After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Elle’s POV**

I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I avoided Brad’s gaze, focusing instead on my trembling hands, which seemed to have a life of their own. The weight of the moment pressed down on me, suffocating and overwhelming.

Finally, I mustered the courage to look up, and our eyes met. Brad’s amber gaze was intense, and for a fleeting second, I thought I detected a flicker of something—was it guilt or concern? Yet, his voice was as frigid and composed as ever, cutting through the tension in the air.

“Grandmother, this requires a longer explanation than you might expect.”

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the reality unfolding around me. In mere minutes, my world had flipped upside down: I was pregnant, and on top of that, I was discovering that my identity was far more complicated than I had ever imagined.

The atmosphere in the hospital room turned thick with tension after Brad’s declaration. His grandmother, Elizabeth, shifted her gaze between the two of us, her eyes sharp and calculating, making me feel like a specimen under a microscope, vulnerable and exposed.

“Bradley,” Elizabeth’s voice sliced through the silence, sharp as a knife, “I don’t have time for your evasiveness. Tell me exactly how this happened.”

Brad’s jaw tightened visibly, a muscle twitching in his cheek. “It was a misunderstanding. A hotel mix-up during the Full Moon Festival.”

“A mix-up?” Elizabeth’s eyebrow arched in disbelief, a perfect expression of skepticism. “You expect me to believe you accidentally slept with your mate?”

“She’s not my—” Brad began, but the words caught in his throat. He ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration, his expression a mix of confusion and regret. “I didn’t know she was my mate until… until it happened.”

Elizabeth turned her piercing gaze toward me, and I felt like a butterfly pinned to a board, unable to escape her scrutiny.

“Ms. West, did you have sexual relations with my grandson approximately six weeks ago?”

Her directness made my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I wanted to sink into the hospital mattress and disappear. My mind raced through potential responses, but deep down, I knew that lying would be futile. The undeniable evidence was growing inside me.

With a heavy heart, I nodded slowly, almost reluctantly.

“Verbal confirmation, please,” Elizabeth insisted, her tone unyielding.

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice barely rising above a breath. “It was… a mistake. We both thought… it was someone else’s room.”

Brad made a sound that was a mix between a scoff and a groan, and Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed at him, a hawk ready to swoop down on its prey.

“And you knew, didn’t you? You sensed the mate bond the moment you touched her.”

Brad’s silence spoke volumes, a confirmation that hung heavily in the air.

“Well?” Elizabeth pressed, her impatience palpable.

“Yes,” he finally admitted, his voice strained as if the admission weighed heavily on his shoulders. “I felt it. But it couldn’t be real. She’s human! Mates are always werewolves. Always.” He turned to me, frustration etched across his features. “I convinced myself it was just… intense attraction. Nothing more.”

Elizabeth shook her head, disappointment radiating from her like a dark cloud. “Your father would be ashamed. An Alpha ignoring a mate bond? And with a heterochromatic mate, no less.”

“What does that even mean?” I interjected, finally finding my voice, weary of being discussed as if I were invisible. “What is a heterochromatic mate?”

Elizabeth regarded me with a blend of fascination and concern. “In our oldest histories, there are accounts of mates born with eyes of different colors. They possess unique abilities that can influence werewolf emotions, calm raging Alphas, even affect pack bonds. They are extremely rare, thought to be extinct in modern times.”

She leaned closer, studying my face as if trying to decipher a complex puzzle. “But you’re human. That’s unprecedented. Your pregnancy has likely triggered the dormant abilities in your genetic makeup.”

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach, a protective gesture. “So I’m… special because of my eyes?”

“Special and vulnerable,” Elizabeth stated firmly, her tone grave. “If word gets out about an unbonded heterochromatic mate, especially one carrying an Alpha’s child, you’ll become the most hunted woman in the world. Every powerful pack will want you to strengthen their bloodlines, to gain your abilities for their pack.”

She held up one finger. “First, you accept the mate bond with Bradley. You’ll be under his protection, your child will be legitimate, and you’ll have the full resources of our pack.”

A second finger joined the first. “Second, you refuse, and word inevitably gets out. Other Alphas will come for you. They won’t ask nicely. They’ll fight over you like wolves over fresh meat—which is exactly what it would be.”

Her third finger rose, emphasizing her point. “Or the Council takes custody of you. We arrange a match with another suitable Alpha candidate who will take Brad’s place. You’ll be separated from your child, as the baby is Rayne blood.”

My stomach twisted at that final option. “You’d take my baby?”

“Werewolf law is clear on bloodlines,” she stated matter-of-factly, her voice devoid of emotion. “The child belongs to the father’s pack unless formally released.”

I glanced at Brad, who was avoiding my gaze, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, the tension radiating off him palpable.

The weight of the reality crashing down on me was suffocating. Just yesterday, I was Elle West, an ordinary human, buried in paperwork in the HR department, navigating the mundane challenges of daily life.

Now, everything I thought I knew was obliterated in an instant.

What kind of life could I possibly provide for a child—especially a half-werewolf child—on my own? And if Elizabeth was correct about other Alphas wanting me…

“You don’t have to decide this moment,” Brad said suddenly, his voice softer than before, a hint of concern breaking through his frustration. “But my grandmother isn’t exaggerating the risks.”

Elizabeth stood, smoothing her immaculate suit, her demeanor composed and authoritative. “I’ve said what needed to be said. The choice is yours, Ms. West, but don’t delude yourself into thinking that refusing means freedom. It simply means a different kind of captivity.”

“So tell me, Elle West. Will you accept your position as Bradley’s mate?”

I looked between them, my heart racing in my chest, caught in a web of impossible choices, each option more daunting than the last.