The Alpha's Forbidden Vow novel Chapter 7

POV: Selene

The positive pregnancy test became the terrifying new center of my universe.

For days, I wrestled with a storm of fear and a fragile, foolish hope.

This was his child. His flesh and blood.

He deserved to know.

Maybe, just maybe, the reality of a baby would pierce through his cold armor.

Maybe it would mean something to him.

This sliver of hope was a dangerous fantasy, but it was the only thing that kept me from completely shattering.

I had to try. I had to give him the chance to be a father before I made any decisions on my own.

I waited until after dinner, my heart a frantic drum against my ribs.

I knew he often worked in the grand study on the first floor.

As I approached the long, shadowed corridor, I heard voices.

Multiple voices, their tones low and serious, drifting from the slightly ajar study door.

I recognized the deep, authoritative timber of Roman Volkov and the cool, measured tones of Zane.

His mother, Seraphina, was in there too, her voice sharp and aristocratic.

And then there was a fourth voice.

A woman’s.

It was smooth, confident, and held a note of regal command that I had never heard before.

My intention to knock vanished, replaced by a sudden, prickling unease.

This was not a casual family chat. This was business.

I hesitated in the shadows, an unwilling eavesdropper.

“The Laurent pack’s territory is essential for securing our eastern border,” Roman was saying.

“An alliance is no longer a suggestion; it is a necessity.”

“My father agrees,” the unknown woman’s voice replied, crisp and clear. “Our packs have been rivals for too long. A union would make us the most dominant force on the continent.”

Mating with Zane.

The words didn't just break my heart; they obliterated it. They revealed my own pathetic foolishness.

While I was agonizing over our secret, he was negotiating his future.

“The engagement can be announced at the next full moon,” Isabella said, her gaze fixed on Zane. “A grand ceremony to show our united strength.”

Zane nodded, his expression unreadable.

“It is the logical course of action,” he said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. “For the good of the pack.”

I stumbled back, my hand pressed hard against my mouth to keep the sound of my shattering world from escaping.

He had a fiancée.

A future Luna.

A perfect, powerful, pure-blooded queen.

And I was pregnant with his bastard child.