After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Elle’s POV**

The atmosphere inside the house felt suffocating, thick with an unspoken tension that clung to us after Brad’s abrupt hang-up. Grace stood there, arms crossed tightly over her chest, a smug smirk plastered across her face, as if she had just delivered the final blow in a long-standing argument. Megan leaned against the wall, a sly grin curling her lips, while Mom paced nervously, her hands wringing together as if trying to squeeze the anxiety out of them.

I turned to Alex, my heart racing in my chest like a trapped bird. “What do we do now?” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.

Alex adjusted his tie with deliberate precision, his demeanor calm and collected, a stark contrast to the brewing storm around us. “We wait,” he replied, his tone steady.

“Wait?” I echoed, confusion lacing my words. “Wait for what exactly?”

“For Alpha Brad,” he stated simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “He’s coming here.”

“Coming here?” My voice pitched higher, disbelief flooding my senses. “How do you know?”

“Because I know my boss,” Alex said, his quiet confidence unwavering. “When he hung up like that… it means he’s already on his way.”

Grace scoffed, but I caught the flicker of doubt that crossed her features. “More nonsense,” she muttered under her breath, though her voice lacked its earlier conviction.

“You can’t seriously expect us to believe that Brad Rayne is personally coming to our neighborhood,” Megan chimed in, though the mocking edge to her tone was tinged with an unmistakable nervousness.

Alex simply glanced at his watch, his silence speaking volumes.

Minutes dragged on, each tick of the clock amplifying the tension in the room, making it feel like we were waiting for a storm to break.

Then, as if summoned by our collective anxiety, we heard it—the unmistakable roar of several vehicles pulling up outside our building. The sound was so foreign to our quiet, rundown neighborhood that it sent a jolt of shock through all of us, freezing us in place.

“What the hell?” Grace muttered, her curiosity piqued as she moved toward the window.

Before she could reach it, a cacophony of voices erupted from outside. Neighbors were calling to one another, their shouts filled with disbelief and excitement. Our door buzzer rang insistently, a sharp reminder of the reality unfolding outside.

Grace yanked the curtain aside, her breath catching in her throat. “Oh my God,” she gasped, her face draining of color.

Curiosity overtook us all. We rushed to the window, crowding together like moths drawn to a flame, eager to see what had ignited such a commotion.

My jaw dropped in disbelief.

A convoy of luxury vehicles lined our narrow street—sleek black SUVs, a stunning silver Bentley, and at the center of it all, a midnight blue Maserati. A small crowd of neighbors had gathered, openly gaping at the unprecedented spectacle.

But it wasn’t the cars that held everyone’s attention. It was the man stepping out of the Maserati.

Brad Rayne looked like he had just stepped out of a dream, completely out of place yet somehow commanding every inch of space around him. He was the living embodiment of everything we aspired to but could never attain in our stratified society—beauty, strength, power, wealth, and status.

“That’s… that’s really him,” Megan stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s Brad Rayne.”

From the other vehicles, an entourage began to emerge. Elizabeth Rayne stepped out, exuding elegance in a perfectly tailored navy suit. Behind her trailed a line of staff members, each carrying what looked like metal briefcases, their faces set in professional masks.

“What are they carrying?” Mom whispered, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and apprehension.

Alex moved toward the door, his demeanor shifting to one of purpose. “I should go down and escort them up.”

Grace suddenly snapped out of her shocked stupor. “Wait! The apartment—it’s a mess! We can’t have the Raynes see it like this!”

Elizabeth assessed her with those sharp, calculating eyes, then gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. “Mrs. West, I’ll be direct. My grandson and your daughter are bound by a mate connection, a rare occurrence between our species. She is carrying the next heir to the Rayne line, a child of immense importance to our family and pack.”

The staff members had lined up against the wall, still holding their briefcases, their expressions unreadable.

“Today,” Elizabeth continued, “I’ve come to formalize our families’ connection. These cases contain a gift of ten million dollars in cash, along with jewelry, stocks, and bonds.”

Mom gasped audibly, her eyes wide with disbelief. Megan’s eyes bulged in shock, and Grace swayed slightly as if she might faint at the sheer magnitude of the offer.

“Consider it a traditional offering from our family to yours,” Elizabeth said, gesturing to the staff to open the cases. Each was filled with neatly stacked bills and documents, glittering jewelry nestled in plush velvet.

“If you consent to Elle becoming Brad’s marked mate, these gifts are yours,” Elizabeth stated, her tone unwavering. “If you refuse…” she shrugged elegantly, “Elle will still become his mate, as the mate bond and the child dictate, but you’ll receive nothing.”

Grace’s transformation was immediate and complete. Her face split into a smile so wide it must have hurt. “Of course we consent! Elle is a wonderful girl, and we couldn’t be happier for this blessed union!”

I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I watched her transparent greed, the same woman who had been calling me delusional just moments before.

Megan had edged closer to one of the open cases, her eyes gleaming with unmasked envy as she stared at the contents. Her earlier mockery had evaporated completely, replaced by a desperate desire to touch the wealth on display.

Only Mom seemed conflicted, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she looked between me and the cases of money. “Elle,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “is this really what you want?”

Before I could find the words to respond, Brad spoke, his deep voice slicing through the tension in the room. “Elle is my mate. The child she carries is my heir. This isn’t a negotiation—it’s a courtesy visit.”

His dismissive tone made it abundantly clear what he thought of my family and their sudden change of heart.

Grace didn’t seem to notice or care about the contempt in his voice. She was too busy nodding enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, of course! We’re so honored! Elle has always been special, I’ve always said so!”