Page 72 of Plus-Size Sold Mate
“It doesn’t matter…we’ll figure it out,” I say gently, eyes solely on her. “No part of me is willing to drop this. Not the pack, you, or the baby, but I can’t keep pretending this will all work out if I keep pressing as hard as I can.”
She studies me closely for a long moment, then a spark of guilt settles in her expression. “I don’t want you to lose your Alpha status because of me.”
Taking a breath, I allow myself to breathe a little easier as the tension ebbs into something quieter and more receptive. “If someone challenges me, it won’t be because of you.”
Sera watches as my thumb continues its light path across her skin, then her shoulders relax into a less guarded position. “I need time.”
As much as the thought of leaving any of this unsettled doesn’t sit right with me, I have to respect it for her sake. Carefully, I stand without letting go of her hand.
“I’m not asking for an answer today…I just don’t want you to give up on us.”
As the fight drains out of us both, leaving that same exhaustion behind, her eyes soften. “I haven’t.”
While it isn’t the full reassurance I was hoping for, it’s enough hope to stop me from falling apart completely.
With another steadying breath, I slowly reach forward and cup her cheek in a light hold. The contact sends a spark of warmth up my arm, keeping me balanced. “I’m going to do a perimeter check to clear my head…I’ll be back soon.”
As much as I want to kiss her and make all of this lingering static go away, I don’t want to undo everything I’ve just laid out between us. Besides, we both need space to decompress now.
So, when she nods, I gently withdraw and head for the door.
The pressure is still there, but I have resolved to choose her fully without compromise, even if her mind isn’t completely made up yet.
When I imagine the alternative, of her looking at me with resentment and regret, wishing she could be as far away from me as possible, I know there’s no contest.
I will lay everything down if it means feeling her heart at ease, even if it makes me the worst Alpha on the island.
Chapter 25 - Sera
The house feels far too quiet and empty after Luke leaves, and even if that space is what I asked for, it doesn’t seem peaceful.
I stay where I am for a long time after the door shuts behind him, while I stare at nothing.
He asked me to choose him, not as a symbol or some declaration to the pack, but as him. To put my faith in him regardless of whatever the future brings, even when it’s hard, and even when I want to run away.
It’s tempting to cling to the familiar anger because it’s easier and less loaded than moving toward acceptance. Anger means having something to push against and something to blame.
But in the wake of him putting space between us, it feels pointless to hold onto now. Even with the opportunity in front of him, he didn’t threaten or command me. He seemed more like he was standing on the edge of something critical, waiting to find out if I’d step back or jump in with him.
As dangerous as it seems to join him, the alternative seems so much colder now.
Our connection doesn’t feel as strained as it did before, but it seems more like it’s waiting. It still hums, keeping us aware of one another and our emotions. Through it, I can feel the rhythm of his movements as they brush against my mind.
Luke said he would risk everything for the baby and us, and he meant it. I know he did.
He would step down before he ever walked away from me, and before I could stop it, the realization settled deep within my skin.
As much as I accused him of turning everything into some kind of war, he has never once chosen the pack over me, not at the festival, during the pregnancy announcement, or when the whispers became too much to ignore.
He has chosen me every time, even when it costs him, and even when I push him away.
I don’t know very many men who would do that without thinking twice, and that thought makes my stomach twist.
Glancing down at my stomach, which doesn’t look all that different yet, a thought hits me so suddenly and with such brutal clarity that I can’t just ignore it.
I don’t want to raise this child without him. I don’t want them to grow up without their father because I was too proud and resistant to meet him halfway.
When that notion sticks, the anger dulls further, and while it isn’t completely gone, it’s softer now.
