Chapter 5 Love & War

• Elara
• Alaric produced a sleek bank card from somewhere and extended it toward me. “There’s enough money in here to last you a lifetime. Whatever you need, just name it.”
• I looked at the card but didn’t reach for it. “I don’t want it. Without my children, none of it matters,” I said firmly.
• He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “What?”
• “I won’t abandon Zoe for some petty cash,” I ground out. “No amount of money can replace her. And now that I know that Ella is my biological child, I won’t be able to sleep at night without forming a bond with her.”
• He studied me for a long moment. “I didn’t think you’d be this stubborn,” he said, sounding genuinely surprised—and annoyed.
• “Well, I didn’t think you would be this heartless,” I shot back.
• A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I’m offering you a chance to improve your life. To have everything you’ve ever wanted.”
• I crossed my arms. “The only thing I want is to be with my children.”
• He exhaled sharply. “Fine. Name your price.”
• “There is no price,” I replied. “I won’t sell my family.”
• “You’re making this unnecessarily difficult.” His eyes flashed with a mix of irritation and something else I couldn’t quite place. Without another word, he removed his suit jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair, revealing broad, firm shoulders that strained ever so slightly against his crisp white shirt.
• Still, I refused to let him win. Thinking of my babies, the tears burned my eyes.
• Striding over to a mini bar nestled against the wall, he poured himself a generous glass of amber liquid. He downed the whiskey in one gulp, his back turned to me.
• Just then, a knock sounded at the door before it opened slightly. James peeked inside, holding a stack of documents. “I apologize for interrupting, but this can’t wait.” He held the papers out.
• Alaric glanced over his shoulder, and if the stern set to his sharp jaw was any indication, he wasn’t pleased. “I don’t have time right now, James.”
• “I’m afraid this is very important,” James replied.
• Alaric, with a huff, snatched the papers from his Beta. His brow furrowed as he read what was on the page.
• “You’re joking, right?” he said with a slight grimace as he glanced up at his Beta.
• James shook his head. “No. It just arrived minutes ago.”
• Alaric rolled his eyes and tossed the papers onto his desk, sending them scattering across the wooden surface. “Jackass works quickly, doesn’t he?” he grunted.
• My gaze followed the fluttering pages, and that was when I caught sight of the sender’s name—Mason.
• A chill ran down my spine. Without asking, I reached out and picked up the document, my hands trembling ever so slightly. Alaric didn’t stop me, surprisingly.
• As I read through the lines, my expression darkened. Mason had filed a lawsuit to reclaim custody of his—our—biological child. No, not Zoe; Ella. How he had found out so quickly, I wasn’t sure, especially considering the fact that he had been unconscious on the floor of my apartment mere hours ago.
• But it wasn’t just that. He was also accusing Alaric of assault and demanding full custody of Ella. If Alaric didn’t obey, then Mason wanted fifty percent of Alaric’s assets. To make matters worse, the court hearing was already scheduled for tomorrow.
• “That bastard,” I muttered under my breath, throwing the papers back on the desk. My anger flared, heat rising in my chest.
• How dare he? Mason had the audacity to turn the tables, playing the victim and suing Alaric! Mason, who had never cared about Zoe, suddenly wanted custody of Ella even though he’d never met her?
• Something was definitely off here.
• Alaric leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. “This has to be Asher’s scheme,” he said.
• I frowned. “Asher? That’s your twin brother, right?”
• He sighed. “Yes. You should know that I did some digging on you, Elara, when I was researching Ella’s background. Your ex-husband is working for Asher. Were you aware of this?”
• “No,” I replied quickly. “We’ve been divorced for 2 years. I hardly know anything about him anymore.” I wasn’t sure if I ever had known anything about Mason to begin with, but I wasn’t about to say that.
• Alaric growled, his face darkening. “He’s using Mason as a pawn to undermine me now. They must have gotten hold of the information about Ella and Zoe.”
• I remained silent, unsure of what to say. I hardly even knew Alaric, let alone his relationship with his brother; both Alaric and Asher Donovan were names and faces I’d only seen in the news. I never expected to be sitting here with one of them.
• I bit my lip, considering his words. It was a tricky situation indeed, especially since it involved kids. Alaric was stuck between a rock and a hard place: either hand Ella over to her biological father, or refuse to let her go and lose half of his assets.
• Suddenly, an idea sparked in my mind. I turned to Alaric. “So, what are you going to do? Hand over your assets to him? Or traumatize the child?”
• “I’m a businessman,” he finally replied. “I don’t surrender my wealth—especially to someone like him. Surrendering my assets would destabilize my position in the werewolf world. That’s unacceptable.”
• I crossed my arms over my chest. “So you are gonna give up Ella.”
• He lowered his gaze briefly. “Never.”
• “Then what's your plan？”
• “Kill your ex-husband quietly and make him disappear for good.”
• “What?!” I tried my best not to scream.
• He chuckled deeply: “Are you afraid？”
• “Of course l am afraid! Shouldn’t you have already come up with a practical solution? Besides, just a reminder, murder is a crime! I'm not handing over my babies to a murderer.”
• His gaze hardened, a flicker of interest—and perhaps annoyance—in his eyes.
• I met his gaze without flinching. “I’m just being honest. I don’t think you’re confident enough to win custody of the child.”
• He lifted his chin, his voice low and dangerous. “And what’s your point?”
• “My point is that I’d like to make a deal with you.”
• He stood abruptly, closing the distance between us in an instant. Before I knew it, I found myself backed against the desk, his powerful frame trapping me as his arms caged me in. His warmth washed over me, making my heart skip a beat, but I kept my chin high and held his gaze.
• “You’re trying to strike a deal with me?” he asked, his voice dangerously soft.
• I shrugged one shoulder. “There is only one person who can truly stand up against a father in a court case: the mother.”
• He stared at me, but I continued.
• “I’m their mother,” I replied. “I may not be Zoe’s biological mother, but I might as well be; she loves me just the same. And there is a bond there with Ella, the sort of bond that only a mother and her child can have. You know that as well as I do. With both girls on their mother’s side, expressing their wishes to remain with me, then…”
• I trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks.
• Alaric’s eyes narrowed. “Emotional appeals won’t win a court case. You should know that your financial situation is terrible.”
• “Maybe not,” I conceded, “but separating them from their mother won’t win you any favors, either.”
• He leaned in closer, his face mere inches from mine.
• He studied me for a long moment, a muscle ticking in that sharp jaw of his. When he finally spoke, his voice was hardly more than a whisper, and his breath was warm against my skin. “So, what’s your proposal?”
• “Let me take Ella,” I stated. “Allow me to raise both children. You can still be a part of their lives, but they’ll be safer with me. Mason won’t have any leverage over you if the children aren’t under your roof. And he committed adultery against me, which would give me even more of an edge in court.”
• Alaric chuckled softly, but there was no humor in it. “You underestimate my ability to protect what’s mine. I’ve already told you—I want both children. I never go back on my word, and I don’t plan on starting now.” He paused, keeping staring at me, as if he was thinking about something. It only hit me then that he was still caging me against the desk, his hands gripping the wood on either side of me.
• I’d never been this close to an Alpha. Somehow, though, I managed to keep my head straight.
• “But I do have an idea.” he murmured, wearing a serious expression.
• My heart skipped a beat. “What is it?”
• “Marry me.”