Listen to me 71

The Mark of Betrayal · NovelDrama.Org

Roman

After contacting my father, making sure the pack was settled after watching their Alpha’s execution, checking on Priscilla, holding the pups while they cried and letting Pierce purr them back to sleep, then finally getting to make love to my mate and pushing the terrible day away, I wrapped myse!! around her and fell asleep.

In the morning, rather than getting up for warrior training, I take a moment to think about everything that has transpired in the last couple of months. So much has happened, so much has changed. I know there are still so many lives that are impacted by what happened, but for me, I feel a sense of peace. I found Samara, I avenged my best friend’s death, and while I know that our life will be rocky, I’m ready to start today as the first day of the rest of our lives.

‘I like the sound of that,‘ my mate’s sweet voice floats into my mind.

I wrap my arm more tightly around her, kissing her shoulder and laying my hand flat against her stomach.

“I’m so excited for our life together. I feel like the steel vice that has been wrapped around my heart and gut for the last nine years is gone and I can finally start living again. I owe all of that to you,” I say softly, pressing my lips to her shoulder and just breathing her in.

“Funny, I feel the same way about you. I owe all of this to you.”

I kiss my way to her neck, sliding her hair out of the way so I can leave a trail of kisses on her skin. I feel her body shiver against mine, as her heart rate increases and her breath hitches.

When I get to her ear, I take it between my teeth then drag her earlobe through my teeth. “I guess it’s a good thing we both accept the gifts that the Moon Goddess gave us.”

“I almost didn’t,” she says, her breath coming out in pants.

I slide my hand down her back and between her thighs, finding her soaking wet for me.

“Aren’t you glad you did,” I growl, lifting her leg and sliding inside her.

“Yes,” she moans.

I take my time, enjoying this moment with my mate, wrapping my mind and body around her as I show her how much I love and adore her. Each time her body contracts around mine I become more desperate to empty myself inside her, but I hold out, pushing her over the edge again and again until she’s a quivering mess in my arms.

“One more,” I growl at her.

“I can’t,” she whimpers.

“My white wolf can come for me again, I know she can,” I say, the feeling of possessiveness inside me has increased with every orgasm that I’ve drawn out of her. I make her feel this way. Only me. It will always only be me who gets to enjoy the extreme pleasure that my mate brings me.

When she cries out, her body clamping down on mine again, I sink my teeth into her shoulder, muting my roar of pleasure as I finally allow myself to empty inside her.

‘Fuck I love the way I feel when I’m inside you and we’re connected like this,‘ I say in the mind link, not yet releasing her from my bite as our bodies jerk with our aftershocks.

‘If you had told me it would feel this way, I never would have believed it. And if I had, it still couldn’t have compared to how amazing it feels having you inside me,‘ she says, her hand coming up to slide in my hair, gripping it as Pierce milks his venom into her, forcing her orgasm to continue.

“The best feeling in the world is your body contracting around mine because I made you come. I can’t get enough of it. It’s fucking paradise being with you, Samara,‘ I growl.

Mon, 28 Jul

Chapter 70

I’m not sure how long I force my mate to come. Long enough that tears begin streaming down her cheeks and the sunlight begins shining through our windows.

When Pierce is sufficiently satisfied that he’s laid claim to his mate again, I slide my canines out of her shoulder, licking the wound closed. Her body continues with the aftershocks for several more minutes before she sinks into the bed.

“I love you, Samara Hartwell.”

I hear her breath catch and she turns to look at me over her shoulder. “I am a Hartwell now, aren’t I?”

“Ever since my mark was on your neck. It was important to let others know that you are also Brenner. But I’m hoping you’ll take my name now.”

“Samara Hartwell. It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” she asks.

“It’s like you were made to be mine,” I growl softly.

She chuckles and as expected, she falls asleep in my arms. I let her sleep, carefully disentangling myself from her before going to shower. When I get out, I see she’s turned over and pulled my pillow against her face as if seeking my scent.

I lay one of my shirts beside her face, smiling when she growls possessively and tugs the shirt closer to her in her sleep.

“I love you,” I whisper, kissing the side of her head before heading downstairs. We have a lot to do before we leave today, and want to make sure that we’re home for dinner. While Elizabeth said that Sloane was doing okay, she didn’t sound okay when we talked to her. And I know Slade is still struggling.

