After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Elle’s POV

I don’t know how long I sat in that bathroom stall, sobbing until my throat burned and my eyes swelled. The elegant corporate restroom echoed with my gasping breaths as I tried and failed to regain my composure. Every time I thought I might be getting control of myself, another wave of despair would crash over me, and fresh tears would flow.

Then came the sound of the bathroom door bursting open, followed by heavy footsteps.

“Elle? Are you in here?” Brad’s voice was tight with something I couldn’t identify. Anger? Concern? Did it

even matter anymore?

I remained silent, pressing my fist against my mouth to stifle any sound. The last person I wanted to see

right now was Brad Rayne.

Footsteps approached, stopping outside my stall. “Elle, know you’re in there.” His voice was softer now.

“Open the door.”

What did he want? To see how pathetic his human breeding vessel looked while crying?

I’d been abandoned my entire life. My birth parents abandoned me. Even Jason, who I thought loved me, sold me out for money. And now Brad-who never claimed to care for me, I reminded myself-had been hiding a relationship with another woman.

“Go away,” I finally managed, my voice a hoarse whisper

“Elle…” His voice trailed off, then came back stronger. “Was what Marissa said true?” I asked, the words scratching my raw throat. “Were you together? Are you still together?”

There was a long pause. I could almost feel him considering his words carefully.

“Some of it was true,” he finally admitted. “We’ve known each other since childhood. Our families expected

us to eventually mate.”

Each word felt like another knife in my chest. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces

together.

“But things changed,” he continued. “At a pack gathering last year, she drugged my drink. I woke up in her

bed the next morning.”

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Chapter 42

I heard him shift his weight outside the door.

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“Several pack members had seen us together that night For both our sakes, I decided to take responsibility. I didn’t pursue any action against her for what she’d done.”

His voice became quieter, almost pained. “She claimed she was pregnant. My family pushed for us to make it official. But when medical tests revealed not only that she wasn’t pregnant, but that she has a genetic

condition making pregnancy impossible…”

My breath caught in my throat as I processed what he was saying.

“Even then, I tried to make it work. But over time, I began to see her true nature more clearly. She didn’t Want me-she wanted the status of being Luna, the power that came with my position. When I finally

things, she was furious. She couldn’t accept it. But she’s not my fated mate, is she? No matter what,

have the right to know. I should have told you. I’m for

sorry.”

I sat in silence, absorbing his words. They rang true, but a lifetime of disappointment had taught me to be

wary.

“Elle, please. Open the door.”

I couldn’t bring myself to move.

“Damn it, Elle!” Frustration finally broke through his control. “I’ve said enough!”

The lock suddenly twisted and broke under his strength The door swung open, and Brad stood there, his eyes widening as he took in my state.

I must have looked truly pitiful, huddled in the corner with tear-stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, trembling like a frightened animal. Whatever he’d been about to say died on his lips.

“Everyone out!” he barked over his shoulder, and I realized there were others in the bathroom-security personnel or staff who had followed him in.

The sound of hurried footsteps and a closing door told me we were now alone, Brad’s expression softened as he looked at me, something like pain flickering across his features.

“Come here,” he said, his voice gentler than I’d ever heard it.

I stared at him blankly.

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He must have read the resistance in my face because he stepped forward, reaching for me. I wanted to fight, to push him away, but when his arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his chest, something

inside me broke completely.

Fresh sobs erupted from my throat as I clutched at his shirt, no longer caring about pride or appearances.

“If you need to cry, cry here,” Brad murmured against my hair, one hand coming up to stroke my head.

“Don’t hide alone.”

Where else could I go? Who else did I have? The world suddenly seemed impossibly vast and empty.

I don’t know how long we stood there, my face buried against his chest, his expensive shirt growing damp with my tears. His heartbeat was steady under my ear, a strange counterpoint to my ragged breathing.

Eventually, the storm of emotion began to subside, leaving me hollow and exhausted. I became aware of how tightly I was gripping his shirt, how completely I had surrendered to the comfort of his embrace.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice barely audible as I pulled back slightly. “I ruined your shirt.”

Brad looked down at his tear-stained, wrinkled shirt, then back to me with the ghost of a smile. “It’s fine.

You can wash it.”

Despite everything, I found myself giving a watery laugh. “Should I be grateful you’re not making me buy

you a new one?”

“I doubt you could afford it,” he replied, his tone lighter than I expected.

Brad guided me out of the bathroom with a hand at the small of my back. The hallway had been cleared of people-no doubt on his orders.

“We’re going to my residence in Silverpeak,” he said, his tone brooking no argument. “You need to rest.”

Too exhausted to protest, I let him lead me through back corridors and into a private elevator that took us directly to an underground garage. A sleek black car wasted, and within minutes, we were speeding through

the city.

The Rayne family residence in Silverpeak turned out to be a stunning modern mansion overlooking the lake. A staff of werewolf servants awaited our arrival, bowing respectfully as we entered.

“She will take care of you,” Brad said as an older woman stepped forward. “I need to handle the situation with Alpha Otto.”

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As he turned to leave, I suddenly felt a strange tightness in my chest. Not because I wanted him to stay, I told myself, but because I still had so many unanswered questions.

I watched as Brad’s car disappeared down the driveway. felt hollowed out, empty of emotion.

I wouldn’t ask if Brad had loved Marissa. It wasn’t my place to know. Our arrangement was just that-an

arrangement. A deal.

From now on, I would remember my place. I would do what was expected of me, nothing more. I would be the mother of his child, the woman who fulfilled her duties. I wouldn’t hope for tenderness or dream of

belonging.

When the child was born, we might go our separate ways, and this chapter of my life would close forever.

That was the only future I could allow myself to imagine.

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After One Night with the Alpha