Selling Myself To The Alpha
Chapter 79

"I'm going to miss this place," I sigh longingly as I close the balcony doors. The weekend has come to an end, and I am not ready to go home. I want to stay in our love bubble. "We'll definitely come again," Axel smiles as he picks up our bags. "This place has plenty of good memories."

"We'll return," Axel looks at me as I put on my seatbelt. "That's a promise."

Darkness descends into my heart as we leave the beach house behind. The weekend was idyllic but now we must return and face reality. And it is scary.

"Everything will be fine," Axel says as if he is reading my mind and reaches over to give my hand an encouraging squeeze. "It's going to be rocky, but we'll get through it."

"There are just so many things," I sigh. "Angela, your parents, the wedding. And I'm sure there's a couple of things of which I haven't even thought."

"You concentrate on growing our baby," he smiles. "I'll take care of the rest."

"Do you want a big wedding?" I ask nervously as I admire my ring. I cannot financially contribute to a big affair, and I do not want his parents to think that I expect their family to pay for everything.

"What we want is irrelevant," he sighs. "I'm the alpha, Liana. The wedding is going to be enormous. And I hate to drop this on you, but the wedding will be in two months."

"Are you serious?" I gape at him. That is going to be impossible. Guests, food, flowers and a dress. It is simply too much.

"It's my inauguration," he smiles. "And you're going to be my Luna. It sort of goes hand in hand."

"Oh, shit," I mumble as the blood drains from my face. "I forgot about the Luna part. Do I have to? I hardly know your laws and I'm going to screw up."

"Liana," he looks at me seriously. "I would not have marked you if I didn't have faith in you. I'm not going to throw you into the deep end. You'll have help and plenty of it. And I'll be there every step of the way."

"Your parents are going to hate me," I whimper. "I'm a human and they picked out Angela."

"I'm not going to lie," Axel inhales deeply. "They're not going to be thrilled, but they'll get over it once they get to know you. Just be patient and give it time. Besides, the second they hold their grandchild, nothing else will matter."

"And I thought Angela was my biggest problem," I swallow hard on the nerves. "Now it seems she's the only problem I can handle."

"If you can handle her, the rest will be a breeze," Axel laughs. "You're resilient, Liana, you can do this. And don't forget you survived your parents. You'll survive mine."

I do not reply and toy with my ring as I process his words. He makes it sound so easy, but he does have a point. Not only have I survived my family, but I have also survived Brad, Angela and Wyatt and they all wanted me dead. At least Axel's parents will not try to kill me - I hope. I had my share of struggles; this is merely the last hurdle before happiness.

"Okay," I take a deep breath. "I can do this. I'll concentrate on one thing at a time."

"That's my Luna," he smiles brightly. "And you can start with your dress and bridesmaids. My mother has been planning my wedding since my birth. She practically just needs the bride's name."

My heart jumps into my throat. My guests are normal people. What if we embarrass the alpha family? Worse, I do not have a mother anymore. No family in my corner. And it is a lonely and depressing thought. It might be better not to invite anyone I know. I close my eyes and lean back against the seat, I would give anything right now to be back at the beach house.

**

Axel POV

"I'll be back in an hour or two," I say as I carry our bags into Liana's cottage. "I have business to discuss with Adele."

"Sure," she smiles. "I'll start dinner in the meantime."

Gently I place my hand on her stomach as I kiss her long and tenderly before I walk to my car.

Coming back to reality has hit me hard. Liana is worked up enough as it is about the wedding, I do not want to add to it. She needs to be calm if she wants to carry our baby to term. Especially since she is carrying an Alpha's child. The strain on her body is going to be tremendous.

I arrive at Adele's house in record time and knock on her door.

"Sir?" Her eyes are wide, and her face is flustered as she tries to fix her hair. "Is something wrong?"

"Relax, Adele, and invite me in, please?" I smile.

"Oh, sorry," she quickly opens the door for me. "Please excuse the mess, I wasn't expecting company and ..."

"Adele," I cut her short and she immediately goes quiet. "Do you have a mate?"

"N... no, sir," she stutters flabbergasted.

"Then you wouldn't mind moving into the mansion if I appoint you to Gamma?" I ask.

"What?" Her jaw drops and she blinks a few times before she regains her composure. "Yes, of course, anything you need, sir."

