The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride (Evelyn and Alexander) novel Chapter 360

**Steps Along Forgotten Roads**
**By Sophia Reed**
**Chapter 360: I’m Pregnant**

In the quiet suburban neighborhood, tension crackled in the air like a brewing storm. Ethan stood on his front porch, the sun casting long shadows behind him as he prepared to leave. His gaze was hard, his jaw set in a grim line as he spoke, “You need to stop showing up at my house, Stella.” He turned, his footsteps purposeful as he walked towards his car, the gravel crunching beneath his shoes.

Stella Airborne, a woman whose presence was a haunting reminder of past encounters, trailed behind him, tears glistening in her eyes like dew on a blade of grass. “You haven’t returned any of my calls, Ethan,” she implored, her voice trembling as she fidgeted with her hands, a nervous habit that betrayed her distress.

Ethan’s response was curt, devoid of warmth. “There’s nothing we need to talk about.” He stopped, his back to her, the finality of his words hanging in the air like a thick fog. “It’s over between us.”

“Is it because of that rich woman?” Stella’s voice cracked, her vulnerability spilling over as she sought answers.

Ethan feigned ignorance, though the question ignited a flicker of irritation within him. “I’m not sure what you are talking about.”

“I’m not stupid,” she shot back, her voice rising as she grasped the door handle of his car, preventing him from opening it. He turned to face her, anger flaring in his eyes. He was a man accustomed to control, and the audacity of her action only fueled his rage.

“Watch yourself. You are forgetting your place,” he warned, his tone low and dangerous, each word laced with a chilling intensity.

Stella’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she pressed on, “I saw her here, you know.”

Ethan narrowed his gaze, the tension palpable between them. “What?”

“That girl… the one you want. That’s Irene Landry, right?” Her voice trembled, but there was an edge to it, a darkness that startled Ethan. “I saw her with you before. I’m assuming she’s another one of your pieces of ass.”

“She’s my fiancé,” he growled, his voice a low rumble of fury. “Leave her out of this. You shouldn’t have come here in the first place. She should have never seen you.”

“What if I told her the truth about us—”

Before she could finish, Ethan’s hand shot out, gripping her throat with a force that stole her breath. He slammed her against the car door, her eyes wide with shock and fear as she struggled for air. Desperation clawed at her as she tried to pry his hand away, tears streaming down her cheeks in a silent plea.

“Don’t you ever threaten me again,” he hissed, his voice a menacing whisper in her ear. “You won’t like what’ll happen if you do.”

With a sudden shove, he released her, and she crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath, her fingers instinctively rubbing her sore throat.

“You’re a monster, Ethan,” she croaked, the pain in her voice cutting through the air like a knife.

“Never claimed to be otherwise,” he muttered, dismissively sliding into the driver’s seat of his car.

Stella’s allure had always been a reflection of someone he once desired, a fleeting shadow of Judy. She was easy, a mere distraction that required little effort to seduce.

As he prepared to reverse out of his driveway, he felt her grip on the car door, her determination palpable. For a fleeting moment, he considered driving off, indifferent to her presence. But the thought of blood staining his pristine paintwork deterred him.

He sighed, irritation bubbling to the surface as he turned to glare at her, his eyes narrowing like a predator sizing up its prey. “Let go.”

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and desperation. The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, causing Ethan’s heart to skip a beat. Panic surged within him, a slow tide rising as the world around him began to close in, constricting his breath.

Despite the turmoil her revelation stirred inside him, Ethan’s expression remained impassive.

“I found out last week, and I’ve been trying to reach you so I can tell you,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. She wrapped her arms around herself, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and anxiety.

“Okay?” he replied after a long, tense silence, reminding himself that she was a stripper, and the chances of the child being his were slim. She was merely trying to elicit sympathy, to draw him back into her web. But Ethan had no intention of allowing that.

“I’m pregnant with your baby, Ethan,” she insisted, her voice cracking as tears streamed down her cheeks, each drop a testament to her turmoil.

“How do you know it’s mine?” he asked, his tone sharp, slicing through the air like a blade.

Her flinch was palpable, a visible reaction to his words that stung like a slap.

“Because you are the only one I’ve been with…” she whispered, her voice breaking.

“You weren’t a virgin when we slept together, Stella,” he growled, his voice laced with contempt. “You’re a stripper for crying out loud!”

