The Lycan Kingpin's Captive: A Baby For The Beast
Chapter 24 - Mira

I woke up this morning and felt the flutters again; I went to bed and felt them, as if the baby wassaying good morning and goodnight to me. I know this is normal, and I know this is supposed tohappen but no one mentioned how attached I'd feel.

“Are you still having morning sickness, Mia?” My attention snaps to Dr. Lilah as she looks at theclipboard in her hand. “What about the dizzy spells and brain fog?”

I shake my head. “They've all eased up in the last two weeks or so, but I do feel more tired thanusual.”

She nods. “All normal. Have you felt movement at all?”

Sighing, I look down at my belly and the baby does another flutter before I answer. “It started a dayago; light flutters.”

Dr. Lilah perks up and claps her hands together. “Oh, fantastic! That's the best news I've heard allmonth!” she gushes, writing down something else on her clipboard.

After this, she refills my vitamin prescription and I go on my way. My weekly check-ups have beenstretched to monthly, so I don't see Dr. Lilah as often as I used to. I suppose it's good since I hatethe way she eases my worries with a touch alone.

I walk the hallways with Josef, but he’s still refusing to speak with me. I gave up trying to talk to himagain, so now I'm left alone with my own thoughts...and a baby moving in my belly.

Five months...I have just under five months left here if my father doesn't say anything aboutmarrying Alpha Nikolaos. There's no room to get attached to anything or anyone here; I can makemy own way without them.

However, as Josef opens my bedroom door and I see the outline of Alpha Nikolaos at my bedroomwindow, I know getting out of here soon isn't an option.

He's standing with his back to us wearing nothing but gray sweatpants, wearing no shirt, andshowing off his muscled tattooed back. Every inch of his skin is covered in them, with flecks ofsilver-healed skin ruining the massive pair of black wings taking up his back. It matches, though - itlooks like those wings were meant to be ruined.

“Breathe, Mia,” he whispers into my hair and I readily obey. I take a few calming breaths to steadymyself, and my heartbeat starts to level out again. “That's it, breathe. I'm right here, I won't letanything happen to you.”

“I want to believe you,” I want to believe that he'll protect me from Mikhail, but I know how thatman’s mind works. “I insulted him by stabbing that silver dagger through his eye, and now I'mpregnant with his enemy's child.”

“Trust me, Mia,” he whispers, running his hand through my hair at the nape of my neck. “Trust thatI'll protect you; you're going to be my Luna, the most important person to me and you're pregnantwith my child. I'll protect you with my life.”

My heart stills once more, and the silence after his admission makes my heartbeat pick up again butnot in fear this time. He doesn't let go of me, instead, I feel him kissing the side of my head.

That flutter in my belly makes me gasp and he lets go of me, looking at me with a frown. “Did I holdyou too tight?” he asks with concern in his cold green eyes.

I shake my head and a blush covers my cheeks. “No...it's just...the baby has started moving and italways catches me off guard,” the way I say it makes it seem as if I don't care, but the way he heldme coupled with the movement in my belly made all the fear dissipate.

Alpha Nikolaos looks down at my stomach, and I see his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowshard. “May 1?" he asks, flooring me.

“By all means,” I give him a wan smile, trying not to seem nervous. “But he stops moving as soon assomeone else touches my bump.”

"He?" There's a ghost of a smile on his lips when he asks this and places his large palm on mystomach. “You think it's a boy?”

I chuckle. “Oh, we're not sure yet-" my words are cut short when the baby moves like crazyunderneath the Alpha’s hand. The smile drops from his face, and every bit of arrogance leaves hisbody as he peers down at me.

The look of wonder in his eyes has my heart gripped tight in those tendrils of hope again. The babymoves once more and the smile on his face knocks the wind out of me.

“Is he...are they supposed to move this much so soon?” he asks as he caresses my belly.

“Before it was simply fluttering, now it's full-on movements. It could be that he knows it's his father.Perhaps he knows your voice?” I say, making assumptions when I shouldn't be.

Alpha Nikolaos doesn't answer, he simply continues to hold my belly and look at it with wonder, asif it's precious to him. I never thought he would ever have this look on his face, and the painfulsqueezing of my heart is not making it any easier on me.

And what he does next cements that hope, and I'm not sure if I should be happy...or scared todeath.

He drops to his knees, lifts up my tank top, and places a kiss on my bare skin. “My Luna...” hebreathes out sending a shiver shooting right up my spine.

No...this isn’t supposed to happen! We're not supposed to get attached like this!

When he peers up at me with that same look, I know that I am not getting out of this without myheart being broken. Acting like I'm in love with him is one thing, but now I know I might not just beacting.

I lift my hand and place it on his head, running my fingers through his hair and watching as his eyesclose at my touch. He groans and rests his head against my stomach, breathing out a sigh as if itfeels like home.

He places another kiss on my stomach, then gets to his feet and takes my left hand before kissingthe ring there. “I'll protect you, Mia. I'll protect both of you,” he says before walking out of mybedroom and leaving me with a full heart.

Mia...he still calls me Mia and I love the sound of it. It's not lost on me that I had the most powerfulAlpha on his knees in front of me, and that alone makes me feel like I can face whatever comes nextweek.