Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 102 : As the Expecting Mother

Compared to the wariness Soren and I had, Charles’ expression was quite relaxed.

“Alpha Chandler brought you to the pack house. You were in pretty rough shape, knocked out by a hit to the head. It was several days ago, before all this...craziness started.”

Soren tensed beside me. We hadn't had a chance to talk about all the things that had happened to me while we were separated and I had a feeling he was reacting to the knowledge that I'd been hit on the head to knock me out.

“I was summoned to treat some of the warriors that had gone out with Alpha Chandler. They had strange wounds... like they'd been attacked by vines.” Charles sighed and shook his head.

“How strange,” I muttered nervously.

"Well, it's not often to see young ladies like you mixed up among his warriors. You stood out in my mind.” Charles touched the side of his head.

Alpha Chandler had me examined by a healer? Was that how he knew about the pregnancy? It made sense...

"You were still unconscious. I was going to give you some medicine for the head wound but Alpha Chandler stopped me insisting that you were okay. I still insisted on doing a quick checkup just in case. It's my job as a healer to treat all my patients, regardless of what the Alpha wants."

“But he didn't tell you who I am?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

Charles shook his head. “No, he didn't. Alpha doesn't let others ask him questions... Ever since our Luna died, he changed. He became cold, stubborn, and paranoid.”

Sighing, I crossed my arms. I wasn't interested in hearing any more about Chandler. He was old news now and he wasn't a threat anymore.

Now that Charles was better, I suddenly realized that I could ask him about the pregnancy. Even if he wasn't the one that told Sebastian, as a healer, he could confirm it for me.

Charles sighed heavily, getting my attention again.

“I always knew that his delusional persistence would bring trouble to the pack. I just did not expect that, instead of trouble, he would bring destruction...”

Charles sighed again, showing a moment of sadness. It passed quickly. As a healer, he'd probably seen a lot of deaths. His eyes were wise and mournful, but not bogged down with sadness. "Anyway, we can't change what's happened. All we can do is look forward,” Charles whispered. “I'm glad to see you're safe, Miss, and thank you for saving me. I guess I'm lucky that there happened to be another healer nearby..."

I smiled and nodded. “You're welcome. I'm glad that I was able to help.”

Enzo touched Charles’ shoulder.

“Grandpa, Miss Mila isn't a healer. She's a witch!"

Charles's eyes snapped to me again.

"Umm..." I took a half-step back.

“A witch? No wonder... no wonder..."

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. What was he getting at?

“No wonder what?" Enzo asked.

“No wonder I saw what I saw..." Charles looked directly at me again. “You're the one who guided me and walked me out from the darkness. I owe you my life."

My cheeks warmed and I felt a blush spread over my face and down my neck. “You don't need to thank me. I wasn't sure whether it would work. I just gave it a try... I had to.”

Charles nodded and then frowned. He stroked his chin. It was like he was sifting through memories, still jumbled from his recent unconsciousness.

“You used a spell to heal me and wake me up?" he asked.

“Enzo and I made the medicines together. While those helped to heal your wounds, they weren't enough to wake you up. Then I tried something in addition... think it was a spell. Something I've known since I was a little girl.”

Charles continued to frown. He looked concerned about something.

“Is something wrong?" I asked.

“Miss Mila, I cannot thank you enough for saving my life. However, please refrain from using too much magic.”

"Huh?"

“It isn't a good time for you to be overexerting yourself, especially now."

What was so important about right now? I'd been practicing some simple spells lately when I got the chance for a while.

“I don't understand. Why do I need to be careful with my magic?”

"When you use your magic, you exhaust your energy. Physical and mental energy. Haven't you felt tired lately?"

"Yes, but I figured it was just from not having enough sleep and going out into the rain.”

Charles tapped his temple lightly with his forefinger. “How did it feel after you cast that spell to wake me? I imagine you felt very weak and shaky. Isn't that true?"

I nodded.

“If you overexert yourself, that can be dangerous to your own health. And right now, you have to worry about more than your own health.”

I held my breath.

“If memory serves, you're pregnant. Practicing magic and casting spells won't hurt the baby directly. But as the expecting mother, it's probably best not to exhaust yourself."

I froze, and my heart caught in my throat.

Immediately, I looped my arms around my stomach.

What Charles said sank in and I wasn't listening to him anymore. Instead, I looked at Soren.

He was frozen in place, staring straight ahead. He looked like he'd been turned to stone!

I bit my lower lip.

This wasn't exactly how I planned to verify my pregnancy, and it certainly wasn't how I wanted him to find out, either!

