The Alpha's Secret Heir Chapter 11

By the time I arrived at the airport, the snow had stopped.

Dominic's mother called me to ask about his return.

"The deal in New York wasn't finished, and with this blizzard... you have quite the methods to make him risk his life to come back."

Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Methods?

I looked at the flight information on the screen and laughed.

"Not as clever as yours. Otherwise, the Blackwood family wouldn't have played me like a fool for five years."

"What do you mean 'played'? You sound aggrieved. You've been bonded for years without producing a single pup. Has the Council of Elders criticized you yet?"

I remained silent.

I had no intention of telling her about the pregnancy or the termination.

Her tongue was as sharp as ever.

Just like years ago, when she held a massive check and used the harshest mockery to crush my self-esteem to get me to leave Dominic.

"With a background like yours, you wouldn't even be allowed to touch the threshold of our territory. If you don't want things to get ugly, you should make plans before graduation."

I didn't take that check.

Every time she came to warn me, I accepted the money and followed her orders to roll away to the farthest city.

But every time, Dominic found me.

It wasn't my fault. Dominic couldn't leave me.

Until the last time she came to find me.

The family was on the verge of bankruptcy, and the old Alpha was in prison.

The Wolf Queen, once so arrogant, was now dressed plainly, with only the family crest ring as decoration.

Her face was worn with fatigue that no makeup could hide.

She took a stack of cash from her Hermes bag and pushed it in front of me, just like countless times before.

She told me the family needed a political marriage.

"Luca, I'm begging you, okay?"

It was the first time I saw such despair and humility in her eyes.

"Dominic is still so young. His life is just beginning. He can't be dragged into the abyss by the mess his father left behind. I know you're pregnant, and I know you love each other, but... Dominic cannot be destroyed like this."

She couldn't continue. Tears rolled down her face as she forced a smile.

"I know I've said harsh things to you over the years. Please understand a mother's heart. I just want him to walk further on the right path and stand at the top of the pack."

"Do it for Dominic. He's helped you so much. So this time, Luca, help him, will you?"

The howling cold wind blew into the coffee shop.

It lifted the corner of that thin stack of bills.

I listened in silence for a long time.

The family scandal was everywhere.

Dominic couldn't hide it even if he wanted to.

I closed my eyes and placed a hand on the child in my abdomen.

A twenty-eight-week-old life.

Baby, we failed you.

The little one inside was kicking me faintly.

I looked down and patted it gently with the back of my hand.

As if sensing something, it slowly quieted down, trying to hide itself.

"Hey, little guy," I whispered. "You'll turn into a star in the sky and wait for the next chance to come back to us, right?"

It moved slightly, pressing against my palm through my skin.

Like a pinky promise.

I smiled, tears streaming down my face.

I was too young back then. I thought everything had a second chance.

I thought people who loved each other would find their way back eventually.

But I forgot that time is a terrifying thing.

You can never go through the same experience with the same heart.

The day I terminated the second pregnancy, I said nothing.

I just kissed it gently.

I broke my promise.

Little one.