Page 57 of The Baby Contract

"Hey man," Boris knocked gently, peering in. "I'm going on a run with Nova. Do you need anything before we go?"

"Go ahead," I said, never taking my eyes off my daughter in my arms. She was cradled up against my chest, happily sucking on her bottle.

Elora's big, brown eyes stared up at me in awe as she ate.

"You know," Boris softened, his scent lingering in the doorway. "Millie did a damn good job with those twins. They're adorable, Alpha."

I smiled softly as Elora's eyes drifted off into dreamland. "Yeah. She would love them."

Boris sighed heavily. I hadn't once turned to look at him since he came in. My eyes were only focused on Elora's sweet scent. "You can go, Boris. Go spend time with your mate."

"What's the status on Luna Millie?" Boris said wearily, obviously anxious to ask. I heard him shifting uncomfortably in the doorway.

I didn't even realize how clouded my senses were with the burden of Ember's mark until now. I felt strong and conscious again, Alpha blood circling through my veins with vigorous force.

I wondered how much I would change again with the mark of my true mate.

"I know, it's been a few days, and the doctor said we would know by-"

"Sorry," I cleared my throat, not realizing I let the silence linger for so long. I felt Boris's emotions strongly, his heart aching with pain for his Luna. "The doctor said she is still in a coma. Her heartbeat is slow and irregular, and it gets weaker every day."

Boris froze when I spoke the words, his silence haunting the room as he racked his brain for the right thing to say.

"She's going to-"I whispered, looking at Elora as she stopped sucking on the bottle. "Die."

"The doctor said she is going to die, Boris," I repeated, taking a deep breath as I held Elora close to my chest and burped her. She cooed quietly.

I breathed in her mother's scent as I spoke the words out loud. "The doctor said her prognosis is poor."

Boris quietly stepped into the room before shutting the door. His aura filled the room with a new, thick, sad feeling.

I sat down Elora softly in her bassinet before taking a big, deep breath and finally turning to face Boris.

Boris sat on the couch across from my desk, his elbows on his knees. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were red as if he had been up for days.

We sat in silence for a while. I could tell Boris didn't want me to soak in my pain alone, yet somehow, his being in the room with me took away some of the sorrow I felt.

If only.

"Ember's dead?"

"Yeah," I said, leaning on my desk. "Thank goddess. I can't believe I loved that woman. I'm grateful her mark no longer curses my neck."

Boris shook his head. "I have to say, at least we got a nice bonfire out of it. If only we could have brought some marshmallows to roast on Ember's limited-edition Louis Vuitton."

A smile crept up on my lips. Boris was always the one to lighten a dark mood.

"In fact, we should have invited the whole pack for a celebratory s'more."

I reached my hand down to caress Elijah's cheek, who was lying next to his sister, sleeping. "Yeah, we will have to get together more, especially since we have acquired the Eclipse pack, or I guess I should say Rose. How are they adjusting?"

"Well," Boris reported. "They have been talking to us and open about their situation."

"Because Nova is their beta female and Millie is their true Luna," he smiled slightly, playing with his fingers. "If they approve, they will follow."

"How's Nova holding up?" I asked.

Boris's face brightened at the mention of his mate. "She's-"he pondered. "not well, Alpha. She told me she won't live without Millie. She could never."

"She's been an angel, of course," Boris continued. "She's my dream girl. But she sulks at the memories of Millie. Those two are like sisters. Did you ever think we would be mated to two best friends?"

I smiled lightly. "I guess it makes perfect sense."

It was heartwarming to hear Boris talk about his mate in such a way. My eyes immediately spotted the fresh mating mark on his neck.

"Everything is going so well," Boris noticed my eyes on his mark. "She accepted me immediately."

I narrowed my eyes. "By the way, when did this exactly happen?"

"Well, you know," Boris tapped his foot slightly. "I may have scented her when she crossed the borders."

"You knew they were here to get Millie before anyone else," I concluded.

"And, we may have had rampant, hot sex by the lake northside," Boris smirked mischievously. "That woman is a dream come true."

"The only bad thing was when I woke up, she was gone." He shook his head. "That's when my wolf caught her scent and followed her."

"Millie shoved Nova out of the car towards me," Boris said. "She trusted me with her best friend."

His heart beamed with pride.

"Millie is a true Luna," I whispered, catching the scents of my babies to calm myself. "She gave up everything to save the people she loves."

"I wish I had found her before Ember," I said. "I wish I could have saved her from the life that she suffered. That her, Nova, and everyone suffered."

"Nova said she brought everyone bread from the ring. The only food they ever got to eat. She patched their clothes, groomed them, and protected them in every way." Boris added.

"Millie was so tiny when she arrived at Stormblade." My heart sped up. I reached into my drawer, my heart longing to see the one I loved. "She was small and vulnerable."

I held her picture in my hands, caressing her sweet, red cheek with my thumb. "I should have protected her."

"You can't blame yourself, Alpha," Boris leaned forward. "You weren't thinking right. You, yourself, were under Ember's little spell. Please, don't hurt yourself over this. Millie wouldn't want you to. She would want you to live your life full of happiness and joy."

Boris' fingers slid on top of the photo. "It's time to move on from the past, Alpha."

I sighed, nodding in agreement. "You're right. That's why you should stop calling me Alpha."

Boris' eyes widened in shock. "Wait-"he moved his eyes around the room. "What did you say?"

"You will call me Theo," I declared. "You're my best friend. You deserve to call me by my name. You and Nova."

"You both saved Millie from so much pain when I couldn't," I breathed, an ache starting deep in my chest. "You protected her even from her own mate."