I find Austin when I get downstairs. “I need to call dad. I think this pack is more in need of direction than the Brenner pack. I want him here, and you and Elizabeth can go to the Brenner pack tomorrow. We can watch Scarlet and Luca while you get settled and then we can bring them to you next weekend when we officially make you the Alpha of the pack,” I say to him.

“You know I’m going to need some help, right?” he asks me.

“You know I won’t let you fail, right?” I ask.

“Yeah. Thank you again for giving me this opportunity,” he says.

“You deserve it. I’m going to hate not having you in our pack, but this is a great opportunity for you.”

I contact my father and let him know what the new plan is, then I meet with the pack and give them the update on the status of the pack and the upcoming Alpha ceremony.

Samara emerges before lunch and as soon as my father arrives, we have his Alpha ceremony. Before the ceremony, Phoebe approaches us.

“Is it still okay if I come with you?”

“Yes. Get packed up during the ceremony because we’re leaving right afterward,” I tell her.

Timothy finds me as well, letting me know that Priscilla is still too weak to get out of bed, but the girls are now sharing the bed with her as they grieve the loss of their father and mate together.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about where she wants to live, so I don’t want to accept your father as Alpha yet. Is that okay?” he asks me.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to Dad and let him know what’s going on. Once you decide where you’re going, Heidi will also have to accept whoever is Alpha. She has a wolf now. As a pup, her wolf will struggle without an Alpha,” I tell him.

“Of course. Maybe after the girls go to sleep tonight, I can talk to Priscilla.”

“I assume you’re going to stay close to her for now?”

“Until she tells me she doesn’t want me around. But her wolf is still forward and she’s healing faster than normal after a broken mate bond. She realizes how much having me around is helping her, even if it’s weird.”

Chapter 69

close my eyes, my body is aching from the pain of rejection, but I know it would be much worse if Timothy wasn’t here, helping me and Lucia through it

1 feet his fingers slide through my hair, gently touching my face. The tingles of the mate bond ignite where he’s touching me. Rather than the usual desire that mates get from the touch of their other half, it feels like the tingles are rolling through my body, healing me from the inside out.

It’s the last thought that I have before I fall into blissful sleep.

Samara POV

Priscilla collapsed. Timothy is carrying her inside. How are the pups?‘ Roman asks in the mind link.

Crying as expected, but Ayla has them relatively calm,‘ I say.

‘I’m going to address the pack, then I’ll be in to help you. Are you okay?‘

‘Yes. I just hate this,‘ I say.

‘It’s done now. This was the last of it. We’ll trudge through and then start working on a better tomorrow.‘

“What’s going to happen to us?” Heidi asks, her voice shaking. She’s the older of the two. Roman told me the girls are eleven and nine, just a bit older

than Sloane and Scarlet.

“That’s going to depend on your mother. She has some options available to her. You can come live with us. Your cousins have already moved in. Or she may want to make a fresh start somewhere else. We’ll see once she’s stronger.”

“Do you think daddy accepted her rejection?” Sonya asks.

“I do. He said he loved you and he would have done it for you as much as he would have done it for her.”

“What if mommy dies?” Sonya cries.

“She didn’t. She’s weak, but I can feel her,” Heidi says. She got her wolf a year ago when she turned ten.

I keep my arms wrapped around the girls and by the time Roman finds me, Ayla has put them to sleep.

“I know they’re exhausted. Today has been a tough day all around,” he says, coming over to pick Heidi up. Pierce instantly starts purring to keep her

asleep.

“Let’s put them in the same bed so they can at least be with each other,” I tell him.

He nods and I follow him up to the Alpha floor. After putting them in Heidi’s room, I knock on the door where I can smell Priscilla and Timothy.

He answers and I see Priscilla sleeping in the bed behind him. He steps out and closes the door.

“What happened out there?” Roman asks.

I look from Roman to Timothy, not realizing that something happened.

Timothy scrubs his hands over his face. “The moment Dylan accepted her rejection, our mate bond kicked in.”

“Oh shit!” Roman says, expressing my thoughts exactly.

“Yeah. Before she fell asleep, she said my presence was helping her get stronger, so I’m going to stay with her at least until she tells me she doesn’t want me around. Where are her pups? I told her I’d check on them,” he says.

