The Shifter’s Hostage

by T. S. Ryder

  Another scream rang down the corridor. Sheridan's heart jolted. Whatever pain he was still in from his injuries, it was nothing compared to the agony he could hear Maribel was in. He felt sick with worry, but there was nothing he could do.

  Maribel was in labor and had been for the past two hours. The midwives wouldn't permit him into the birthing room with her, declaring that birthing babies was women's business. He wished he could be there, to hold her hand as she went through this pain.

  The scream died off and Sheridan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He'd never felt so helpless before. Even when they had been in Armstrong's clutches, when he was forced to stay still while the nails were driven into his body, he hadn't felt like this. Then he knew he could do something to save Maribel if he needed to.

  And he had. The agony of ripping himself off that cross would stay with him forever, but he had saved her.

  Now, if something went wrong with the birth, there was nothing he could do. No amount of brute force or strength of will would be able to free her from the dangers of childbirth. He was helpless.

  Billie walked up the corridor. She winced as Maribel let loose another scream. Sheridan dug his fingernails into his palm until this scream passed as well. With a sigh, he yanked at his hair. If something didn't happen soon, he was going to go crazy.

  "You're a woman," he said to Billie. "Go into the birthing room and find out what's happening."

  "Sir, with all due respect I'll only get in the way. Labor takes a long time. I remember when my younger brother was born my mother took nearly a full day to birth him."

  Sheridan blanched. How could he survive another hour of this, let alone a day? More importantly, how could Maribel? Even in this day and age when there were so many medical advancements and knowledge, women still had to go through this!

  "Why did I ever decide I wanted to be a father?" He yanked harder on his hair. "I would take it all back to stop Maribel from being in this agony!"

  Billie smiled sympathetically. "She'll be fine, my lord. You have the best midwives available and all the equipment they need. She is the one who decided she didn’t want drugs. But if I can distract you?"

  Sheridan let his hands fall to his side and nodded. "What news have you brought me?"

  "The governor has once again extended a personal apology to you for your mistreatment at Armstrong's hands and has decided on a compensation for the blood donors whose identities were revealed. The investigation into the vampire relations bureau is still under way, but so far there have been no other anti-vampire sentiments found in it. And the men that attacked you with Bennet and Armstrong have both been caught."

  Sheridan nodded in satisfaction. That was good to hear. Since the attack on his person, the governor had been bending over backward to keep the relationship with the vampire kingdom friendly. A war with vampires would be costly, not only in terms of loss of life but also in trade. The king had no desire to make things more difficult than they had to be, but it was a good wake-up call for the humans to police themselves better.

  "Invite the governor to come see the baby," Sheridan said, brow furrowing. "I'm getting tired of his apologies."

  "And have you made a final decision about Romanoff?"

  Sheridan ran his hand through his hair. "Yes. The general will stay in the dungeons, except for a few hours every day when he serves at a human soup kitchen. Maybe if he serves them, he will develop compassion."

  "And if it doesn't work?"

  "Make sure he's always heavily guarded when among the humans." After experiencing being nailed to a cross himself, he was never going to threaten crucifixion again. It was his hope that Romanoff would come to see reason eventually.

  The door to the end of the hall opened. A wizened little woman came sweeping down the corridor, a satisfied smile on her face. As she got closer, Sheridan could smell blood and the distinctive scent of newborn baby on her. He ran to meet her.

  "Your daughter has been born, my lord."

  A girl. Sheridan's face broke into a smile. "May I see them?"

  The midwife nodded.

  Sheridan turned to Billie. "Gather everybody in the ballroom for the announcement, and prepare a statement for the press."

  Billie nodded. Sheridan raced down the corridor, beaming. The midwife followed close behind him and made him wash his hands before he was allowed into the birthing room. The other midwives bustled about, cleaning up, but Sheridan went straight to the bed where Maribel was lying. Her skin was pale with exhaustion, brow sweaty, and dark bags circled under her eyes.

  She was so beautiful.

  "Hey," she croaked at him.

  Sheridan sat on the bed next to her and peered into the face of the tiny baby she was holding. "Hey."

  The hospital gown she wore was on backward, the opening at the front. It was gaping so that the baby could rest right against her chest, a receiving blanket covering them both. Big brown eyes, blinking and squinting, peered out of the tiny wrinkled face. Sheridan gently stroked the downy hair.

  "She's beautiful," he whispered. "Perfect, just like you."

  Maribel smiled sleepily. "I don't feel all that perfect right now. I feel like I was just hit by a truck."

  Sheridan had to laugh at that. He looked up as the midwife checked Maribel's pulse and her eyes. "Can I take her back to our room?"

  "Always in a rush!" The midwife rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Men! The woman just had a baby. Give her half an hour and we'll see. But if you want your privacy, we can give you some."

  "Thank you. You may go announce the baby's gender now."

  The midwife bowed at her waist. She hustled the rest of the midwives out quickly, leaving husband and wife alone. The baby was rooting around, her lips pursed. Maribel shifted her hospital gown off her breast and held the baby to it. The baby girl latched on and began to drink eagerly.