I smiled at Boris. "I knew there was a reason I chose you as my Beta."

"That's true, Theo," Boris smiled, my name heavy off his lips. "You are pretty lucky to have us."

Elijah started to cry and push his little feet against his swaddle. Boris and I knew what was wrong before he even knew. It was both a good and a bad thing about being a wolf.

He pooped in his diaper.

"Alright, come here, buddy." I picked him up and set him down. My wolf let out purrs to calm him.

"Oh boy," Boris chuckled as I opened his swaddle and wiped him. "Those babies are cute, but they sure are deadly. I know Nova wants to have a lot, but I don't know if I could handle all that."

I cooed at Elijah, who was now more curious about his Daddy's wolf than anything. "Boris, a father?" I chuckled. "Never thought I would see the days you would sober up."

Boris' eyes widened as he looked back to make sure the door was closed. He let out a big sigh of relief. "Bro, please do not say that around Nova. She doesn't quite-"

"Know about that yet."

"And I really, really do not want to bring it up right now. Not with everything that's going on." Boris scratched the back of his neck nervously. "She can't know about the beach house."

Boris' player days.

I rolled my eyes as I put a new diaper on Elijah. "Don't worry, I'm sure the maids have gotten rid of everything. Including the condoms."

My mind flashed back to the memories of Millie's sweet, bright red cheeks as she pulled out that box of condoms at the beach house. My wolf indulged in the memory of his mate being cute.

"Thank goddess," Boris huffed out a big breath. "I will tell her eventually, but just not now."

"No worries, Boris. You have my word that I won't say anything." I fastened up Elijah's swaddle and laid him back down. "Now, speaking of your mate, didn't you say you were going for a run?"

"Yeah," Boris slapped his knees before standing up. "Nova's been sulking in bed for days. I'm going to try to convince her to get out with me. Wish me luck."

I nodded. "Good luck."

I opened up the blinds to find Levi sitting in the dining room with a few of the cooks. He sat at a table showing them some of the signs he could do with his hands.

The wolves laughed, trying to mimic his movements. I could tell he got joy from showing them.

I still needed to figure out what to do with him.

I decided to call Alpha Lunar. I didn't necessarily enjoy talking to Ember's old Alpha, but he wasn't the worst. I thought back to when I saw him at the ball. He seemed sad to hear about Ember's passing.

It made me wonder if he ever knew about any of this.

"Alpha Theo Stormblade!" Alpha Cypress Lunar cheered happily over the phone. "Haven't heard from you in a while. I heard you acquired some new lands. And, oh! Congratulations on the birth of your twins!"

"Cypress-" I cut him off, getting down to business. "I have some news for you."

I went on to tell him everything, including Ember's use of witchcraft, her infidelity, and Levi.

Alpha Lunar took big, hefty breaths between every new thing I told him. His tone was thick with disgust and disappointment at what one of his pack members had done.

"Ember and Orion Eclipse had a son," I breathed, looking out the window at Levi, who had now found a little girl to play with in the living room. He seemed happy, not even realizing that his mother or father were gone.

"Did you know about him?"

Alpha Lunar gasped. "Oh my, how prosperous! I never knew about this child-"

"So, I'm guessing Ember's parents didn't either?" I rubbed my temples. Of course, that bitch kept it a secret from everyone. She couldn't risk getting the information out to others.

"Well, that I couldn't tell you," Alpha Lunar sighed. "The Howlings were banished from Lunar five years ago."

"Oh?"

"Yeah-"he grumbled angrily. "They were caught stealing from some other pack members. It seems the money had run dry."

Of course it did. It ran dry when Ember left me to give birth to her child.

"Great," I rubbed my temples. "Just great."

Alpha Lunar went on to tell me about what he had heard about Eclispe, and Stormblade acquiring the lands.

I put the bottle in Elijah's mouth as we talked. He kept whining, progressively getting louder as he rejected his bottle. "We would like to talk about getting some-"

"Wait-" I sighed as Elijah let out an ear-piercing cry. Elora stirred at her brother's noise, making her upset too. "I'm sorry, Cypress. I must go."

Cypress laughed before saying something about pups. "Okay, yeah, bye." I slammed the phone down and picked up Elijah.

"Goddess, what's wrong with you, buddy?" I bounced him as he cried, fighting off his bottle. "You have to eat."

Mom came rushing in after a few minutes.

"Sorry, dear," Mom flashed a smile from the doorway. "I wanted to give you your space to handle it, but I also wanted you to know I am here to help."

I ran my hand through my hair. "I don't know what's wrong with them. Elijah won't eat."

Mom rushed in, peeling Elijah out of my arms and bouncing him in hers. I picked up Elora, who was now red in the face from crying, and did the same.

Elora immediately reached out to my chest, grabbing my shirt with her tiny hands. "Oh dear- "Mom softened. "They want their mommy."

"Great!" I huffed sarcastically. "So what the hell do I do?"

Mom tried to give Elijah his bottle again. "I swear, Elora was just eating from that bottle," I stressed, doing the same with Elora. "You can't just not eat, please," I begged, looking down at their distressed faces. "Please, stop crying."

"Honey-" Mom touched my arm sweetly. "Let Dad and I take them. We-"

"No!" I snapped. "I'm their father. I can deal with this!"

"Come here, and take your pacifier," I cooed, trying to give Elora her pacifier. He fussed, swatting his little hands. "Come on, Elijah."

"Theo-"

"You can do it, buddy-"

"Theo-"

"Come on, just take it!"

"Theo!"

My eyes snapped up to the doorway to see Doctor Rowan, his chest heaving up and down in ragged breaths.

"Alpha, you need to come. Quickly!"

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