Chapter 11

~Unknown~

“Damn it, another negative pregnancy test?!” Malachi yells at me. This is how it has been every month for almost a year now. I take a pregnancy test, it comes up negative, and Malachi is out for blood. I have no idea what the issue is. There should be no reason why I'm not pregnant by now.

“Now, now, Malachi. You know these things take time.” I saunter over to him, giving him the sexiest look I can muster. I reach out and stroke his arm with my hand. I can feel his muscles tense under my touch, but I continue. Malachi grabs my hand and throws it off of his arm.

“I'm an Alpha, and I need an heir. If you are unable to provide one for me, what use do you hold?” Malachi looks at me, raising his eyebrow. That hurts. We have been mated for a few years; this is the first time he has thrown that at me.

“What do you mean?” I ask carefully. “We love each other. You said that I was your everything. Don’t you remember?”

Malachi gave me an evil grin. “Oh, I definitely remember.” Malachi reaches out and caresses my cheek. I definitely remember what I said to you. I also told you that I would not mark you until you proved your worth…..do you not remember that?” Malachi trails his fingers down my chin to my neck. He traces a circle around where his mark should go, and then he swiftly grabs my throat and squeezes. Surprised, I grabbed his hand with both of mine, hoping he would let go. Malachi moves in so close that our noses are touching. “Know this….if you do not get pregnant within a month, I am done with you,” he says through gritted teeth. “I will renounce you and kick you off my lands. Your JOB is to give me an heir. I have waited long enough and will not tolerate your games.” With that, Malachi tosses me on the floor and walks out of the room. I grab my neck and gasp for air. This is starting to get out of control, and I need to fix it. I don’t know why I have not gotten pregnant yet, but I am beginning to have an idea of how to reverse that. There is someone I can call that may be able to help. All I have to do is make sure I have what I need to make it happen. I will not lose my home or my status.

I get up from the floor and leave Malachi’s office. I head on my own to start getting what I need to make this right. I will be pregnant in a month, and Malachi will gain the heir he is searching for. He will then mark me, and I will be official in the eyes of the Moon Goddess, not just human law. I just need to make sure that I stay on task. I sit at my desk, get out my phone, and make some calls.

~Kehlani~

The room is quiet, and I forget where I am. What time is it? What day? I move slightly and realize I'm lying on something hard. I concentrate and can hear a heartbeat beneath me. It registers what happened that day. Jayden surprised me with a visit. We discussed what was going on at my pack, and he laid me down to rest. The room is dark, so I realize how late it must be; I swear we laid down just this morning. I can feel the sparks erupting beneath my cheek, which feels amazing. I trail my finger softly down Jayden’s chest and down his abs. I try to be gentle and not wake him. As my finger travels down, I notice a change in his breathing, but he doesn’t stir. I glance down and see a bulge in his jeans. I slowly trail my finger down to the top of his jeans, hesitating to go further. Jayden still does not move or make any noise. I take my finger and trace the outline of the bulge.

“You know, if you keep doing what you are doing, I may not be responsible for what comes next.”

I completely freeze. Has he been awake this whole time? Did he just want to see how far I would go? I remove my finger and look up at Jayden. His eyes are semi-open, and he is looking down at me. I see the lust in his eyes and slowly move my hand to his cheek. I lightly caress his face from his ear across his jawline. I bring my fingers up and trace his lips. Goddess, this man is so freaking gorgeous. I want to take him right here, but I'm not convinced he would allow that mate bond. My fingers travel down his neck, and I start to trace circles around his marking spot. He closes his eyes and sharply inhales. The effect I'm having on him is getting me worked up. I can feel my body heating up, and I'm getting wet. Jayden moves his head down closer, and our noses barely touch. He parts his lips slightly, and I can feel his breath on my lips. This is driving me insane, and I just want to smash my lips against his and inhale him. Jayden slightly turns his head and continues to move closer. His lips are just about to touch mine when we hear a phone ring. Jayden’s eyes open as he reaches into his pocket for his phone.

“Yes, my love. What’s up?” Jayden speaks into the phone. I can hear a little voice on the other end, and it must be Brooklyn. I push off of Jayden and sit up on the couch. I walk over to the desk to check my phone in case I have any messages. Jayden stays lying on the couch a bit, speaking to his daughter. They seem to have a fantastic relationship, and it's so sweet to witness. “And I love you a billion skittles!” With that, Jayden stretches and gets up from the couch. He walks over to the desk and sits opposite me. “My apologies, Brooklyn was checking on me,” Jayden states looking into my eyes.

“You don't need to apologize to me. That little girl is wonderful, and you're a good dad. I hope all is well.”

