The Plus-Size Surrogate's Royal Triplets

MIRA'S POINT OF VIEW The room still smelled like him, a heavy mix of cedarwood and dark chocolate. I opened my eyes as the bright morning sun hit the bed. The silk sheets felt incredibly soft, but my body just felt sore and exhausted. I looked over to the other side of the king-sized bed. It was empty. Alpha King Julian was already gone. I pulled the blankets tight against my chest and took a shaky breath. This had been my life for months now. Every night, guards brought me to his room, and I stayed until morning. Yet, I still wasn't pregnant. I was still waiting for a positive test result, stuck in this house while my mother's life hung by a thread. This wasn't a romance. It was a business deal. My mind went back to the hospital room where my mother lay on life support. The bills were piling up, and the doctors told me she would die if I didn't pay them immediately. When the King's handlers offered me a contract to be Julian's surrogate, I signed it without a second thought. They paid for her care, and I had to give them a royal heir. But with every month that passed without a baby, I felt more and more trapped. "I did what I had to do for Mom" I told myself. I got up and looked in the mirror. My reflection showed a plus-size woman with heavy curves, messy hair, and dark circles under her eyes. I didn't look like anyone important. I just looked like someone trying to survive. I quickly put on my simple, cheap clothes. I needed to find the royal doctor and find out if we finally had good news today. But the moment I stepped into the hallway, the quiet shattered. "Look what just crawled out of the King's bed," a sharp voice mocked. I stopped. Two women stood by the pillars with their arms crossed. I knew them from palace rumors: Laura, a pack elder's daughter, and Megan, a wealthy socialite. Both were tall, thin, and wore expensive gowns. Megan laughed out loud, looking me up and down. "The handlers must be crazy. A fat woman like her? She looks like a maid. It's embarrassing that she's trying to carry the royal bloodline." Laura stepped closer, sneering. "Look at those hips, Megan. I feel sick knowing the Alpha King actually had to touch that. She's an eyesore. Just a heavy peasant taking a spot meant for someone noble." The insults hit me hard, bringing back every bad memory from my childhood. For a second, I wanted to hide. But then I remembered my mother's pale face in the hospital. I forced myself to stand up straight, looked Laura right in the eyes, and kept my voice steady. "If I'm so terrible and ugly," I said, loud enough for the hallway to echo, "then why did the Alpha King choose me? He could have picked any of the thin, noble women here. Why don't you go ask your King why he preferred my body over yours?" Megan gasped, her face turning bright red. Laura's eyes went dark. She stepped into my space, trying to scare me. "You arrogant little charity case," she hissed. "Don't get ahead of yourself." "Julian only picked you because you're a nobody," Megan added with a mean smile. "An Alpha King could never actually care about someone like you. You're just a safe, disposable option." Laura laughed. "Exactly. Everyone here knows the truth. Julian loves Eva. She's his childhood sweetheart, his first love, and the only woman he will ever care about. Eva's been gone for a year now, but the guards are still searching for her. The kingdom needs an heir first, so he chose a heavy, nameless girl like you to fill the gap because you don't matter. The moment Eva returns, you'll be dumped without a second thought. You mean nothing to him." Hearing the name Eva made my stomach drop. A cold wave of panic hit my chest. I knew this was just a job, but hearing that the man who held me so tightly a few hours ago belonged to someone else hurt more than I expected. Seeing me hesitate, Megan pushed harder. "Look at your cheap clothes. You're just a gold-digger who sold her body because your family is broke. You care about the money, nothing else." "She's right," Laura sneered, tossing her hair. "You played the victim, and you let your mother use you. She's just another money-hungry leech. She raised a shameless gold-digger because she's greedy and desperate." The moment she talked about my mother, my blood ran cold. I could take the insults about my weight. I could handle them calling me a peasant. But dragging my dying mother into this, the woman who sacrificed everything for me, crossed a line. A sudden, hot rage took over. I forgot about being quiet. I forgot about being careful. Before Laura could even blink, I stepped forward. Smack! My hand hit Laura's face hard. The force of my slap sent her stumbling back against the wall. She clutched her red, stinging cheek, staring at me in absolute shock. I stood my ground, my chest heaving. I stared at both of them and kept my voice dangerously low. "If it were just me, I could let it pass," I warned, my words sharp. "But involving my mother is something I will never let pass!" "You fat b***h!" Laura screamed, completely losing her upper-class manners. Furious and humiliated, she lunged at me with her nails out. Megan jumped in too, grabbing me from the side. "How dare you touch her!" I raised my arms to block Laura's hands, but the marble floor was slippery, and my body was already tired. As I tried to push Laura away, Megan pulled my shoulder from behind, throwing me off balance. I couldn't fight off two noble wolves at the same time. My feet slipped, and I hit the hard floor with a loud thud. Pain shot through my side and knees. Laura stood over me, looking unhinged. She raised her hand to hit me while I was down. "I'll teach you your place, you worthless..." Suddenly, the air in the hallway turned freezing cold. A heavy, terrifying pressure slammed into the room. The thick scent of dark cedar and burning ash filled the hall, so intense I could barely breathe. Laura and Megan instantly froze. Their faces turned completely pale, and their legs began to shake. Heavy, angry footsteps walked toward us. I looked up through my hair. Julian was walking down the hall, his massive frame radiating pure danger. His dark hair was messy, but his eyes were what terrified everyone. His normal blue eyes had turned completely red. His wolf was in control. He looked at me bruised on the floor, and the veins on his neck bulged with fury. Julian stepped right between the women and me, his huge shadow blocking the light. The walls seemed to shake as he bared his fangs, his voice booming like thunder: "Touch her again and you die."