The Alpha’s Claim

Sloane… I stared at my reflection in the mirror, feeling a cold grip of dread settle in my stomach. My hand traveled to my abdomen, trembling as the truth sank in. I was pregnant. The nausea that had plagued me for days finally made sense. But the realization didn’t bring relief. Instead, it created a path for fear to thrive even more in my heart. I was supposed to be happy knowing about my pregnancy. I mean that’s every woman’s joy when she has been with her mate for almost six years. Once, I might have dreamed of a family. A child of my own. But this? A child with Rowan? This was only a nightmare. I shut my eyes, struggling with my breath which was coming out heavily. My heart felt like it was squeezed in a tight corner and getting drained. Rowan’s iron-fisted rule was enough of a prison over me. And now this? This felt like my heart shredding into pieces. That’s if there was as a heart left. For five and a half years, I’ve served under my mate. He had this crazy deal with my father right before my father was killed. With his death and that of my family, I became the most wanted Decker bloodline. Everyone wanted to know what the blood of a child of a villain legacy would taste like. I had my sister, Eve by my side all the while we wandered the woods to survive. She was the only sibling who showed me care. The rest…let’s just say they saw me as a non-beneficial family member. That care was taken away from me after she got kidn*pped right before my eyes. The hooded men with a golden breast ring and lightening symbol—an image that could never escape my memory. Rowan found me a few days later, took me in and made me repay all the evil my family had caused the werewolf realm. A price I was still paying up till now. And maybe, just maybe, this was the moon goddesses way of making me pay for their sins too. Putting a child of Rowan inside me. The thought of telling him twisted my stomach. Would he be pleased? Indifferent? Or would he see it as me bringing another villain into the world? I shivered, the memory of his punishments still crystal clear in my head. Maybe telling him wasn’t the best option. I heard his footsteps approaching the room and quickly stepped away from the mirror. I braced myself as he entered, casting a cold glance at me. His gaze lingered on me for a few seconds before he broke the silence. “Are you still feeling unwell?” He asked, shutting the door and advancing to his wardrobe. “I…I’m fine,” I stuttered, locking my fingers to prevent them from trembling in a manner that would make him notice. “Good,” he said, taking off his shirt and briefs. He turned to me, gesturing to the bed. I didn’t need to be told what was next. It was kind of…a ritual. Three times in a week, I was to satisfy my mate. That was the first duty. The second, was to always denounce my family name before we get down to bed and after we did. It was a ritual I was tired of. And now felt like the best time to tell him I was carrying ‘baby villain’ in my womb. “Take them off,” he muttered, closing the gap between us. I shuddered as his breath fanned against my skin. With one gentle pull on both shoulders, my gown dropped to the floor. “The words,” he whispered in my ear. I shut my eyes, letting my tears stream down. These were words I had spoken every week over the past five years, yet I could still feel it piercing the deepest part of my heart. “I denounce the name of the villains. I denounce the name of the…the monsters. I denounce the Deckers,” I said like a written poem. He sighed in relief, withdrawing a little from my ear and moving to my face. “Good girl,” he breathed and pushed me to the bed. ******** I walked into the clinic the following morning, my heart pounding in my chest as I waited for the doctor to return with the test result. I needed to know if my baby was still in place. My baby… I scoffed at the thought of it. Another human to go through this misery with me. The doctors voice was gentle as she explained the test result to me. “There are a few bruises around your private part. Whatever happened last night wasn’t enough to cause any damage to your child. The baby is safe, and healthy,” she said. A sense of relief coursed through my veins. With this news, I knew I had to keep my child safe. At all cost. Even if it means telling Rowan so he would be cautious around me. I nodded, barely able to breath. “Thank you, doctor,” I replied and came down from the bed. “Luna,” the doctor called, halting me right before I got to the door. “I think you should inform alpha Rowan. You never can tell how this might change everything,” she said. I smiled, made a nod and left. Maybe she was right. I never can tell how this news would change everything. All I feared was that it might drive towards a negative path. It was times like this that I missed Eve the more. No day passed without harboring a thought about her. She became my mother, my father, my family, my best friend, my world. I would stop at nothing to find her. All I needed was the freedom to do it. Rowan never listened whenever I brought up the topic of finding her. The only time he responded, he told me she was dead, and I was wasting my time. “Sloane,” a familiar feminine voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. I halted in my tracks, waiting for her to cover the gap between us. She walked to my front, a smile growing on her face. “Tyra, what do you want?” I asked, burying my face to the ground. My mates’ mistress was the least of my problems right now. “Everything alright? You look…pale,” she asked with a look of concern. “I am fine, Tyra, thank you for caring,” I blurted and made a move to leave. Her hand shot out and gripped my arm with an overwhelming strength. “You know it’s important to check up on yourself these days. Especially when unexpected things happen,” she said, pulling a stare from me. I forced a smile, keeping it steady until she let go of my hand. “You should come by the main hall tonight. We’re having a meeting with of the alphas,” she said. “Rowan made it clear that he doesn’t want me…” “He changed his mind. Go get ready, Sloane. We’ve made something special for our guests. Something…entertaining,” she smiled, biting her lower lip and gesturing me to move. I swallowed, feeling trapped. Refusing would only arouse suspicion, and I couldn’t afford that now. I nodded, turning and walking down the path to the chambers. To my surprise, when I got there, my room was filled with servants, ready to prep me for the night. Maybe after all, Rowan had changed his mind. *******