*They’re in Heidi’s room asleep. We put them together, but when they wake up, I know they’ll want to see their mom. Samara and I are here until tomorrow. Then, I’ll be sending my father over to start managing this pack while my Beta goes over and takes on the Brenner family pack.”

“When she’s stronger, I’ll talk to her about where she wants to go. Is your pack still an option for her?” he asks.

214

Yes, and maybe the best one at the moment. But the Brenner pack is also an option for her and she might prefer that since they spent more time in that pack than they did in mine,” Roman says.

“Well, since he was planning to kill you, I’m sure that’s true. I’ll let Priscilla know when she wakes. I’ll be here until she does.”

“We’ll send up some food for both of you. Try to get her to eat when she wakes up. Did she lose her wolf?” Roman asks.

“No. My wolf, Jagger, held on to her wolf. The mate bond is very strong. And for whatever reason, the Moon Goddess has chosen now to give me my mate.”

“Hopefully, in time, Priscilla will see that whatever her reason for this timing, the Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes.”

“Let us know if you need anything at all,” I say to him.

“Thank you, Luna,” he says, stepping back into the room.

Roman wraps an arm around me as we walk back down the stairs. Austin is here, so I know things are under control, but it’s still good for the two of us to be seen by the pack.

“Excuse me, Alpha, Luna,” a woman says, walking up.

“Yes,” Roman says. I feel his grip tighten on me, as if he’s ready to putt me behind him if this woman becomes aggressive.

“You said that Alpha Sawyer betrayed the Brenner family, along with Alpha.Dylan and Luna Althea, is that right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Is Sawyer dead?” she asks.

“He is.”

“Good, that asshole deserved to die,” she growls.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” he asks her.

“Sorry. My name is Phoebe. I was Sawyer’s fated me. He slept with me, then rejected me so he could be Alpha. I told him I was willing to move to the pack, to help him rebuild, but he laughed at me. He said he already had his Luna, he just wanted to have his one time with his fated mate,” she says, bitterly.

I step forward and take her hand in mine, letting Ayla soothe this woman, yet another person betrayed by Sawyer and Althea. “I don’t know if this will make you feel better, but my sister, Althea, she killed her fated mate when he tried to get her away from the battle.”

She sucks in air, her mouth dropping open. She looks between me and Roman as her hand comes up to her mouth.

“Sawyer may not have cared about you, but he cared enough to leave you alive, which is more than Derrick got.”

“She killed him? Why?” she whispers.

“She thought he was nothing more than a warrior, when in fact, he was an Alpha about to take over his pack.”

Her eyes close. “I guess when Sawyer threatened to make me pay if I ever told anyone, he wasn’t joking.”

“Probably not,” Roman says to her.

30-15

“What’s going to happen to us now?” she asks, pulling her hand out of mine and wrapping her arms around herself as if she’s trying to hold herself together.

“My father will take over this pack until we decide what to do long–term. If anyone wants to leave, they can. If anyone wants to move to our pack or the Brenner family pack, they can do that as well,” Roman says.

“When do I have to decide?” she asks.

“You can take as much time as you need, but Samara and I are heading home tomorrow. We have Sawyer’s pups in our pack. They need their family right now, just as much as Heidi and Sonya will need their mother.”

“Can I let you know my decision tomorrow?” she asks.

“Absolutely.”

As she walks away, lean into Roman. “How many lives can three selfish people impact?”

“Too many.”

Chapter 70

Roman

‘I like the sound of that,‘ my mate’s sweet voice floats into my mind.

I wrap my arm more tightly around her, kissing her shoulder and laying my hand flat against her stomach.

“Funny, I feel the same way about you. I owe all of this to you.”

I kiss my way to her neck, sliding her hair out of the way so I can leave a trail of kisses on her skin. I feel her body shiver against mine, as her heart rate

increases and her breath hitches.

When I get to her ear, I take it between my teeth then drag her earlobe through my teeth. “I guess it’s a good thing we both accept the gifts that the Moon Goddess gave us.”

“I almost didn’t,” she says, her breath coming out in pants.

I slide my hand down her back and between her thighs, finding her soaking wet for me.

“Aren’t you glad you did,” I growl, lifting her leg and sliding inside her.

“Yes,” she moans.

quivering mess in my arms.

“One more,” I growl at her.

“I can’t,” she whimpers.

