Alpha's Surrogate

6. Holding A Stranger's Hand.

"Kiara" A knock on the door forced Xavier back to reality, he broke the kiss. His astonished green eyes met Kiara’s frightened chocolatey brown ones.

“f**k!” Xavier quickly pulled away as if he had been burned. He turned away from her as he continued to mentally wrestle with Dean, who was trying to take over. Xavier could not believe that he had lost self-restraint like that and not just kissed but made out with a woman.

"You f*****g bastard! Don't you dare even think about trying to take over again!" Xavier warned his wolf. Over the past two years, there had been times that Zander had hired prostitutes in an attempt to help his twin find some sort of s****l release. Unfortunately, Xavier had been unable to rise to the occasion, as it were. On top of that even the smell of them had made him feel ill. However, Xavier felt the opposite of disgust when he was kissing and touching Kiara.

‘Grr… this isn't my fault. You and I both know how sexually frustrated we are. At least I didn't f**k her,’ Dean growled back at Xavier.

‘We're never going to f**k her!’ Xavier yelled back. ‘She is only our surrogate,’ Xavier continued.

‘You can’t hold this against me. She enticed us,’ Dean grumbled, giving Xavier the cold shoulder.

‘Enticed us?’ Xavier turned to look at Kiara.

‘If you don't believe me, look at her,’ Dean pointed out. Xavier's gaze then got snagged as it made its way down her body on her stiffened n*****s that were visible through the thin material of her shirt. Her clothes were a bit rumpled as a result of his grasping and fondling hands having been all over her waist.

‘See?’ Dean pointed out like a small child, as if to say I told you so.

‘Just shut up, you ass!’ Xavier snapped at him, putting him into a mental time out.

"Kiara, are you okay?" Adira knocked on the door again in a panic. Allowing Alpha Xavier to be alone in a room with her sister had been a bad call on her part. When Kiara finally opened the door, she let out a large sigh of relief.

"You scared me!" Adira pulled Kiara into a hug, while Xavier stood at the side observing the two sisters interact. "He didn't do anything inappropriate, did he?" Adira whispered into her sister’s ear.

“No, of course not," Kiara lied to her, pulling away from Adira. She was too embarrassed to admit to her sister that she had just been thoroughly kissed not just by a stranger but also by an enemy.

"So, what's the deal? Why do you smell like him then?" Adira prodded as she watched Kiara’s face completely drain of color. Kiara remained silent since she had no intention of furthering her lie. "Forget it." Adira brushed aside her own question, sensing that she had put her sister in a perilous predicament.

"So, have you decided whether or not you would like to be my surrogate?” Xavier asked Kiara. “I'm looking forward to hearing your final decision." His face had returned to its former cold expressionless state as he tucked his hands into his pants pockets.

"What? a surrogate?" Adira stared in shock at Kiara’s calm face.

"Yes," Kiara answered Xavier’s inquiry. She squeezed Adira's hand while giving him her response, signaling to her sister that she knew exactly what she was doing.

“Excellent,” Xavier smirked mentally to himself. The outcome of their lengthy discussion had gone in his favor.

"But," Kiara hesitated for a moment before taking a step closer to him.

“But what?” Xavier lifted a single brow. There shouldn’t be a 'but' involved in this, she had agreed, he wasn’t going to allow her to turn back now.

"I can never tell my parents that I was your surrogate," she murmured anxiously, biting her lower lip. “Our pack may not be much in comparison to the might of the Sirius Bright Pack. That being said, to my father, his standing and image within the werewolf community is worth more to him than his life or any of his children’s. He would be irrevocably offended if he discovered that I agreed to be your surrogate. I’m fine with whatever consequences await me when or if the truth comes out. I just can’t face the thought that my decision will negatively impact my mother and sister,” Kiara voiced her biggest reservations about their plan.

"That’s not a big deal. I'll just tell them we're getting married," Xavier remarked. He refused to allow anything to stand in his way as long as Kiara consented to be his surrogate.

"You’re going to marry me?" Kiara was taken aback.

