All Chapters of SOLD TO THE ALPHA: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Dr. Hale’s expression stayed calm as she listened. She stood, gestured for me to sit on the examination table, and quickly checked my pulse and temperature. Her fingers were cool against my wrist. She then reached for the small portable ultrasound machine without saying anything at first, applying the gel with efficiency.The familiar hum of the machine filled the quiet room. I stared at the ceiling while she moved the probe, my heart beating too hard. Every second of silence made the fear from last night crawl back to my mind. The image of all that bright blood in the toilet refused to leave me.Finally she spoke.“The baby is fine,” she said clearly, turning the screen so I could see the tiny, steady picture. “The heartbeat is strong. Even stronger than last time. The growth is on track. What you experienced last night is alarming, I know, but in an Alpha breed pregnancy it can happen. Your body is under significant strain while adjusting to the baby’s energy and the hormonal shif

Do you like it?”The question hung in the air between the three of us. Both of them were watching me closely, waiting for my answer. I chewed slowly, letting the rich, creamy sauce coat my tongue. The chicken was perfectly seared, and the pasta was cooked just right. It was very good.I swallowed and set my fork down for a moment.“It’s good,” I said quietly. Not cold, but not warm either. “Really good, actually.”Something in Xaden’s shoulders loosened just a bit. Teiran’s lips curved into a small, almost relieved smile before he tried to hide it by looking down at the counter. They didn’t push for more praise. Teiran pulled out the stool directly across from me and sat down. Xaden remained standing, leaning against the counter with his arms loosely crossed, but his eyes never left me.I picked up the fork again and took another bite, then another. I could feel their attention on me as I ate it made my heart warm in ways I didn't want it to. And I hated that.I set the fork down

“About that. I’ll be leaving. My boss asked for me to return.”I stared at her, my smile suddenly fading. The fork in my hand suddenly felt too heavy. Before I could even form a response, Mark cleared his throat beside me.“… I will be leaving too,” he said quietly. “I only took a couple of days off. I have to be back at work tomorrow morning.”The kitchen suddenly felt too large and too bright. I looked between them, trying hard to keep my expression neutral even as something tight coiled hard in my chest. Clara had been the only person who still looked at me and saw ‘Zia’, not a contract or a secret or a complication. Mark, even with all the awkwardness between us, had been another familiar face. The idea of both of them walking out at the same time left an ache in my chest I wasn’t prepared for.Clara watched my face carefully, her own expression softening.“Hey,” she said. “I can still stay if you want me to. I’ll forget about my boss. All he’s going to do is call me a few tim

The storage buildings were at the eastern edge of the grounds. A single weak security light shone above one of the storage house doors, casting a muddy yellow circle on the ground.I stopped just outside that circle, my phone clenched in my hand, and forced myself to breathe.My pulse was so loud I could hear it in my ears. Every instinct I had screamed that this was a mistake. Coming alone, at night, to meet someone who had already threatened me, was reckless. But the alternative had felt worse. Letting a stranger tell the Alphas was something I couldn’t accept.I checked the time. 9:58 p.m.Two minutes early.I stepped closer to the building. The air smelled like damp earth and old wood. Somewhere in the trees an owl called once and then went quiet. I hated how loud my own breathing sounded.“You’re early.”The voice came from the left side of the building. It was a female, the voice felt kinda familiar in a way that made my stomach drop before I even turned.Two women steppe

I tore the room apart.The journal lay open on the bed, pages bent from how many times I had flipped through it. I pulled every drawer out of the desk and dropped them onto the floor. I checked sketchbooks, loose pencils, old receipts, and random scraps of paper scattered across the carpet. But none of them was the thin ultrasound strip. I dropped to my knees and checked under the bed, stretching my arm until my shoulder burned, my fingers brushing against dust and nothing else. I yanked the sheets off the mattress, shook out the pillows, opened the closet and ran my hands through every pocket of every piece of clothing I owned.But there was nothing.My breathing grew shorter. The missing ultrasound picture felt like someone had evidence of a crime I couldn’t afford to have discovered. I stood in the middle of the wrecked room, my heart pounding, and tried to think clearly. Someone had to have taken it. It couldn’t have just vanished.I pressed the intercom button near the doo