Chapter 4 - Under Control

TRAVIS

She stared at me as if she’d never seen a wolf standing on two legs. This was one of the reasons I didn’t really like humans. They were not as smart as we, werewolves. We’d hidden among them for centuries — our laws were clear: no interference, no exposure. Yes, we cohabited, but ninety percent of them didn’t believe werewolves really existed. She was with my pup, and that made her mine until the child drew its first breath.

She dared to say to my face that she could abort my child? The words hit like iron. She had no idea she’d just challenged a wolf to his face. She didn’t know where she was, yet she dared to speak without control. If she were one of us, she’d already be on her knees begging for mercy.

After leaving her room, I went straight to my study, slumped onto the couch, boots thudding against the table. I brought out a cigarette and lit it. Smoke curled into the lamplight, sharp and bitter. It helped me think — or at least, forget. Just as I put it between my lips, the door opened and my friend Serene stormed inside.

“You barge in without knocking, Gamma,” I said without looking up.

She’d been my friend since we were young, and she was also the Gamma of my pack.

“I heard some rumors downstairs. They said you came back with a human,” she said, stopping in front of me.

I puffed out the smoke and put the cigarette in its tray. “A human. Of all creatures, it had to be a human carrying my pup.” Her brows lifted; I didn’t need heightened senses to smell the shock rolling off her.

“What!” Her eyes widened. “She was the one the clinic inseminated by mistake?”

The pack’s doctor had sworn he’d chosen a wolf surrogate, one who could handle my bloodline. He lied. This was more of a curse than a blessing.

I nodded. “Hmm…” Her lips pressed thin — irritation mirrored my own. I hated that a weak woman would be carrying my baby. A human womb. Fragile, untested. It made my teeth itch just thinking about it.

“How did that even happen? That’s crazy.” One hand rested on her waist and the other ran through her hair. “You should take her to the hospital and ask her to abort the baby,” she said.

Every muscle in my body went stone. Did I just hear what Serene suggested? For a heartbeat, the wolf in me surged, claws itching beneath my skin. I swallowed the growl burning its way up my throat. My eyes darkened, and the hint of a smile on my face dissipated.

Serene noticed how her statement had altered the energy and made the atmosphere chilly, and she quickly masked her expression with a smile. “I… I mean, she’s a human. We both know how you hate humans because they are weak. I just think you wouldn’t want a weak woman to carry your pup,” she explained, and her words cooled the rage a little — she knew how to talk me down. That was one thing I loved about Serene. She had been with me for ages and knew when to utter some words and vice versa, especially when I was angry.

Blinking, I let out a hum. “I understand you, but it’s done. She may be fragile, but my blood runs strong. The pup will survive.”

“But bringing her here isn’t the right decision. You know humans and werewolves have promised not to intrude on each other’s privacy,” she said.

The treaty. I’d signed it myself — a promise to keep to our own kind. Yet, I was, taking a risk because I might really break the rules.

I raised my gaze, and my lips curled into a smile. Serene got worried easily about me. “You worry too much, Serene,” I said, letting a smirk hide the tension in my jaw.

Sighing, she shook her head. “That’s not the point, Travis. Don’t try to divert the topic.” She settled beside me. “Yes, I’m worried about you. Don’t you think this action of yours could be defying the rules?”

“I have it under control, Serene. I will just keep her here until she gives me the baby. I don’t have any business with her afterward,” I assured her, still flashing a smile. She was the only one I’d ever shown my genuine smile to, because she was the only one I trusted.

She stared at me for a moment and let out a deep breath afterward; her shoulders dropped at the same time. “I can’t just talk you out of this. You’ve made up your mind. Just be careful and send her away after the whole thing.”

A knock came, and the door opened. My beta, Darian, walked in.

“Alpha Travis,” he bowed curtly.

“I want you to find who made that stupid mistake and make sure they never practice again,” I ordered. If the elders wanted a reason to strip me of my title, this mistake gave them one, but I will correct it, and fight for what belongs to me.

“Order received, Alpha.” He bowed again and left.

My fists clenched tightly as I stared at the door. I didn’t expect betrayal disguised as incompetence. All I wanted was to get an heir to stop the elders from threatening me with impeachment every time; I didn’t expect to be entangled in this filthy mess. One of my pack members, who was a doctor in the human hospital, had assured me that he would find a werewolf who would be the surrogate mother for a f*e. I didn’t expect that a mistake would happen and a human would be the surrogate mother instead.

But I won't let her go. Even if I had to chain her to this house, she would not leave without giving me my pup.