Chapter 6

My wolf remained restless inside me.

Asma was totally oblivious to the storm she had just caused.

She looked at me with happy, hopeful eyes.

"Don't you think I have a chance?" she asked softly.

The question struck me so much that I wasn't expecting it to hit her quite as hard.

A chance?

With my mate?

With the father of my child?

I lowered my gaze to the vegetables, buying myself a few seconds.

What was I supposed to say?

I couldn't tell her the truth.

Not now.

Maybe not ever.

I tried to pull a smile from my face.

"You're beautiful, smart, and stubborn," I said quietly. "Any man would be lucky to have you."

A grin immediately spread across her face.

"I knew you'd say something like that."

I laughed weakly.

But the laughter didn't reach my eyes.

Asma placed her hands on the counter and folded her arms.

"I'm serious, Bella. I have to make him notice me."

My chest tightened.

"Asma—"

"No, listen." She pointed at me dramatically with the spoon. "Well, I already have plans.

I blinked.

"Plans?"

"Of course." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "You don't think I'm going to sit around and do nothing, do you?"

I couldn't help shaking my head.

Only Asma would treat falling for one of the most powerful Alphas alive like a challenge.

"I think about him all the time," she admitted with a dreamy sigh.

I felt my stomach turn in pain.

"All the time?"

She nodded.

"Every day."

The joyful expression on her face faded.

"Sometimes I even dream about us together. Having dinner. Traveling. Talking."

I swallowed hard.

Every word was like another weight on my chest.

Because while Asma dreamed about a future with Alpha Xander...

I was already carrying a piece of him inside me.

It was almost funny that the irony of it all.

“It sounds crazy, doesn't it?” she laughed.

"No," I murmured. "It doesn't."

My voice came out much quieter than I intended.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice.

After a while, the food was ready.

After that, the talk fell off on its own.

We didn't talk much when setting the table.

Truthfully, I was thankful.

I needed silence.

Required space to breathe.

Needed a moment away from the guilt slowly building inside me.

We ate quietly.

The only sounds in the apartment were the clinking of cutlery and the distant noise of traffic outside.

Asma broke off from her meal and glanced up.

"Bella."

I glanced at her.

"Hm?"

"What about Alpha Lucian?"

My hand paused.

The name seemed strange at this moment.

Distant.

As if from a different life.

"Did you hear from him again?" she asked.

All I could do was focus on the food on my plate for a second.

Then I had a realization that made me stop and think, even on my own.

I hadn't thought about Lucian all day.

Not once.

In fact, I could barely remember the last time I thought about him at all.

A bitter laugh escaped me.

"Honestly?"

Asma nodded.

"I almost forgot he existed."

Her brow lifted up.

"Seriously?"

I scoffed.

"That bastard?" I muttered. "No. I haven't heard from him."

For a moment the anger that had been buried in me came back.

"He hasn't called."

"He hasn't looked for me."

"He hasn't done anything."

Asma's face darkened.

"He doesn't deserve you."

I looked away.

"Maybe not."

After that I straightened my shoulders.

"But one thing is certain."

"What?"

A cold smile touched my lips.

"He'll regret it."

Asma immediately grinned.

"That's the spirit."

After that, the discussion turned to something else, no one said anything else again.

A few minutes later, I found myself resting a hand over my stomach again.

The movement was now instinctive.

Natural.

Protective.

Asma noticed.

Her expression softened.

"No matter what happens," she said gently, "don't ever think about getting rid of the baby."

My throat tightened.

The memory of those dark days flashed through my mind.

The fear.

The uncertainty.

The loneliness.

Asma continued softly, "Whatever problems exist between you and the father... none of that is the baby's fault."

I swallowed.

"You're right."

She smiled.

"Promise me."

I nodded.

"I promise."

Asma seemed satisfied.

Completely unaware that the man she admired so much was the very father she was talking about.

There was a secret in my chest that I could not let go.

After dinner, we cleaned the kitchen together.

Then we tackled the rest of the apartment.

Dishes.

Laundry.

Tidying the living room.

I was so drained by the end of it all.

My feet ached.

My back hurt.

And my eyes struggled to stay open.

"I'm going to bed," I told Asma.

She waved from the couch.

"Good luck tomorrow."

Tomorrow.

My stomach jumped into my throat as soon as I heard the word.

I managed to have a faint smile before I went to my room.

When I closed the door behind me, silence enveloped me.

Slowly, I changed into comfortable clothes and climbed onto the bed.

The bed mattress immediately embraced me.

With a sigh, I rolled onto my back and rested both hands over my small bump.

Two months.

A little life within me.

A little secret, that might turn everything upside down.

My eyes slowly drifted shut.

And as sleep pulled me under, the last face that appeared in my mind wasn't Lucian's.

It was Alpha Xander Marco's.

As usual every night.