Fake Mate of the Drogomor Alpha

Chapter 8 : Someone on the Way

*Zara*

I felt particularly tired when I woke up the next day and was sitting there at the desk in my room, trying to strategize what I could do to stop Noah's wedding. The traditional ways of finding a mate for Noah had been all but exhausted.

There could be candidates from other packs, but that would take a lot of time, time that I did not have. My stomach twisted, and I felt bile rise into my throat. This was such a mess, and I knew the stress must be getting to me.

I felt my stomach lurch again, and realized I was experiencing nausea. Rushing into the bathroom, I all but made it in time before getting sick. I didn't think the stress of this would affect me that badly. Maybe I was coming down with something.

I mulled over what I'd been doing over the past month—so much running around, trying to find Noah's mate.

Clearly, I needed a day to myself, and thankfully, today was one of my few days off. I was going to make the best of it.

I needed a break.

I invited my friend Heidi for a visit and treated her to lunch at my favorite deli. As I drove to the place, though, I began to take notice of how tired I was.

This stuff with Noah must really be weighing on me, I assumed.

My thoughts slipped every so often to that meeting I'd had in the clearing. Could something more have happened then? Could someone be on the way?

I figured something more would be happening than just a bit of nausea and fatigue, though. My mind had been fixated on all this lately, after all.

Dismissing that, for now, I sat down and joined my friend, who gave me a smile. “Hey there, Heidi," I said in a soft tone, returning her expression.

“Hey, Zara! How are things going with you? Gosh, you look exhausted," she said.

“That bad, huh?" I chuckled. I then nodded. “Not so well—it's this whole thing," I said. I dove into explaining what I could without compromising Noah's privacy to my friend.

When I finished, she said, “That does sound like a complex circus. I don't envy you. But you can do it. I know you can."

My friend's unwavering faith in me touched my heart. We got our food, and as I ate, I noticed my stomach giving me further troubles. I figured I really must be coming down with something.

Or I could be expecting. Was that a reasonable assumption?

I mulled this over and considered how tired I'd been today. Heidi kept making comments that I sometimes missed, and she said, “Your mind is wandering like a swift moving storm lately."

I chuckled, my cheeks turning a touch of pink from embarrassment. “Sorry," I said. “With the mountain of work I've been dealing with, my mind wanders a lot."

Something within me told me that my suspicions may be correct. This was something far more than just a random cold.

Checking would be the best idea, I reasoned, so when I bid Heidi farewell, I headed out to the store to get a few things, one of which included a pregnancy test.

When I returned to the mansion, I was intercepted by Angelica.

“Hey," she said, her tone somewhat edged.

I inwardly winced, wondering if she blamed me for the mess that was exploding. She cared about her brother deeply, I could tell.

“Hi," I said, my mind whirling with what I could soon discover. “How are things?" I paused. “I am trying to stop this big mistake. I promise."

“I know you are," Angelica murmured, then she let out a sigh. “There has to be some way to stop this. Noah is being ridiculous, and he won't listen to me. I tried talking to him."

“He doesn't seem to listen to anyone," I grumbled, closing my eyes for a moment and rubbing my temples. “Even his stubborn ass deserves happiness. I really want to see this through properly." It was true, and for more reasons than just my job, too.

“I remember you talking about how heartbreaking it is seeing people who are not meant for each other getting married. How hard it is in general for them to make things work?" Angelica asked.

I nodded. “Very hard." I sighed, letting out a breath. “Noah is intent on getting in the way of all of this, which is only going to hurt him in the long run."

It would also hurt me, and any career prospects, but avoiding misery was even worse than that. I truly didn't want him to end up in a horrible situation, even if he was completely bringing it upon himself. That caused my eye to twitch, and I sighed.

Angelica then asked, “Were you out earlier searching for more solutions, or just taking break?"

She must have noticed I was just coming back, I thought.

“Looking for more solutions? No. I'll be back to that soon," I said. “I spent time with a friend to decompress, then needed to pick up a few things from the store."

Angelica looked bewildered. “You did?" she asked. “Are you sure we didn't have what you needed here? We are in the pack mansion, after all."

“I am sure," I said, scrambling to come up with an excuse. “I was looking for something specific and a bit convoluted, but don't worry about me. I figured it out. Thank you for asking, though!"

It took me a bit longer to reassure Angelica, but finally, I was able to return to my room. I hoped I wouldn't be stopped again and, worse, asked what I had with me, before getting to my room.

Thankfully, no one else had stopped me and wanted to talk.

