LOGINHazel POVThe car kept moving, eating up the miles like it was hungry for distance. Streetlights grew sparse, then vanished altogether. The city skyline shrank in the rearview mirror until only dark fields and the occasional glow of distant houses remained. My hands clenched in my lap, nails digging into my palms. Every passing minute made the knot in my stomach tighter.“Where are you taking me?” I finally asked, voice thin with anxiety.Asher didn’t look at me. His gaze stayed fixed on the road ahead, one hand resting loosely on the wheel.“To race cars,” he said, tone flat and commanding, like he was stating an obvious fact.I stared at him. “What?”He didn’t repeat himself. The car accelerated smoothly, the engine’s low growl filling the silence that followed.Race cars?I must have misheard. Or maybe he was mocking me. Either way, none of this made sense. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass and tried to steady my breathing. The baby. The secret. The fact that I’d been se
Hazel POVThe city lights streaked past the tinted windows in long, golden blurs. I pressed my palms flat against the leather seat, trying to anchor myself as the Maybach glided smoothly through traffic. My heart hadn’t slowed since he’d pulled me inside. Every breath felt shallow, every second stretched too long.I finally found my voice when we were several blocks away from the bridal salon.“Why did you drag me in here?” The words came out sharper than I intended, edged with the panic still clawing at my throat.Asher didn’t look at me right away. He leaned back against the seat, one arm stretched along the backrest, fingers drumming once—twice—against the leather. His profile was sharp in the dim interior light: high cheekbones, straight nose, that perpetual line of tension around his mouth.“You were hiding behind a pillar,” he said calmly. “Watching me.”My face burned. “I wasn’t watching you. I just… happened to pass by.”He turned his head then. Dark eyes met mine, unblinking.
Hazel POVThe moment the words left his mouth—“It’s really you!”—my world tilted.I spun around so fast the room blurred. Alpha Asher stood inches away, towering over me, his dark eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made my knees buckle. Up close, he looked even more imposing—suit crisp, jaw set, that cold aura radiating like heat from a fire. But there was something else in his gaze: recognition, surprise, and a flicker of something raw I couldn’t name.I jumped back instinctively, heart slamming against my ribs. My heel caught on the edge of the carpet runner. I lost my balance, arms flailing as I tipped backward toward the display of crystal tiaras.His hand shot out—fast, sure. Fingers wrapped around my upper arm, pulling me upright before I could fall. The touch was firm, electric. Memories crashed over me: that same grip in the parking garage, pinning me, claiming me. I gasped, yanking away, but he didn’t let go.“Let me—” I started, voice cracking.He didn’t wait for the
Hazel POVThe bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped inside. The air smelled like fresh lilies, expensive silk, and a faint trace of vanilla candles. Soft classical music played from hidden speakers. Mirrors lined every wall, reflecting endless versions of white gowns that shimmered under crystal chandeliers. It felt like stepping into someone else’s dream—one I could never afford.I stayed near the entrance, half-hidden by a tall display of veils, heart hammering so loud I was sure everyone could hear it. My hand instinctively drifted to my stomach again—flat, no sign yet, but I could almost feel that tiny heartbeat fluttering beneath my skin. I came here to tell him. To say the words and see what happened. But now that I was inside, doubt clawed at me.What right did I have to disrupt his life?Then I saw her.A woman glided toward him from the back of the salon—tall, elegant, porcelain skin glowing under the lights. Her platinum hair was swept into a perfect updo, diamonds
Hazel POV“That’s good. Come home. I’ll make soup for you later.”Mom’s voice was warm on the phone, laced with that quiet worry she tried to hide. It wrapped around me like a blanket, but it couldn’t touch the cold knot in my stomach.“Alright…” I whispered back.The line went dead. I stood there on the sidewalk, phone still pressed to my ear for a second longer, like if I held on, the world wouldn’t feel so tilted. The bus stop was behind me, home just a short ride away. But my feet wouldn’t move toward it. Instead, they carried me forward—aimless, wandering down unfamiliar streets.The city blurred around me. Cars honked in the distance. People rushed past, laughing into their phones, carrying shopping bags, living normal lives. Mine felt shattered. Pregnant. With his child. Alpha Asher’s child. The words echoed in my head over and over, each one heavier than the last.Should I tell him?The question gnawed at me. He was the father—biologically, at least. But what did that mean? He
Hazel POVTime slipped away faster than I wanted it to. One month passed in a quiet blur—days blending into nights, routines settling back like they’d never been broken. Lucas was home. He slept better now, ate more, even cracked a few weak jokes at dinner. Mom’s color was returning; she smiled again when she thought we weren’t looking. The hospital bills were still there, the rent still loomed, but we were breathing. We were together. That was enough.I told myself I’d never have to see Alpha Asher again.I told myself that night in the parking garage was the end of it—a terrible, humiliating chapter I could lock away and never open. He’d kept his word: Lucas was free. No more calls, no more shadows at the door. I hoped—prayed—that our worlds would stay separate forever. He was the Alpha King. I was just… me. A girl from the wrong side of the tracks, scraping by, trying to hold her family together.Fate, though, had other plans.It started on an ordinary morning.I woke up feeling he







