Episode Six The Child Between Us

Mira barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, the word returned.

Pregnant.

It echoed in her chest, heavy and unreal. Her hand kept drifting to her stomach as if she expected to feel something move. There was nothing. Just warmth. Just fear. Just the sharp awareness that her body was no longer hers alone.

Morning light crept through the hospital blinds. Pale. Unforgiving.

She turned her head slowly.

Alder was still there.

He sat in the same chair, shoulders squared, eyes open. He had not slept. She could see it in the tightness of his jaw and the dark shadows beneath his eyes.

“You stayed,” she said softly.

“I told you I would.”

Her throat tightened. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.”

Silence settled between them. Not awkward. Just heavy.

The door opened and a nurse stepped in to check her vitals. Mira answered questions automatically. Yes she felt better. No she had not vomited again. Yes she understood the instructions.

When the nurse left, Mira exhaled slowly.

“They’re going to discharge me today,” she said.

Alder nodded. “I already arranged transportation.”

Of course he had.

She hesitated. “Alder… about yesterday.”

“You don’t owe me explanations,” he said calmly.

“I owe you honesty.”

He waited.

She pushed herself up slightly, wincing. “I was not trying to trap you. I wasn’t holding secrets. I didn’t even suspect.”

“I know.”

“Kade and I never rejected the bond,” she continued. “I thought it didn’t matter anymore.”

A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Mate bonds always matter.”

Her eyes dropped. “Does this change anything for you?”

Alder stood and walked to the window. He stared outside for a long moment before turning back.

“It changes everything,” he said. “But not my decision.”

Her chest ached. “Why are you so calm about this?”

“I am not calm,” he replied. “I am choosing control.”

She nodded slowly. That made sense.

They left the hospital just before noon. The air outside felt sharper, colder, like the world had shifted while she was unconscious. Alder guided her into the car, his hand firm at her back, protective without being possessive.

The drive was quiet.

Mira watched the city blur past, her thoughts racing. “My father cannot know yet.”

Alder glanced at her. “Why.”

“He will try to control this,” she said. “He will turn my pregnancy into leverage.”

“I won’t allow that.”

She looked at him. “You don’t know my father.”

“I know men like him,” Alder replied. “They only understand power.”

Her lips pressed together. “Kade cannot know either.”

That earned a brief pause.

“He will know,” Alder said quietly. “The bond will tell him.”

Her stomach tightened. “When.”

“Soon.”

Fear crawled up her spine. “What happens when he does.”

Alder’s eyes hardened. “Then we deal with it.”

They arrived at his estate by evening. The place was massive but quiet. High walls. Heavy gates. Security everywhere. It felt less like a home and more like a fortress.

He helped her inside.

A room had already been prepared. Soft light. Clean sheets. No sharp smells.

“You planned this,” she said.

“I prepare for possibilities,” he answered.

She sat on the edge of the bed. “This is real,” she whispered.

“Yes.”

Her voice shook. “I am scared.”

Alder knelt in front of her. He took her hands carefully. “You are not alone.”

Something in his tone unraveled her. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his.

“I never wanted this,” she said.

“I know.”

“I never wanted to hurt you.”

“You haven’t,” he replied.

That night, Mira woke with a sharp gasp.

Heat burned through her veins. Not desire. Something deeper. Something primal.

She sat up, clutching her stomach.

A presence pressed against her mind.

Kade.

Her breath hitched as the mate bond flared painfully, like a wound ripped open.

Alder was in the doorway instantly.

“He knows,” she whispered.

Alder’s eyes darkened. “I felt it.”

The walls seemed to close in.

“What if he comes,” she asked.

“He will,” Alder said. “And when he does, he will not take you from me.”

Mira looked down at herself. At the life growing inside her.

“I won’t let either of you destroy each other over me,” she said quietly.

Alder straightened. “This child changes the rules.”

She met his gaze. “So do I.”

Outside, far beyond the walls, a wolf howled.

The war had found its heartbeat.

And it was hers.