Regret??
1381 Words
AVA'S POV
The silence after my refusal was so thick I could hear the slow drip of blood sliding off the dead man’s fingers and tapping against the marble. Adrian’s eyes—storm-gray one heartbeat, molten gold the next—never left mine.
“Is the child mine?” he repeated, each syllable colder than the last.
My throat worked, but the words came out thin. “It doesn’t matter if the child is yours. I plan to raise this baby on my own. You have no claim over me or—”
He moved faster than any human should. One second he was behind the desk, the next the barrel of the gun pressed lightly beneath my chin, tilting my face up so I had no choice but to meet his stare.
“Finish that sentence,” he murmured, voice velvet over razors, “and I’ll decide whether your defiance is charming or suicidal.”
The steel was warm from his grip; the scent of cordite and pine flooded my lungs. Behind him the corpse’s blank eyes seemed to watch, a silent warning.
I swallowed, felt the muzzle nudge my skin. “You can’t just threaten me with a gun and expect—”
“I don’t expect,” he cut in. “I command.” He lowered the weapon but stayed close enough that the heat rolling off him made my pulse trip. “Under pack law, any pup carrying Alpha blood belongs first to the pack. That means me. Deny it again and I’ll have the Council strip you of parental rights before the afterbirth cools.”
A tremor rattled through me. “I’m not part of your pack. I’m human. This baby is mine.”
Adrian’s laugh was low, humorless, echoing off the vaulted ceiling. “Human wombs have carried shifter heirs for centuries, little dove. The moment my seed took root you became mine under every law that matters.” He holstered the gun at last, but the threat lingered in the set of his shoulders. “If you run, trackers will find you. If you hide, I’ll burn every safe house in the state looking for you. And when they drag you back, the punishment for endangering an heir is public, bloody, and permanent.”
My knees wobbled; I locked them. “You’re threatening the mother of your child?”
“I’m educating her.” He circled me slowly, predatory, the click of his polished shoes marking each step. “You will remain under my protection until the pup is born—and longer, if I decide it.”
“And if I refuse?”
He stopped behind me, breath warm against my ear. “Then I’ll chain you to the bed myself. Don’t test me. I’ve executed men for less.”
The massive double doors swung open. A tall woman in a tailored black suit entered, tablet already glowing. She stepped over the body without a glance.
“Alpha, the jet’s fueled. The European Council is on the line about the territory dispute in Prague.”
Adrian didn’t look away from me. “Tell them the Blackwood heir takes precedence. They can wait until I’ve secured the bloodline. Also, send Dr. Hale to run a full prenatal panel on Miss Sinclair—hourly reports, no exceptions.”
“Understood.” She pivoted, but Adrian’s next words froze her mid-step.
“And Genevieve? If anyone breathes a word of this to the press, I’ll personally deliver their heart to the Council in a velvet box.”
Her nod was crisp; she vanished without another sound.
I stared at him, horror coiling tighter. “You’re insane.”
“I’m efficient.” He finally stepped back, giving me air. “You’ll have the east wing—three rooms, private garden, staff vetted by me. Attempt to leave and the guards have standing orders to sedate and return you. Any questions?”
My fists clenched until nails bit skin. “You can’t just—”
“I can. I will.” His voice softened, almost gentle, which somehow made the threat worse. “You’re carrying the future of this pack, Ava. I won’t risk either of you. Not even for your pride.”
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek. The touch was surprisingly tender, but I flinched anyway. His eyes flickered—something almost like regret—before the steel returned.
“Get some rest,” he murmured. “Tomorrow we announce the engagement.”
My blood turned to ice. “Engagement?”
Adrian’s smile was a blade. “Did you think I’d let my heir be born a bastard? The Council demands legitimacy. You’re mine now, Ava Sinclair. Get used to it.”
He flicked two fingers; the guards stepped forward. One clamped a firm hand around my elbow.
“Wait!” I dug my heels in. “You can’t just decide my life—”
Adrian’s gaze hardened. “I already have.”
The guard tugged; I stumbled, but another figure blocked the doorway—Dr. Hale, the same woman from the hospital, now in an expensive charcoal suit, medical bag in hand.
“Alpha, the portable scanner is ready. Shall I begin the exam here?”
Adrian’s eyes never left mine. “Do it. I want every heartbeat documented.”
Dr. Hale approached, voice low. “Miss Sinclair, this will only take a moment. Please lift your shirt.”
I backed up until my spine hit the edge of the desk. “I didn’t consent to any of this.”
Adrian’s tone dropped, lethal velvet. “Consent is a privilege, not a right, when the survival of an Alpha line is at stake. Lift the shirt or I’ll do it for you.”
Tears burned, but I refused to let them fall. Slowly, fingers trembling, I raised the hem. The cool gel made me shiver; the wand pressed, and a rhythmic whoosh filled the room—strong, fast, impossibly real.
Adrian’s entire posture changed. The ruthless mask slipped, revealing something raw and fierce. “That’s… my pup.”
Dr. Hale nodded. “Strong vitals. Eight weeks, one day. Would you like a recording, Alpha?”
“Send it to my private server. And increase perimeter patrols. If any rival pack so much as scents this pregnancy, I want their spies hanging from the eastern gate by dawn.”
The doctor packed up without another word. The guards resumed their grip.
I found my voice, raw but steady. “You’re going to regret this. I’m not some broodmare you can lock away.”
Adrian tilted his head, studying me as though I were a new, fascinating weapon. “Regret is a luxury I can’t afford. But if it eases your pride—” he leaned in, lips brushing the shell of my ear, “—I’ll let you choose the wedding colors.”
Fury, hot and reckless, surged through me. I slapped him. The c***k echoed like another gunshot.
For a heartbeat the world stopped.
Adrian’s head snapped sideways. When he straightened, a thin line of blood welled at the corner of his mouth. The guards sucked in a collective breath, waiting for the explosion.
Instead, Adrian smiled—slow, dark, terrifyingly pleased.
“First blood,” he murmured, wiping it away with his thumb. “I was wondering when the little human would show her claws.”
He caught my wrist before I could strike again, grip firm but not crushing. “That fire will serve our pup well. But challenge me again in front of the pack and I’ll be forced to remind everyone—especially you—who rules here.”
He released me, then addressed the guards. “Take her to the east wing. Post four wolves at every exit. If she so much as opens a window, tranquilize first, apologize later.”
They dragged me out. I twisted, catching one last glimpse of Adrian standing over the corpse, golden eyes glowing in the moonlight that spilled through tall windows.
Outside, the night wind carried the distant howl of wolves—long, triumphant, and utterly without mercy.
And deep in my bones I knew: my life, my freedom, my child—none of it was mine anymore.
- Writer