  "Amazing. She knows exactly what to do." Sheridan beamed.

  "Mmmm. I wish I could say the same. I know we took those parenting classes and everything, but I still worry. I never even had a babysitting gig before this. What if I do something wrong?"

  Sheridan kissed her forehead. "You won't be alone."

  "Yes. Yes, you're right. I don't have to do this on my own. I have you."

  "Of course. You have me, and you'll always have me."

  He wrapped an arm around her. Maribel laid her head against his shoulder, nestling in closer to him. Both were silent as they watched their little baby feed. Sheridan kissed his wife. The road bringing them here had been painful, but oh so worth it. If he had a choice, he would do it all again.

  "I love you," he whispered.

  "I love you, too."

  Maribel kissed him as a cheer rose from the ballroom.

  *****

  THE END

  The Alpha's Secret Son

  Description

  A curvy single mom PLUS a hot alpha coming home PLUS a secret child

  Jace and Amanda were high school sweethearts. Until he got accepted into Harvard and she stayed behind.

  One passionate night left her with a surprise... but she couldn’t tell him about it. So he left.

  Now, six years later, everything comes falling down...

  Jace is a big-shot lawyer, a billionaire, and the Alpha of his werewolf pack. He has it all, including a son that he doesn’t know about. But he’s about to find out. His father is retiring from his Alpha position and Jace is taking over. So he returns to his hometown... with his girlfriend in tow.

  Amanda is struggling to get by, sharing her rent with another woman and taking care of her son. She’s never been able to forget Jace. How much longer can she keep her secret from him now that he’s coming back to town? And who’s that woman by his side? She’s not his mate, she can’t be... right?

  Chapter One

  High school graduation. Parents were hugging their grads, friends were promising to stay in touch, lovers were telling one another that they would always be together, no matt
er the distance between them. Amanda Fenning wound through the crowd. She smiled and congratulated her fellow grads when they acknowledged her, but for the most part, she was able to fly safely under the radar.

  The smell of bodies heated by the blazing sun and heavy black gowns filled her nose, and the sheer amount of noise made her want to press her hands over her ears. Sometimes the advanced senses of being a Wolf were highly unpleasant, especially when she didn't like crowds to begin with. Where was Jace?

  Nausea that had nothing to do with the nerves of being in such close contact with so many people churned her gut. She had been meaning to tell her boyfriend about it for nearly two weeks now, but always found an excuse not to. It wasn't the right time because of college applications, or final exams, or getting ready for graduation. As the Alpha's son, he was expected to meet a lot of people.

  He didn't need the added stress that his girlfriend was pregnant.

  Amanda made a conscious effort not to cup her belly protectively as she moved past a group of her human classmates. As one of the few Wolves that had been sent to public school instead of being kept on the packlands, she had always felt like an outsider. To make it worse, her natural disposition was shy and withdrawn. She never was really able to fully integrate herself into the school's society, unlike Jace.

  Jace. A smile blossomed over her face as she caught sight of her boyfriend, surrounded by his many friends and admirers. As always. And yet, being around so many people wasn't so bad as long as Jace was with her.

  He had everything going against him in this school. He was a Wolf from the low-end of the income scale, just like Amanda. Raised on a farm in the packlands.

  Whether it was his own personal charm or because of the natural Alpha instincts in him, he was insanely popular. He led all of the school fundraisers, organized social outings, and had even arranged the most successful dry prom the school had ever seen. Everybody loved him, and Amanda was no exception.

  "Let the lady through," he called as Amanda attempted to wade through his gaggle of friends. The group pressed back as he strode through them to meet her. He gripped Amanda's hips as he kissed her deeply.

  She had seen boyfriends swinging their girlfriends around all day and almost wished that Jace would try it, too. But even though he had started working out and his shoulders were getting broader, she was still too chubby to lift. It would end up just embarrassing both of them. So she satisfied with the rumble of pleasure that he growled, and the second and third pecks on the lips that he gave her before he pulled away.

  Jace grinned broadly at her as he slung an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go somewhere we can talk, okay?"

  Amanda nodded, letting him lead her away from the press of people. They were stopped a lot on their way out by people giving Jace congratulations and ignoring Amanda, but she didn't mind. She was happy being invisible by Jace's side. It was where she felt the safest, next to him. They were soon in Jace's car, pulling away from the school.

  Her mind turned back to her pregnancy. How was she meant to tell him? She knew he was looking forward to university and college, but given his family's financial situation, he probably wasn't going to be able to get anywhere except the local community college, which had free programs for Wolves. They could make that work, the two of them plus the baby. Amanda knew she would have to work instead of pursuing her own education further, but she didn't mind. His or her parents could watch the baby while he was at school and she was at work, at least until they were settled.

  As long as the two of them were together, it would be okay.

  "You look beautiful today," Jace said as he parked.

