All Chapters of The Alpha Who Left Me Pregnant: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

My mind refused to calm down, which led to another terrible night of sleep, and now exhaustion was tearing at me. Sitting in front of my computer, I tried focusing on the work I needed to finish, but it was almost impossible. All I could think about was the awkward dinner from the night before. When Kael and I got home, I had gone straight to bed early, but all night long I tossed and turned while replaying every moment in my head.I believed I could handle being around Orion again. I was an adult now, a mother, and I thought I should be able to ignore old frustrations and painful feelings. I had spent the entire day mentally preparing myself for that dinner. By the time we arrived at his house, I honestly thought I was ready.But every bit of preparation disappeared the second Orion opened the door.Seeing Jaxon again had been nice, but it also made the whole evening feel strange, almost like stepping back in time. I could practically picture the three of us back in high school, sitt

My son quickly ran down the front steps after Orion. As the two of them walked away beside each other, I almost dropped to the floor just from looking at them together.They looked so much alike. The afternoon sunlight surrounded them, showing off their broad shoulders, their confident walk, and their dark hair. It felt almost like I was watching two versions of Orion, the younger and older one, stepping out of my memories.Then they climbed into the truck and drove away, both waving at me through the windshield. Knowing that a piece of my heart was leaving with the man who had stolen that same heart nearly twenty years ago felt almost unbearable. Before I could break down crying, I grabbed my things and headed toward the garage. Running errands would hopefully help distract me from everything.My first stop was the hardware store. The house badly needed some improvements. I had already made a list that included new towel holders, toilet paper holders, a new faucet to replace the old-

He shrugged the way teenagers usually do—a small shoulder movement that somehow seemed to say a lot without using actual words. Not wanting to make things uncomfortable, I quickly changed the subject before the mood of the afternoon got ruined.“Hey, whose turn is it to shoot?” I asked.His eyes lit up immediately, and relief spread across his face. “Mine,” he said while quickly pulling the basketball out of my hands. Then he turned and threw the ball behind his back and over his head. The orange ball flew through the air and dropped perfectly through the hoop.I shook my head in shock as he tossed the ball back to me. “Well, damn.”I tried to copy the same shot from the same spot, and to my surprise, I actually made it too. Kael nodded at me approvingly.“The old man still has skills.”“Old man?” I repeated. “Very funny.”Kael threw the ball back to me. “Your turn.”As we kept playing, we talked about random things. Sports, comic books, movies, music. Eventually, I decided to ask the

“Good game?” I asked.“Yeah. It was fun.”Once we got back into the truck and started driving away, I pointed toward the girls through the windshield. “Not your type?”“Something like that.”“You don’t like girls? You into guys? I don’t judge. Love is love,” I said.Kael immediately burst out laughing so hard he leaned his head against the window before finally calming down.“No. I like girls. That’s not the problem.” His smile slowly disappeared, and he looked at me seriously. “It’s something Mom told me. She said I need to be careful with people’s hearts. Like in relationships. She said when someone loves you, their heart becomes your responsibility to protect. I don’t think I’m ready to protect someone else’s heart yet.”A lump formed in my throat while listening to him. Was that what I had done? Elara’s heart had once belonged to me to protect and care for. I was supposed to love it and keep it safe. Instead, I threw it away the moment I left Pinecrest Valley fifteen years ago. Fr

“Oh.” That question was definitely more interesting. “I’m grateful that he’s taking such good care of Kael, so that made things easier between us. It feels like he genuinely wants to do the right thing this time, which is honestly nice considering our history.” I paused to think for a second. “He’s polite, respectful, and always asks for my opinion before doing anything. We’ve had a few short talks while Kael was getting ready. Orion is still really nice, just like he used to be, but that’s all it’s been. Just small conversations here and there. Nothing more.” “Uh-huh,” Stormy said while giving me a suspicious look. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Stormy leaned closer to me. “I can see that look in your eyes whenever you talk about him.” “What look?” I frowned. “There is no look. I would know if I had a look.” “Sure.” She smirked. “I’m just saying you should be careful. Don’t let yourself get too close to him again. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.” “You don’t have to wor