Chapter 46: Revelations and Risks
Bradley
After a chaotic seventy minutes that felt more like a small eternity, the three of us finally settled into my office. The air hung thick with unspoken dread as we waited for Lorenzo and his mate, Nicole, to arrive. I reached out through the pack link to the kitchen staff, the mental connection sharp and clear. *Bring some drinks and sandwiches to my office. We may be here for a while.*
Trishelle looked at me, her eyes soft with gratitude, a faint smile touching her lips. I could see exhaustion shadowing her delicate features, the kind that went bone-deep. She was beginning to feel hungry, which pleased me more than I cared to admit. My wolf preened at the thought of providing for our mate and the pup she carried. I suspected she now understood why her appetite had grown - she’d probably attributed it to the supplements Lorenzo had prescribed.
A sharp knock broke the silence. The door swung open, and Samuel poked his head in. His eyes, bright with an inner light I’d come to associate with good news, scanned the room before landing on Trishelle. The trainer’s entire demeanor radiated barely contained excitement.
"I was looking for Trish, and they said she was here," he said, his voice eager. "Is it possible that I could borrow her for a bit, Alpha?"
I watched as Trishelle’s whole body leaned toward him, a hopeful spark lighting her gaze. The connection between them was obvious - a friendship forged in shared hardship. Whatever news Samuel carried was clearly significant, and I could feel her yearning to go with him through our incomplete bond. But this came first. Her safety, the pup’s safety - nothing else mattered.
"I’m sorry, Samuel," I said, keeping my voice firm but not unkind. The trainer deserved respect for everything he’d done to help Trishelle heal. "Right now, we have a very serious matter to discuss, and it involves the health and safety of your friend. I’m not sure how quickly we can wrap things up, but I promise that as soon as she’s free, I’ll personally deliver her to you."
Samuel’s face fell, the light in his eyes dimming like a candle snuffed out. He nodded, his disappointment a palpable wave that rippled through the room. My wolf stirred uncomfortably at causing distress to a pack member who had proven himself loyal.
"Of course, Alpha." He backed out, closing the door softly behind him.
Trishelle’s shoulders slumped, and I caught the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes. I knew she wished she could reach out through a mind link to explain, to reassure her friend that everything was all right. But she couldn’t - not yet. I just hoped he would understand when she finally got the chance to tell him.
Trishelle
Another knock announced a young Omega girl entering with a tray laden with food and drinks. The aroma of fresh coffee and warm sandwiches filled the office, but my stomach was too knotted with anxiety to appreciate it. I stopped her before she could leave, grabbing a pen and a blank piece of paper from Bradley’s immaculately organized desk. My hand trembled slightly as I scribbled a note to Sammy, the letters uneven and rushed.
*Big news here. Can’t wait to hear yours! T.*
I folded it carefully, running my thumb along the crease. "Can you give this to Samuel? The new trainer?"
The Omega bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, Luna." She took the note with gentle fingers and left, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
It gave me a sliver of peace, knowing he’d understand I was thinking of him. Sammy had been there through some of my darkest moments. He deserved better than to be left wondering.
After she departed, Bradley walked to the door and turned the lock. The heavy click echoed in the room, sealing us in with our secrets. I gave him a confused look, my eyebrows drawing together in question. He caught my gaze and made a mental note to explain the pack’s need for absolute privacy in these delicate matters later. Some conversations couldn’t risk interruption.
"Auntie," Bradley began, his voice low and serious, carrying the weight of an Alpha addressing Council business, "as you know, Trishelle is my mate, the future Luna of Goldmoon. Today we discovered that she’s expecting a pup." He paused, and I watched his jaw tighten as he forced out the next words. "But it’s not mine. At least not biologically."
The admission cost him something. I could see it in the rigid set of his shoulders, the way his hands clenched at his sides. My heart ached for him even as shame burned through me.
Councilwoman Seers
I raised an eyebrow at the news, keeping my expression carefully neutral despite my surprise. I had thought Trishelle’s scent had changed recently - a sweeter, richer note beneath her own unique fragrance - but I had attributed it to a change in her diet and the new environment. Pack life could do that to a wolf. This revelation, however, was far more interesting and infinitely more complicated.
"Interesting," I said, taking a measured sip of the tea that had been provided. The chamomile was soothing, a pleasant contrast to the tension crackling through the room. "I’m assuming the father is the Alpha from Bloodmoon?"
Just hearing the name of that cursed pack, that brutal Alpha, made my nephew clench his jaw, a muscle twitching in his cheek like a warning sign. Not trusting himself to speak without letting his wolf’s fury bleed through, he gave a sharp, stiff nod. I’d heard whispers about Bloodmoon’s Alpha - none of them good.
"Well, congratulations are in order," I said, my tone deliberately neutral. I watched Trishelle’s face carefully, noting the way she flinched at my words. "But I don’t see why I’m here for what sounds like a personal matter."
Lorenzo
I cleared my throat, pulling my trusty notepad from my pocket. The worn leather cover had seen me through countless medical consultations, but never one quite like this. "You see, there’s a matter of marking while pregnant that we wanted to discuss with you as a representative of the Council. I know you possess vast knowledge, some of which may not even be recorded in our archives."
When it seemed that Councilwoman Seers wasn’t quite following along, I glanced at Trishelle. She fidgeted with the hem of her top, her anxiety a palpable scent in the room - sharp and acrid, like ozone before a storm.
