Steel Heart

“I am not going with you, Caden, so better tell your men to let me go, or I will scream and make a scene here,” I threatened him, and he looked displeased as he flinched away from me with both hands on his side.

“It’s okay. Just let her go.” Caden’s eyes darkened the second I walked past him and his guards.

Terrified that I no longer had the peace I had always wanted, I went straight to the side of the building where I could call an Uber. I had to get away from Caden as fast as I could and move to a place where he couldn’t hunt me down. My hand automatically went to my belly, thinking about the life forming inside of me. My baby with Alpha Caden’s blood running through his or her veins...

“There is no way I would let my parents know,” I whispered to myself. My breaths were heavy, and the anxiety in me made the tension worse, so I decided to go back to the restaurant. But to my surprise, he was already standing right at my back. I couldn’t believe he had been watching me that closely, and I failed to sense his presence.

“I wouldn’t tell them if you would go with me, Giselle. I swear this will never reach your parents.”

“Why? Because you are scared of what my dad would say about it? Because you are too scared, Gretta would know?!” I snarled at him, wishing that the earth would just swallow me open. It has been over a month now since I left the house, and if they found out I was pregnant, it would be a huge scandal for my parents and my pack.

“There is nothing to worry about, Giselle. I understand if you hate me because of what happened, but please, let me take care of you and the—child. You went rogue after you left the Greyfur, and your father wants you back.”

“I can’t go back home with this,” I murmured, my eyes wide with fear as I held my belly.

I pictured in my head how my father would react once I told him about my pregnancy. He would surely force me and Caden to marry, and I never wanted that to happen. There was no way I would let Dad do that, especially since I knew Caden was still in love with someone else. He was only doing this because he and my father had been friends for decades, and my parents were fond of him.

Caden looked at where my hand was holding, and I saw the perturbation in him as well. I didn’t know if I should be more angry or apologetic about it because I should also blame myself for that one night of mistakes that happened between us. And so, we both had to deal with the consequences of our actions.

The plan was to never get him involved with this, though. But I was afraid I would survive this without his help.

“I-I’ll think about it first.” I uttered the words with hesitation, still not sure if I should trust Caden. I had known him my entire life. He was a powerful Alpha, and I was confident he could take care of me and my baby. It was my heart that was too scared to stay with him when, despite that all my life, it was always him I always wanted.

But not like this.

He let out a sigh of relief, thinking that he had already convinced me to go with him. I saw the frustration in his eyes, and I pretended I was ignoring it. “Fine. I respect your decision, Giselle. But let me visit you from time to time, if that is okay with you. I just want to make sure you are safe with my child. "The last thing I ever want is to force you, so at the very least allow me to at least drive you home."

Caden reached out his hand to shake mine, like it was some kind of agreement. And I had no choice but to take it.

“Fine. Since it’s too hard to find an Uber at this kind of hour,” I grumbled, and then let him lead me to the parking lot where his expensive black car was parked.

I was used to things like that before, but after I left my parents’s house, I learned to live a simple life where I had to work hard to pay my own bills and have enough food for every day. It was never easy to live alone. I was raised in a mansion by a wealthy magnate couple who were the second-most powerful pack leaders in this region.

And yes. Alpha Caden Einsworth was the first on the list.

***

It was a relief for me that I didn't have to return to that hotel because I never wanted to leave my art pieces in this room. They were like babies to me. My creations. The only thing that inspired me and gave me full meaning in my life. Starting over after I left home was hard. But when I worked on my paintings, I felt like I was being transported into another world where I could pour out all my thoughts and emotions. Where I could be myself and not be compared to anyone, especially Gretta.

“I can’t believe you are living in a dilapidated room like this, Giselle! Are you sure this apartment is safe? It doesn’t look good to me,” Caden commented when he looked around after I welcomed him into the old apartment I was renting.

“It’s just temporary, though. And it’s the cheapest in this neighborhood. Once I save enough money, I have a plan to move to a better one. A much safer place for the baby,” I answered as patiently as I could.

I took off my heels and wanted to get rid of the skimpy dress so bad, so I went straight to my small wardrobe and pulled a shirt and shorts to change. “You can sit there if you want.”

“No thanks,” he answered awkwardly, looking at the old, wooden chair in front of him. “I don’t think that thing could hold my weight. I better just stand here and wait.”

I could hear his voice inside the bathroom while I was changing, so I yelled and asked with a frown, “Wait for what?”

“Wait until you go with me.”

I gasped and couldn’t believe what I just heard.

“That’s ridiculous! When I said I would think of it, that didn’t mean I could make a decision right away, Caden! It might take weeks! Months!” I stepped out of the bathroom and rested my fists on my hips. “This decision is not easy for me; do you understand?”

He shook his head. “You can’t hide it anymore, Giselle. Your belly will grow, and once someone sees you and your condition and reports it to your father, you have no other choice but to marry me!”

I gave him a dead look in the eyes. “And you don’t like that, do you?”

He gazed at me, looking helpless, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he focused on the topic, and it was clear to me that he really had no intention of marrying me after what happened between us. It gave me a sickening feeling in my stomach. The pain was too much.

“That’s not the issue, Giselle. I can marry you if that’s what your father wanted to—”

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. I was so hurt and disappointed in his answer that I wanted to just rip him apart at that moment. “Just go, Caden. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Stop being so immature right now, Giselle! You are in a dangerous situation right now! What if one of your father’s enemies finds you here? They will surely use you to blackmail your father and destroy your pack and your clan! You can’t do that to your parents!”

I glanced at him sharply and said, “I am no longer a member of the Greyfur Pack! And since I made a huge mistake that will surely make my parents appalled, I already left and saved them from the trouble! I will never go back! I will raise my pup alone!”

The wooden chair clattered on the wooden floor, and my eyes widened when Alpha Caden closed the gap between us and pulled his lips against his teeth. His eyes were dark and glinting red, his face inches from me, and he hissed, “That is also my pup, Giselle. My flesh and blood and I have the right to decide for my pup’s future as well!”

I looked at him with pain in my eyes, but I refused to cry in front of him. I had already cried a bucket of tears for over a month. “I can't believe you have the audacity to say that to my face after you left me and disappeared for over a month!”

His green eyes slowly softened, and his shoulders drooped. Guilt was all over his face as he turned his back to me, too ashamed to look me straight in the eyes.

“Please, Giselle… let me do the right thing,” he pleaded, sounding weak. He looked so stressed all of a sudden, and somehow it gave me a sense of pleasure to see him being punished like this.

And yet my inner wolf was so furious that I enjoyed torturing her mate.

“No.” I scoffed at him, giving him a steely look.