Chapter 1 - Alexander

Two Years Ago

“I think it’s time you give me a commitment.” Lia pouted as she shut my office door.

“Lia, we’ve been over this. We are casual. This is casual sex. I will only commit to my mate.” I reminded her as I shook my head.

“I know, but it’s different now. I’m not like those other girls. And we may not be mates, but I love you, and sometimes taking a chosen mate makes sense.” Lia smiled softly as she moved around my desk and pushed my chair back.

“What makes you think you are any different? And while I was born at night, it wasn’t last night. You don’t love me. You love sex and that I’m a Beta.” I scoffed.

Lia’s smile faltered for a moment, but she remained undeterred. She hopped onto my desk, tight-ass drinking by paperwork. Not the first time she’s been on my desk. Not the first time she has spread her legs either. Her little black dress rode up to show toned thighs and no panties. She came here with a plan to seduce me as if that would change my mind. 

“There isn’t any reason I would take you or anyone as a chosen mate,” I said firmly as I started to push my chair back.

I had somewhere to be. It is my little sister’s birthday. I wanted to arrive on time for the party. My family was expecting me, and Delilah was home for a visit. She has been in Bloodmoon for months. I wanted to catch up and see what she learned in her summer program. It had better be good for her to decide to spend two more years there studying. 

“I know one reason that you can’t argue against.” Lia smiled as she snatched my hand.

I went to pull away as she guided my hand under her dress. The moment my fingers brushed her skin, my office door opened. Delilah’s green eyes went wide, a rose-pink blush stained her cheeks, and her cupid’s bow lips parted in a gasp. She stammered an apology and rushed out before I could explain the situation. 

“Damn it,” I growled and tried to yank my hand back.

“Alexander, ignore the little bitch and focus.” Lia huffed, tightening her grip on my hand.

“Do. Not. Call. Her. That.” I snarled, feeling Lucius coming forward. 

“Focus.” Lia snarled back, forcing my hand against her pelvis.

I was ready to snap when I felt it—a fluttering heartbeat inside her. Lia is pregnant. How…  I know how I’m a doctor, but I am always careful. I could say I was careful all I wanted, but it wouldn’t change the heartbeat in her womb. She is eight weeks, based on what my powers could assess. And I know in the window of conception, we had sex.

Fuck my life!

The Present

I rushed from my bed, chasing the sound of a wailing baby. From the cry, it sounded in distress, and I feared for the worse. I felt like I was in a haunted house or horror movie as I opened door after door in this endless hallway, only to find a dead end. There was only one door left. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me and threw the door open. I finally reached the crib, which was empty as I pulled back the blanket. 

I sat up suddenly, and as my heart raced, I looked around the unfamiliar room in fear. I pressed my hand to my heart, willing it to stop. I reminded myself that there was no baby. Not here in this guest suite in Massachusetts. Not back home in Madonie. And not in my life. The baby was never mine. 

‘Not to sound cruel, but GET OVER IT. That bitch lied to try and trap you.’ Lucius grumbled. 

‘I know. Don’t you think I know that? It isn’t like I wanted her… I wanted…’ I sighed as I flopped back to the bed.

‘I know. You wanted the pup. If he had been ours, I would have too. But I would never want her. I won’t let you settle for anyone but our mate.’ Lucius sighed. 

I sighed, knowing there was no way I was going back to sleep after that. I don’t even know why I started having these nightmares again. It made sense the first month or two after Cesare was born. I should have listened to my family when they told me to do a DNA test before he was born.

I fooled myself into trusting her because the timeline added up. Because I became attached to him. Months of build-up, of being alienated from friends and family, of everyone judging my decision to stand by Lia through the pregnancy, and possibly worse, of radio silence from Delilah.

The idea that Delilah stopped talking to me hurt more than my family being distant is unbelievable. But it is what it is. Even more than André, I had thought Delilah would be someone who wouldn’t judge me, that wouldn’t cut me out of her life like some cancer. I guess I was wrong. Three years of friendship went down the drain when she walked in on that scene. I could understand how she’d have misinterpreted what was happening, but she never let me explain.

After all those months of feeling like a leper in my family and pack, I thought his birth would change everything. It certainly changed, just not for the good. There was no denying he wasn’t mine. I could have shrugged off him having dark hair. Lia has black hair. I couldn’t find any rational explanation for the green streaks and the golden eyes indicating he was a hybrid. 

Lia insisted he was mine repeatedly, saying he couldn’t be anyone else’s. To confirm it and shut her up, we did a test, and of course, there was zero chance I was the father. The fallout from it left me disgusted. She’d known how cautious I was about sex, never wanting to have a pup with anyone but my mate. 

She’d sunk so low as to retrieve sperm from a used condom. Her plan failed because the fertility clinic she went to outside the pack ‘mixed up’ the sperm, and she never knew. I cut her out of my life after that night, but I know through other sources that the sketchy clinic she went to couldn’t find viable sperm in the ‘sample’ she provided and decided to use a sample they had on hand.

That wake-up call was a catalyst for me becoming celibate. I haven’t been with anyone since. Honestly, touching a woman makes my skin crawl, which is not helpful as I’m on this trip to build alliances and look for my mate. I’ve been introduced to so many unmated females in three dozen packs. They all bat their eyes and flirt while I’m choking back vomit and suppressing shudders of disgust. 

Maybe I keep having these dreams because Regina is pregnant. This trip is causing my family to miss a lot of important moments. We were not there when Regina attended the ball, where she found out Ivan Furlan was her mate. A ball that Delilah attended and, as far as I know, Delilah didn’t find her mate. Though maybe she did, and no one considered telling me. I know she looked gorgeous in her dress, and a part of me hated every faceless male who even looked at her that night. 

I groaned, pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes. I need to stop thinking about her. She hasn’t talked to me in over two years. I knew she had a crush on me, and other than that one mistletoe kiss over four years ago, I like to think I didn’t encourage it.

I thought we had built a friendship. I was wrong about her. She was just like every other girl. She got close to me, hoping for something more. Then when that conniving bitch told everyone we were dating and that she was pregnant with the future Madonie Beta heir, Delilah dropped out of my life.

I hadn’t realized how much of a fixture Delilah had become in my life till she was gone. I missed our phone calls that sometimes lasted hours. Sure, we mostly talked about plants and medicine. She was always interested in that, and medicine is my profession.

It wasn’t always work we talked about. We talked about our lives. I told Delilah things I hadn’t even told André. She had become a close friend and confidant. I thought it was mutual. She told me her dreams and things she hadn’t told her sisters or mine. We didn’t talk about anything sexual. I always steered our talks away from that, not wanting to cross a line. 

I don’t know if we will ever return to that, but I still hope we can be friends again. When this trip ends, I can sit Delilah down and discuss things. I know she is back home, so it’s not like she can use living far away as an excuse to avoid me. Or at least I hope we have both grown and matured enough to have an honest conversation about it and move forward. 

I was considering going back to bed if I could fall asleep after that nightmare when my cell phone started to blast ‘It’s Raining Men.’ I sighed, mentally reminding myself I should change André’s ringtone. It’s not like he could get ahold of my phone and change it back till I’m home. I quickly grabbed my phone as my gut said something must be wrong.

“You need to come home immediately,” André said before I even got a word of greeting out. 

Well, I was right. Something must be wrong if André called me home with three months left of the trip.