After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Elle’s POV

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I woke up with a strange sensation of warmth lingering on my skin, as if something-or someone-had been wrapped around me during the night. But as my eyes adjusted to the morning light filtering through the curtains, I realized I was alone in Brad’s massive bed.

Had I dreamed it? That feeling of being held, of warm breath against my neck? I touched the empty space beside me, still faintly warm. My heart skipped a beat. No, definitely not a dream then.

“Holy shit,” I whispered to myself, my fingers tracing the indent where his head must have been. Brad Rayne, Mr. Don’t-Touch-My-Things, had actually slept next to me? The thought sent an electric current racing through my veins. What else had happened that couldn’t remember?

I sat up slowly, memories of yesterday flooding back like puzzle pieces refusing to fit together. The German language practice until my tongue felt tied in knots, falling asleep in the garden pavilion, and then… nothing but darkness. I must have been carried to bed, which meant Brad had touched me, held me.

My stomach twisted in a knot.

“Get it together, Elle,” I muttered, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “It doesn’t mean anything. You’re just an incubator for his precious heir.”

After a quick shower, I stood before the closet filled with clothes I still wasn’t used to calling mine. Everything screamed money in a way that made my skin crawl with imposter syndrome. I selected a simple but elegant outfit that Martha had labeled “appropriate for home training”-dark slacks and a cream silk blouse that felt impossibly soft against my skin.

Today’s agenda was clear: practice, practice, practice. If was going to meet German werewolf royalty without embarrassing myself or Brad, I needed to drill those phrases and protocols into my head until they

haunted my dreams.

Two hours later, my brain felt like mush. I was practicing a particularly challenging German greeting- mangling it for the twentieth time-when Martha approached with a phone in hand, her expression politely neutral as always.

“Mrs. Rayne,” she said, still using the title that made me want to look over my shoulder for someone else, “Alpha Rayne appears to have left an important document in his private office. He needs it for his

meeting.”

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Chapter 29

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My ears perked up like I’d suddenly grown wolf ears myself. An excuse to escape these walls? Yes, please!

“I can take it to him,” I offered, probably too eagerly. The desperation in my voice was embarrassing, but being cooped up in this mansion was slowly driving me insane. “I mean, if that would be helpful.”

Martha hesitated, and I could practically see the internal debate playing across her otherwise composed face. “Alpha is at the company headquarters. The document is in his private office-the one connected to

his bedroom suite.”

Brad’s private office. The words hung in the air like a forbidden fruit. A space I’d never entered, never even seen. I knew from Martha that it was strictly off-limits. My curiosity ignited like a match to gasoline.

“I can find it,” I assured her, already standing and trying not to look too excited at the prospect of snooping. “What exactly am I looking for?”

“A folder with the Rayne family seal-a wolf’s head in silver.” Martha’s eyes betrayed a hint of concern. “Are you certain you wish to enter Alpha’s private space?”

I nodded confidently despite the nervous flutter in my chest that felt like a thousand butterflies had taken flight. “I’m his mate, right? That should count for something.” The word ‘mate’ still felt foreign on my tongue, like speaking a language I hadn’t properly learned.

The path to Brad’s private office led through his bedroom suite, past the enormous bed where I’d apparently spent the night in his arms. I tried not to think about that as I approached the heavy oak door at the far end, but my traitorous mind kept conjuring images that made my cheeks burn.

My hand trembled slightly as I turned the handle. What if it was locked? What if there was some kind of werewolf alarm system that would alert him to my presence? God, what if I found something I really didn’t

want to see?

To my surprise, the door opened smoothly. I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The office wasn’t what I expected. Instead of the sleek, modern aesthetic of his company office, this space felt more… primal. Almost like stepping into another century. The walls held maps of territories marked with pack boundaries, ancient-looking weapons, and what appeared to be ceremonial items bearing the Rayne family crest. Books were few-mostly historical volumes.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, turning slowly to take it all in.

My heart pounded against my ribcage as I moved toward his desk. Would he be able to smell that I’d been here? Could werewolves detect that kind of thing? The thought made me want to touch as little as

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Chapter 29

possible.

I spotted the folder immediately, silver wolf’s head gleaming on black leather, sitting atop his massive desk. As I picked it up, I caught a whiff of Brad’s scent and my body reacted before my brain could intervene, a shiver of something that wasn’t quite fear facing down my spine.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” I muttered, clutching the folder to my chest and heading back downstairs, trying to ignore how my skin seemed to tingle where the folder pressed against it. Pregnancy

hormones. It had to be pregnancy hormones.

“I found it,” I told Martha, holding up the folder like a trophy. “I’ll take it to him.”

Martha looked surprised but quickly arranged for a car. The driver will take you directly to headquarters.

Please be careful, Mrs. Rayne.”

The car that awaited me wasn’t the standard company vehicle I’d seen before. This was a heavily modified SUV with tinted windows and what looked suspiciously like bulletproof glass.

“Special security features,” the driver explained, opening the door for me. “Standard for transporting the

Alpha’s mate.”

As we pulled away from the Rayne estate, I stared out the window, a surreal feeling washing over me. Not long ago, I was a regular human employee who had to pass through checkpoints to enter the mixed district after curfew. I ate lunch alone in the corner of the cafeteria where the human staff gathered. I worried

about whether I could afford new shoes when mine wore out.

Now I had a driver and a vehicle with werewolf protection insignia that granted passage anywhere in the city. And I carried a child that made me both valuable and vulnerable in ways I was still trying to

comprehend.

Comments

RVisitor

it really does feel surreal

7 days ago

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After One Night with the Alpha