"No, but I can lie simply to safeguard your honor in front of your parents and pack," Xavier replied. His reaction left Kiara surprised. She had not expected that a stranger would care about her dignity. “For the record, I’m not concerned with protecting your father’s ego or standing. What I don’t want is my surrogate’s reputation to be tarnished, that would reflect poorly on my heir.” He noticed Kiara stiffen and sighed. “By using this small lie no one will be hurt. You must be physically and mentally healthy in order to provide me with a healthy pup,” Xavier offered by way of explanation.

Kiara pinched her thigh, to bring herself back to reality, as she nodded, What the hell had she been thinking, that he was using the lie just to make her happy?

“Oh, and the same will certainly apply in my pack as well. We can’t tell anyone that you’re my surrogate,” Xavier added.

"How is this going to work?" Kiara was completely perplexed.

“I’m going to announce to my pack that I’ve come to the decision to take you as my chosen mate. No one would dare ask me any further questions once they learn that. I can always create some excuse as to why we elect to go our separate ways a little over a year later, after you have given me an heir and have already left my pack. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, we will plan it out in advance.” Xavier outlined the strategy that he had created with the help of Dean earlier.

“Okay,” Kiara agreed after a few moments of contemplation, it wasn’t like she had any other options.

"Let's go downstairs and clear the air with the rest of your family. I don't want to stay in this pack for another second longer," Xavier walked out of the room.

"Kiara, do you trust him?" Adira asked apprehensively.

"We don't have any other choice, Adira. We need to protect the pack and our parents," Kiara reminded her.

“Still…” Adira paused.

"What's the issue? Do you dislike him?" Kiara was confused by how uneasy Adira was around Xavier.

"No, it's nothing like that. It’s just that his scent bothers me," Adira grumbled.

"His scent? What about it?" Kiara prodded.

“His clothing has just picked up the scents of a couple of his pack members. One of them in particular is strange,” Adira did her best to explain what it was that was bothering her to her sister. But it was obvious that she couldn’t put her finger on it exactly and that annoyed her.

"Which scent?"

"Just forget it. I was only checking anyway," Adira shook her head, ending the conversation.

In the living room, Xavier motioned for his men to release Sawyer and Martha. However, Noah was to remain restrained and gagged.

"Where is Kiara?" Luna Martha had been worrying the entire time they had been out of her sight.

.

"She is with her sister right now and will be leaving with me shortly," Xavier announced.

"What exactly do you mean when you say leaving with you?" Alpha Sawyer and Luna Martha asked together.

"I've decided to marry your daughter. She'll become my Luna," Xavier revealed, leaving them speechless. Kiara stood frozen in the doorway as her mother stared at her in awe. Luna Martha realized that this was how Kiara intended to save her pack and family. When Kiara walked into this room, she had no idea that things would turn out this way. Now she was too embarrassed to look her mother in the eye.

"It's ridiculous!" Alpha Sawyer roared. “She can’t become your Luna!”

“Your daughter and I have already had a conversation in which there was no other recourse that was satisfactory to both parties. She has accepted my offer of marriage, so becoming my Luna. I don’t want to murder my Luna’s family and pack. You’re surely blessed by the Moon Goddess herself, that your daughter has requested the lives of you and all of your remaining pack members as her engagement present,” Xavier smirked evilly as he watched Sawyer’s pride take multiple blows.

"I haven’t agreed to any of this. You can’t take her away. She isn't allowed to make her own decisions as long as I'm alive."

“I’m sorry to be the first to inform you, but being her parent doesn’t grant you the authority to make all of her life decisions for her just because she was born a female. You don’t have much choice either, as your territory is now legally in my hands, which means you’re no longer Alpha. Kiara is ready to be my Luna. You aren’t going to sway her decision because I won’t allow that to happen. Still, I would love to hear Luna Martha’s thoughts on the matter.” Xavier directed his attention to Luna Martha, who had been staring incessantly at both of her daughters.

“What is your opinion, Luna Martha?” Xavier’s voice grew deeper, almost menacing at having to ask a second time. Martha's motherly intuition was telling her that her daughters were trying to hide something from her but if Xavier planned to harm Kiara or there was a secret, Adira would have warned her.

"I agree to their marriage," Luna Martha announced. Kiara was slightly surprised by her mother’s compliance in the matter as Xavier bared his teeth in a wide grin at Alpha Sawyer.

