Page 22 of The Baby Contract

I leaned my back against the door, trying hard to catch my breath after our heated interaction, but in turn, only catching Alpha Stormblade's fresh, forest scent.

It was like a nightmare I wanted desperately to escape.

I'm sure Alpha Orion would be happy about me having twins, using it as leverage to negotiate a higher price with Stormblade. After all, I was just a pawn to be played between them.

I didn't even realize I was crying until a cold, salty teardrop splashed on my hand below. It made me look down at the pressing news, my tummy, swollen with a now, small bump.

My two precious babies.

Alpha Stormblade's long huff broke me out of my thoughts. His heat was pressing and urgent from the other side of the door.

My chest clenched in pain at the remembrance of him. He would surely tell Orion, if he hadn't already, about my attempt to go rogue, and now, my outburst directed towards him. I had disobeyed and disrespected an Alpha, something that was punishable by beatings, nights in the cells, or even death.

I knew Stormblade couldn't hurt me now, after all, I was growing his two-

"I will never hurt you- "a husky purr sounded close to the door, bringing me back to reality.

I jumped away from the door at his whisper, staring at it in horror as I backed away slowly. "I know I have hurt you, but- "he whispered, pain evident in his voice. "I know- "

He struggled to find the words—something foreign for Alpha Stormblade. "But-"He started, obviously fighting the words to come next.

"Theo-"Aspen sighed heavily. "Leave Millie alone. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you."

Alpha Stormblade and Aspen fought outside for a moment, their voices becoming hot and pressing as they argued.

A sudden burst of exhaustion overtook my body, leaving me defenseless as they fought outside my door. I fell onto the massively large bed, not even bothering to change my clothes or cover myself with blankets, as quickly dove into a slumber.

A sweet, powerful purr soon overtook my dreams, relaxing my body onto the bed. I melted into the soft mattress, feeling like I was in a cloud as I soaked in its peaceful warmth.

Warmth?

I slowly rubbed my eyes, as I surveyed the room. My bare feet were tucked neatly under the heavy comforter, the blanket now engulfing me up to my chin. I spotted my jacket, which I was once wearing, hanging on the hook of the door.

The room was illuminated with the warm glow of a single candle's burning flame. The fire caressed perfectly off the muscles of the man sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands running through his short, curly hair in obvious distress.

He was here again.

"How can you be sure? "he trailed, his whispers barely audible. I thought at first, he was talking to me, given I was the only person there, but he never turned.

He gripped his hair harder as he leaned down on his elbows. "That's impossible." He shook his head after a brief pause. "That rarely happens in our realm, you know that."

Another pause, a long sigh following as he seemed to listen. "Even if what you are saying is true, how could we ever move on, we were mated, soul bound for goddess sa-"

Alpha Stormblade stopped abruptly, his body turning. I closed my eyes, trying to stay as calm as possible as my heartbeat raced, echoing throughout my ears as the bed dipped, feeling his hot gaze on my face.

"I know, I felt it too- "Alpha Stormblade finally said after a period of burning silence. "I thought she woke up."

He let out a huge sigh before I felt the bed shift again. "Even if what you are saying is true-"he whispered again, returning to his silent conversation. "I could never replace Ember."

My heart dropped at his words. For some reason, they made me feel uncomfortable and disappointed. They made my heart sink with despair and sadness although I did not understand them.

Suddenly, I felt a huge, warm hand caress my cheek softly. I fought the urge to jump or open my eyes, not wanting to face the person to whom the hand belonged.

"Wouldn't she feel the same?" he asked softly, pulling the blanket up to my chin and tucking it sweetly. "I mean, towards me. She would feel something too, right?"

His wolf whined quietly, making the purrs he was emitting to calm me, stop momentarily. "Her wolf." He sighed deeply, seeming to find the answer.

His hand moved a stray piece of hair out of my face, tucking it meticulously behind my ear, his rough fingers caressing my neck. "We are waking Millie- "he finally concluded, before pulling his hand back.

"We better sleep- "he breathed, the bed moving as he stood, the bed becoming cold as he moved further away. A sudden shiver overtaking my body.

"I know you want to, but we can't," he mumbled, moving to the couch. A pause followed as he made himself comfortable.

"Yeah, yeah- "Alpha Stormblade mocked. "She's afraid of me, not you. Got it, you stupid wolf."

Alpha Stormblade chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I want to hold my pups too," his voice lightened. "Two pups... "

"I know you're excited, I am too." His voice was evident with a small smile. "It's practically the only thing you can dream about."

Stormblade let out a huge breath before turning on the couch to get comfortable. The talking then stopped, a comfortable silence falling over us.

After that weird night, I never saw Alpha Stormblade.

I was sure that he would approach me in the morning, or when he had time between his duties, and confront me about my outburst, but he never did.

In fact, I only saw him at night, when I could peek my eyes open and find him, right on cue, coming into the suite after Ingrid had gotten me into bed.

He probably wanted to make sure I was sleeping.

He would do the same routine every night. He would sneak in, watching me as I slept, talking to his wolf, and then go to sleep on the couch, waking only when the sun just peeked on the horizon.

I didn't dare to bother him. To poke the beast, as they say. I just stared in curiosity, as he slept with his mouth slightly open, an occasional snore escaping his mouth.

This routine continued for weeks until one stopped coming.

I waited in the bed, watching the door with intense anticipation, waiting for him to come in at his usual time. But, this night, he never did.

Oddly enough, it was foreign sleeping with Alpha Stormblade's heat by my side, his occasional snores echoing throughout the room. It felt like a piece of my routine had gone missing.