“My white wolf can come for me again. I know she can,” I say, the feeling of possessiveness inside me has increased with every orgasm that I’ve drawn out of her. I make her feel this way. Only me. It will always only be me who gets to enjoy the extreme pleasure that my mate brings me.

When she cries out, her body clamping down on mine again, I sink my teeth into her shoulder, muting my roar of pleasure as I finally allow myself to

empty inside her.

‘Fuck I love the way I feel when I’m inside you and we’re connected like this,‘ I say in the mind link, not yet releasing her from my bite as our bodies jerk

with our aftershocks.

The best feeling in the world is your body contracting around mine because I made you come. I can’t get enough of it. It’s fucking paradise being with you, Samara,‘ I growl.

Chapter 70

I’m not sure how long I force my mate to come. Long enough that tears begin streaming down her cheeks and the sunlight begins shining through our windows.

“I love you, Samara Hartwell.”

I hear her breath catch and she turns to look at me over her shoulder. “I am a Hartwell now, aren’t I?”

“Ever since my mark was on your neck. It was important to let others know that you are also Brenner. But I’m hoping you’ll take my name now.”

“Samara Hartwell. It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” she asks.

“It’s like you were made to be mine,” I growl softly.

She chuckles and as expected, she falls asleep in my arms, I let her sleep, carefully disentangling myself from her before going to shower. When I get out, I see she’s turned over and pulled my pillow against her face as if seeking my scent.

I lay one of my shirts beside her face, smiling when she growls possessively and tugs the shirt closer to her in her sleep.

“You know I’m going to need some help, right?” he asks me.

“You know I won’t let you fail, right?” I ask.

“Yeah. Thank you again for giving me this opportunity,” he says.

“You deserve it. I’m going to hate not having you in our pack, but this is a great opportunity for you.”

I contact my father and let him know what the new plan is, then I meet with the pack and give them the update on the status of the pack and the upcoming Alpha ceremony.

།

Samara emerges before lunch and as soon as my father arrives, we have his Alpha ceremony. Before the ceremony, Phoebe approaches us.

“Is it still okay if I come with you?”

“Yes. Get packed up during the ceremony because we’re leaving right afterward,” I tell her.

Timothy finds me as well, letting me know that Priscilla is still too weak to get out of bed, but the girls are now sharing the bed with her as they grieve the loss of their father and mate together.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about where she wants to live, so I don’t want to accept your father as Alpha yet. Is that okay?” he asks me.

“Of course. Maybe after the girls go to sleep tonight, I can talk to Priscilla.”

“I assume you’re going to stay close to her for now?”

Chapter 70

“Let me know if you need anything from me.”

*Thank you, I will.”

I watch as the pack accepts my father as their Alpha. It goes a long way to making the pack feel stable again. Every pack needs a leader, and my father may be retired, but he’s a strong leader.

Afterward, I let my father and mother take their place as the pack’s Alpha and Luna, letting them know about Timothy, Priscilla, her daughters, and Phoebe. Then, Samara and the rest of our warriors get ready to head home.

Phoebe joins us in our car and before long we’re back in our pack.

“Phoebe, give us a few moments to find you a room,” I say to her, just as Sloane comes rushing out of the packhouse, launching herself into my arms.

“You’re back,” she says, hugging me tightly.

“Sweetheart, I told you we’d be home before dinner,” I say, hugging her tightly.

“I know, I just… I was so worried something would happen.”

“We’re home now,” I say, setting her back on her feet as Elizabeth comes out with Slade in her arms. The moment he sees me, he begins crying and screaming for me. I leave Sloane hugging Samara while Samara reassures her that we’re fine. As soon as Slade is in my arms, he wraps his arms around my neck in a death grip.

“It’s alright, Buddy. I’m right here,” I say, looking at Elizabeth.

“It was a rough night,” she says, looking up at her mate as he comes up behind me. He hugs her then says hello to his pups.

“Hey, Adrian, we have a new pack member,” I say, seeing my Gamma standing behind everyone, looking past us at Phoebe.

When he doesn’t move, I turn and look at Phoebe whose face is half awe, half fear.

“Mate,” Adrian says, his voice filled with awe.

“Oh shit, not again,” I murmur.

“Mate?” Phoebe asks, uncertainty clear in her quivering voice.

