Fuck!!!! I'm Having The Alpha Princess's Baby.

Malo looked at the people beside Butcher. He noticed the doubt creeping into their expressions. Their shoulders dropped slightly, and the tough looks they had been wearing just a minute ago started to melt away into something hollow and unsure.

"Kraven..." Malo called. His voice was steady, the words coming out clear in the quiet morning air. "I heard from Checkers. He was talking about why Butcher never sold you or Bambi."

"What are you talking about?" Bambi muttered. She lowered her baseball bat just an inch, her fingers tightening around the taped handle as her chest rose and fell in short, sharp breaths.

Butcher’s mind wasn’t even there. His eyes were still glued to the numbers on his phone. He was running his thumb over the screen, staring at the bank alert like he was under a spell, completely ignoring his own kids standing right next to him.

"Nobody wanted to buy you. You’re worn out because of the burns covering your body," Malo said.

Kraven had suffered severe injuries years ago during the fire. Malo had always been talkative at the club and had managed to get one of the workers to reveal why Butcher kept them around. The small details had come out over empty glasses and hushed whispers in the back room. Since they were considered unsellable, he used them as money-making machines instead. Kraven helped Butcher find homeless kids and bring them to him, acting as the hound to track down new targets, while Bambi worked as a mechanic before opening her own garage, only to hand every cent she earned back to Butcher.

The kids were being used. Whether they realized it or not, they needed to know the truth. Malo wanted them to see the strings attached to their ankles before they spent the rest of their lives bleeding for a man who didn’t care.

"Just because he sells others doesn’t mean he’ll sell us. We’re his family..." Bambi argued. Her voice shook, the words sounding weak even to her own ears as she looked toward the man for some kind of sign that Malo was lying.

"Butcher, how much would I have to pay for Bambi and Kraven?" Malo asked.

Faye stared at him. Her eyes went completely wide, her jaw clenching as she let out a sharp breath through her nose.

If this dude asks me to make another transfer, I’m leaving him here and driving off. She gritted her teeth, her hand staying firmly away from her phone as she watched her best friend play the big shot with her bank account.

The words how much instantly brought Butcher back to reality. The man snapped his head up from his phone screen, his single eye widening as the prospect of even more money hit his brain.

"I’ve got cash with me. Will you sell them to me?" Malo asked.

"That depends. How much are we talking about?" Butcher replied. He didn’t hesitate for a single second. The word family didn’t even cross his mind as he reached out his hand, his fingers twitching in anticipation.

Malo checked his pocket and pulled out all the cash he had. It was the tips he’d earned from serving drinks at the club.

"855 dollars."

"Sold."

His gang flinched the moment they heard Butcher’s answer. Kraven looked like he had been struck across the face with a heavy stone, his arms dropping to his sides as the gun point dipped straight toward the ground.

"Butcher, what are you doing?" Bambi asked. A single tear cut through the grease on her cheek, her chest heaving as she stared at the man she called a father.

Kraven and the other three boys stood speechless. They didn’t move a muscle, the quiet of the road turning completely suffocating as the reality of their situation slammed into them.

"No one wanted you. I practically tagged you at a 100 bucks each. This is just business." Butcher said it without a hint of shame.

Butcher walked over to Malo and collected the cash, laughing greedily. He stuffed the paper into his front pocket alongside his phone, turning his back on his crew without giving them another glance.

"Now get out of our faces," Malo said. His voice was colder than the morning air, his eyes locked onto the man’s retreating shape.

Butcher walked away, leaving his so-called children standing there, stunned and speechless.

"You shouldn’t be surprised," Malo continued. He looked at Bambi, then at Kraven, his voice softening just a bit. "You all knew what kind of man he was, but ignored it because you thought he was family. You believed that as long as you made him money, he’d never sell you. It doesn’t matter how much you bring to the table. You’ll always be goods in his eyes."

That had been true for Malo as well. Bringing money home never made him safe, not even from his own parents.

Faye and Malo left them standing on the road, giving them the chance to choose their own paths.

"I can’t believe we gave that dude that much money," Faye complained as they drove away in Princess’s car, with Malo behind the wheel.

"You could’ve offered him a hundred grand and he still would’ve taken it, or maybe 62 cents for the grumpy kids. If I ever see that man again, I swear he’ll pay me back every single cent. Not one dollar missing."

"I don’t care how much he gets, as long as he leaves my family alone," Malo said. He kept both hands firmly on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the highway ahead as the sun started to rise higher.

"Now that I have a royal backing me, no one will dare come near me or my siblings."

"You should’ve just let Prince Arthur handle them, or at least used his name instead of throwing money around." Faye sighed, turning her head to look at his profile.

"I wanted to prove a point, and I did," Malo replied.

"I showed them exactly what kind of man they were willing to devote their lives to."

Faye looked at him and smiled. A small, genuine expression broke through her exhaustion, her shoulders relaxing against the leather seat for the first time all day.

"Are you okay, bro?"

"Yes, I am," Malo answered softly. He let out a long, quiet breath, his grip on the wheel loosening up just a fraction. "I’m finally free."

"Good. Because you owe me a punch."

"What did I do?" Malo blinked, turning his eyes toward her for a quick second in confusion.

"The punch is for all the trouble you caused everyone. If you’d told us from the start, we would’ve handled it. You keep saying, It’s nothing and I’m fine. If something’s bothering you, say it. Let the people around you help. You’re not alone anymore. You’ve got me, Sasha, Haley, Peamah, and even Princess. We’re here for you.... What are friends for if we don’t help each other?"

"Peamah isn’t my friend," Malo said immediately. His nose wrinkled in disgust, his voice returning to its normal, stubborn tone.

"He’s only around because you somehow control him to do things for you. That dude is the complete opposite of a friend."

"Whatever," Faye said with a snort. She shook her head, a small chuckle escaping her lips as she watched him complain. "At least you’re safe."

"Let’s go find Princess and the others. I don’t know if they’re still at the club..."

"Princess is at that club?" Malo asked. His foot pressed down on the gas pedal a little harder, the engine responding with a low rumble.

"Yes. They went in there looking for you."

Malo’s expression changed. His eyebrows pulled together, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the distance indicator on the dashboard.

"If Princess is still there," he said slowly, "then she’s there, because someone inside that club is keeping Princess Kings glued to the ground."