Page 33 of The Baby Contract

I looked down at the stack of papers in front of me, carefully placed inside a leather portfolio.

I took a slow, deep breath before thumbing it open. My heartbeat was almost as if I was afraid of what was inside, even though, damn well, I knew.

Tucked on the top with a paperclip was Millie's official pack photo. My eyes softened when I saw her. Here, she was just a maid. In the picture, it was obvious that she was treated as someone who had no value, and had no one to care for her or about her.

I picked up the small photo to study it. Her eyes were sorrowful and filled with trauma and pain.

Bravely, I looked through the hefty stack of papers that were each full of small print letters from top to bottom. On the bottom of each clause, my signature, written in blank ink with Alpha Orion's right below it.

'The Surrogate, Millie Rose of the Eclipse Pack, agrees to undergo all necessary procedures related to conception, maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout the pregnancy, including diet, as recommended by medical professionals from the Stormblade pack, attend all prenatal appointments, and follow all medical advice regarding prenatal care, with the understanding that the Intended Parent, Theo Stormblade of the Stormblade pack, will be the father of the child and have primary decision-making authority regarding medical treatment and maintain custody of the child. '

X Theo Stormblade

Intended Parent

X Orion Eclipse

Authorization from the pack's responsible party

'The Eclipse pack agrees to accept a total payment of 1 Million Celestial Ruble in return for surrogacy services, half paid upon receipt of Millie Rose, surrogate, and the other half received after the baby is born. The Eclipse pack agrees to accept this payment in cash.'

X Theo Stormblade

Intended Parent

X Orion Eclipse

Authorization from the pack's responsible party

'The Stormblade pack agrees to return surrogate, Millie Rose, to the Eclipse pack at least 3 days after the baby is born-'

I slammed the portfolio closed. "Fuck!" I leaned forward on my desk, gripping the sides of my head roughly, cursing under my breath.

"Where were you, asshole?" Boris busted through the door, his face sweaty and red. He was still wearing his training armor. "I just caught your scent- "

He breathed heavily. "Where the hell have you been?" He demanded his arms in the air in desperation.

"I came in here looking for you, and what do I find instead?" He yelled, slamming his hands on my desk. "Your dad sitting where you should be!"

He stumbled back, shaking his head in anger. "I asked him where the hell you were!" he gasped. "He told me you were off duty for a few days!"

"Then guess what?" He scoffed. "I went to your suite to find Millie, and guess what, she was gone!"

Boris groaned, throwing his head toward the ceiling. "I literally cannot believe you. Then," he waved towards me frantically. "When I come back, I find you wallowing over your desk like a sad little puppy!"

"I swear, this time is the last. You may think we are overreacting, but you are not a normal Alpha! I am forcing you to go to counseling. This is getting out of control!"

I stared in the distance as Boris' words rang in my ears. I could feel him and his wolf in hot fury and deep concern. He was rightful to be upset.

And, now, as I listened to him, I realized there was nothing to be jealous about with Boris and Millie. I was just too stupid to realize it this whole time. It made sense why Boris acted this way.

He was Millie's natural protector.

I lifted my head to meet Boris' wide and frantic eyes. "Boris, please- "

"Please, what?" He stomped over, pushing me roughly on the shoulder so I could face him. "What do I need to do to get through to you?"

He gripped my shoulder painfully, the veins in his arms popping from his hand to his face. He was furious, ready to beat me to a pulp for the way I was acting.

"Stop- "I whispered, pushing my chair back. "I'll go to counseling if that's what it takes."

"What? You never agree so easily." Boris let go, shocked. "Okay, now I know something is really wrong."

I sighed, turning around in my chair to my desk. "Yeah."

I realized now that I never put Millie's photo back in the portfolio. It was floating on my desk, her sad face haunting me.

"Millie's picture?" Boris snatched it out of my hand. "What are you doing with this?"

My wolf growled softly before snatching the picture back possessively. "Don't touch that."