My heart hammered crazily in my chest as I waited for Soren to respond or react. There was nothing in his face, his eyes were blank, and his expression was hollow.

What was he thinking? I couldn't read his face at all. He looked so shocked.

I couldn't help but start getting worried.

Was he upset about me hiding the news from him? Was he just so shocked that he was stunned? Or...for whatever reason, was he not happy about the baby?

I tried to push the last thought out of my mind because it really upset me.

Ever since Soren saved me from Dylan and Chandler, we hadn't really talked about our relationship. I'd been injured, then we had been busy handling everything that was going on with Norwind pack. There hadn't been the right opportunity for a serious conversation, nor did I feel strongly that we needed to have one

His confession in the tomb was as fresh in my mind as it was just said to me, and I trusted him. I believed in every word he said, and thus, I felt we'd come to a mutual understanding that we had accepted each other as mates, and we would be together.

I knew he cared about me, therefore we didn't have to specifically discuss how we felt about each other. When the time was right and when I knew for sure whether I was pregnant or not, then we could sit down and plan for our future together.

However, his expressionless silence made it hard for me to breathe...Was I wrong about the whole situation?

*Soren*

I stared at Charles for a moment, my mind processing what he just said.

Had I heard him correctly? I lifted a finger to my ear, pressing against it.

It was true. Mila was pregnant... with my child.

My heart hammered in my chest as reality crashed over me like devouring waves.

I was going to be a father. Mila and I were going to be parents. She was going to have my baby... our baby!

Extreme happiness washed over me, I wanted to shout out and announce it to the world, but the words caught in my throat when I saw Mila's expression.

She was pale and she was staring dead ahead. Then she frowned. It was like she was trying to avoid eye contact with me.

My heart sank.

What was she thinking? Why couldn't I see joy on her face?

Did she know about the pregnancy? She looked too shocked to have known.

Most importantly, how did she feel about it?

Her gaze landed outside of the window and her face was blank. It was impossible to tell what she was feeling.

If she had known about being pregnant, why wouldn't she tell me? We'd had plenty of chances for her to say something since she'd recovered from being kidnapped.

If she didn't know about this until just now, why couldn't I see any cheerfulness on her face?

My mind raced.

I clenched my fists and shook my hands, trying to stop the tremors.

Instinctively, I looked at Charles again. I searched his face for any hint that he was lying or toying with us. All I saw in his eyes was the truth.

A little life...

Slowly, Mila looked at me, her face still a mask.

I couldn't tell what she was thinking. If only she'd taken that last dose of the antidote! Our mindlink still only worked sometimes because she hadn't completed the Blackfire antidote course.

If there was ever a time when I wanted to be able to read her mind and sense her feelings, it was now!

My heart beat even faster and I looked at Mila. She suddenly looked like she was glowing, radiant and beautiful. My chest swelled like a balloon and I just wanted to pull her to me and hug her. This was great news! She had to feel the same way as me!

I grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the room. She didn't even try to pull away or resist. “Excuse us.” I nodded quickly to the healer and his grandson.

Thankfully, Enzo and Charles let us go without saying anything.

I took Mila down the hall to our room and shut the door behind us. Grabbing her shoulders, I pushed her up against the door, pinning her in place.

“Mila, is it true?"

“I... 1 think so... I mean..."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!?" I tried to soften my tone, but it might still have come out a bit rushed.

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Mila swallowed hard and gave me a weak smile. “Dylan... I mean Sebastian... he kinda mentioned it. I wasn't sure if he was lying though, and I didn't want to tell you before verifying—"

"Are you not happy about it?” I interrupted her.

“No, I mean, yes, I'm very happ—"

I pressed my lips to hers, cutting her off again. That was good enough for me.

I slipped my arms around her back and kissed her passionately on the mouth, moving my lips vigorously against hers.

I'd been working toward building my pack and I'd already announced that Mila would be my Luna. This couldn't be more perfect. Of course, I had planned to settle down with Mila and start a family... The Moon Goddess surprised me again.

I pressed my body to Milas, feeling her stomach against mine, through our clothes.

There was already a piece of me inside the woman I loved with all my heart. Growing. There was no greater way that I could express my affection for her than to share this.

Mila gasped and pulled away from me, casting her eyes down.

"Are you mad at me? I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I really wasn't trying to hide anything from you. You have no idea how happy I was when I learned that. I just wanted to be sure because..." Mila explained, her face as red as a delicious apple. I caressed her cheeks.

She continued, “What if that was a lie? I was excited about the news, but what if it wasn't true? I'd be so heartbroken and disappointed. I thought about it, and I didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing, you know."

“Mila, just kiss me," I ordered.