  Amanda started. She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that they had driven out to their special spot, where they liked to go hiking when things got a little too stressful. She breathed in the smells of the forest, wondering if they could go camping before their summer jobs began. She loved running through the trees in her Wolf form, Jace by her side.

  Jace turned to her and smiled, but the smile wasn't as happy as it had been at the graduation ceremony. "Amanda, I got some news yesterday."

  Did he know about the baby? Amanda silently nodded for him to continue, her heart pounding.

  "I applied for a scholarship, and I got it. And I got accepted to Harvard. The scholarship will pay for my first year."

  Amanda stared at him, not comprehending what he was saying. "Harvard?"

  Jace nodded. "Yeah. I never thought I'd actually get in, but I did. Starting this fall. Surprising, but not unwelcome."

  Amanda got out of the car, sucking in deep breaths. She wasn't expecting this, but that didn't mean things had to change. They’d just have to adjust their plans a little bit. The scholarship meant that he wouldn't need anything extra in order to get by. She would still have to work, though, to help cover the extra expenses of the baby, and help pay for his next year, in case he didn't get another scholarship. But that didn't matter, she would support him. She could get a job in New York. With all those crowds of people…

  Was Harvard even in New York? Where was it?

  "This is really exciting," she said trying not to let her pounding heart betray her. "Harvard! You've wanted to go there for years. You're going to be a big-time lawyer and earn a billion dollars by the time you're thirty, just like you always said you would."

  Jace circled the car and gently pulled her into his arms. "It's a great turn of events. I didn't think I'd ever be able to afford school, if I'm honest."

  Despite the fact that Jace was the son of the pack's Alpha, they weren't the most financially well-off members of the pack. Mostly it was because his father had to spend so much time taking care of the pack and mediating disputes that he had a hard time holding down a steady job. It didn't help that at the time when Jace's father was college age, they didn't have the same amount of scholarships that they had these days and hadn't gotten a degree. He had also become Alpha when he was only sixteen, so his high school grades had suffered a lot because he didn’t have much time for homework from that point on.

  But Jace was going to have all the opportunities his father never did. Amanda held her hands stiffly at her sides. Where did she, the chubby girl with no aspirations other than settling down with her mate and having a litter of children, fit into this? What sort of Alpha female hated being in the spotlight and avoided public interactions?

  An awful, sinking feeling filled her. Jace didn't bring her here just to tell her he was going to Harvard. He could have told her that he got his scholarship at any time. He could have announced it to his group of friends. He brought her to their spot to tell her that she wasn't going to Harvard with him. A small-town Alpha with a small-town job, sure, she could fit in there. But she didn't belong with the prestige of Harvard or his plans for the future.

  "So, where is Harvard, exactly?" Her voice trembled, on the verge of breaking down.

  "Amanda."

  "I can go with you. I'll get a job, and that way when you come home after school, I can make you supper and then you don’t have to stress about taking care of yourself as you do your schooling." Her eyes were burning. "I'll take care of you."

  Jace turned her around. Amanda refused to look at him. This couldn't be happening, this had to be some sort of bizarre stress dream. But as much as her eyes burned, she didn't cry. Maybe if she cried he wouldn't break up with her. Jace tucked his hand under her chin, trying to get her to look at him. She pulled away and shook her head. The lump in her throat made it impossible to speak.

  As she wrapped her arms around her stomach, she was reminded of the tiny person growing inside her. Would Jace stay if she told him she was pregnant?

  "Amanda, I'm so sorry. But you know where this is headed."

  She forced herself to nod.

  "I love you, but I have a chance to change things. Not just for myself, but for the whole pack. I have to be able to concentrate on the future."

  "Because you have no future with me." It wasn
't an accusation, just a fact, and the lump in her throat got bigger.

  "That's not what I mean. It's not fair to you to drag you out to Harvard and then just ignore you. I'll be busy with my schooling; I'm not going to have time for a relationship." Jace touched her face and she moved back from him again. "Amanda, please. I'm sorry, but I'm doing this for you."

  She wanted to laugh, to tell him that it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with him. He had his plans, and she didn't belong in them. Not right now, at least.

  Amanda looked up at him and opened her mouth to tell him that she was pregnant. He would stay, then. She knew he would. He would stay, and they would be together. Their child would be the next Alpha…

  And then what? He wouldn't be able to be a lawyer. He'd get a half-rate degree from a half-rate community college, and all his dreams for the future would be over. His plans for himself, his plans for the pack, would never materialize. He wasn't going to be a lawyer just so he could get rich, he wanted to be able to serve the pack better, to be able to protect them in court as well as solving disputes between pack members. If she took that away from him, he'd never forgive her.

  At long last, the tears began to flow. She couldn't take that future away from him or the pack. Even as her heart broke, she nodded.

  "I understand, Jace. I'm sorry that it has to end, but you're right. It will be best for both of us if you go and I stay. I wouldn't want to be around all those people, anyway."

  Jace wiped one of her tears away with his thumb and embraced her. "It's going to work out, Amanda. You'll see. Everything is going to be fine. It's for the best."