Page 16 of The Baby Contract

Roses were my paradise.

I shifted happily as I breathed in the scent, loving the floral scent as it engulfed me. It was like a little bit of my-his, my wolf's, personal heaven.

Her sweet scent hit us like a brick when the wind blew, making me whip my head towards the source, eager to get a look. I spotted her immediately, walking out of the house with Boris, his hand wrapped around hers.

His scent engulfed my rose.

My wolf pawed inside me, barking at the sight of his Beta touching Millie. My chest rumbled in jealousy as I watched them go to the rose garden. Millie was sitting by Boris, by the nest my wolf had made for her.

I couldn't take my eyes off them. She blinked as she adjusted to the sun, my wolf narrowing in on the sparkle that shone from her eyes as they reflected the new bright lights.

The moon goddess shone a gorgeous ray of sunshine on her pale skin. Her brown hair blew in the slight breeze. She turned to look at Boris, her dimples cute and shy as she smiled at something he said.

Then, Aspen appeared, jumping around Millie in circles, as she excitedly met her. She giggled, stealing a few glances back at me, as she enjoyed her conversation with Millie.

She must have said something that made Millie sad, because as soon as Millie's mood changed, my wolf jumped up, ready to make this indulgence a reality.

He wanted her attention, her touch. He was hyper-focused on the space between Boris and Millie, how he touched her, his movements, how he rubbed his scent on her.

Until he couldn't take it anymore.

My wolf was satisfied when he was able to scare his Beta away, asserting his dominance over him. He felt the need to remind him who the Alpha was, and who Millie belonged to. She was his, not Boris'.

But, as soon as he saw her shaken, small, figure, scared in our presence alone, he was confused. He was confused about why Millie had not wanted Boris to leave, why she was scared, or why there were tears falling from her eyes.

He had taken over, protective of her timid state. He was engrossed in her beauty, her rose scent, and her tummy, where our baby grew.

He had warned his pack to stay away, desperate for this moment to stay private. He wanted to feed her and keep her warm, safe, and healthy.

He wanted to run, to bond with her wolf. To show her his lands, far and wide, where their baby would be raised.

He understood when her silk voice rang out with the message that she wasn't feeling well. His mind immediately went to their baby, worried that she may not be feeling strong enough.

But, he was an Alpha wolf. And he understood what it was like to not be able to shift. He could sense Millie's wolf, weak, and tired. This was not a sign of her pregnancy.

It was something he, himself, had felt for many years.

He wanted to comfort her, to purr the sweetest, softest vibrations in her ear to make her rest. He felt that she had been through a lot, and even though, wrapping her up in his large, furry body wouldn't solve everything, at least she would know she was safe with us.

He wanted her to rest, and she did. She let out the most adorable groans as she stretched inside our nest, her head resting peacefully against my black fur, soaking in our warmth. It relaxed me, for the first time in years, sleeping in this forest again.

Until I woke.

I gasped as I opened my eyes, taking in the scene.

I wasn't my four-legged creature anymore, instead, I was human again, lying naked on the cold forest floor.

Millie was in the same position she was in before with my wolf, but now, she was lying against my bare chest, her mouth slightly opened as she slept.

My wolf had given me back control of my body last night, leaving me in the forest here with Millie. I gulped as I looked down at her small figure, unmoving and peaceful, curled up against my body. The sun was just coming up, signaling dawn.

I studied her with wide eyes, not knowing what I should do. Of course, my fucking wolf lost control and then left me here with her.

Millie's skin touching my bare chest bothered me. This position, the intimacy, nakedness, the seclusion, it all made my heart pound.

Ember and I always went on runs, waking in our most vulnerable positions. Our wolves happily snuggled against each other. We would wake up in human form, our naked bodies entangled.

I had lost my mind, and lashed out on Boris, getting him to leave us in privacy. But, now, here I was, hunting, building a nest, and now sleeping naked next to another woman.

I didn't know what I wanted. Ember appeared in my mind, how she would be disappointed that I was here, doing these things only meant for her, to this new woman, who was now carrying my child.

