My Alpha Boss Gave Me Triplets – Episode 16
Leopold’s question filled the infirmary. Evie could hear Lara moving quietly behind him, but the doctor did not intervene. The truth belonged to Evie, and so did the decision of whether to trust the Alpha standing beside her bed.
Her hands tightened beneath the blanket. Leopold had already insulted her for requesting the job he promised and accused her of valuing nothing but money. He had only begun questioning that judgment after she returned the twenty thousand dollars, and one honest conversation had not repaired the damage. If she admitted she carried his heirs now, he might believe she had engineered everything from the beginning. A pregnancy involving three rare pups could look like the greatest claim on his wealth and position a human could make.
“Why would you ask me that?” she said.
Leopold’s gaze lowered toward the place her hands guarded. “Because I felt your nausea and your cramps a month ago. Because my curse mark awakened after we were together. And because I smelled pups in your blood.”
Each reason made denial more difficult, but it also confirmed how much power he had over the situation. Werewolf heirs did not belong only to their mother; they belonged to a pack, a bloodline, and an Alpha accustomed to taking control. Evie knew little about pack law, which meant she did not even understand what rights she might lose by speaking the truth. No one had assured her that a human mother could refuse an Alpha once his heirs were involved.
Evie imagined Leopold deciding that a human body was too weak to carry Stonehearth heirs. The blood and Lara’s warning offered evidence for anyone who wanted to call the pregnancy impossible. He could order the danger ended before the pups developed further, or he could wait until the babies were born and remove Evie from their lives. The pack might praise either choice as responsible leadership. Either possibility made the lie feel like the only shield she possessed.
“No,” she said at last. “I’m not pregnant.”
Lara’s expression tightened, but she respected the confidence of her patient. Leopold remained motionless. Only the muscle shifting in his jaw revealed that Evie’s answer had struck him.
“Then explain what I sensed.” His voice was controlled, not cruel, but the pressure behind it reminded Evie that he could command every wolf in the building. “Explain why three scents carrying my blood were mixed with yours.”
“I was injured and barely conscious. Maybe the curse confused what you felt.” Evie hated how fragile the excuse sounded. A mate bond powerful enough to transmit burns and nausea was unlikely to invent scents, but doubt was the only opening she had. “You spent years saying it was only a legend. You can’t decide it is perfect evidence now.” If Leopold admitted the curse remained poorly understood, he also had to admit he could be wrong.
Leopold looked toward Lara, searching for confirmation. The doctor held his gaze. “My patient’s medical information is hers to disclose.” It was not an answer, yet it prevented him from forcing one through rank.
The refusal frustrated him, but he did not challenge the physician. Instead, he returned his attention to Evie. “Whether you are pregnant or not, someone tried to kill you inside my company. You will remain under my protection.”
By evening, pack security escorted Evie to the Stonehearth residence. She left the infirmary in borrowed clothes, still weak enough that every step required concentration. The mansion was larger than some public buildings, its quiet halls guarded by wolves who bowed to Leopold and watched the human beside him with open curiosity. Word of the rescue had clearly preceded them. Evie could feel questions following her through rooms where every portrait and carved emblem celebrated the Stonehearth bloodline.
Evie had agreed only because Lara insisted she should not spend the night alone. She carried the few belongings Max had collected from her apartment and reminded herself that the arrangement was temporary. Nothing about the elegant room prepared for her made it feel temporary to Leopold.
“You will stay here until the danger is resolved,” he said. “A guard will accompany you if you leave, and Lara will examine you regularly.” He had ordered staff to stock the room with anything a recovering guest might require and arranged meals according to Lara’s instructions. Leopold presented each preparation like part of a security plan, concealing how closely he had considered Evie’s comfort. To her, the thoroughness demonstrated how easily he could take control of every detail.
“You say that as if I’m a prisoner.” Evie set down her bag. “Protection isn’t supposed to take away every choice I have.”
Leopold’s expression shifted at the accusation. He had brought her there because the sight of her blood haunted him, yet every attempt to keep her safe sounded like another command. “I am trying to prevent a second attack.”
“And I’m trying to protect what matters to me.” The truth slipped close enough to danger that Evie stopped. Her hand had moved instinctively toward her abdomen.
Leopold noticed the instinctive gesture and the fear that followed it. “If you are carrying my child, I need to know.” Evie forced her hand to her side and repeated the lie, even as the bond seemed to tighten around both of them. “I’m not pregnant.”