Page 3 of Bully Alpha's Pregnant Mate

I shake my head, trying and failing to suppress a grin. This is exactly what I need—the grounding presence of my cousins, the reminder that, no matter what, I’m not alone in this.

“Well, then,” I say, clearing my throat and drawing myself up to my full height, feigning solemnity. “Let the pack know I’m ready. Let the elders—what’s left of them, anyway—know I’ll take a mate and uphold this tradition.”

Quincey gives me a proud nod, and Kai’s laughter fades, her expression shifting to something softer, something that looks a lot like approval.

I’ve made my decision, and there’s no turning back now. For East Hills, for the pack, and for the chance to build something real, something lasting. Even if it’s not what I once thought I’d have.

But who knows? Maybe fate has a few surprises left for me.

And as I stand there with my cousins, I can’t help the slight spark of hope that flickers in my chest. That somewhere in this, in the path I’m forging, there’s a chance at something even I don’t yet understand.

Let it come, I think.Let the test begin.

Chapter 2 - Isadora

I knew returning home would be a headache, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this kind of headache.

“Mom, you want to run that by me one more time?” I’m standing in our cramped, overly warm kitchen, holding onto the counter for dear life as I stare at my mother, who’s suddenly developed an intense interest in the toaster on the counter.

She wrings her hands, avoiding looking at me. My father clears his throat from his usual spot at the table. My mother may be the one pacing, but he’s the one I’m watching. He’s always been quieter, a little too good at deflecting, and right now, he’s looking everywhere but at me. It’s annoying.

“It’s not exactly like that, darling,” she says, giving me a tight smile that I recognize as her patented “calm down, everything’s fine” look. It never works.

“Oh, I think it’sexactlylike that,” I reply. “You offered me up for marriage. To the alpha. Which I think would be something worth mentioning to mebeforeI came back from my little sabbatical, don’t you think?”

I’d gone on the sabbatical to get away from East Hills and all its suffocating dynamics, and I’d taken my time coming back. Now, here I am, not even five minutes into my return, and they’ve already got me halfway down the aisle with a man I’ve never met. Typical.

My father finally looks up, his cheeks red and mouth pulled tight in that way that says he’s desperate to say something but knows better. After a long pause, he speaks. “Izzy… you know it wasn’t an easy decision. But it was the only way we could stay.”

Stay? I blink, confused. “What do you mean ‘stay’? Why wouldn’t we stay?”

My mother sighs, finally looking at me with a mix of shame and exasperation. “Your father… he had a bit of trouble with the finances.” Her voice drops to a whisper, like if she says it quietly enough, it won’t be as awful. “He… well, he used pack funds to pay off some gambling debt.”

My mouth drops open. “Are you kidding me?”

“Look, it’s not like I meant for it to happen, Izzy,” my dad mutters, still not meeting my eyes. “It was a few bad decisions, I’m not proud of it, and I’m making amends, but we had to keep our place in the pack. They didn’t kick us out, but…” He trails off, looking utterly defeated. “They offered to… work it out. With a favor.”

And here I am, the favor.

“So you thought,” I say slowly, the words coming out in a flat monotone as I stare between the two of them, “that the best way to work off Dad’s debts was to marry me off to the alpha?”

“It’s not exactly ‘marry off,’ “ my mother protests, looking helplessly at my father as if he’ll magically save her from the hole they’ve dug. “It’s an arrangement. One that keeps us all secure. They needed someone from a pure bloodline, and we can offer them that. And you’ll be fine, darling. You’re stronger now, and you’re so much more confident than you used to be.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to keep my voice steady. “Thanks, Mom. But this isn’t about my confidence. It’s about you deciding my future without asking me.”

She has the grace to look guilty. “I know. I do. But you have to understand, Isadora, this is the best solution. We wereworried sick, thinking we might lose our place in the pack.” Her voice softens. “This way, you’re helping us all stay safe.”

Her words land heavily in my chest. Helping others has always been my Achilles’ heel. I’ve spent most of my life doing what I could to keep everyone else comfortable, even if it left me feeling empty and exhausted. Apparently, my parents know this a little too well.

I look at my father. “And you’re okay with this?”

He doesn’t respond right away. His fingers drum on the table, and he keeps his gaze trained on a spot somewhere in the middle distance. “I hate it,” he mutters finally. “I hate that it’s come to this. But I don’t know what else to do. We owe them, Izzy, and they want… well, they want loyalty.”

Loyalty. Right. Because nothing says loyalty like getting sold off like a prize lamb to the slaughter.

I glance at my siblings, who’ve been sitting silently at the table, shifting awkwardly in their seats. One of my little sisters, Janelle, who just turned twenty-one, looks ready to vanish into thin air. I don’t blame her. This is probably the last thing she wanted to witness. And then our middle sister, Lianne, gives me an encouraging smile, but it’s more nervous than reassuring.

Lianne clears her throat as if she’s been waiting for a moment to speak up. “Izzy, maybe this is a good thing? You’ve always kept to yourself, even before your trip, and maybe this is a chance to… I don’t know… be part of the pack?”

---