I clipped it back into the portfolio carefully, my eyes stealing one more desperate glance at the beautiful girl. "You're acting so weird, man."

Boris sniffed the air, his wolf seeming to realize something. "You are covered in Millie's scent." He noted. "What did you do to her? You took her out there to who knows where just to force her to sleep with you?"

"Do to her?" I breathed. "I didn't do anything to her. And I didn't force her. We both wanted it."

Boris looked at me with the weirdest face I have ever seen. It was like he had seen an alien. "You are making absolutely no sense, Alpha!"

"You hurt her-" Boris concluded, throwing down his arms. "Is that why you are sitting in here all sad?"

A fire boiled heavily in my chest at his accusations.

He didn't wait for my answer. "You disappear for days, come back all somber, and claim that you had consensual sex with Millie? The woman you want so badly to return to Eclipse?"

My wolf jumped, imagining his claws deep in the dirt, ready to charge at his Beta.

"You need to put that away, Alpha." He motioned to the contract. "Or does it bring you joy that she will be returning home soon?"

"Stop!" I demanded, pounding my fist on the desk. "Stand down!"

This made Boris pissed. "You can't even protect the mother of your child!"

This hurt my wolf, making us stumble back slightly. Boris kept going, berating me, making my ears ring loudly.

"Ugh!" I placed my hands over my ears, desperately trying to block out his voice. It was like a dagger to my heart each time, stabbing me over and over. I wanted to do anything to make it stop.

I grasped the desk again, my knuckles turning white as I held it in a death grip. "Stop!"

"Why should I?" Boris went to the other side of the desk, staring me down in a death stare. "You didn't seem to care when you sat in her and belittled the mother of your child!"

"She is not just the mother of my child." I lifted my head, not meeting him in the eyes. My heart was racing as I struggled for the words.

Boris silenced as we stared each other down. "Say it, Alpha." He pushed. "Say it!"

"She's my mate!"

"She's my mate, dammit!" I choked, breaking eye contact with Boris as I gripped the wooden desk, hanging my head in defeat.

"She's mine-"I repeated as the awe in the room surrounded us, Boris now going silent. "She's my mate. She is. Millie is my mate."

Something inside of me changed. The weight I had been holding in my chest had become lighter, my wolf finally becoming free from the burden that had held him down for so long. He had admitted the thing he had wanted to for so long.

He wanted the world to know. He wanted everyone to know that Millie was rightfully his.

"She's-"A whisper escaped my lips. "She's my mate-"I kept repeating it, like, in some way, it was fake, and she would just slip out of my fingers somehow. That somehow, it wasn't real.

I did this for a while, staring down at my desk in a cloud of ecstasy. I gathered my composure to lift my head and find Boris now sitting on the couch, leaning back with his hands crossed over his chest. "I knew something was going on between you two."

"How long have you known?"

I took a shaky breath. "The first day when Millie got to Stormblade, here in my office. I knew deep down." I admitted. "My wolf had awakened, and he was out of control. I knew what it may have meant, but- "

"But, I didn't know if it was true. Shocked it could even be true. I was just in pure disbelief, Boris."

Boris' nodded. "She's your mate-" he confirmed, calming me. It felt good to hear him say that. To admit that she was my mate. "There's no way Millie would have slept with you willingly."

I growled, the I felt calmness quickly disappearing. "This is not the time for a joke. This is serious."

Boris shook his head. "So, Millie's your second chance, huh?"

"Yes-"I confirmed. "I'm positive."

"Stormblade has a Luna again- "Boris' lips curled up in a smile. "The pack will be elated to hear about this. We have been weak without a Luna."

"Boris-"I warned. "You are the first person I have told. No one else can know about this. Not yet at least. Not even Mom and Dad. I can't risk this information getting out. I don't need any rumors spreading around the pack."

Boris nodded in understanding. "Of course, Alpha. It will stay between us," he promised. "What about Millie? Does she know about your bond?"

"No- "I sat, picking up her picture again. "I didn't tell her."

