Zara

"The police haven’t found Marcus. No one knows where he is. Alpha said he escaped when he and his men entered Alpha’s house," Dad explained, but I felt it wasn’t true.

Only Alpha knew the whole truth, and I needed to talk to him. It wasn’t that I was going to forgive him so easily or trust him again, but he had saved my life more than once.

He was a scoundrel, but I owed him.

"I want to talk to him. Is he here?" I asked cautiously, and Dad froze. A few wrinkles appeared on his forehead.

"You don’t need to talk to a manipulator and a liar. He put your life in danger, Zara, by lying to you and deceiving you. Tell me you’re not in love with him," Dad asked quietly and firmly. I could feel the disappointment in his voice.

I had no answer. Everything was chaos to me; nothing made sense.

"Dad, can we talk about this later? I just need five minutes alone with him. Please," I begged, trying not to cry.

Dad hung his head, looking so tired. The dark circles under his eyes showed he hadn’t slept in Goddess knows how long.

That’s what I wanted to avoid. Don’t let him find out my secrets.

"Okay, Zara. But as soon as you get better, we’ll go home, and you’ll have no further contact with this Alpha. I want him out of your life." He stood up and looked at me with the seriousness of a father who didn’t want to be even more disappointed in his daughter than he already was.

I felt ashamed, to say the least.

He wanted Alpha out of my life? The thought was disturbing on many levels, but hadn’t I been planning this all along? So why did my heart feel so restless?

I wondered if Dad knew about my pregnancy, and if that was the main reason for his decision. He didn’t mention it, so perhaps the doctors hadn’t told him anything.

"Don’t rush into this decision, Zara. But I will never approve of it. Never." He left with these words, leaving me perplexed. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

What could I possibly say to Alpha? My thoughts were in complete disarray. We had parted on terrible terms.

After learning his deepest secrets, mixed with the false accusations Marcus had fed me, I realized he was innocent.

I never gave Alpha the time or opportunity to explain his side of the story. I was blinded by mistrust and painted him as the bad guy.

Not that he wasn’t, but I could have put him behind bars for crimes he didn’t commit. And now his secret is out, and my family knows, and most likely the police do too.

So many questions, maybe it’s time to let him explain everything, like he asked last time? Listening to him would be the best solution. I stared at the empty white walls of the room, lost in thought: what should I tell him?

Should I tell him about the pregnancy?

Is he even ready for this?

How will he react?

His worried voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I slowly turned my head to see him standing by the closed door of my room.

Tired, disheveled, with stubble on his face, as if he hadn’t shaved in a long time. But his piercing eyes, blazing with the flames of emotion, silent regret, and whispered remorse...

For the rest of our lives, holding our breath, we merely locked gazes, letting the unspoken words echo between us. The electric silence between us stretched on until he pulled away from the door and stepped forward.

"You’ve finally found me..." I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

"And I told you white isn’t your color," he replied in his guttural voice, which always struck me right in the heart.

Alpha sank into the chair Dad had left. His hands gently rested next to mine on the bed, but he didn’t touch me. A phoenix tattoo now adorned the back of his right hand. I wanted to ask about it, but I remained silent.

It made me smile awkwardly, and it showed on his face too. A tired smile slowly appeared on his lips.

He seemed different, and yet he remained the same. Something had happened while I was missing. Grief? Or something else?

For a few moments, he simply looked at me with adoration. Just like he had before that damned night of the Winter Gala that changed everything for us.

"I don’t know where to begin, but an apology seems best."

"Option." He leaned closer, and the smile disappeared, replaced by shadows of remorse and regret.

"Forgive me for everything. For betraying your trust, your heart..." The pain on his face intensified. "For hurting you with those words on the day of the Winter Gala. I swear, I didn’t mean it. I was just trying to push you away."

I listened silently. He really had pushed me away. His words left a gaping hole in my heart that I wasn’t even sure words could fill.

"You pushed me away, Alpha," I replied with a sigh. The bandages on my face itched with every attempt to speak.

"I knew the stalker was trying to turn us against each other. So I thought that if we acted distant, he might give up on the idea of ​​hurting you through me. I never wanted to hurt you, Luna. You are so precious to me. Both you and this child." His sad eyes were fixed on my stomach, and my heart nearly stopped pounding.

He knew, he knew I was pregnant. The doctor must have told him.

"You know?" I asked in a barely audible whisper, my heart clenching with anticipation of his decision regarding the child.

"I saw a pregnancy test in your bag the very day they took you," he admitted sheepishly, lowering his head.

"The pain from that moment was unbearable. The thought that you didn’t trust me enough to share this with me..." His gaze lingered on my stomach, and the light fell on his clenched jaw, showing that he was barely holding on.

I thought he wasn’t ready.

And then he asked pleadingly, "Can I touch your belly?"