A Broken Contract (Alpha's Secret Regret)

Sara POV

Hope and confusion filled my mind as Nick spoke. I stared at him open-mouthed, not knowing how to respond. Does he know the implications of what he's asking here? "What?" I gasped.

Is he out of his mind? What about members of the Forest Moon? What if they see me with him? Worse, what if they see the child? Does he no longer care about these things?

He gave one look at Jake and the other guy, and they retreated their steps to give us some privacy.

"C'mon," he jerked his head towards the door at the far side of the lobby. "Let's talk about this somewhere more private."

I could not disagree because my thoughts are still scattered, trying to come to terms with his suggestion. Or command. So I followed him as he led me out into an open space. A few minutes later, we were sitting across from each other at the resort lounge. As he signaled for the waiter, he said, "You must be hungry -"

"I'm not. Are you out of your mind asking me to stay in YOUR penthouse? Your mother kicked me and my dad out of the pack!"

"She did, huh?" he said, not looking at me.

Was that a question? Was he going to sit here and pretend? "You didn't know?"

"That he fired him and threatened you. Of course, I know."

"And drove us out! Why the hell do you think we left?"

"Hello! She fired him because of you and I. I wasn't sure if your father decided the smart move was leaving immediately or if she forced you out. And I didn't care about finding out. That was a very bad time for you to..." he trailed off, shaking his head from side to side. "Never mind."

He was half right. My dad planned for us to disappear immediately only for the luna to throw out our things before we were ready to leave. All that talk is not reason I'm finally sitting at a public place with the alpha, so I sighed, deciding to halt that line of conversation. The waiter arrived to take our orders. I already told him I'm not eating, so I ignored the flashy human girl.

"She'll have a turkey sandwich and mocha with a little extra cream," he said to her.

I was momentarily stunned by the fact that he knew exactly how I took my coffee. This was someone who never said more than two words to me in public back when we were lovers. During our weekly secret meetings, he only wanted one thing.

When he text me before we meet, he never failed to ask: "Did you eat? Make sure you do before I see you." Then after the sex, he'd shower and leave almost immediately.

Once, I asked if he didn't want me

eating in his house or using his kitchen. I wanted to know why he always wanted me to eat before coming. His reply had been playful and sensual as he nibbled my ear lobe. Because I don't want you passing out from our little workout session." Then he'd kissed me deeply before adding, "And I don't wanna waste a single second on anything else while I'm here. We've only got 60 minutes, remember?"

We hardly ran into each other on campus because he was in his final year when I got into college. But when we did, he offered a wink whenever he felt generous. There were times when he even pretended I wasn't there.

As I sat across from him, remembering our past, it felt completely strange that he's sitting only a feet away, placing our orders. This is a public place, isn't it? His manners are so easy and natural. It felt like we did this often.

There's no hint that he cared what

anyone thinks. Then again, this isn't Los Angeles. I doubted any member of the Forest Moon came all the way out here for leisure. Luna Reign is nowhere nearby. His father is long dead. Not only is he the head of the Reign empire, but he's alpha of the Forest Moon.

As the waiter left to get the food, he caught me watching him and arched his brow.

"I said I'm not hungry," I said. "And I certainly can't stay in the same house as you."

"We agreed Alex needs you and me, did we not?"

"Let me take him home," I pleaded.

"So you can run and hide like you planned, huh? I can not believe you were going to do that!" His tone was tinged with disgust as he said this.

When I didn't comment on that remark, he went on. "If you want to be near our son, you'll stay where he stays. I decide where he stays! It certainly won't be in that hole you share with your dad, and that's final!"

"How long will you keep him there? Where will you take him next?" I asked.

"For now, he goes wherever I go. So he can get to know me," he replied.

"What about the pack?"

The waiter brought the orders and started to set it before us. I stared at him helplessly, eager for his reply. I feel genuine curiosity about why he's suddenly doesn't care that the child came from me. As soon as the waiter left our table, my patience to hear him say his reason ran out.

"You were disgusted by the thought of me bearing your child. I remember how horrified you looked when you learned I was pregnant," I said. "I don't understand any of this."

"Don't you mean when I learned you MIGHT BE pregnant? MIGHT," he used air quotes. "That's the word you used, Sara! You didn't know he existed when you first opened that... mouth of yours. When you learned that you truly were pregnant, what did you do?" His tone was somewhat sharp, but there's something else beneath. There's no point answering the rhetorical question, so I let the silence reign until he spoke again.

"Now listen! When you're done reminiscing about the past, you can join me here in the present. Your coffee's getting cold." He picked up his cup and took a sip.

"I just want to be with my son. I want to see him," I pleaded.

"He's upstairs. As long as you agree to my terms, you can see him every single day."