“I hadn’t been with anyone else in almost a year,” she defended weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. “It was only one other guy before that…”

She sniffled, wiping her eyes in a futile attempt to regain composure.

“Y… You’re the only one…” she stammered, a sob escaping her lips, the weight of her confession hanging heavily between them.

Ethan’s disgust was palpable as he regarded her, his expression a mask of disdain.

He pulled out his wallet, extracting a few hundred-dollar bills, and tossed them at her with a flick of his wrist. The money landed at her feet, a cruel gesture that made her flinch.

“Get rid of it,” he commanded coldly, his voice void of compassion.

With that, he drove off, leaving Stella behind, her heart shattered and her spirit crushed.

As Ethan navigated through the streets towards the Landry residence, thoughts of Stella’s revelation swirled in his mind, a tempest of doubt and fear. Was she truly carrying his child?

The idea was abhorrent. A baby with a stripper would ruin everything he had meticulously built for himself. He had to ensure that she terminated the pregnancy before it threatened to unravel his carefully crafted life.

“Mr. Cash,” Adam, the butler, greeted him as he entered the grand villa.

“Adam,” Ethan acknowledged, shrugging off his coat and handing it over.

For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw a flicker of concern cross Adam’s face, but it vanished so quickly that Ethan dismissed it as a trick of his imagination.

“Miss Irene isn’t here right now. But she’ll be home shortly,” Adam informed him, his tone professional.

Ethan nodded, the news hardly registering. The absence of Irene was a relief; he was focused on his own agenda.

“I’ll just wait in her room,” he stated, brushing past Adam.

However, instead of heading to Irene’s room, he made his way to Gavin Landry’s office. The previous day had been spent meticulously picking the lock, gathering the information he needed to facilitate a hack on Gavin’s computer. He had barely scratched the surface before he had to make his escape, but not before jotting down the password for future access.

To his satisfaction, the office door was still unlocked, a sign that his intrusion had gone unnoticed.

Ethan logged into the computer, a smirk tugging at his lips as the screen flickered to life.

“Let’s see what secrets you’re hiding, Alpha Landry.”

“I know things,” Irene stated, taking a sip of her tea before placing the mug down with a deliberate calmness. “Now, let’s cut the small talk. I would like the truth about your relationship with Ethan Cash.”

Stella’s anxiety intensified, her eyes darting around the room as if expecting Ethan to materialize at any moment.

What would he do if he found her here, conversing with Irene? The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and instinctively, she placed a hand on her belly, a protective gesture.

“Are you not feeling well?” Irene asked, her eyes narrowing at the sight of Stella’s hand.

Stella quickly dropped her hand, clenching it into a fist at her side.

“I’m fine,” she murmured, her voice shaky. “But I really should be going. Thank you for the water.”

She attempted to slide out of the booth, but Irene’s hand on her arm halted her movement.

“I highly advise that you tell me the truth, Stella,” Irene warned, her voice turning icy. “Because you won’t like me if I have to take it from you by force. As you probably already know, I am a Landry, and we have our ways…”

A chill ran down Stella’s spine as she stared into Irene’s fierce eyes, realizing the gravity of her situation.

Ethan might wield power, but it paled in comparison to the influence Irene held. She could easily summon her Lycan father and extract the truth from Stella, leaving no trace behind.

Resigned, Stella settled back into her seat, fear anchoring her in place.

“We met at the strip club,” Stella began, her voice barely above a whisper as she focused on the table. “He pursued me. I didn’t know about you until I saw you together the other day.”

“Did you sleep together?” Irene pressed, her tone steady but tinged with an undercurrent of emotion.

“Yes,” Stella admitted, her heart racing as she faced the truth.

“Are you in a relationship with him?” Irene inquired, her eyes piercing.

“No,” Stella replied, her voice barely above a whisper, the weight of her admission heavy on her chest.

Irene nodded, taking another sip of her tea, her composure unwavering.

“Did he end his little arrangement with you? Or is it still active?”

“Not officially,” Stella answered, her mind racing as she struggled to articulate her thoughts. “He stopped returning my calls. I’ve been trying to reach out to him, but…”

“Why?” Irene’s voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. “Why are you trying to reach him? You clearly already know that he’s committed. You said you saw us together.”

“Because I needed to tell him something,” Stella whispered, her voice wavering under the weight of her confession.

Irene’s eyes narrowed, suspicion etched on her features.

“And what could be so important?” she demanded.

“I’m pregnant… with Ethan’s baby.”