STARLETTE
“Pre-pre-pregnant?” My lips trembled with panic as I stared at Bella.
I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.
“You’re pregnant!” She repeated as she pulled away from me, her face glowing with happiness. “Alpha would be so pleased to hear this!”
“No.” I said quickly, shaking my head. My throat felt dry, and I swallowed to moisturize. I couldn’t fully grasp my emotions at that moment. I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t sad either. I was just… there, not knowing how to feel.
The smile on her face faded when she noticed my blank expression. “What happened?” She asked. “This is good news. You should be happy.”
I should. But the feelings that stirred within me were deeper than I could explain. I wasn’t only feeling like this because I was carrying Maximus’s child. But also because… I was having a baby!
“Please, don’t tell anyone yet. When I’m ready, I’ll tell him myself.” I pleaded, holding her hand. “I beg you.”
She sighed, then nodded. “I don’t know your reason, but I’ll do whatever you say. No matter what, I’ll never betray.”
My heart warmed at her words, knowing she meant them. I knew I could always trust her.
“Thank you so much, Bella.”
She nodded, a smile curling on her lips.
She suddenly got lost in a daze, and after a few seconds, she looked at me. “Alpha wants to know if you feel well.”
“Tell him I’m fine.”
She mind linked him again before turning back at me.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“He asked to meet you at the pack square.”
My brows narrowed. “Why? What’s happening there?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. He just said he’ll be waiting for you.”
I got off the bed and headed towards the pack square. I would have preferred to rest a little longer, but I couldn’t tell Maximus that. It would only prompt him to call for the pack doctor, and that wasn’t even an option for me right now. The doctor would discover I was pregnant, and there was no way I could convince him to keep such a secret from his Alpha.
When I arrived at the pack square, someone suddenly towered behind me, and I could almost feel the smile spreading across his lips.
“Why did you ask me to come here?” I asked, turning to face him.
“There’s somewhere I want to take you to.”
“Where?” I asked curiously.
“You’ll know when we get there.” He grinned.
He took my hand and started walking with me.
“How was the meeting with your Beta and Gamma?” I asked.
“It went well.”
“Was it about the invisibles?” I asked, and he nodded.
“Any news? Have you been able to trace them or know what they want?” I asked again.
“No clues yet. We’re still working hard to know who they are. Thankfully, there hasn’t been an attack since the last one.”
“Maybe they’re scared to come since you now know their secrets.”
“Maybe.”
Silence fell between us before he spoke again. “What type of relationship did you have with your father?”
I froze, his question catching me off guard. I had expected him to ask after witnessing the ill interaction between me and my father. But I hadn’t prepared myself for it.
I exhaled sharply, regaining my composure. “Good.” I replied with a simple lie.
I felt his gaze on me, but he didn’t push further. He looked away after a few seconds.
“You don’t want to talk about it.” He remarked. “That’s okay. I would wait until you’re ready to talk about it. But just know-” he turned to face me again, our eyes locking. “I would never treat you badly. I would protect you with everything I have, as long as I live.”
I nodded, knowing he meant his words. And that made me feel bad because I was about to embark on a journey that might strip him of his Alpha status. Once Lucius’s wolf was released, he would stand a chance to become the Alpha king. The throne was supposed to be his anyway but was given to Maximus due to circumstances. Once those circumstances were out of the way, Lucius might want to claim his rightful place.
Maximus had no idea what might befall him soon. I felt terribly guilty, but it wasn’t my intention to betray him when his only intention was to protect me. But I owed Lucius a debt, and I had to repay it.
“Starlette?” He called, pulling me out of my long string of thoughts.
I looked at him and forced a smile. “Sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“What were you thinking about?” He asked curiously.
“Nothing.” I slightly shook my head. “Nothing important.”
“Okay. We are here.” He said.
“What?” I asked before finally noticing the scene before me.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t realise that we had arrived at a beautiful garden that was adorned with beautiful flowers of various colors. In front of us was a picnic setup, with a variety of foods, snacks, and drinks arranged on a mat.
“Surprise!” He exclaimed, grinning happily as he gestured to the setup. “A little picnic date with you.”
A heavy sigh escaped me. A new form of guilt eating me up for hiding so much from him when all he had been doing was trying to make things right.
I placed my hand on my stomach, feeling even more guilty for hiding this pregnancy from him. But I couldn’t reveal it to him yet because it would have him keep an extra watch on me, thus hindering me from helping Lucius.
“What?” He quickly asked. “Your stomach hurts?”
A smile touched my lips as I shook my head. “No.”
This man cared about me, no doubts. But I still had my reservations. Perhaps because of the guilt eating me up, and definitely not because I still questioned his intentions. I trusted him now.
We sat on the mat, and for a moment, my worries drifted away as I savoured the delicious food. It was so good that I kept shoving them down my throat without giving myself a break. My mate surely knew how to make me happy.
“You know, the food is not running away.” He remarked.
I looked up at him, and a full-blown laughter suddenly erupted from me, his overshadowing mine.