Alpha Luciano’s POV.
Since my parents’ death, I have never been more scared in my entire life.
Arabella was still unconscious, her body hooked to an IV. I let my hand drift to her belly. My child. I was going to become a father.
My hand trembled and I was surprised to feel my eyes water. Since that day, I had never cried. I wasn’t weak, I was strong, I was fury, I was rage made flesh, and I was going to be a father within a span of months.
I swore the doctor to secrecy but the news would eventually spread because a pregnancy couldn’t be hidden for long.
Uncle Tommaso and I had spoken about it. About how I needed an heir and soon. In theory, it was pretty clinical and straightforward. Fuck around, get an heir and move on with my life having satisfied the demands of the pack.
But seeing Arabella’s dark hair strewn over the pillow, her eyes shut and her lips drawn into a pout, and my child growing inside her, I felt something thaw within me.
I felt guilty. Guilty for all I had done to her. The last time we’d fucked was after the shed when I had taken her in the woods after seeing her at the school. Since that day, I had done a lot to her.
The doctor’s examination had been too early to detect that she was already pregnant, nearly killing her for betraying me, torturing her to find out about the drugs. Fuck.
For someone who had such a strong moral compass about women and children, I had almost killed my pregnant mate. Fuck. I wanted to apologise to her and the child. Was this how I would end up turning into a simp?
Initially, I had wanted a child but after many trials, I had accepted that it might never happen. Besides, children were loud, noisy and extremely messy. But now realising that it was going to happen was mind blowing. Now that I was about to become a father, I was fairly certain my child would not be like that, they would be well-behaved and dominant like their father.
My parents loved me and raised me to the best of their abilities. Would they be ashamed of the kind of man I had become? I had no idea but if I could be half the parent to my child that my parents had been to me I would consider my entire life a success.
I wanted my child to have the best life and the most secure environment. When they came, they would have nothing to lack for. And Arabella. I wasn’t going to touch her. She would be a good mother to my child, she had done so well with the children at the pack. I would be terrible at this parenting business, I already knew it, so she would take care of that.
Vitalio had to die but Arabella and my child would stay safe. I grabbed Arabella’s hand and did something I never thought I would ever do. I kissed the back of her hand then her palm.
“Thank you. Thank you, Arabella.”
******
Emery’s POV
Tears streamed down my face as I lost control of myself. No, it couldn’t be true. My pain turned to anger as I flung my table into the wall making it shatter into pieces with flints of wood everywhere.
I ripped off the sexy lingerie I had worn for Luciano. After leaving that bitch, after hearing her say that Luciano would never love me, I needed to console myself to tell myself that it was going to be alright and that the bitch was wrong.
So I soaked and washed up putting on makeup and a new set of lingerie guaranteed to make Luciano lose his mind. I put on a robe over it. I would go to his room and wait inside for him if he wasn’t in then we would fuck until I forgot all about Arabella’s words. I had started a new round of fertility pills and I was more than hopeful that today would be the day I took in.
Only when I reached his room, he was inside with Arabella and a doctor. Intrigued about why Arabella would need a doctor, I eavesdropped hoping Luciano had gone overboard while interrogating her. It was then I found out about the pregnancy.
How was that even possible? She hadn’t been here for up to three months, how could she be pregnant for him already without the use of medications or any other assistance?
I had told her that she would die alone but if she were to bear Alpha Luciano’s heir even Elder Tommaso would approve of her.
If only I had noticed before Luciano, I would have drugged her food and water so that she would lose the child. But now it was too late. Luciano knew about it now and nothing would be able to stop him from keeping both Arabella and his unborn child under lock and key until her delivery date.
The taste of defeat was heavy in my mouth. It tasted bitter and unfamiliar.
Should I have left Luciano like the other harem women? Should I have given up on a dream that had spanned years and taken my all to come this far? Should I give up on Luciano?
No. My resolve solidified. I would not give up. I would never give Luciano up. Only one person needed to leave and that was Arabella. Unborn child or not.
********”
Alpha Luciano’s POV
If Mikah hadn’t insisted that the meeting was important, I wouldn’t have left Arabella. Even now I wanted to go to her to ensure I would be there when she woke up. But I had been forced to call Margaret to take over in my stead.
“Luciano, why are you in such a state? You look anxious and have tapped that table at least ten times. Is it because of the Creoles? They haven’t made any moves yet. We can still give them Arabella if you are so worried. I heard you took her out of the dungeons, rather than torture her to death.”
“Arabella is pregnant for me.” The words came out of my mouth freely and Uncle Tommaso looked so shocked for me that he froze staring at me in shock.
“Truly?” Uncle Tommaso’s voice was a whisper. He looked even more delighted than I was.
“Yes. I just found out. I hope that is the last I will hear about giving her away. ”
I said cocking my eyebrows. in askance.
“Of course. This is marvellous. For once the girl can be of use instead of a liability. The pack will be overjoyed–”
“No. This information will not leave this office. Until we have the Creoles under control. My child will not be put in unnecessary danger. If anyone comes to know about this then I would know for certain that you told them and I will not spare either you or the person.” I was surprised to hear my voice go guttural, my wolf a breath away.
Uncle Tommaso knew better than to argue with me when I was in this mood so he merely bowed in acquiescence.
The knock came a few moments later and I ordered Mikah to enter.
He walked in.
“So? What happened? What was so important that you dropped such an urgent message?”
I questioned.
Mikah bowed. “Alpha, it is about Vitalio. He has begun to get funds to restart his business.”
“What? How is that possible? We destroyed all his means of income.”
Why was it that whenever I had a moment of peace, several problems arose to offset the balance.
“Vitalio has begun human trafficking. With the rate at which he is going, he will recover from his losses in no time.”
My face twisted with disgust. Anytime I felt the worm couldn’t go any lower, he went ahead to surprise me.
But as I thought of it, a plan unfolded in my head. If I could play it that way then, Vitalio would be more than fucked over, he would be finished in the crime syndicate.
“It would seem Vitalio has given us the means with which to trap him. Here is what you will do Mikah…”
It would seem the softness I felt towards Arabella and my child had not extended towards Vitalio because now I felt even more pressed to finish all my conflicts with him before my child was born.