The Alpha's Forbidden Heir

The air in the office seemed to solidify, turning into a thick, invisible pressure that pressed against Kael’s lungs. Lucien hadn’t moved, but his presence had expanded, filling every corner of the room until there was nowhere left for Kael to hide. The accusation hung between them, shimmering like a blade.Kael forced a dry swallow, his throat tight. He could feel the pulse thrumming in his neck, right where the suppressant patch was working overtime to mask the sweet, cloying scent of a panicked omega. He needed to be cold. He needed to be the calculating analyst Lucien had hired."A liar, Mr. Virel?" Kael’s voice was remarkably steady, a product of years of practice. He adjusted his cufflink, the movement precise and robotic. "In this industry, we call that 'discretion.' If I told you every thought that crossed my mind during a negotiation, we’d both be out of a job by noon. My 'nature' is whatever ensures this merger goes through."Lucien didn't blink. He leaned in just an inch cl

The heavy, possessive weight of Lucien’s arm remained draped across Kael’s midsection for hours, a literal anchor pinning him to the rumpled silk sheets. Every time Kael tried to shift, to untangle his limbs from the Alpha’s heat, Lucien would let out a low, territorial growl in his sleep, his fingers tightening against Kael’s hip, pulling him back into the furnace of his chest. It was a primal, suffocating embrace that blurred the lines between protection and imprisonment. Kael lay there in the dim light of the pre-dawn suite, his heart hammering against his ribs, staring at the expensive crown molding until his eyes burned.When the first sliver of grey light finally cut through the heavy velvet curtains, the pressure around his waist loosened. Lucien shifted, his breathing deepening into the final, heavy stage of sleep. Kael seized the moment. He slid out from under the duvet with the practiced silence of a man who had spent his life hiding in plain sight. His feet hit the cold mar

Kael’s heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs, a trapped bird sensing the cage door about to be ripped open. He didn't look at Elric. He couldn't. With a trembling hand, he shoved the positive pregnancy test into the inner silk lining of his blazer, the plastic casing feeling like a live coal against his chest."I'm coming, sir," Kael called out, his voice miraculously steady despite the cold sweat slicking his spine. He threw a final, warning look at Elric—a silent plea for discretion that the other man met with a grim, worried nod—and turned to the door.He pulled it open, and the air in the small restroom was instantly displaced by the sheer, overwhelming presence of Lucien Virel. The CEO was a pillar of dark charcoal wool and suppressed violence, his eyes narrowed as they swept over Kael. The scent of him—dark cedarwood, cold rain, and the underlying, metallic tang of a dominant Alpha on the warpath—hit Kael like a physical blow. It was a scent that usually made Kael’s p

Darius didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. The cowardice was written in the way his pupils shrank, his gaze flickering between Lucien’s iron grip on Kael’s waist and the lethal promise in the CEO’s eyes. With a jagged, nervous swallow, Darius stepped back, his expensive shoes squeaking against the polished marble of the hallway. He offered one last, lingering look at Kael—a look that promised the threat at the clinic wasn't over—before turning on his heel and retreating toward the elevators.The silence that followed was heavy, thick with the lingering scent of Darius’s acrid, fearful pheromones and the overwhelming, thunderstorm-and-cedar musk of Lucien’s fury. Kael felt like he was standing in the eye of a hurricane. His knees were still trembling, the adrenaline of the confrontation crashing into the deep, primal exhaustion of his pregnancy.Lucien didn't let go. If anything, his grip tightened, his fingers digging into the soft flesh above Kael’s hip as he pivoted, steering Kael

The weight of the wool blazer was the first thing Kael felt—a heavy, expensive pressure that carried the suffocatingly dominant scent of cedar and cold smoke. It was Lucien’s scent, a smell that usually commanded Kael’s professional respect but now, in the hazy transition from sleep to consciousness, it triggered something far more primal. His body, sensitized by the burgeoning life inside him, hummed with a desperate, embarrassing urge to burrow deeper into the fabric.A sharp click snapped his eyes open.Lucien was standing by the mahogany desk, the manila folder disappearing into a locked drawer with a finality that made Kael’s heart skip. The CEO didn't look at him immediately. He stood with his back to the sofa, his broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his dress shirt, the silhouette of a predator who had just finished mapping out his territory."The market opens in twenty minutes," Lucien said, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that seemed to grate against Kael’s raw nerves.