I felt like a cheater. Like a bad mate, like a...

I had to get away. I meticulously shifted Millie's head to the grass, my wolf barking at me from the inside as I did so, not liking the fact that we were leaving our sleeping female. I put her down gently, eager to get away from her scent, her sweet, delectable, rose scent...

I couldn't think straight when I was with her. I ran to a tree, quickly finding a pair of shorts stored for runs, and slipping them on. My thoughts raged on, my wolf fighting me and we walked further from Millie, him urging us to go back and be with her.

"Stop!" I grunted, pounding my fist against a tree. "Fucking stop, you stupid wolf!"

My hand caught a splinter, blood dripping down as I pounded it into the tree again. "Ever since you came back you've been making a mess of things, now just stop, so I can think!"

"Ugh!" I closed my eyes painfully, leaning against the tree. My heart sunk into the memories of Ember, the feeling of betrayal. I felt like a weak Alpha for not being able to deny my wolf and control him, something my father could do so well.

Alright, think Theo. You can grovel in your pity later. I can figure out how to deal with this. Millie, I had to take her back to the pack house. I'll just carry her sleeping form back home and put her in her bed, and call Ingrid to check on her.

I took a deep breath, my head pounding at the internal fight between my wolf and me. "I'm going back to get her," I growled to my wolf, who was clawing inside of me. "Stop with your whining."

I pushed off the tree angrily, continuing back in the direction where I had left Millie. She should still be there sleeping. I wasn't gone for long, right?

I broke through the clearing, back to the place where I had left Millie sleeping, my wolf's nest sitting perfectly in the middle, but this time, with no Millie.

My heart raced as I whipped my head around, my palms becoming sweaty at her absence. "Millie?" I called out, being as soft and approachable as possible. "Millie, where are you?"

"Shit-" My forehead beaded with sweat, as I ran around the clearing, looking through the dense forest. "Millie? Hey, where did you go?"

My pupils dilated, my wolf becoming antsy as more time went on without being able to find Millie. He howled out to her, hoping she would hear him and respond. But, the forest was completely quiet.

She couldn't have gotten far. I didn't feel like I was gone for that long, and as my wolf found out last night, Millie couldn't shift.

My wolf scolded me, barking loudly, blaming me for Millie's disappearance. He knew I was to blame for making Millie so scared, hurt, and eager to get away.

"Oh goddess-"I whispered in disbelief. "Millie, I scared you. I know." I closed my eyes, gulping. "I promise everything is going to be okay."

"Please, just come back," I pleaded, searching through the forest. "Just say something so I know where you are. We can go home now."

As hard as I tried to search for Millie's scent, it was almost impossible to catch in here. The rose garden completely engulfed any chance I had of tracking her.

"Oh fuck!" A voice shouted behind me, his steps heavy and fast as he ran. "I heard your wolf howling and came right away!" Boris ran into me, carrying a sword over his chest.

"What the hell happened?" Boris panicked, his eyes wide. "Where's Millie?" He shook, drawing his sword. I looked behind him, now, a few more warriors joining him.

Boris jabbed me with his sword angrily, his eyes pitch black. "Damn it, answer me, Alpha! Where's Millie?"

The warriors now joined us, their swords drawn as they stepped in to wait for our orders. "I-I don't know-" I gulped, shaking my head. "She was just here sleeping, and then she-"

"Then you fucking left her didn't you!" Boris roared, his face red with fury. "You were the one so worried about Millie running away, dumbass. How could you let her out of your sight?"

I froze, realizing that Boris was right. "Goddess," he roared, gripping his sword. "I can't stand to look at you right now!" He ripped his eyes away. "Why didn't you call me? Or your Dad? Anyone, if you didn't want to watch her."

"You know what- "Boris finally pushed away from me, signaling his warriors. "Just get the hell out of here and let us find her."

He called attention to his warriors. "I want you all to break into groups of ten and search each direction within thirty miles of this area. I will command border patrol to shut down all in and outgoing wolves on our lands until we find her."

