After One Night with the Alpha Chapter 173

Elle's POV

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the solid warmth pressed against my back. Brad's arm was draped possessively over my waist, his fingers splayed protectively over my rounded belly. For a moment, I just lay there, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, the way his breath tickled the back of my neck.

Then the memories from last night came flooding back, and my cheeks immediately burned with embarrassment.

*Holy shit.* Brad fucking *danced* for me. The most intimidating, cold-as-ice Alpha I'd ever met had performed this incredibly sensual, almost ritualistic dance just to seduce me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, mortified. What was wrong with me?

*Jesus, Elle. You're pregnant and you're still this desperate for him?*

I tried to shift away slightly, but Brad's arm tightened around me, pulling me back against his chest. I could feel the rumble of amusement in his throat.

"Going somewhere?" His voice was rough with sleep, that deep Alpha timber that made my stomach clench involuntarily.

"I... no, I just..." I stumbled over my words, too embarrassed to even look at him. "Last night was..."

"Amazing," he finished for me, his lips brushing against my ear. "You were amazing."

My face burned even hotter.

"Brad, I can't believe I..." I trailed off, unable to even voice how mortified I was.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest and straight into my bones. "Can't believe what? That you enjoyed yourself?"

"I can't believe I acted like such a—" I stopped myself before I could say 'slut,' but the implication hung in the air.

"Like what?" His voice had gone dangerously soft.

I finally turned in his arms to face him.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," he said firmly. "Nothing. Do you understand me?"

I nodded weakly, still feeling the heat in my cheeks. "It's just... you're usually so controlled, so distant. And last night you were..."

"Myself," he said simply. "The real me, not the mask I wear for everyone else."

I studied his face, taking in the relaxed set of his features, the way his usually perfectly styled hair was mussed from sleep. He looked younger like this, more approachable. More human, despite being anything but.

"I spent a lot of time planning that," he admitted, a hint of smugness creeping into his voice. "Figuring out exactly how to get you to stop overthinking and just *feel*."

"You manipulated me," I accused, but there was no real heat in it.

"I seduced you," he corrected. "There's a difference."

I couldn't argue with that, especially when the evidence of how thoroughly he'd succeeded was still written all over my body. The slight soreness between my thighs, the tender spots on my neck where he'd marked me, the way my skin still seemed to tingle wherever he'd touched me.

"I don't understand why you'd want to," I whispered, suddenly feeling vulnerable again. "I mean, look at me. I'm—"

"Stop." His voice cut through my self-deprecation like a blade. "You want to know what I see when I look at you?"

I didn't answer, but he continued anyway.

"I see the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Pregnancy has made you glow, Elle. Your skin, your hair, your eyes—everything about you is more vibrant, more alive. And the way you're carrying my child..." His hand moved to cup my belly, his thumb stroking over the curve. "It makes my wolf go fucking crazy with pride."

Something warm and soft unfurled in my chest, and I found myself reaching up to trace the sharp line of his jaw. He leaned into my touch, his eyes fluttering closed like my simple caress was the most precious thing in the world.

"You're ridiculous," I told him softly. "But I love you anyway."

His eyes snapped open, and the intensity in them stole my breath. "Say that again."

"I love you," I repeated, more confidently this time. "Even when you're being a manipulative Alpha bastard who dances around to get his way."

He grinned, that rare, genuine smile that transformed his entire face. "I'll dance for you anytime you want, baby."

"God, you're impossible," I laughed, but I was smiling too.

I settled against his chest, enjoying the warm cocoon of his arms around me and the steady beat of his heart under my ear. For a few minutes, we just lay there in comfortable silence, and I allowed myself to bask in this feeling of safety and contentment.

But then Brad's voice cut through the peaceful moment, serious and contemplative.

"Elle, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you really not know who your biological parents are?"

The question caught me off guard, and I pulled back to look at him. "What kind of question is that? Of course I don't know. I told you—I was abandoned as a baby."

"I know what you told me," he said carefully. "But after everything that happened in Moonvale, all those connections to the Blair family... it seemed like too much of a coincidence."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Elle, you look exactly like Dakota Blair. And that painting of Iris Blair—it could have been a portrait of you. Don't you think that's strange?"

"I do, but..." I said, but even as the words left my mouth, I felt a flutter of uncertainty. "People can look similar without being related."

"People can," he agreed. "But when you factor in everything else, the way the Blair family immediately embraced you as one of their own..." He trailed off, studying my face. "Elle, I think we need to consider the possibility that you might actually be related to them."

My heart started pounding. "My family lives thousands of miles away from Moon Lake City. If the Blairs had lost a child, especially twenty-four years ago when they were one of the most prominent human families in the region, don't you think they would have moved heaven and earth to find her?"

"Maybe they did," Brad said quietly. "Maybe they searched for years and never found anything. Or maybe there were circumstances that prevented them from searching properly."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. But I think we should find out." He sat up, his expression growing more serious. "Elle, I think you should get a DNA test. Compare it to the Blair family."

The suggestion hit me like a physical blow. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Because I want to know the truth," he said simply. "And I think you do too."

I shook my head, panic rising in my chest. "Brad, that's insane. Even if by some miracle I was related to them, how would that even be possible? I was found as a newborn in the wilderness, thousands of miles from Moon Lake City. The the geography doesn't make sense—"

"Elle," he interrupted gently. "The Blair family had the resources to travel anywhere in the country twenty-four years ago. If someone wanted to hide a child, they could have taken her anywhere."

"But why?" I demanded. "Why would anyone want to hide a Blair family child?"