Alpha's Pregnant Mate

9 - Confidential

He was standing in front of his bed with a steaming cup of tea in his hands. Absentmindedly, or was it fascination, he stared at the woman in his bed. The bed looked like they had wrestled in mud the night before. Dirt and watered-down blood smeared all over the sheets and in the midst of it: Lila.

Her brown hair was tangled and fanned out around her head. Her body was half-covered by the blanket. He didn't notice the tattoo on her shoulder the night before. Ironically enough, it was a pawprint. Maybe somewhere deep down, she knew that she belonged to a wolf. That her place was by his side even though they had never met before. He liked the thought of it.

It would explain why she spent the night with him instead of trying to fight him off and make a run for it. Maybe that's because of their bond. She doesn't understand it yet, but it's what draws her to him.

She was not what he expected. She was human for starters, and she was pregnant. By someone else. Human. He didn't quite know how to feel about that. He knew he would lose her at the snap of a finger if he told her to get rid of her baby. He wouldn't do that. He may not be human, but he's not that cruel. But her pregnancy would add to the mess they had to face once he announced her as his mate to his pack and the council. He had to eventually, but for now, they had a lot of other things to figure out and he had his duties as an alpha.

She would not appreciate it if he did that. Hell, he wasn't even sure it was safe to mark her right now. In her state, waiting nine months would be pure and utter torture. But he'd been through worse.

He buried his nose in her hair. His scent was all over her. It calmed him down. It soothed the ache in his chest and filled the hole in his heart with hopes and dreams.

"Don't go anywhere!" he whispered softly as he put her down and tugged her in, so she could stay warm. He would bring her fresh clothes and everything she needed once he came back later. But now, he had to go and make sure his pack was just as safe as his mate.

Juggling these two responsibilities at once would be challenging, but he was born for this. He was meant to have her as his mate, and he would find a way to make it work.

Ethan grabbed the keys to his truck and headed back to the compound. Halfway there, he spotted a dirty grey wolf in the rearview mirror: Cole. He smirked as he pushed down on the gas. The truck was no match for a wolf, yet every wolf enjoyed a good chase. If someone ran, a wolf would follow. It's in their nature.

Cole quickly caught up and, with a loud thud, jumped on the ramp and pressed his nose against the windshield.

"Gotcha!" his voice echoed through Ethan's head. "Where've you been and why are we doubling security?"

"You knew where I've been," Ethan answered. "The cabin."

"And wh... wohah!" Before Cole could ask more questions, Ethan made a hard right almost throwing the giant wolf off the car.

"That is not nice!"

"Get off, Cole!"

"And here I was thinking I could catch a ride. What kind of friend are you?" the wolf huffed, but jumped off and ran alongside the truck for the rest of the drive. When they got close to home, he broke into a sprint, leaving Ethan behind, only to greet him in his human form back at the pack residence.

"So?" Cole asked, rocking back and forth on his heels. "What happened?"

“In my office!”

“What’s that smell?” He leaned in closer to the alpha, sniffing him. “Did you have company out there? I thought it was your alone place. How come I wasn’t invited?”

“Cole!” Ethan lowered his voice and let out a warning growl, indicating that he was not in the mood for his friend’s cheekiness, not today. There was too much on his mind, and the further he removed himself from Lila, the more anxious he got. “My office! Now!”

Cole knew better than to argue. He knew something was up and it was time for him to act accordingly in his position.

The two men walked in silence through the busy pack residence. It was where Ethan spent most of his time. In a human village, it might resemble a town hall. It offered housing for a few pack members, offices, access to books, and the internet. Whatever someone needed to get in contact with the outside world, one would find it here.

The third floor was strictly reserved for high-ranking members of the pack. It was mostly empty during the day, just Ethan and occasionally Cole.

“So? What happened?” Cole asked once the door to Ethan’s office was closed behind him.

“This is confidential!” Ethan started just to make sure Cole wouldn’t run around town telling everybody what he was about to tell him. He needed someone to know, just in case something were to happen to him.

“Okay?” Cole sat down on the worn leather couch they pushed to the side of the office.

“I found her,” he started and ran a hand through his hair, exhaling audibly as he spoke.

“Found who?”

Ethan gave his beta a pointed look. He should know and not ask stupid, irrelevant questions. He watched the beta’s mouth curl into a smile. He knew. He was just teasing him. “Someone’s scent is all over you, and it is definitely female. I can put one and one together. Where is she? Why didn’t you bring her?”

“Because I can’t just bring her here. It’s complicated.”

“How so? She obviously let you get close enough to get her scent all over you. Is she from Jake's pack? Is that the problem? Is that why we doubled security?”

“No,” Ethan shook his head, “but we did run into Jake.”

“He set foot on our territory? Is he insane?”

“He did not. I set foot in his.”

“Are you insane?” Cole asked wide-eyed, “why? You knew he was looking for a reason to attack. What the hell, Ethan?”

A warning growl echoed through the room, putting his beta in his place. Ethan knew he made a mistake, but what choice did he have? He followed Lila. He would have lost her if he didn’t go.

“Why would you do that?” Cole asked again, his eyes cast to the floor in submission.

“Because my mate stumbled into his territory and I had to get her back before it was too late. She is-,” he hesitated, “-she’s human.”

“What?” Cole's eyes snapped up to meet Ethan's, “why?”

“Because those are the cards I have been dealt. I didn’t choose this. Her. You know that’s not how it works. She ran into his territory, he would have taken her and killed her eventually. What the hell was I supposed to do? Wait it out?”

“I don’t know,” Cole said hesitantly, “do you actually feel the bond? I mean, it’s different with humans, right?”

“I feel it!” he groaned and sat down behind his desk.

“And does she understand what is happening?”

“I doubt it,” he sighed, “all she knows so far is that people can change into wolves.”

“And she didn’t freak out?”

“No,” he shook his head, feeling a little proud of her bravery.

“Oh my god!” Cole chuckled, “you are smiling. You never smile! This is awesome. Finally, someone melted your icy heart.”

He chose to ignore that. He didn’t have much reason to smile in the past years. It’s what made him the kind of alpha he was. It made his pack stronger. Undefeated warriors. A well-oiled machine. He was proud of that, but would that change now that he found Lila? Would she turn into a weakness?

“So, did you put your mark on her or what?” Cole continued.

“No,” Ethan sighed, “she’s human. I have some explaining to do before I can do that. It’ll change everything for her. And I need to... make sure she’s safe before I do. But she is not the issue right now. Jake is.”

“Right. Jake. That disloyal beta c*unt. What do you want to do about him?”

“Set up a meeting with Alpha Raynold. Try to explain and hopefully, he still has enough power to keep his beta in check. If not, we will deal with it then. For now, I want everyone on high alert and prepared for the worst case.”