"Why not?" Boris tilted his head in confusion. "Are you not happy about what has been blessed upon you both? Are you thinking about rejecting her?"

I scoffed. "I would never even think about those things. You know I would never reject my gift."

"Well, then, why haven't you told her?" Boris inquired. "She is already the mother to your children. Why not make her your Luna?"

I stopped, pondering deeply on Boris' words. Why haven't I told Millie yet? How come at the beach house, I struggled so much with being open and accepting her?

"I told her that I wanted a relationship-"I sighed. "I just wasn't sure what that looked like yet. I knew that upset her. She didn't talk to me the whole ride home."

Boris shook his head in disappointment. "No wonder she didn't talk to you-"he said. "You are sending her mixed signals like crazy, man. You are the one who agreed to send her back to Eclipse because you were so heartbroken over Ember. Now, you're telling her you want a relationship?"

"Why would she want a relationship with the man who's ripping her children out of her hands?"

My chest boiled in regret and defeat. "I didn't think about it like that."

"Of course, you didn't. You are too in your head. You can't admit it to Millie because you are still grieving, and you can't let go, Alpha."

I put Millie's picture down before picking up the gold frame that was lying face-down on my desk. A picture of Ember and I. "I don't know how to move on."

"Alpha-" Boris pushed the frame out of his hands gently. "You can't keep dwelling on the past. It's been almost six years since Ember passed. The pack has moved on, and so should you. She will never come back. You need to start accepting that fact."

"And do what's best for not only you- "He eyed me down. "But, for your pack. We would love to have a Luna. And we've been blessed with one. It isn't just about what you want anymore but what's in the best interest of the Stormblade pack as a whole."

Boris took the gold frame and laid it face down on the desk before picking up the photo of Millie in his hands and showing it to me. "Look, this is your mate." He waved it in front of me. "You wouldn't want to give her up, would you?"

I studied Millie's dirty apron, her face covered in cuts and bruises, the collarbones protruding from her neck from the extreme hunger she had endured.

I knew what Boris was doing. He wanted me to think about all of those things. The things that would drive any man wild about their mate. Like them being abused, neglected, hurt, not protected...

"You wouldn't want to return Millie to where she came from, would you?"

"No-"My body shook painfully. "I want her to be with me, where she belongs. Even if I don't know how to be a proper mate yet, I can learn with time."

I gulped, pulling the portfolio back in front of us. "That's why I was looking through this. To see if there were any loopholes in the contract."

Boris moved it so he could see. "Even if there isn't any- "he studied the contract. "She's your mate; she must be with you. Orion needs to understand that you cannot be away from each other."

Boris pondered again. "Do you think he would be open to terminating the contract?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully. "He seemed to be pretty adamant about her coming back to Eclipse at the Alpha's Summit."

"So- "Boris' face lit up. "What about we give him an offer he can't resist? An offer he couldn't dare say no to?"

I knew what Boris was alluding to—more money.

"The Eclipse pack needs those funds badly, Alpha-"he stated. "They wouldn't dare say no if we wanted to keep Millie. It's a win-win situation. We get our Luna; they get more money."

I nodded. "I'm willing to pay him whatever it takes."

"Good-"Boris stood, looking at his watch. "We will set up an urgent meeting with him tomorrow to discuss it."

I agreed; that was enough for today. Hearing the words out loud that Millie was my mate still spun my mind. My wolf and I desperately wanted to find our mate and make everything okay between us.

"You better go to your training," Boris tapped his watch. "Your warriors will be waiting for you."

Shoot, he was right. Aspen's class was today after school. I told Dad I would be back today, so I needed to be there.

As much as I didn't want to go, I knew I had to. I needed to be careful around my pack. I didn't need them asking questions, at least not right now.

"I'm going to visit Millie today," Boris turned around. "I haven't seen her in a while. And don't worry- "

He smirked. "Ingrid will be there to make sure I don't fuck my Luna."

I growled, taking his threats seriously. "And Alpha?" He smiled.

"Hm?"

"Congratulations on finding your second chance mate."

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