Все главы Rejected By The Alpha, Now Pregnant With His Baby: Глава 11 - Глава 19

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say.With that, they turn and leave, the door closing behind them with a solid, final thud. As soon as they’re gone, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. This could’ve gone worse. A lot worse. But at least for now, they’ve agreed to give us a shot. Whether it works out is a whole other story.I shake off the lingering tension as I walk to my truck and climb into the driver’s seat, I take a deep breath, letting the familiar rumble of the engine ground me. I need to clearmy head before I get home, need to figure out how the hell I’m going to manage everything—the pack, Jade, the looming threat of whatever is killing our people.As I drive, the trees whip by, a blur of green and shadows. The road is familiar—I’ve driven it hundreds of times since I was a kid accompanying my father on these meetings—but my mind’s racing faster than the truck. I should be thinking about the pack, about the deals I made today, about all the bullshit that’s piling u

“I didn’t know if you’d want her,” I admit, my voice cracking. “I didn’t know if you’d see her as a mistake.”“A mistake?” His eyes flash with something dangerous, but it’s not anger this time. It’s pain. “Jade, she’s not a mistake. She’s my daughter. I would never—” he cuts himself off, and he doesn’t speak again until he’s taking a long, deep breath. “I would never hurt her.”“But what if she… what if she does start showing signs of magic, Damien?”“Then we deal with it,” he says firmly. “Together.”I blink, surprised by his certainty. “You really think the pack will accept that?”“They’ll accept it because I’m the alpha. And I’ll protect her. I’ll protect both of you.”I want to believe him. I want to believe that things can be different, that Damien will somehow make it work. But the doubt is still there, gnawing at the back of my mind. “It’s not that simple, Damien,” I say cautiously. “The pack—”“The pack will fall in line,” he interrupts, his voice leaving no room for argument.

DamienI’m not usually one for regrets. Regrets are a waste of time—unproductive, useless. But as I sit here staring at the glow of my phone with Jade’s face flashing through my mind on a loop, I’m starting to think that maybe I’ve screwed things up worse than I realized.She doesn’t trust me. I don’t blame her. I’m the one who turned her in to my father to save my own skin. Why should she believe a word I say?I’m an alpha. I’ve spent my whole life making decisions that affect the people around me. Most of the time, those decisions have been pretty damn solid. But with Jade… hell, I’ve handled everything wrong. I threw her out when she needed me most, and now I’m just starting to see how much of an impact that had.She’s guarded. Cold. Defensive. And it’s all because of me.I run my hands through my hair and lean back in my office chair, trying to shake the heavy weight of guilt sitting on my chest. I’ve tried to convince myself that everything I’ve done has been for the good of the

JadeThe date Damien planned was… nice. Nice in that way you don’t want to admit out loud because then it becomes real, and who needs that complication? I mean, dinner by the lake under the soft glow of the sunset with Penny giggling while throwing pebbles into the water was sweet. But relaxing? Not exactly.It’s hard to let go of years of resentment, mistrust, and anger in one evening, no matter how pretty the setting is. I wanted to be present, to appreciate what Damien was doing, but every time I caught myself smiling, my brain screamed, “Don’t forget what he did!” So, no, there were no fireworks, no magical moment where everything clicked, and we fell into each other’s arms. But it was… nice. I guess that’s a start.Now, as I walk through Starfire Hollow with Penny in tow, I’m thinking more about my future. Specifically, how I need to secure one that doesn’t rely on Damien. Yeah, he’s rich. Like, private-jet, vacation-in-the-Maldives kind of rich. But the last thing I want is to b