Now, though, I was in my room again looking at a positive pregnancy test. I let out a soft groan as visions of that night in the woods rushed back to me. I must have gotten pregnant that night.

I remembered the beautiful golden strings around me when I woke up the next morning. I knew that I had been with my true mate. I needed to figure out how to find him. This baby was a blessing.

But first I had to take care of business with Noah. I would never be taken seriously as a matchmaker if I didn't get this right. My stomach lurched and I headed to the bathroom.

After emptying my stomach, I looked into the mirror, noted the shadows under my eyes, and let out a sigh. This was all too much.

I wanted to be happier at this news, but at least I wasn't crushed. Even with a baby, I wanted to be free to take on matchmaking assignments and live my own life.

My career was down the drain, however, if any of this was found out prior to me successfully helping Noah. His childish nonsense was getting in the way of everything.

I felt anger rise within me and let out a low growl.

I felt my wolf once more press me to let him claim me, to go to him. In a moment of weakness, I imagined what it would be like to be enveloped in Noah's scent and to hear that frustrating but charming and alluring tone of his.

No!

I stopped those thoughts in their tracks. My desire for Noah had to stem from pregnancy hormones.

***

I carried on throughout the next day looking through the rest of my options. There was no clear-cut solution, and I'd exhausted all my matchmaking techniques. I wondered how I was going to delay this to give myself more time.

I'd been avoiding Noah, knowing he would exacerbate things significantly.

Though I felt fatigued and a bit sick to the stomach every so often, I needed to carry on. Eventually, I found Noah again, unsurprisingly at the gym. I watched him in silence as sweat poured down his rippling muscles.

Remaining serious, I cleared my throat to get his attention. Strangely, I saw the slightest spark of curiosity and even hope in his gaze as he looked at me. But his expression didn't show those subtle emotions at all. His lips twisted into a handsome scowl, and he raised a brow.

“I know you're excited about the wedding," I said, my voice holding a hint of sarcasm, because at this point, he probably knew my doubts regarding this entire thing. “But I have news."

“Oh?" Noah said casually, wandering over to lean on the wall and stare me down, tilting his head. “No 'hello,' beautiful?" he said in a seductive tone, causing me to roll my eyes.

“Hello," I said, giving a sigh. “Please, we need to make sure your happiness is a priority, Noah. I know this wedding will supposedly get me off your back, but you and Serena are not meant to be. I can see that now."

“We aren't?" Noah said, his tone holding a sense of false innocence. “But we connect so well. You as the matchmaker should know that," he said, narrowing his gaze. “After all, you supported the notion at first."

“I did," I admitted, then I shook my head. “I thought it could work, and that it would be true. But I haven't seen the mate connection between the two of you, not even a hint. You don't love her, and she doesn't love you."

Noah rolled his eyes, letting out a snort. “There is no 'love.' The person I was meant for is gone."

The death of his former lover was a heavy subject, so I decided to not dwell on it. Rather, I sighed. “Look. I admit your situation is much more delicate than I originally thought. Your case is special. But there is a way to earnestly seek out a true mate. I don't bring this up often because it's so hard to find."

“What is it?" Noah said skeptically.

He seemed to be paying close attention, so I continued. “It's a powerful flower called the Legendary Luna Lily. It reveals fated mates to each other. We can set up a trip to find this flower. But we would need to delay any nuptials. The flower is very likely to confirm that Serena is not meant to be your Luna. Then, we can carry on and find your true mate."

Noah snorted, moving closer, and once again the scent of woods and vanilla enveloped me. I resisted the urge to partially close my eyes as he closed the distance between us. I tried to stand my ground but soon was up against the wall again, and like last time he'd done that, I lifted my chin in defiance.

His gorgeous, blazing blue eyes remained locked on me as a silence passed between us. He asked in a very calm, low voice, “Why do you really care if Serena isn't my fated mate? Is there something you want to say to me, beautiful little matchmaker?"

His eyes traveled over the contours of my face before locking on mine again. They were imploring, searching, but I didn't know what they were looking for.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward, and I guessed that he found it as my wolf became insistent, pressing me to fall into him and the dizzying effect he was having on me.

My heart skipped a beat before I gathered all my strength to resist and narrowed my eyes right back at him.

“If your match fails in any way, everyone will suffer, and I can kiss my career as a matchmaker goodbye. That's why I am adamant about doing this the right way, Noah."

“So, your future success depends on your success in finding me a true mate?"

Studying his expression, I noticed something. There was a flicker of something I could not read in his gaze. Was it disappointment?

Why would that be the case?