Chapter Twenty-Two

Revealing the Truth

Harry hid behind a thick cluster of plants as Edgar drove past him with Alia. Things certainly looked like they were getting better between the Alpha and his Surrogate. He couldn’t wait to inform Elena about Alia. He’d tried to speak to her on several occasions but he was always interrupted by medical staff or guards or something or the other. It had become quite annoying trying to sneak in a few minutes’ visitation time with Elena in the last few weeks. It seemed like someone had conspired to keep them apart. Edgar? He wouldn’t put it past him. The Alpha could do whatever he wanted. After all, he had the money and the power.

Harry waited until Edgar’s car was out of sight before he called a cab. He was disgusted at the Alpha for going out with his surrogate. Surely this was only a business relationship. Judging from the smiles on their faces, this was something more.

He needed to speak to Elena today. He couldn’t go another day without seeing her beautiful face or hearing her voice. He had to let her know exactly what was going on, especially with Alia, and how Edgar had betrayed her. He couldn’t believe Edgar hadn’t told Elena about his surrogate until now. Wouldn’t that have been the decent thing to do? He could have at least been honest with his Luna.

His cab arrived within minutes. Harry drummed his fingers nervously on the car seat on the way to the hospital. Once there, he’d have to find a way to sneak past the guards. Maybe he should disguise himself as a doctor, he decided. He asked his driver to drop him off a street away from the hospital. He didn’t want camera footage of him entering the hospital just in case Edgar somehow had access to the hospital footage. He wore a woolen hat, tucked all his hair inside, and made his way inside the hospital, avoiding all cameras.

Before he spoke to Elena, he had to find himself scrubs. He didn’t want Edgar's guards recognizing him. It didn’t take him to long to find a linen room and, pretty soon, scrubs. He wore the scrubs over his regular clothes, covered his face with a surgical mask, grabbed a clipboard and made his way back to Elena’s floor. Edgar’s guards did not recognize him through his disguise. He breathed a sigh of relief as he entered Elena’s room.

“What do you want now?” Elena scowled at him.

He wished he could hold her in his arms and comfort her. She didn’t look at all happy. She had deep circles under her eyes like she hadn’t rested in days.

“Elena.” He pulled his mask lower. “It’s me, Harry.”

A smile replaced her hostile expression. “Harry? What’s going on? Why are you dressed like a doctor?”

He shrugged. “For some reason, Edgar instructed his guards to not allow you any visitors.”

“What?” She pressed a button on the side of her bed. Her bed rose, allowing her to sit up properly. “What else is going on, Harry?”

He let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Brace yourself for what I’m about to tell you, Elena.”

She narrowed her eyes. “It better be something both of us can handle,” she said.

Harry shrugged. “I’ll let you be the judge of that.”

“You’d better start talking before my real doctors show up,” she said, glancing at the door. "They're always injecting me with some drug or the other claiming it will help me recover faster."

"Okay." Harry nodded. He couldn’t risk being caught. “After you went missing, Edgar was forced to report your disappearance to the Elders.” Harry paused. “He also revealed the true nature of your relationship—that you never consummated your union at all.”

Elena gasped. “What? How could he?”

“He was under oath,” Harry said.

“Were you present at the Elder’s meeting with Edgar?”

“Yes, I was.” He glanced at the door. One of Edgar’s guards peeped inside. Harry pretended to scribble something on the notepad on his clipboard.

“What did the Elders say?” Elena asked, curiosity evident in her eyes.

“They told Edgar to produce an heir.”

“They what?!” Elena’s breathing turned ragged.

“Elena, please calm down or else I will get kicked out of here,” he pleaded.

She glanced at the door. “Sorry,” she murmured, “I hope Edgar didn’t listen to those old fools.”

“He was forced to. You know that nobody can go against the Elders. If he didn’t do as they said and your pack found out you were missing, the packs would be at war as we speak,” Harry said.

Elena’s nostrils flared as she tried to control her temper. “So who did he choose to mate with?” she demanded to know.

“An unknown, a human. She was handpicked by a witch who has served the Callens for many generations,” Harry replied.

“Is she pregnant?”

“Yes,” Harry said, “she is.”

He couldn’t bear the look on Elena’s face. The pain in her eyes, the anguish on her face…it took every ounce of his courage to remain standing where he was.

“Where is this pregnant surrogate now?” she asked, clenching and unclenching her fists.

“She is living at the Manhattan Mansion, under constant guard,” Harry said.

Elena blinked back tears. “I can’t believe Edgar didn’t even wait a month before making another woman pregnant. And a human woman at that!”

“I’m sorry, I wish I didn’t have to tell you this way, but it looks like you will be going home soon. I wanted you to be prepared for whatever awaited you at Edgar’s mansion.” Watching her keep her composure killed him inside.

“Where is my Alpha now?” Elena asked, her tone bitter.

“I saw him leave with the Surrogate before I came to see you,” he said.

A single tear rolled down her face. “He should have been with me. I should have been the one who was carrying his heir, not some human!”

“I’m so sorry, Elena,” he said. His words were so futile compared to the pain his one true love was experiencing.

“You don’t have to be. I will ask my doctors to call that two-timing traitor Alpha of mine. I want to see him.” She wiped her tear-stained face with the backs of her hands. “I want to see how he faces me after spending the day with his surrogate.”

“Or you could wait until your doctor lets you go home. Insist on going to the mansion. He won’t move the surrogate to another location. She almost died during the early stages of the pregnancy. She has her own team of doctor who check up on her every day to make sure she is okay. You should move into the mansion, into the master bedroom, then insist on meeting the Surrogate face to face,” Harry suggested.

Elena’s lips curved into a bitter smile. “That sounds like a better idea, Love. Thank you.”

Harry’s nervousness multiplied when Edgar’s guards knocked on the door. “I should get going.” He pulled his face mask up and rushed out of the ward before the guards could ask him anything. One of them tried following him. Harry’s heart raced. His meeting with Elena couldn’t get flushed down the drain like this. No! he couldn’t let Edgar win—not while he was gallivanting with his pregnant surrogate. He had to try harder to lose Edgar’s guards.

Harry managed to lose him. Once he was in a secluded spot, he discarded the scrubs and mask, and rushed out of the hospital. The damage had been done. He’d achieved what he’d wanted. There was no way Elena would let Edgar get away with impregnating a surrogate. A human one nonetheless. She’d insist on getting a second opinion on her health so she could settle down in the mansion and meet Edgar’s precious surrogate. Edgar had held her prisoner in the hospital long enough. It was time for Elena to come home and show the world who Edgar’s Luna was.

He smiled once he was safely away from the hospital. He felt triumphant, victorious, like he’d just won the first round of a crucial battle.

***