"What?!" Sawyer snarled at her. “Have you lost your mind? You’re giving your blessing for our daughter, who’s already engaged, I might add, to marry a long-time adversary?”

"That’s all done and dusted now," Luna Martha solemnly regarded Sawyer as if he were a toddler having a tantrum.

"I refuse to let..."

"Sawyer, you must acknowledge that our son was a rapist! Why should I and the rest of our family bear the consequences of his actions? Now is the moment to set aside your pride so that you can focus on those that truly need you, your people. You have to let go. Allow Kiara to live her own life." She unleashed the entirety of her opinion in a single breath on her mate, letting him know what she thought in no uncertain terms.

"But he is still our enemy..." Alpha Sawyer tried to continue protesting, but Luna Martha interrupted him.

"Yes, he is our rival, but he has just asked for our daughter's hand, correct? He wants to make her his Luna. If, after years of hostility, that feud can evolve into marriage, I don't see any harm in that. Now, if you don't agree to this arrangement, you'll lose me forever," Martha delivered her ultimatum.

"What do you mean?" Alpha Sawyer arched his brow.

"I'll leave you and this pack with both of my daughters," Luna Martha threatened, shredding Sawyer’s heart into tiny pieces.

"What exactly are you saying? You can't leave me, Martha," Sawyer muttered in disbelief, but she ignored him.

"Sawyer, the choice is entirely in your hands. Let Kiara leave and be happy with Alpha Xavier, "she advised.

“How can you…” Alpha Sawyer was cornered. He cast a lethal glare at those he viewed responsible for this, Kiara and Xavier. He would never be able to sustain the loss of Martha.

Martha waited a few moments for her mate’s outright refusal. Sawyer let out a growl of frustration, turning his face in the opposite direction. Until that day, none of their children had witnessed their parents arguing. To them it was astonishing that Sawyer had conceded to his mate.

"Have you packed all your belongings?" Kiara heard her mother ask.

"Mom," Kiara hugged her mother close to breaking into tears in her relief.

"If you don't mind becoming Alpha Xavier's Luna, then neither do I. I give you my blessing," Martha smiled. She felt that this was a far more preferable solution compared to being forced to witness both of her daughters being raped by members of the Sirius Bright Pack. Instead, one of her daughters would become their Luna.

Adira did not bother stopping the tears that flooded her eyes. She knew that she would in all likelihood never see her sister again. Adira swiftly wiped her tears and embraced her sister before she followed upstairs to finish packing her belongings.

“Promise me that you won’t tell Mom and Dad about me being a surrogate,” Kiara appealed to her sister as she changed into a different set of clothes.

“Don’t worry. They will never find out from me. With any luck, they won’t unless you want them to,” Adira reassured her. Kiara could sense her sister’s displeasure over her decision.

“You don’t need to worry about me. When I leave Alpha Xavier’s pack, I’ll continue my studies, then we can see each other again,” Kiara attempted to give her a weak smile but both girls ended up crying instead.

"Don't forget to answer the phone when I call you," Adira reminded Kiara, wiping her tears. Kiara nodded as they shared one more farewell hug.

"How dare you disgrace our family like this!" Noah stormed into Kiara's room. The moment that Kaiden had released him, Noah decided that it was his responsibility to march upstairs and teach his b***h of a sister a lesson.

"Don't cause a scene, Noah," Adira cautioned him in an attempt to protect Kiara.

"Oh, don’t worry, I'll deal with you later," he threatened as he shoved Adira aside and lifted his hand to slap Kiara.

"If I were you, I would seriously consider the consequences of your actions before so much as attempting to give Alpha Xavier's soon-to-be Luna a paper cut!" Xavier's roar pierced the air, preventing Noah from committing the act that would surely lead to his untimely death. Kiara noticed Xavier leaning against the doorframe, and his wolf was clearly on the surface, more than willing to shed blood. "Stay away from her!" Xavier let out a growl. Xavier’s eyes looked like two green flames ready to burn Noah to cinders.

“You need to come with me,” Adire hurriedly dragged Noah out of the room before it was too late.

