Chapter 142 Your Child (2)
He keeps his eyes locked on mine as he continues.
“My hope was that, over time, you’d accept my feelings and think about becoming my mate.”
His admission sends my heart pounding against my ribs.
“But it’s unbearable, watching other Alphas try to win you over,” Daelor presses on, his voice lowering to a dangerous
murmur.
“The thought that someone might lure you away from me with empty promises terrifies me.”
His words dredge up memories of those photos taken in the school corridors. A wave of inexplicable bitterness rises in my chest as I imagine what he must have felt during the years I chased after Alarion.
He had stood aside, forced to watch while his wolf longed for its mate, unable to act.
His next words are little more than a husky whisper, sending shivers across my skin.
“There’s something important you need to remember.”
Before I can grasp what he means, his silver–gray eyes darken like brewing storms.
The danger in his Alpha aura triggers my instincts, and I try to avert my face, but he catches my chin, his grip gentle yet unyielding.
And then his lips meet mine.
Shock wipes my mind blank. I attempt to push against his powerful chest, but he is far too strong.
He finally withdraws, his breath uneven and voice thick with emotion and possessiveness.
“Does anything come back to you now?”
All I can do is stammer his name, bewildered. “Daelor…
He threads his fingers through my hair, his warm breath feathering across my skin. Despite the chaos in my mind, my wolf responds.
Suddenly, realization strikes me like a bolt from the blue.
“I kissed you just like this that night,” Daelor confesses quietly. “At the gathering on pack territory.”
Memories resurface in a rush–his cedar scent, his protective hold, the soft sound of his voice in the darkness.
The truth hits me with crushing clarity.
“You…“I gasp, my eyes widening as understanding dawns.
Daelor inclines his head, his expression somber and apologetic.
“That night, you’d been given moonberry extract,” he explains quietly. “I meant to get you away from the rogues Roderic had set on you.”
Regret softens his voice.
“But you clung to me so desperately, and I didn’t have enough control to hold back my wolf.”
The revelation is staggering. He was the stranger from that night. The father of the child I now carry.
He’s known all along, yet never revealed it. He even ensured Elena Torres kept his secret.
Feeling completely shattered by his flawless deception, my emotions surge and break free, unstoppable as a dam giving
way.
Without waiting for any clarification, I swing my hand and strike his face with all the force I can muster.
The sharp smack rings through the air. Red finger marks stand out on his skin, though his Alpha healing abilities cause
< Chapter 142 Your Child (2)
them to fade rapidly.
To my astonishment, Daelor lets out a laugh and meets my gaze with a look of approval. “You did the right thing,” he remarks coolly. “If hitting me helps, you can do it again.” “Daelor!” I roar, my voice thick with rage, my wolf inside me crying out in despair.
He holds my gaze, his eyes unwavering, and speaks with absolute honesty.
“I’m sorry for keeping this secret. As the father, I take full responsibility for everything.”
His tone grows firmer, full of determination.
“I won’t resist any punishment you decide i deserve.”
His last words finally shatter the wall of emotion I’ve struggled to hold back for so long.
All my pent–up frustration and pain–the grief over my mother’s passing, the end of my marriage, the abduction, and now this crushing truth–completely overpower me.
I collapse, sobbing uncontrollably. Tears stream down my face, months of anxiety, confusion, and heartbreak spilling out
at last.
My pregnant wolf at last lets go of all the pain and uncertainty I’ve been carrying about my pup’s future, and the trust that’s been so deeply broken.
