After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Brad’s POV

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I stared at Marissa’s face as she leaned in to kiss me, a cold smile playing on my lips. The audacity of this

woman never ceased to amaze me.

“You really are calculating, aren’t you?” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Waiting for me here? Who

the hell let you in?”

Marissa’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, but she pressed forward anyway, her lips still seeking mine with desperate determination. The sight of her trying so hard only disgusted me further.

Without warning, I grabbed her shoulders and yanked her away from me, my movements rough and decisive. She stumbled backward, almost falling to the floor. I didn’t care. I stood up straight, and Alex appeared at precisely the right moment with my robe. I slipped it on quickly, tying the belt while Marissa

collected herself.

“Get out,” I commanded, my voice ice cold. “Go back to wherever you came from.”

I turned my back on her, ready to leave this pathetic scene behind. I’d had enough of her.

Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind. Marissa had lunged at me with surprising

strength, clinging to me like her life depended on it.

“Brad, please,” she begged, her voice breaking. “Just listen to me first. I’ll leave after I say what I need to

say!”

I remained still, not bothering to look at her.

“How do you think I got in here?” she continued desperately. “I came with Elle! Do you really think I could get in here without her help? You know what this place is-who would let me in without Elle’s permission?”

At the mention of Elle’s name, I froze. Something dark and possessive stirred inside me. I turned around slowly, grabbing Marissa’s arm hard enough to make he wince.

“What did you say?” I demanded, pulling her close enough to see the fear in her eyes. “Elle? Explain yourself. Now.”

Marissa’s eyes filled with tears, her expression shifting one of wounded innocence. “Elle told me that

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she’s only with you because of the baby,” she whispered her voice trembling with emotion.

My grip tightened involuntarily. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“She knows we belong together, Brad,” Marissa continued, gaining confidence. “She told me she’s planning

to leave after the baby is born. She said… she said she knows you still love me.”

I could feel the veins in my forehead pulsing with rage. Elle had been planning this?

“Elle said she’s just fulfilling her part of the deal,” Marissa pressed on, watching my reaction carefully. “She

thinks we should be together once the baby arrives. She even suggested I could help raise your child!”

“You’re lying,” I growled, but a seed of doubt had already been planted. Elle had been distant lately, pulling

away from me at every opportunity.

“Brad,” Marissa said softly, tears streaming down her face now. “I don’t know why Elle suddenly approached

me, but it doesn’t matter. My love for you is real. I can’t live without you!”

She stepped closer, her hands gripping my arms. “Even if Elle humiliates me, what does it matter? As long

as I can be with you again, I’ll endure anything she says or does!”

I stared at her, my mind racing with fury and confusion

“Brad,” she whispered, “I’ll be whatever you need me to be. I’ll even wait for you and Elle to separate.”

My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack.

“I promise I’ll love this child like my own,” she continued, delivering her final blow. “Elle entrusted both

you and the baby to me, and I won’t let either of you down!”

That was it. I’d heard enough of this bullshit. With one forceful shove, I pushed Marissa away and stormed

out of the room.

Elle’s POV

I stumbled forward, one hand instinctively cradling my lightly rounded belly.

The image of Marissa in Brad’s arms burned behind my eyelids.

The realization hit me like a physical blow: seeing them together hurt. It shouldn’t have, but it did. My

chest ached in a way I couldn’t explain.

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Why did my heart feel like it was being squeezed? We were only together because of the baby. I’d always

known that. This arrangement was temporary, a deal with an expiration date.

So why did tears threaten to spill from my eyes? Why did the thought of Brad with Marissa make me want

to scream?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear Sophia calling my name until she grabbed my wrist.

“Elle, wait!” she said, slightly out of breath. When our eyes met, her expression shifted from concern to

something deeper. “Elle…”

She fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words. I could see her struggling, wanting to comfort me but not

knowing how.

Sophia’s grip on my wrist loosened. “I’m so sorry, Elle. I don’t understand how this happened. Brad seemed

so devoted to you. I never thought he would-”

“It’s fine,” I cut her off, my voice hollow. “Brad and I are only together because of the baby. That’s our deal.

Nothing more.”

I looked down at the floor, unable to meet her eyes as I continued. “I could have refused their offer, you

know. I could have said no to this whole arrangement.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “You must think I’m pathetic. I sold myself to escape the human district.

Trading one prison for another.”

“Don’t say that about yourself,” Sophia said gently. “Whatever your reasons, I’m sure you had no better

options. No one makes these choices lightly.”

Something in her voice, the absence of judgment, broke my last defenses. Words began pouring out of me,

unstoppable.

‘I don’t know what to do anymore, Sophia,” I choked ou, my voice cracking. “Tell me what I should do. You

saw them-Marissa and Brad-you saw…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. My throat closed up as the tears I’d been fighting finally spilled over.

Sophia said nothing, just moved closer and started rubbing small circles on my back. Her silent support

gave me the courage to continue.

“Marissa said she only had a year or two left. She and Bad were childhood sweethearts. They could have

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Chapter 67

been together again if not for her condition. I confessed the words tumbling out between quiet sobs.

She loves Brad, I continued, my voice barely audible. And maybe he love her too. They’re both werewolves. They make sense together. I’m just… I’m just a human who happened to get pregnant.”

I looked up at Sophia, my vision blurred with tears.

My voice broke completely, and I covered my face with my hands.

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“I can’t do this anymore, Sophia,” I sobbed, no longer caring who might see or hear. “I just can’t. It hurts

too much.”

All the pain, confusion, and loneliness I’d been carrying burst out at once. Sophia didn’t offer empty platitudes or try to fix things. She simply stood beside me, her hand steady on my back, letting me cry.

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After One Night with the Alpha