Xavier entered Kiara's room, inhaling her scent. Xavier observed the state of her room from the ceiling to the undersized bed, her living conditions were deplorable. The packhouse was creepy to begin with. He didn’t want to contemplate what it would look like with any less lighting. He couldn’t make out what she was packing, but he could see that the suitcase was rather small. This, of course, meant that she would not be taking much with her. He had already deducted that she was mistreated by the males of her family. Kiara had been too ashamed of how shabby her room was to take him here earlier. Now that he understood the majority of her life, there was no longer a need to hide this.

When Kiara bent over the bed to grab something, Xavier’s gaze was drawn to her butt. Her ass was perfectly round, causing Dean to growl with desire in Xavier’s mind. Instinctively, Xavier pulled his eyes away, only to discover a little white cat climbing into the room through Kiara’s small window.

"Hey!" Kiara dropped her suitcase and ran over to the cat. "What's the deal with you being late today, Cat?" She refilled a small food dish that she kept obscured under her bed. Xavier saw an absolutely gorgeous genuine smile come over Kiara face.

“Meow!” The stray cat seemed exceedingly attached to her. Only Kara and Adira knew of the cat’s existence. They had been secretly collaborating to feed and care for the little cat as their pack did not tolerate pets.

"You can’t come to my room anymore, Cat. I'll make sure that Adira feeds you," Kiara scratched the cat behind her cute little white ears, earning a steady stream of purrs. She was totally oblivious to the fact that a man was standing behind her observing the interaction intently. She was leaving numerous kisses on the cat’s furry little head.

"Why are you calling her, Cat? Doesn’t she have a name?" Xavier asked. Kiara turned to look at him only then realized that he had been watching her the entire time.

"I never gave her a name." Kiara put the cat down on her bed, then picked up her suitcase ready to leave the room.

"Why?" Xavier inquired.

"If I named her, I would become far more attached to her than I already am now. It's difficult to be apart from the ones you care about, you know," Kiara's anguish was palpable in every word she spoke. Before Xavier could see anymore of her tears, she walked out of the room. When she got to the doorframe she took one last look at Cat, feeling her heartbreak knowing that, like her room she would never see her again.

Xavier followed Kiara back downstairs to the living room, where he watched her hugging and saying goodbye to her mother and sister for the last time. Noah continued to glare daggers with his eyes at Kiara, which she just ignored.

"Put her baggage in the car," Xavier ordered one of his men, as Kaiden came to stand next to him, showing a united front.

Kiara turned to face Xavier with large eyes filled with melancholy. Xavier completely disregarded it. It was too late now for her to regret her decision.

"Wait a second," Alpha Sawyer called after them. Kiara energetically looked back. “You have chosen our enemy as your spouse, you’re no longer welcome in my house," Sawyer announced, coming to stand before Kiara. "My family severs all relationships and ties with you. Now you can leave with him. I don't expect you to ever come back," he bellowed.

Xavier observed as water collected in Kiara’s eyes, truthfully, he’d been expecting this. Sawyer was not the kind of man that would take the blow to his ego that she had delivered without screaming and ensuring she had no home to come back to.

Kiara dashed to the car doing the best that she could to suppress the typhoon of emotions from showing on her face. She opened the car and got in before she began to display weakness in front of a man that didn’t deserve it.

“How stupid am I? I knew this was coming,” she muttered to herself.

She didn't bother to even look back at the packhouse. She turned away, not wanting Xavier to see her in this weakened state when he climbed into the car either.

“Drive,” Xavier ordered. Kiara panicked as they started to drive away. When she couldn't take it any longer, she turned around to search for her mother and sister, who were staring at her. Kiara sobbed as the vehicle moved further away from the only home she had ever known. Kiara’s expressions of sorrow went ignored by Xavier. He did not look at her once. Kaiden felt sad for what he knew about her situation.

“Luna,” Kaiden turned around in his seat to hand her a handkerchief, still unsure what to refer to her as. When Xavier remained stoic beside her, Kaiden chose to continue calling her Luna. “Please accept this.”

Kiara reached her trembling hand to take what she viewed as a peace offering, only to have the handkerchief slip from her grasp. Xavier had extended his hand out at the same time as Kiara grasped the handkerchief. At that moment, their hands made contact almost as if they were holding hands. Kiara's gaze met Xavier as she realized that the hand she was holding belonged to a stranger.

This was the beginning of her new life.