The Alpha's Unwanted Plus-Size Bride

ELOWEN WHITLOCK POV

"The magic paper shows you have a wolf baby growing inside you," Osric Fenwick says. He passes the white sheet across the heavy stone table.

"That is impossible," I say. My hands shake hard. I look down at my big belly. I am a plus-size human girl in a world of tall, lean wolves. "We only did it one single time."

"The pack magic does not lie, Elowen," Osric says. He sighs and shakes his head. "You are pregnant with the Alpha's child."

"What am I going to do now?" I ask. My voice sounds very small.

"You must tell Alpha Caelan Thorncroft," Osric says. "He is the father."

"No, he wants to divorce me," I say. "He wants me gone from the Thorncroft Alpha Dominion. If I tell him, he will think I am a bad human. He will say I am using this baby to keep his power."

"He has a right to know," Osric says.

"I cannot tell him," I say.

I grab the paper and stuff it deep inside my bag. I walk out of the Silvermoon Grand Healing Temple. My heart goes fast. I am so scared.

Outside the temple, a huge black truck waits by the stone steps. The window rolls down a little bit. Caelan sits in the driver seat. He looks very handsome and very cold. He is a great Alpha wolf, and everyone looks at him. I am used to the looks. People always wonder why a big human girl like me is next to him.

I slide into the front seat. The truck smells like pine trees and rain.

"Is the healing pact signed?" Caelan asks. He does not open his eyes. His face looks like ice.

"Yes," I say. "Osric says hello to you."

"Good," Caelan says. He does not look at the papers. "You will manage the trade with the Silvermoon Healing Council from now on."

"I will do it," I say.

"Do not make a mistake," he says. He starts the truck engine. It makes a loud roar.

I just nod my head. I stay very quiet. I always obey his orders. That is my only job in this pack.

The truck moves fast toward the Alpha Dominion District. The sun goes down. The sky turns black. We are not going back to the pack lodge. I feel confused, but I do not ask questions. I never ask him anything.

I look at my bag. The baby paper is inside. My stomach feels funny. I want to tell him, but the words stick in my throat. I look at his face from the side. He looks straight ahead with mean, sharp eyes.

"Caelan," I say.

"Speak," he says. His voice is short and loud.

My hands get very sweaty. I squeeze my bag tight. I take a deep breath.

"I am contracted to tell you," I say. "I am..."

"Stop talking," he says.

His phone makes a loud ringing sound. He grabs it fast. He looks at the screen, and his face suddenly changes. The ice melts.

"Isolde, what is wrong?" Caelan asks. His voice is so soft and gentle. He never speaks to me like that. He only loves Isolde Ashbourne.

"Caelan, I need you," Isolde says through the phone. She sounds like she is crying. "The rogue wolves are near the border. I am scared."

"Do not move," Caelan says. He looks worried. "I am coming right now to get you. Stay inside the pack house."

He slams his foot on the brake. The huge truck stops hard on the road. The tires make a loud screaming sound. Caelan turns his head and looks at me with angry eyes.

"Get out," he says.

"We are in the middle of the road," I say.

"I said get out now," he says.

"Okay," I say.

I do not fight him. He has kicked me out of his truck many times before. I open the door and step onto the dark dirt road. I close the door, and he drives away fast. Dirt flies up into my face. He leaves me alone in the dark forest.

I start walking toward the royal alpha quarter. My feet hurt. I think about how we got married. Two years ago, his grandpa Alaric Thorncroft was very sick. Alaric loved my family from the Whitlock Moonfang Pack. He forced Caelan to marry me before he died. Caelan hated it, but he obeyed his grandpa. For two years, Caelan ignored me. Now his grandpa is dead. Caelan wants a divorce. He wants to go back to Isolde.

It is very late when I reach the big pack house. The windows are dark. The whole place looks like a scary ghost house. I am a big girl, but tonight I do not want any food. My stomach hurts from sadness. I go straight to my bedroom and wash my face. I get into bed and close my eyes.