That morning, after Ingrid had prepared me for the day, she left me for Aspen. For the last few weeks, Aspen and I have been hanging out after she fulfilled her duties for the day.

According to Aspen, Alpha Stormblade wouldn't let me go outside whenever she asked him. He said it was too risky after what had happened the other day and he couldn't risk "losing me."

But, today, Aspen ran into the room, her face bright. "Come on, Mills!" she ushered, helping me out of bed. "Let's go out!"

"What?" I furrowed my eyes with disbelief. Why would he now suddenly just change his mind and allow me outside?

Aspen grabbed my wrist, dragging me down the hall. Her hair was wild as usual, her brown hair reflecting with tints of red in the sunlight. She had just gotten back from training, her sword still strapped around her body.

"Theo is gone for the week," she chuckled deviously, holding her free hand over her mouth. "Which means.."

"We can do what we want!" She concluded, skipping down the halls happily.

I struggled to keep up as the excited Aspen pulled me along. "Where did he go?" I asked curiously, the cold air hitting my face as we ran out of the house.

"Every year he attends the National Alpha conference at the King's palace, every Alpha and Luna around the country is expected to go," she said. "It's a big meeting to discuss politics, foreign threats, and other things."

The conference Alpha Orion attended every year.

He would be there, with Alpha Stormblade. And surely, they would discuss the pressing topic they had in common between them both. Me.

"Are you okay? You look quite pale." Aspen stopped, surveying my face. "Are you getting sick?"

I gulped, shaking my head. "No, no- "I rubbed my forehead. "Just got a little nauseous for a second. Must be the babies."

"Oh no, well let's sit." Aspen guided me over to a fallen tree branch, a gorgeous lake in the distance.

"Goddess- "she beamed, looking down at my swollen tummy. "I can't believe I am going to be the aunt to two adorable pups!" she awed, ticking my stomach, which made me laugh. It was adorable how excited Aspen was.

"You should have seen Theo when he told us- "she shook her head in disbelief. "I haven't seen him that happy in a long time, at least, not since his mate died. It was nice to see him smile for once."

Alpha Stormblade, smiling? Seemed like a fairytale. That man was always cold, harsh, and ruthless, and it showed all over his face.

"It was quite a surprise," I added, my heartstrings tugging inside of me.

"Definitely. I mean what a blessing." Aspen breathed, looking at my belly with pride. "The moon goddess must know we really needed this. Especially after the loss we have all endured."

I bent over to the side, grabbing a rock. I played with it in between my fingers, focusing on its smooth, but rough texture, and the colors.

"Look what Theo gave me," she said, jumping excitedly in her place. I looked up, seeing her proudly holding a shiny black credit card in the air.

"His credit card!" she rolled, beside herself. "He wanted me to go and buy you some new clothes, and 'anything else you want'," she air quoted.

"I can't wait!" she continued, placing the card back in her pocket. "My Mom and Dad don't let me have my own money; they said I'm not responsible enough." She scoffed.

"Oh."

"I know, right!" She squealed. "Maybe we can get some things for the babies too!"

"Uh- "I said sadly. "Yeah, yeah- "I coughed. "That sounds great."

Aspen stared at me curiously. "What's wrong?" she tilted her head. "Why are you sad?"

I stared at Aspen's innocent face, unable to break her heart at this moment. She was happy, elated even, and I didn't want to ruin that for her.

"Nothing," I lied. "Just feeling a bit drained, you know, pregnancy."

Aspen reached her arm around my shoulders, moving close so our hips touched. "We can go together to the mall tomorrow, it's not far from here, but I'll get Boris to drive us. He won't mind."

"Actually, I know he's been dying to see you," she rubbed my arm. "He would jump at the opportunity."

My heart lightened at the thought of seeing Boris again. Admittedly, I missed him. After the day in the forest, I had been worried about him. He looked so sad, guilty, broken. And, I knew it was all because of me.

He was heartbroken that I had ran away.

Aspen noticed my change of mood and decided to change the subject. She pulled away, standing up as she stripped her sword from her chest. "I've been practicing some of my moves for my fight next week, but I just can't seem to get them."

She took her sword in her hands, drawing it back over her shoulder. "I don't know what I'm going to do," she swung it in the air, losing her grip quickly. "Everyone is going to laugh at me."

She looked up at the sky to control her composure. "Alright, hands here-"she wiggled her fingers around the base, repeating the directions to herself. "Then- "she swung, losing control again.

"Ugh!" she groaned, getting frustrated. "I don't understand why I can't do it right."

My heart softened at Aspen's failed attempts. I guess Alpha Stormblade was gone...

I stood, a smile crossing my face. "Here-"I offered, grabbing her hand and placing it further down on the sword's base. "Put this hand further down, and this one-"I moved the other hand. "Keep it right on top, but not over."

Aspen looked at me in shock. I stepped back, nodding my head. "Go on, try it now."

She nodded, taking a deep breath before getting into stance. "Legs closer together, they are too wide." I motioned, Aspen curiously following my directions.

"Don't think too much," I instructed. "Let your mind free. Relax your body and mind, and then- "

Aspen swung, her sword staying in place as it cut through the air. "Oh my goddess!" she jumped excitedly, her eyes dancing.

"I did it!"

I glowed at the opportunity to fight again, proud that Aspen was improving by my direction. "Alright now," I smiled proudly at her. "Do it again."

Aspen did what I said, her form became increasingly better the longer we practiced. We continued like this for hours, both of us giggling in happiness as she improved.

"Oh, Millie!" Aspen beamed, radiating pure joy. "How did you learn all of that? I mean-"she shook her head, looking down at her sword. "Alphas don't usually train maids to fight."

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