Chapter 18: Baby Mama

Drake:

One look at my face, and my beta, Lucas, knew he had knocked at the wrong time. He winced, apologizing profusely while keeping his gaze lowered. "I'm sorry, Alpha," he stammered, clearly regretting his timing. But then he straightened and cleared his throat. "An urgent matter came up."

I sighed, already irritated. "What is it, Lucas?" I asked, my tone clipped.

Lucas hesitated for a moment, glancing toward Leila, who was still sitting on the bed, her expression curious yet guarded. He was clearly torn, not wanting to speak openly in front of her. My irritation spiked, and I resisted the urge to growl.

"Just spit it out," I snapped.

Lucas shifted uncomfortably before finally saying, "It's about Lily."

Lily. The name made my mood darken instantly. My jaw clenched involuntarily. I could feel Leila's eyes on me, her posture tense as she picked up on the shift in my demeanor. She might not have known the full story, but she sensed the importance of the name.

"What does she want now?" I asked through gritted teeth, trying to keep my temper in check.

Lucas glanced at Leila again, clearly uncomfortable. He didn't want to disclose anything in front of her, and for good reason. Leila was already struggling with trust, and the last thing I needed was to add more complications to the mix.

I nodded curtly, acknowledging the silent plea in his eyes. "I'll be in my office in ten minutes," I told him.

Lucas bowed his head respectfully and quickly excused himself, closing the door behind him. The room fell into a tense silence, and I could feel Leila's gaze on me, sharp and questioning.

I turned back to her, my mind still spinning. The mention of Lily had unsettled me more than I wanted to admit. She had been a part of my past, before Latisha, before I knew what it meant to have a true mate. And now, even though I hadn't seen her in ages, her presence threatened to stir up trouble.

One thing was certain—Lily was going to be a problem between me and Leila. She was a reminder of a past I was trying to move beyond, but she wasn't the type to let things go easily.

I let out a slow breath, trying to gather my thoughts. I needed to handle this carefully. I couldn't let Lily cause friction between me and my mate, not when we were already on such shaky ground. I wasn't going to let the past ruin what I had with Leila, not when I had fought so hard to keep her by my side.

I glanced at Leila, her expression unreadable, though I could see the questions brewing in her eyes. She didn't say anything, but I knew she was wondering who Lily was and why her presence had rattled me.

"I'll be back soon," I said quietly, moving to the door. "This won't take long."

But as I stepped out of the room, my mind was heavy with the knowledge that Lily's arrival would be anything but simple. And I had to be ready for whatever storm she was about to bring.

As soon as I stepped into my office and laid eyes on Lily, I knew this wasn't going to be good. She was sitting there, hands folded neatly in her lap, but the tension in the room was palpable. She looked up at me, her eyes glinting with something I couldn't quite place.

"Hey, Drake. Long time," she said, her voice soft, almost too casual, considering the weight of whatever she was about to drop on me.

"Yes, very long," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "I see you and your mate have been busy." I gestured to her belly, trying to gauge her reaction.

But she didn't flinch. Instead, she smiled, a sad sort of smile, and said, "Oh no, this isn't Mike's child. This… this is yours."

Her words hit me like a freight train. I stared at her, disbelief flooding through me. "What?" My voice came out harsher than I intended, but I couldn't help it. "You're lying," I said, my heart racing. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Lily's eyes filled with tears, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. "I didn't know how to tell you," she whispered. "Mike… Mike said he didn't care if the child wasn't his. He said as long as I was his mate, he would treat it as his own."

Her voice cracked as she continued, and she started crying in earnest. "But he's gone now, Drake. He's dead. My mate is gone, and I… I don't know what to do."

My mind was spinning. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Seven months pregnant? My child? And Mike—her mate—was dead? What the hell was I supposed to do with this? The room felt like it was closing in on me, and I struggled to breathe as the enormity of the situation weighed on me.

If Lily was telling the truth, then I couldn't just abandon the child. That was my kid. And after everything I'd gone through as an orphan, I couldn't let my own child suffer the same fate, no matter the circumstances. I had been alone, lost, without a family, and I wouldn't let that happen to my child, even if they had their mother.

But then there was Leila.

What would Leila say? How would she react? She was already fragile, barely holding on to the threads of trust between us. If she found out I had a child with someone else… I couldn't even bear to think about it. Would she leave me? Could I lose her over this?

I was so confused, torn between my past and my future, between the duty to my child and the love I had for my mate. I didn't want to choose. I couldn't choose. But it felt like the world was forcing me to.

As I leaned against my desk, rubbing my temples, the weight of the situation pressed down on me harder than ever. How was I going to tell Leila? The thought alone filled me with dread. My mind raced with a thousand possibilities, but none of them ended well.

Leila had already endured so much—pain, betrayal, torture. She didn't trust easily, and I knew this would be a blow to the fragile bond we had started to build. I was supposed to be her safe place, the one who would protect her from all the darkness in the world, and now... Now, I was about to bring another storm to her doorstep.

But I couldn't hide this from her. Not something this big. Not when it involved a child, my child, if what Lily was saying was true. I owed it to Leila to be honest, no matter how much it hurt. She needed to hear it from me, not from whispers around the pack or from Lily herself.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, though nothing could prepare me for what I was about to do. I couldn't let my fear paralyze me. I needed to be strong for Leila, for us.

I couldn't avoid the conversation any longer. I had to tell her. But how could I tell her without breaking her heart? How could I make her understand that no matter what, she was still the most important thing in my life?

I stood up straight, resolved to face this head-on. I wouldn't keep secrets from her. I couldn't.

I walked to the door of my office leaving my Beta with lily as he tried consoling her. i asked him to prepare a guest room for her. As i searched for my mate, dread clawing at my insides but knowing it had to be done. I found her with Nelly, Lucas's mate. From the stormy expression on Leila's face, it was clear something was wrong. My stomach twisted. Had Nelly already told her about Lily?

"Can I talk to you in private?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

To my surprise, she accepted without hesitation, though the anger simmering in her eyes made me wonder if she was just waiting to unleash it. Still, she followed me, which was more than I expected.

I led her out of the pack house to my favorite place, a secluded spot away from prying eyes and ears, hoping that being there might soften the edges of the conversation we were about to have. Hoping, against all odds, that she would hear me out and try to understand.

But as I walked beside her, I couldn't shake the gnawing fear that after today, everything between us might never be the same.

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