"Your position as Gamma will be permanent," I continue. "But your stay in the mansion will only be for a year."

"Yes, sir, thank you, sir," she beams. "This is such an honour."

"You deserve this," I smile. "You worked hard, and I can trust you. You're moving in tomorrow."

"Sir," she calls me back when I reach the door and she runs over to me. "May I ask what's the purpose of my stay in the mansion?"

"I'll brief you extensively tomorrow," I reply. "But you're going to protect my mate and your future Luna."

For the second time, Adele's jaw drops, and I laugh inwardly as I walk to my car. I like Adele and she is perfect for the job, but she should really work on her poker face.

**

I take a deep breath before I walk to the door and knock. Seconds later, the door opens.

"What do you want?" Luther asks brusquely.

"We need to talk," I reply patiently.

"I'd rather fight it out than talk," Luther barks as he crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"Luther, we've been best friends since we were born," I sigh. "And you're wrong about me and Liana."

"No, I'm not," he explodes. "Go fuck up Angela's life, she deserves it. Liana doesn't."

"Liana's my mate, Luther," I say angrily. I am trying to be civil, but I will only tolerate so much. "My engagement to Angela is a ruse to keep Liana safe and before you ask, yes. Liana knows everything."

"Fuck me," he gapes at me. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"Long story," I sigh as push my fingers through my hair. "Look, you're my best friend and cousin. Our friendship is important to me. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. You've been telling me about this girl for months and I never realized it was Liana. If I knew, I would've told you. And you can't blame her, she didn't know we were mates until two weeks ago."

"Why did you keep it from her?" Luther growls. "That's no way to treat your mate."

"Dude, it's a long and complicated story," I grunt frustrated. "And I will tell you every dirty detail once I know we're okay."

"Sure, man," he shrugs. "I mean, I still have the hots for your mate, but I'll respect the bond. I'm sorry I kissed her. I would never have done that if I knew."

"Thanks," I smile. "It would've sucked if this got between us."

"So," Luther grins. "Am I still your best man like we agreed as kids?"

"You know it," I smirk before I turn around and go home to my mate.

**

My mood is much better when I park at Liana's cottage. I have Adele to protect Liana when I am not around, and the air is cleared with Luther. I am fully aware that it is going to take him time to get over his crush, but I know and trust him. He will never cross the boundary again now that he knows the truth.

I am surprised to hear laughter when I walk into the cottage and follow the noises to the kitchen. Carol, Drew and Liana are gathered around the counter, laughing at one of Drew's stories. "You're back," Liana shrieks happily as she rushes over to me.

"Can I tell them, please?" She looks pleadingly at me with her big, blue eyes and secretly I pray that our child will not inherit those blues. I simply cannot resist them. "Sure," I smile.

"We're engaged!" She announces loudly and proudly takes out her ring from her pocket.

"About time," Drew exclaims and comes over to congratulate us.

"I'm lost," Carol frowns. "Everybody knows about Angela."

"I'll turn on the kettle," Liana looks at me. "You start talking."

Defeated I shake my head and take a seat next to Carol as I tell her everything. I do not leave anything out. I trust these two more than I trust my parents.

"Dear goddess," Carol mumbles. "This is a lot. I mean, I know there was something between you two, but this? A baby?"

"And you!" She turns to Drew. "You didn't say anything."

"It's not my place," Drew shrugs nonchalantly.

I look at the three of them as they babble nonstop. Since Drew became my driver, I could always count on him. And they share a bond with Liana that she never had with her parents. Without a word, I take her hand and pull her closer to whisper in her ear.

"May I really?" She looks at me with bright eyes and I nod.

"Drew and Carol," Liana clears her throat, and she nestles closely to me for support as she looks at them. "You have been here for me from the very beginning. Taking care of me, and I was wondering ... Drew, will you walk me down the aisle? And Carol, I'm going to need a mother's advice and support."

"Oh, child," Carol wipes her tears as she rushes over to Liana and hugs her tightly. "It will be such an honour."

"Well, look at that," Drew grins with misty eyes. "The driver will be seated with the alphas."

"Let's talk dresses," Carol says eagerly.

"Of course," Carol rushes towards the stove. Liana looks happily at me, and I wink at her. "Dinner is ready, we've been waiting for you."