"Umm..." she began, her voice small and uncertain. She cleared her throat and tried again, stronger this time. "When Bradley found out I was pregnant, he said that he accepted me and the pup as his, so then we kissed and things got... heated." A deep blush crept up her neck, staining her cheeks pink, but she pushed on bravely. "And when he was going to mark me, the doctor told him to stop because it could hurt me and the child. So... we were wondering if that’s true? If you know more about it?"
The vulnerability in her question made my heart clench. This young woman had been through so much already.
Bradley
My aunt looked at me, and I felt her voice slip into my mind, a private link between family that carried warmth and approval. *That’s my boy, staking your claim. Reminds me of your father when he found your mom.*
I ducked my head, a flush of embarrassment heating my face despite my best efforts to maintain an Alpha’s composure. I remembered how fiercely in love my parents were, how my father had claimed my mother without hesitation, defying pack politics and tradition. The memory of their devotion had always been my North Star. I was glad to be just like him, even if the circumstances were far more complicated.
My aunt turned her attention back to the doctor, her expression shifting to one of professional interest. "Tell me the reason why you stopped them from bonding, and we’ll go from there."
Lorenzo shared what he’d read, his words a grim echo of my own fears. The medical texts had been frustratingly vague, filled with warnings but little explanation. "...and in some cases, because they were bonded, the Alpha grows weak or even dies, leaving his pack in disarray."
My aunt nodded slowly, her expression grave, as if she were accessing memories she’d rather have left buried. "Yes, there have been cases where death occurred. Sometimes the mother, sometimes the child, and sometimes the Alpha." Her voice carried the weight of witnessing such tragedies firsthand.
Lorenzo
"Do you know why?" I asked, my pen poised over my notepad. This was unprecedented knowledge, the kind that could save lives. My hand itched to record every word.
The Councilwoman took a delicate bite of her sandwich, seemingly unconcerned by the tension crackling through the room like electricity. She chewed thoughtfully, as if organizing centuries of accumulated wisdom. Dabbing a crumb from her lips with a napkin, she began to share what she knew.
"Since Alphas are the strongest of us, their genes are mostly superior. They have a powerful instinct to survive, and when impregnation takes place, the Alpha’s genes temporarily alter some of the genetic structure of the mother to ensure the pup’s survival." She paused, letting that sink in. "Just as it’s difficult for two Alphas to coexist in the same pack without strife - unless, of course, in times of multiple births, like twins - this instinct is paramount."
She leaned forward, her gaze sharp and penetrating. "Due to this, a female pregnant with an Alpha’s child can mate, but only with the father of her child. It’s also possible with a lower-ranked or unranked wolf, as it won’t pose a threat to the Alpha genes. However, if another Alpha were to mark her, this change in her DNA due to the marking and bonding will put the pup in danger. It would be like opposing forces fighting for the same space, and if the mother isn’t strong enough, it can cost her her life."
My pen flew across the page, capturing every word. The implications were staggering.
Trishelle
Everyone was blown away by what she revealed. The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, like a death sentence. If that was true, it meant I couldn’t bond with Bradley. Not until the pup was born. Months and months of waiting, of being incomplete, of watching other females circle him like vultures.
*Will he still want us then?* I wondered, my chest tightening with panic. *What if another female comes into the picture and seduces him into marking her? What will happen to me then? To my pup?*
The questions multiplied, each one more terrifying than the last. Would I be cast out? Would my child grow up without a pack? Without a father figure?
Thoughts like these swirled in my mind, a vicious, dizzying storm that pulled me under. The room began to spin, the walls tilting at impossible angles. A cold sweat broke out on my skin, clammy and uncomfortable. I felt myself sway, my vision tunneling to a pinpoint.
Bradley was there in an instant, his strong hands steadying me. "Trishelle? What’s wrong?" The alarm in his voice cut through the fog. He turned to Lorenzo, his Alpha command ringing clear. "Check her."
Lorenzo was at my side in a flash, his hands gentle as he performed a quick exam. Professional fingers found my pulse, checked my eyes. "She’s just overwhelmed," he said, his voice soothing and clinical. "Her blood pressure is a bit high. Lie her back on the couch."
Bradley scooped me up as if I weighed nothing, cradling me against his chest. I could hear his heart thundering beneath my ear, betraying his own anxiety. He laid me down on the leather couch with infinite care, as if I were made of spun glass. He raised my legs and sat, placing my feet in his lap. He removed my shoes with gentle hands and began to rub them, his strong thumbs pressing into the arches with practiced ease.
The slow, steady rhythm of his touch was a lifeline, grounding me in the present moment. I focused on the sensation - the warmth of his hands, the pressure of his fingers, the care in every movement. It calmed both of us, the incomplete mate bond humming with shared relief.
"Don’t worry, my Luna," he murmured, his voice a low, steady promise that wrapped around me like a blanket. "We will figure this out. Together."
The certainty in his words made me want to believe him. Made me want to hope.
Councilwoman Seers
Everyone stood to leave, the heavy conversation apparently concluded. The atmosphere had shifted from tense to exhausted, the kind of weariness that came from emotional upheaval. As they made their way to the door, I added one last piece of information, a casual afterthought that I knew would change everything.
"Oh... did I mention that most Alphas can sense their pups in the womb?" I asked, pausing at the doorway. I let the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing. I looked directly at Bradley, watching his expression shift from confusion to dawning horror. "Especially when a rival Alpha’s pup is involved. It’s all about survival of the genes, after all."
The implications were clear. Bloodmoon’s Alpha would know. Would sense his offspring growing in Trishelle’s womb. Would come for what he considered his.
I made my departure, leaving them to process that bombshell. I didn’t need to look back to know they were all staring at each other, faces pale with shock, wondering what on earth the near future held. The game had just become infinitely more dangerous.