“It is. She was asking me when I would be coming back home. She loves her godparents, but they aren’t dad, apparently.” Jayden chuckles.

“The bond a girl has with her dad is special. I can see why she would want you back home. So, when are you leaving?”

Jayden raises his eyebrow and looks at me. “Are you sick of me already?” He asks.

“Definitely not! I'm glad you came out here today. I was just asking….just so I had an idea of how much time I have with you,” I reply.

“I haven’t decided yet. Issac definitely wants me to make sure we do all we can to help with what you are going through. I did agree to take some time to get to know you….I guess we can just see how it all goes.”

“Speaking of that…..” I place both elbows on the desk and put my chin in my hands. “What do you think about us going on a date?”

Jayden looks at me and laughs. “A…...a date…….you are asking me…...on a date….”

I put my arms down and fold my hands on my desk. “I didn’t realize I was so funny.” The irritation is evident in my voice. “I also didn’t realize that a man, raising a daughter, would be so…..chauvinistic.”

Jayden’s eyes widen, and he holds up his hands in defeat. “Wait a minute…..just hold on. My laughing is not because you, being a woman, asked me out, and I have a problem with it. I just never thought that I would be asked out by a woman. I actually think it's very sexy,” Jayden says with a grin.

Damn, I really misread that one. My face gets hot, and I know he can see its redness. He looks amused that he could get to me like that. “I'm sorry. I deal with a lot of people thinking that I can do nothing, being a woman and all.” I look down at my hand, thoroughly embarrassed at this point. I am going to have to work on being so defensive. Jayden puts his hands on mine; the sparks make me look up and into his eyes.

“You need to know, Kehlani, that I have no problem with you being a woman doing anything that you do. I think it is inspiring, especially to my daughter, that there is a woman who is doing so much and running a pack as well as, and better, than some men. My daughter will know there is no limit for her. My reasoning for wanting to end this also had nothing to do with you being a woman and an Alpha, in case you were wondering. I think you are amazing, and you are inspiring.” I look down again in embarrassment. No one has ever really said anything like that to me, and I don’t really know what to say. Jayden lifts my chin with his finger and looks me in the eyes. “Never hang your head…..never! You are too damn wonderful to do anything other than keep your head up high. I would be honored to go out on a date with you. Just name the time and the place.” Jayden winks at me and caresses my cheek.

“I think we should go out tomorrow. We can start early; I will plan everything.” I smile at him, and he smiles back. Just then, my stomach grumbles, and Jayden laughs.

“I see that someone is hungry. Maybe we should think about eating tonight.” Jayden stands up, walks around the desk, and holds out his hand. I grab it and lead him to the door. “Please lead the way,” He says. We walk down the hall and the stairs. I lead him to the kitchen. It is a bit late, and I'm pretty sure that everyone has eaten by now. We walk into the kitchen and see Jax at the counter.

“Well, well, look at what we have here,” Jax says with a grin and a wink. “You two disappeared hours ago. I'm surprised to run into you.” Jax looks me up and down and then starts to pout. “I see that nothing fun must have happened. There is no mark and..” Jax sniffs the air. “No change in scent.”

I glare at Jax, threatening to cut off everything precious to him with my eyes. He just looks at me and chuckles. “I'm surprised to see you here. Shouldn’t you be over or under someone right now?” I hear Jayden snicker behind me.

Jax places his hand on his chest and pretends as if he was just wounded. “Red! The things you say to your dear friend. What would our parents say?”

I look Jax in the eye and smirk. “They wouldn’t say a word; they would just wait for your response.” Jax looks at me with big eyes, and I laugh. Jayden looks between both of us, very confused. “Jayden, I'm sure you met my Beta when you arrived here today.” Jayden nods his head. “Unfortunately, I have known this….well, THOT doesn’t really apply now, does it?” I smirk. “Anyways, I have known him all my life; it is what it is.” I hunch my shoulders, and Jayden tries to stifle a laugh.

Jax just rolls his eyes and says, “Red, you know you love me and wouldn’t change a thing about me.” I look at Jax and nod my head. Jax gives his award-winning smile and asks, “Have you two eaten?” We both shake our heads. “I thought so. Why don’t we sit down and eat? I made pizza!” Jayden and I sit down and wait for Jax to bring the pizza to the table. He made two pepperoni pizzas and two combination-type pizzas. Jax is amazing when it comes to making pizza. I'm not sure if it is the dough or the sauce, and Jax won’t tell me. He says I would just ruin it. In my defense, I didn’t do much cooking growing up. I was following my dad around, and he had me training at a young age. I figured I would learn one day, but then I became Alpha and who really has the time? We started to eat, and Jax regaled Jayden with many stories about us growing up and the trouble we would get into. We spent the rest of the night laughing and eating.