“Okay, Adrian, why don’t you and Phoebe go someplace quiet to talk. And I mean talk. She’s been through some things. Do not rush her into a mate bond,” I tell him.

He comes down the steps, never taking his eyes off of her.

“What kind of things? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Who hurt you? I’ll kill them,” he growls.

“He’s already dead,” she says.

“Good, then it saves me the trouble,” he growls. “I’m Gamma Adrian.”

“I’m Phoebe,” she says, as he takes her bag off her shoulder and puts it on his.

“Phoebe, welcome to the pack. Will you come with me? I’ll get us some food, and we can talk,” he says.

I watch as Phoebe looks at Sloane then Slade, putting the pieces together that they are Sawyer’s pups with Althea. I look at Samara. We’ll have to make sure that it won’t be a problem. Luckily, if it is, I have another pack I can send them too.

“Come on, why don’t you help me unpack and you can tell me what you and Scarlet have been up to while we were gone,” Samara says, leading Sloane into the packhouse. Sloane hasn’t let go of Samara and Slade hasn’t let go of me.

“Can we have family movie night tonight?” Sloane asks.

“Absolutely,” Samara says, turning to look at Slade clinging to me.

Yeah, movie night may be just what our little family needs.

Chapter 71

Samara

Movie night was much needed. Slade stayed attached to Roman like he was a suckerfish until he finally fell asleep and Sloane was nearly the same vitH me. She pressed her body so close to mine that I’m pretty sure air molecules couldn’t pass between us.

But they needed it. It was important. And while it didn’t seem like Sloane was really watching the movie, I kept an arm wrapped around her, alternating between hugging her and rubbing her head while we ate popcorn and drank sodas.

Pierce kept up a low–level purr to help Slade relax and even after he fell asleep, Roman continued to rub his back and Pierce continued to purr at him.

I stayed on the couch long after the movie

Sloane fell asleep with her head on my shoulder. Since she also seemed restless even in sleep, Roman and is ended, letting both of our children fall deeper into sleep.

When Aria started to stir, Roman took Slade to bed, but I stayed with Sloane. Ayla purred at her, keeping her asleep, but I know Sloane’s struggling. Even in sleep she’s restless.

I continued to hold her while Roman fed, burped, and changed Aria, then I carried her to her bed and tucked her in.

“Sleep well, beautiful,” I whisper in her ear before leaving her. It’s one of the first nights that she and Scarlet haven’t been together. But between us being gone and our Betas leaving tomorrow to take over my family’s pack, both our families needed some together time.

As tired as we both are, my mate and I still want our time together, to connect, to confirm our love, and to strengthen our bond.

In the morning, Roman once again wakes me in the best possible way before heading out to warrior training.

“After breakfast, we have a date with a doctor,” he says, his grin so wide I’m surprised it doesn’t split his face. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed as we talk.

“Let me guess, you’re hoping it’s a boy,” I say.

“What I’m hoping for is a healthy baby that I get to watch grow in my mate’s stomach, that I’ll get to feel kicking me like the Alpha pup he or she is, and that one day, I’ll get to hold in my arms like I am with Aria,” he says.

I sit up, putting myself at his level. “And THAT is just

one more reason why I love you,” I say to him, taking his mouth in a dominant kiss.

He growls possessively, taking control of the kiss and pushing me back on the bed, dominating my mouth thoroughly before releasing me.

“I’ll be finishing that later,” he growls.

“As always, I can’t wait,” I say.

I get up and shower and I’ve just gotten dressed when I hear Slade moving around on the baby monitor that we have in his room.

I go get him ready for the day and then get Aria before heading downstairs. As soon as Slade sees Roman, he takes off running. Roman scoops him up easily, coming over to kiss me and Aria before taking Slade to get breakfast.

“Sloane?” I ask.

“Still out running,” he says.

Rather than get food, I decide to drop Aria off at daycare and then go w sweat and panting like she’s about to pass out.

for

Sloane. I’ve just returned to the dining hall when she comes in, pouring in

“How far today, Sloane?” Roman asks her..

“Twelve miles,” she pants.

“She’s not exaggerating Alpha. I was on patrol this morning and we saw the young Alpha pushing herself hard, one of our warriors says.

She smiles at him appreciatively before coming over to me.

“Ready for breakfast?” I ask het.