They all bowed, drawing their swords. "Yes, Beta." They said in unison, before running off.

Boris ran away with a group, not even bothering to spare me a glance. "Theo-"Dad's voice appeared, his large hand grabbing my shoulder. "Come on, we need to talk in your office."

"No!" I snapped, turning around to face him. "I'm going to look for Millie."

Dad sighed; his face hung low. "Boris already has his warriors on it. They don't need your help." He said harshly. "Let's go, Theo."

My wolf jumped as Dad pushed us along, eager to run these lands and find Millie. My wolf felt guilty that he had left her, even for a second. And, I did too. I was too busy wallowing in my self-pity, that I had lost track of what mattered: Millie.

Dad shoved me inside my office, slamming the door behind us. "Dad-" I pleaded, feeling worthless. "I have to-"

"You're no good to anyone right now." He seethed, his fists clenched. "We need to talk about you and your wolf."

"What?" I said, shocked. "Millie is missing, and we are going to talk about my wolf?"

Dad crossed his arms, looking up at the ceiling, pinching his nose. "Theo, Boris told me yesterday that you had lost control of him. He was forced to leave Millie's side."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Yes," I admitted, "I couldn't keep him under control. Ever since he came back- "I sat on the couch, running my hands through my hair. "I haven't been able to control him like I've used to. He won't listen to me anymore. He just gets in the way of everything."

Dad sighed. "Theo, listen to me." He said, sitting next to me on the couch. "When you were first learning how to control your wolf, what did I teach you?"

"Um-" I gripped my hair. "A lot of things. Don't shift in the house, take deep breaths, try to calm him, control my emotions, take him on runs-"

"Sure, those things are all true." Dad nodded. "But I'm thinking of communication."

"What about it?" I breathed. "He refuses to listen to me; he always obeyed me before."

Dad laughed lightly. "Your wolf wasn't obeying you before, Theo. You were communicating with him. His needs were fulfilled. You and him were working in harmony, your wolf, getting the things he needed, and you as well."

"Yeah, well the things I needed are dead," I snapped, thinking of Ember again. "And now that he's awakened, there is no such thing as harmony."

"Tell me, kid." Dad sighed. "Why are you denying your wolf his needs? He obviously has something, or someone, for that matter that he wants desperately. So, why deny him?"

I pondered, remembering my wolf when Ember was around. When we first mated, he wanted her all the time, and so did I. He loved spending time with his mate, in the forest, running, showing love to her in all ways.

"Theo- "Dad gripped my shoulder. "Your wolf knows what he wants. If you want to control him, you must give it to him."

Give him what he wants: Millie.

Dad and I talked as we waited for news from Boris for what seemed like ages. My wolf was very jumpy at what Dad was telling me, wanting to be close to Millie. He was happy someone agreed with him.

He spun in circles as the clock ticked, time passing like molasses as we waited for any news on Millie's disappearance. I prayed to the moon goddess Boris would walk through that door, with Millie in tow, safe and sound, sooner than later.

"We should call Boris," I panicked, unable to keep still any longer. "It's been hours without any news."

That's when a small knock sounded on the door, Boris opening the door a moment later. Dad and I stood, our eyes scanning him, looking for any clues on whether this was going to be good or bad news.

Boris' look was somber, his face sad, as he shut the door quietly behind him. That couldn't be good, if he had found her, he would be happy, right?

"Alphas-"He bowed, his eyes emotionless.

"Boris-" I let out an exasperated sigh. "Please-"

Boris shot me a death look, his sad eyes turning fiery in anger at the sound of my voice. "How could you be so irresponsible? I know you hate Millie but-"he blurted out, unable to hold back.

"I don't hate Millie!" I shouted, pounding my hand on the table. "Stop saying that!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Dad boomed, holding his hands up. "You both can fight all you want later." He roared, his wolf making a presence. "Boris, please. Your report."

Boris's body shook as he eyed me down, looking about ready to kill me if Dad wasn't in the middle, stopping him. Boris snapped his neck, his veins popping.

He took a deep breath, regaining his composure. "We found her, Alpha."

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