Chapter Twenty-One

Protecting the Surrogate

After much deliberation, Edgar paid off Elena’s medical team to keep her in the hospital for at least two more months. He needed time to protect Alia and his unborn baby. Elena was less than thrilled when her doctors informed her of their decision for her extended hospitalization. He sensed Harry’s agitation. Instead of keeping him at the mansion where he could have him watched twenty-four-seven, he let him return to his normal life. He checked in with him every now and then.

So far, Harry hadn’t mentioned anything about Alia to Elena. He’d asked his guards to prevent Harry from getting too close to Elena. Maybe he was afraid one of the guards he’d posted at the hospital would expose him. Every day that passed without Elena knowing about the surrogate was a good one.

Edgar paused outside Alia’s study door. Only he could see the radiant light in the gap between the door and the tiled floor. His unborn heir was protecting its natural mother. Every day of Alia’s pregnancy revealed more and more about his unborn baby’s magnificent powers.

He’d moved Alia to the second floor. She’d commenced her studies three weeks ago. So far, everything seemed to be going well. Her baby bump was pretty obvious to the naked eye. He didn’t want Elena to meet Alia just yet. Neither did he want her to learn he’d hired a surrogate to bear their heir to keep the peace between their packs. Judging from her recent behavior, Elena would throw a tantrum.

He knocked on Alia’s door. He didn’t want to disturb her mid-lecture. The baby’s protective circle intensified. He wouldn’t be able to walk another step until Alia allowed him inside. The baby didn’t recognize him as its father. Yet. It would do anything to protect its mother.

“Come in,” Alia said.

The circle’s glow faded. Edgar stifled a sigh. The witch who had predicted his baby would be the most powerful wolf in the history of werewolves hadn’t lied. This presented a whole new set of problems he had to anticipate. He needed to think about his baby’s safety once it was born. He had to hire witches, wizards, werewolves, and whatever or whoever else it took to keep his heir safe.

“Are you okay, Edgar?” Alia asked when he entered her study and remained silent.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just checking in on you. Do you need anything for your studies? For your pregnancy? Are your managing your cravings?”

“Whoa, Mr. Callen,” Alia laughed.

For a moment the sound of her laughter made everything okay. He could see the future of the werewolves, and it was a bright and prosperous one. The light in her eyes sent his worries on a brief vacation. He still hadn’t come any closer to learning anything more about Elena’s secret business dealings. For now, none of that mattered.

“I’m doing fine. My cravings are manageable.” She laughed again. “The raw meat craving had to be the worst. I’ve caught up with all of my projects and tests. In fact, I can afford to take a little break from studying.”

“That’s great news,” Edgar said, genuinely pleased that Alia was doing much better than he’d expected considering the supernatural nature of her pregnancy. “How do you plan on spending your time?”

Alia’s face lit up with another radiant smile. “I thought I’d go shopping. I could use a wardrobe update. And I was thinking of doing a maternity photoshoot. I know me…our baby will be living with you but I would like a few memories to keep with me.”

His chest tightened. She was the mother of his heir. She would always be the mother of his heir. “It sounds like a beautiful idea,” he said. “I’ll make arrangements immediately.” He’d do anything to keep her smiling like that.

“There’s no need to. I’ll call a cab to go shopping.”

Edgar shook his head. The mother of his child deserved the best. “I’ll take you shopping myself. Later, I’ll send you a portfolio of the best maternity photographers in Manhattan and you could choose the ones you like the most.”

“Ones?” she said.

“You can have more than one photo shoot. Why limit yourself?” he asked her, smiling. “There are no written rules stating you can only have one maternity photoshoot.”

Alia’s face lit up again. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I may just be able to document the last four months of my pregnancy. I'll need to get myself a few outfits, though.”

“Why don’t you freshen up and let’s go shopping, Don't worry about the cost. I'll take care of everything,” Edgar said. He’d have his bodyguards follow them to the stores he had in mind, but he preferred to drive her himself. He'd do anything to keep her happy, and safe, of course.

“Thank you, Edgar,” she said, “I won’t need more than ten minutes.”

“I’ll get the car ready,” he said. “I’ll meet you outside.”

Edgar made his way to the second floor, still smiling. He hadn't felt this happy in ages. Suddenly all the stress from Elena’s mysterious dealings didn’t seem life-threatening to him. He’d deal it with when time allowed. Not even Elena and her dark dealings could dampen his mood right now. Today, he’d spend time with the mother of his child and enjoy his impending fatherhood. He didn’t notice Harry watching him from outside his driveway. Neither did Edgar notice Harry taking pictures of him on his cell phone as he drove out with Alia sitting next to him.

***