An hour passes. Then, I hear a loud noise outside. It is the sound of a truck engine turning off in the courtyard.

"Is he back?" I whisper to the empty room.

He was supposed to stay with Isolde tonight. I get out of bed and walk to the window. The door downstairs slams open. Heavy wolf footsteps come up the stairs straight toward my room.

ELOWEN WHITLOCK POV

"Why are you sitting in the dark like a ghost?" Caelan Thorncroft barks as he slams my bedroom door open. He drops his wet leather coat on the floor and does not look at me. "Get out of my way."

"You are completely wet from the storm," I say. My heart beats fast against my ribs. I stand up from the bed, my big human arms shaking as I grab clean clothes from the wooden chest. "Take these."

"Put them down and stay silent," he says. He walks straight into the washroom, and the hot water starts making a loud noise.

I do not sleep because my mind is too full of the wolf baby. I walk to the edge of the room and look out the glass window. The dark clouds are heavy over the Alpha Dominion District, and a cold rain hits the glass.

The washroom door opens with a bang. Caelan steps out with just a small fur wrap around his waist, and his big alpha muscles are shining with water drops.

"What are you staring at, human?" Caelan asks. His dark eyes look mean and angry when he sees me watching him. "Come here right now."

"I am right here," I say. I walk over to him, and he throws a dry cloth straight at my head.

"Dry my hair," he commands.

"Sit down on the bed then," I say. I climb up behind him and use my hands to rub the cloth over his wet black hair.

"You are too slow," he growls.

"The funeral for Alpha Alaric Thorncroft is tomorrow morning," I say. I try to make my voice strong so he does not hear my fear. "The Thorncroft Pack Elders want us at the family house early."

"I know when my grandfather's ritual is," he snaps.

"I just do not want you to forget," I say. "I know your mind is with Isolde Ashbourne tonight."

"Keep your mouth shut about her," he says. He pulls away from my hands and gets under the heavy blankets.

I am surprised because he usually goes to his alpha study room until the middle of the night. I lie down on the very edge of the mattress, keeping my big body away from him. My stomach feels sick because of the six-week baby growing inside me.

Suddenly, a heavy arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back against his hot chest. His mouth hits mine in a hard, angry kiss.

"Caelan, stop," I say. I push against his big shoulders. "I am not ready for this."

"Are you saying no to your Alpha?" he asks. His eyes glow a bright, scary wolf gold in the dark room. "You belong to this pack."

"Please," I say. My hands go down to protect my belly. "Just be gentle with me tonight."

"You do not give me orders," he growls. He rolls on top of me and presses his heavy body down.

I bite my lip so hard it bleeds, and I curl my legs up to save the little baby from his rough wolf strength. Outside, the sky breaks with a huge flash of lightning, and the thunder makes the whole pack house shake. He finishes quickly and walks back into the washroom without looking at my tears.

I lie in the dark, shivering from the bad pain in my stomach. I want to look for medicine, but I know human pills might hurt the wolf baby.

A loud ringing noise cuts through the sound of the falling rain. It is his phone on the small side table. I look at the clock, and the hands show it is eleven o'clock at night.

The washroom door opens, and Caelan runs out with the fur wrap around him. He grabs the phone fast.

"Isolde, stop this madness right now!" Caelan yells into the phone. His face looks very worried. "I told you the rogues are dangerous!"

He cuts the call and throws his black pants on. He is getting ready to leave into the storm.

"Can you please stay in the pack house tonight?" I ask. I jump up and grab his big wrist with both of my hands. "Just this one night."

"Did I make you feel too good just now?" Caelan laughs, and his voice sounds like sharp ice. "Now you think you can control me?"

"That is horrible to say," I say. I look up into his mean face. "Your grandfather is being buried tomorrow. You need to show respect to the Thorncroft Bloodline instead of running to her."

