Choose Your Alpha, Princess

chapter 19

POV Odette

The door slammed behind me. My hands shook as I pressed my back against the wood, chest heaving beneath the midnight silk that suddenly felt like armor made of tissue paper.

"Princess?" A maid's voice through the door. "Do you need—"

"Nothing! I need nothing!"

Footsteps retreated. Finally alone, I ripped the pins from my hair, letting it cascade down while my reflection stared back from the vanity mirror—a stranger wearing my face, carrying secrets that would detonate like bombs when revealed.

Devon represented everything safe and known—morning coffee shared in comfortable silence, his laugh when I'd stolen his breakfast, the way he'd held me through three years of monthly disappointments. First love, chosen love, the kind that defied tradition until tradition won.

Nathaniel was a danger wrapped in silk—controlled power that made my wolf roll over and bare her throat, hands that knew exactly where to touch, promises that sounded like threats and tasted like freedom.

A sharp pulse beneath my navel made me gasp. My palm pressed against the subtle swell, terror multiplying with each heartbeat.

What if I lost this child? What if telling the truth meant losing everything? What if neither man wanted me once they knew?

"Stop," I commanded my spiraling thoughts, stripping off the dress and crawling into bed. "Just stop."

Exhaustion won, dragging me into restless sleep filled with dreams of two wolves circling while I stood between them, bleeding.

* * *

Morning arrived with my father's knock. "Odette? Join me for a walk."

The gardens stretched before us, morning dew turning spider webs into diamond necklaces. Magnus walked with measured steps, choosing his words carefully.

"Last night was a triumph," he began. "The court accepted you as if they'd been waiting decades for your return."

"Which they had been, apparently."

"Yes, but that's not what I mean." He paused beside a rose bush, fingers testing thorns. "You commanded that room through presence alone. Even seasoned nobles took notice."

"Father—"

"However," he continued, "the whispers afterward were less admiring and more... curious."

My stomach clenched. "About?"

"Two Alphas flanking you all evening. Nathaniel's presence makes sense given your betrothal, but Devon?" He turned to face me fully. "The court doesn't understand why your husband wasn't formally presented as such."

"It's complicated."

"Everything about you seems to be." His smile held paternal warmth. "The nobles are patient, but not infinitely so. Soon you'll need to choose a path, daughter."

"And if I can't?"

"Then circumstances will choose for you." He took my hands, squeezing gently. "Whatever you decide—Devon, Nathaniel, or neither—I'll support you. Publicly, privately, with the full weight of the crown if necessary."

Tears threatened. "Even if my choice brings scandal?"

"Even then." He released my hands. "Though I suspect the scandal is coming regardless."

"What makes you say that?"

His eyes dropped meaningfully to my midsection. "Seamstresses gossip, my dear. As do physicians who make house calls."

The blood drained from my face. "You know?"

"I suspect. As does half the court by now." He kissed my forehead. "Choose quickly, Odette. Before the choice is stolen from you."

He left me on a bench beneath the ancient yew, my world tilting on its axis. The morning sun felt too bright, too warm, too normal for the chaos building in my chest.

"There you are."

Devon emerged from behind the hedge, his face creased with worry. "Syrena, you disappeared last night. Then you weren't at breakfast. I thought—"

"It's Odette," I corrected gently. "Since my formal presentation, Syrena doesn’t exist for anyone. I am Princess Odette."

"Right. Of course." He shifted uncomfortably, then tried again. "Odette. I was worried when you vanished."

"I needed space to think."

"About us?" He moved closer, hope naked in his eyes. "About coming home?"

"About everything." I stood from the bench. "Devon, I need to tell you something."

"You're scaring me." He reached for my hands. "Whatever it is, we can face it together. We always have."

"I'm pregnant."

The words erupted without warning, hanging between us like lightning waiting to strike.

Devon's entire body went still. Then joy—pure, unfiltered joy—transformed his features.

"Pregnant?" His voice cracked. "You're pregnant? We're having a baby?"

"Devon—"

"Oh god, Odette!" He grabbed me, spinning us both. "Finally! After all this time, all those years of trying!"

The garden blurred into streaks of green and gold. His happiness radiated like heat, burning against my skin.

"This changes everything!" He set me down but kept his hands on my waist, tears streaming down his face. "The council can't challenge me now. You're pregnant! My Luna is pregnant!"

"Devon, please—"

"We can go home immediately. Today! I'll call the pack, prepare the announcement." He cupped my face, thumbs wiping away tears I hadn't realized were falling. "Everything we dreamed of, everything we wanted—it's finally happening."

"Stop!" I pushed against his chest. "Just stop for one second!"

"What's wrong?" His joy dimmed but didn't disappear. "Are you not happy? Is it the pregnancy—are you sick? Is the baby—"

"The baby is fine."

"Then what?" He searched my face, confusion replacing celebration. "This is our miracle, Odette. After three years of nothing, we finally—"

"There's more you need to know."

The words landed like stones in still water, ripples spreading outward. Devon's hands dropped from my face, hanging at his sides.