“Water first,” she says, getting a bottle and chugging it down in less than a minute. Her eyes look glassy when she’s done, then she looks at me. “Ready

As we walk through the buffet line to get our food, I look at her. “Ready to go to the doctor’s appointment with us today?”

She smiles at me. “Is it still okay that 1

“Of course. You’re family.”

Her smile wavers, but she still nods.

“Your uncle is sitting with the Betas. Scarlet

the new pack?” I ask.

“She’ll be fine. Do I have to go next weekend?”

family is leaving today. Do you think she’ll be okay hanging out on our floor this week until we take them to

I realize that going back to my family’s pack holds more pain for Sloane right now than it does for me.

“Let me talk to Roman. Maybe we can drop you off with Grandma Devi and Grandpa Sterling,” I say.

While Roman and I are still uncle and aunt, Sloane has no problem calling Roman’s parents her grandparents.

Over breakfast, we talk about Austin and Elizabeth taking over the pack and that Roman and I will be there next weekend to swear them in as Alpha and Luna.

“Are you sure?” Austin asks Roman.

“I’m sure. We have three packs we need to stabilize and maintain for years. I trust you with my life. You’re the right man for the job,” Roman tells him.

“Thank you again for this opportunity,” he says.

After breakfast, we walk them out as they say goodbye to their pups. Then we say goodbye and watch them leave.

“Slade, do you want to go play video games with Luca?” Roman asks.

“Yeah, come on, I’ve got some new skills!” Luca says.

“You’ll come back?” Slade asks Roman before walking off.

“I’ll be back within the hour,” he says.

“I’ll be in my room,

Sloane. Come find me when you’re done,” Scarlet

says.

Sloane hugs her friend before coming to take my hard. By the time we get to the pack hospital, I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. It might still be too soon, but I’m so excited to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl.

“It’s okay, Aunt Samara. This is easy,” Sloane says/sweetly.

“I’m so nervous,” I say honestly, hugging her to me. Roman wraps his

arm

me, pulling both of us into a hug.

“I’m nervous too,” he says.

Sloane giggles. “This is an easy appointment. The hard part comes when you have to decide on a name. Mom and Dad always argued about names.

2/3

10.22 Tue

She realizes what she just said and stops, her face dropping.

I hug her tighter, kissing the top of her head. “We’ll try not to fight,” I say.

She nods and we walk inside, checking in before being taken to a room.

I put on the gown and get on the table just as the doctor walks in rolling in a machine. She looks very efficient.

“Alpha, Luna, Alpha Sloane,” she says greeting us. I’ve never spent time with Dr. Ashton, but I met her at my Luna ceremony. “I hear we’re doing an ultrasound today, hoping to see if we’re having a boy or girl, is that correct?”

“Yes. We saw Dr. Nelson in my family’s pack last week and he confirmed that I’m pregnant but we weren’t able to determine the gender of our pup,” I tell

her.

“Well, with the short gestations of our pups, a week is a long time. Let’s see what we can see,” she says, sliding the blanket down to my pelvis and opening the gown before putting the cold gel on my stomach.

‘Cold!‘ I mouth to Sloane who grins back at me. Roman is on the side that Dr. Ashton has the machine, and Sloane is on the other side of the bed, so! have each of their hands in mine as we watch.

She moves the wand over my flat stomach and stops when we see something pulsing. “There’s your baby’s heart,” she says, clicking a button. Instantly the sound of my baby’s heartbeat fills the room. I squeeze Roman’s hand, feeling his emotions swelling as mine are. He hasn’t looked away from the monitor since she turned it on.

“Here we have a face. You can see the eyes, nose, and mouth,” she says, pointing to where our baby’s face is. “Here the stomach, the legs and the feet,” she continues, moving the wand as she goes.

“Okay, let’s see if we can get this little one to show off for us,” she says.

She moves the wand around and I can see my baby moving, even though I can’t feel them yet.

Suddenly, Dr. Ashton begins chuckling. “Such a typical Alpha.”

“What does that mean?” Roman asks.

“Well, in my experience, Alphas are proud of what they have hanging between their legs,” she says, freezing the frame. “And THAT, is a very proud Alpha male,” she says, turning to look at me.

“Congratulations, Luna. You’re having a boy.”

It takes a second, a second for her words to compute. The moment they do, I burst into tears.