"Are you trying to threaten an Alpha wolf?" he whispers. He reaches out and squeezes my jaw so tight I cannot breathe. "You have become very brave tonight, Elowen Whitlock."

ELOWEN WHITLOCK POV

"I know you hate me, but stay," I say. I force my eyes to stay on his big wolf eyes. "I will sign the paper to leave the Thorncroft Alpha Dominion. I will give you the divorce, but you have to stay here tonight and walk next to me at Alpha Alaric's funeral tomorrow. When the pack ritual is done, I will sign."

"You want to bargain with me?" Caelan asks. He drops his hand from my jaw and takes a step closer. His mouth touches my ear, and his breath is very hot. "Then please me right now, Elowen. Words do not mean anything to an Alpha."

"I can do that," I say. I put my big human arms around his thick waist. I have to look way up because he is so tall and I am short. I know this is a bad way to make him stay, and it makes me feel very small and sad inside.

I move my hands down his back to hold him tight, but his big hand claps down on my wrist.

"That is enough," Caelan says. His voice is very flat. He pulls away, grabs his gray night clothes from the bed, and puts them on fast.

"Are you staying?" I ask. My mouth stays open. I feel a little bit of hope in my chest.

"Ashton..." a loud cry comes from the dark woods right outside our balcony window.

"Isolde," Caelan says. He does not look at me for one second. He runs to the glass doors and throws them open to look down at the muddy ground. His face gets very dark and angry. He grabs his heavy black coat and runs out of the bedroom.

I look through the rain and see Isolde Ashbourne standing by the pack gates. Her thin white dress is completely wet and sticks to her skin. She looks very small and shaking like a sick pup in the cold downpour.

Caelan throws his big coat over her wet shoulders to keep her warm. He looks like he wants to yell at her, but she throws her arms around his neck and starts crying very loud against his chest.

"She wins again," I whisper to myself. I finally see the truth. Two years of being his wife means nothing compared to one sad cry from Isolde.

Caelan keeps his big arm tight around her waist and brings her inside the front doors. I run out of the bedroom and stand right at the top of the stairs, blocking the way to the rooms. Their wet clothes are dripping dirty water all over the floor.

"Move out of our way, human," Caelan snaps. He looks at me like I am a piece of dirt on the trail.

"Do I look sad to you?" I ask. My eyes burn very bad, but I do not let the tears drop. It hurts more than my heart to see him treat her like a beautiful queen while he steps all over me.

"Caelan, you promised," I say. I hold the wooden railing tight. "When we joined hands for Grandpa Alaric, you promised she would never step inside this pack lodge while I live here. This is our home."

"You think you are important?" Caelan laughs. He uses his big shoulder to push my body hard against the wall. "You look down on yourself, Elowen."

"Do not push her," Isolde says, but she hides her face in his chest.

I cannot do anything. I just stand there like a ghost and watch him carry her into the warm guest room at the end of the hall.

The night gets very bad after that. The cold rain made Isolde's small body get a very hot sickness fever. Caelan stays by her bed like she is a precious pack treasure, helping her change into dry clothes and putting cold cloths on her head.

He looks up and sees me standing by the door. His eyes turn to cold yellow ice.

"Get out of this house and go to the Thorncroft family home right now," Caelan orders. "Isolde is too sick to look at your face tonight."

"You want me to walk into the dark woods at midnight?" I ask. My voice shakes.

"I do not care where you go," he says.

"I am going back to my bedroom," I say. I hold my stomach where the little baby is. "It is not right for me to leave before the Alpha's funeral ritual."

I walk out into the dark hallway, and my chest feels like it is breaking. Suddenly, another wolf runs up the stairs very fast. It is Lucan Blackmoor. He is still wearing his black sleep pants, and his boots are covered in wet mud from the forest path.

"Is she okay?" Lucan asks. He is breathing very hard, and his clothes are completely soaked from the storm.