn’t-,”

“Don’t!” he interrupted her, “they will. I just need time to prepare them. That’s all. Do you think you can do that? Be patient?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at his plea. “Am I your secret mistress then?”

“No,” he stepped closer again, unable to stay away. “You will be everything!” His large hands cupped her cheeks. “Tell me about your ex, Lila! You didn’t plan to have this baby, did you?”

“No,” she shook her head, shame flickering across her features. “He got home drunk that night. He was either violent or horny when he drank. That night he was both.”

“He r*aped you?” His voice shook with violent anger. She knew that if Buck ever made the mistake of setting foot in these woods, he would never leave them alive.

“I… I don’t know,” how was she supposed to answer that? Did he have her consent? Not really! Did she have much of a choice? Not really!

“Did you want to have s*ex with him or not?”

“No,” her voice was merely a whisper now as his fist collided with the dinner table, wood splintering under the impact.

“What is his name?” he growled through gritted teeth.

“Buck,” she said. “Buck Harper.”

Her heart pounded ferociously as she watched Ethan struggle to control his rage. Instinctively, she reached for him, his golden eyes glowing.

“He can’t hurt me anymore,” she told him with a strong, soft voice. She didn’t feel as calm as she sounded, but she could see the effect her words had on him. His fury subsided, slowly but surely. So she took a step closer and wrapped her arms around him, offering her warmth to him.

Offering something he wasn't used to. Comfort. Ethan had grown up without any of that. The only people he had were his sister and Cole. They had never been taught to love, yet they somehow stuck together until his sister decided to join the people who hurt them. She said she wanted to make a difference and fight the disease from the inside, but she couldn't. She just became part of it.

He had never had anyone to lean on, to seek comfort from, but as Lila generously held onto him, he felt a strange kind of loss. Of all the things he never had. All the things he didn’t know he wanted.

So he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled everything - the childhood dreams and sunshine she offered him. As he did, a muffled giggle came from the woman in his arms.

“Can you smell me? Like dogs can smell stuff from miles away? Is that how you found me?”

“Yes,” he answered, refusing to let her go.

“I bet I stank!”

He chuckled, and she pushed back to look at him. “What do I smell like?” she asked curiously.

“Like everything I’ve ever wanted!” he answered, and she smiled at him - a perfectly heartwarming smile meant just for him.

“That sounds messy,” she touched his chest and patted it absentmindedly, “what are we going to do now?” she asked with a heavy sigh.

“We wait!”

“You want to hide me out here for nine months, and then what?”

He didn’t like the sad look in her eyes, as if she expected rejection from him because she carried another man's child. It wasn't ideal, but he understood that this baby was part of her as much as she was part of him.

“If I claim you, I will claim this child as well,” he told her, “you are mine, Lila! There is no other way!”

“Then don’t leave me out here by myself!” she sighed, “I understand this situation is tricky for you, and I know it’ll take a little more time, but I will lose my mind out here!”

“I thought you liked the quiet?”

“I do, but I also don’t want to feel like I am a burden - something you have to hide from your friends and family. I’ve been there, Ethan, and I don’t plan on going back to that same lonely place again.”

“You don’t have to,” he replied, not wanting her to hide forever. However, he also didn’t want to expose her to any hostility from his pack members. He wasn’t sure if that was a much better place for her, but at least she would be close, and he could make sure she was safe.

“Right now there is only one person who knows about you. He’s the only person I trust!”

“You have a whole pack and you don’t trust them? Is that normal?”

He wasn’t sure if it was normal or not, as he grew up in a different world, far away from here, detached from any laws or moralities. He grew up at the High Court, where they didn’t trust anyone, and neither did he. That’s the way he was raised.

“Why?” she asked, watching him closely, and even though she was just human, he could tell that she was able to detect his hesitation.

“Because I wasn’t raised to trust anyone,” he answered her question. “I was raised to be a warrior and a leader, and nothing else.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Is that who you are?” She had a hard time seeing the man he was describing to her. She’d say he had a tough exterior but a soft core. He read classic novels and drank tea. He wasn’t an ice-cold warrior. She refused to believe that.

“I am!”

She couldn’t help but smile at his stubborn answer. She reached up and caressed his stubbly cheek. “I think you are more than just that. Maybe you don’t know it yet.”

“Are you sure about that?” His eyes flashed with a promise of danger, but she didn’t flinch. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. “What was it Jake called you? Plaything?”

“Oh, I’m down to play, wolf boy!” she laughed and shoved him playfully. Of course, he didn’t budge. He was too big, too strong, a mountain of a man, and he was looking at her like he was about to devour her. Her pulse quickened at his heated gaze, making her squirm and shift her weight from one foot to the other.

“Did you just call me a boy?”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded, biting her lip. “What are you going to do about it?”