Chapter 20

(Julia’s POV)

The room immediately erupted, with everyone buzzing about Sandy’s accusation. “I knew it!” one voice rose about the rest, and Kevin pushed through the crowd to point a finger at me, face twisted with anger.

“I knew you weren’t just working late,” he said, voice shaking. “You’ve been cheating on me this whole time! I know it isn’t mine,” Kevin spat, waving his hand towards my stomach. “We haven't slept together in months.”

His words sounded like they were coming from miles away, and the angry faces of the rest of the room started to blur and distort. I could feel another dizzy spell coming on, and was powerless to stop it. This can’t be happening.

“I’m not surprised,” Brad, one of the male workers I’d beat out in the Beta competition, jumped in. “Her personal life has always been a fucking disaster.” James, another bitter employee I’d bested, added, “She’s ruined the reputation of PackHouse, all because she couldn’t keep her legs closed. It’s embarrassing.”

All the voices of those accusing and criticizing me started to run together and I sank down into a chair. “She hid her pregnancy on purpose to get Acting Beta!” “She’s a liar!” “She’s a manipulator!” “Julia has no morals, and has betrayed the company. She needs to be fired!” “Fire her!”

Robert, who had been so full of praise for me just moments before, took an uneasy step back. He studied the crowd around us, taking in their poisonous words, and I knew it was just a matter of time before he began to believe them.

“Why don’t you just do us all a favor and leave?” Sandy smiled venomously at me. “Go on, traitor. Pack your things and get out of here.” The rest of the crowd agreed, laughing and jeering. Suddenly, a booming voice cut through the noise.

“That is ENOUGH!” Every head in the room turned towards Ronan, who was staring daggers at Sandy. “I am the Alpha, and I will handle this in the way that I see fit.” The members of PackHouse fell silent, ducking their heads in embarrassment.

“Since when does Sandy make the decisions for this pack?” His voice was quiet, but sharp, as dangerous as a dagger. “But I must admit, she does bring up a topic I’ve been wanting to address for some time.”

He walked slowly towards my sister and me, and I shuddered at the raw, dangerous power Ronan exuded at all times. “Our pack does need some trimming, that’s true,” he said, coming to a stop in front of Sandy.

“We have some…unnecessary personnel who are currently taking time, energy, and resources,” Ronan continued. “And I feel that they should no longer be allowed to serve as a drain on the pack.”

Sandy was beaming. She had clearly been planning and plotting and working towards this moment for a while now, and it was all coming to fruition. “So yes, I am firing someone.” Ronan glanced towards me and, to my complete shock, winked.

“Get out, Sandy,” he growled. “You’re fired.” Her mouth fell open and, while she was speechless, her supporters weren’t. They instantly began trying to argue, but Ronan just held up a hand. The room went silent once more.

“Putting aside Sandy’s atrocious behavior over the past few months,” he said. “The accusations she has leveled at Julia are baseless. Julia did not hide her pregnancy. In fact, as soon as it was confirmed, she informed me of the situation.”

I was sure there were stars in my eyes as I listened to Ronan put my sister in her place, but I didn’t care who saw them. Ronan was standing up for me, like no one ever had before, and that knowledge was intoxicating.

“Julia’s pregnancy is her own, personal business.” Ronan glared around the room. “And, unlike many of you here, she understands the importance of keeping her personal life separate from her professional one. She was under no obligation to tell any of you she was pregnant, and I certainly won’t be firing her for it.”

Ronan’s words gave me the strength to get back to my feet and face the crowd. He raised his eyebrows, wordlessly asking if I was sure I wanted to speak. I nodded back, then stared down my opponents.

“Sandy is right,” I began. “I am pregnant. But as you can see from the appointment slip, I was not pregnant while competing for Acting Beta. I found out about the baby shortly before the merger and, as Ronan said, immediately disclosed it to him.”

“My pregnancy has never, not once, impacted my work. I was at every meeting. I took every phone call. I answered every question,” I glanced at Robert, who looked down in shame. “And look — the merger has gone off with no problems. I think my work speaks for itself.”

And with that, I spun on my heel, ready to get out of this room and away from these people. I had hardly taken two steps before the room started spinning again and I felt my knees buckle. Oh, God, not now, was my final thought before I blacked out.

Oh, God, my head. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I could trick my brain into going back to sleep. No such luck. I opened them reluctantly to see…a hospital room? The events of the day came flooding back to me, and I groaned.

“Should I call a nurse?” I jumped, startled at the sound of Ronan’s voice. He didn’t sound concerned, though. His eyes were dark, the way they got when I could tell he was angry and trying to control himself.

“Ronan,” I said, letting out a deep breath. Despite his expression, I felt my body loosen and a sense of calm spread over me. Even when he was furious, Ronan’s mere presence was enough to make me feel better.

“I’m sorry about all that,” I said quietly. “Sandy was out of line. I knew she was jealous of me, but to make up those lies?” Ronan’s eyes narrowed. “And what, exactly, did she lie about, Julia?”

“Well, for starters, the baby’s father.” I forced out a laugh, trying to make it seem like one big joke. “Kevin is the father. I don’t know why he — I mean, clearly, Sandy just convinced him to say all of that as part of the setup.”

Ronan leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He stared deeply into my eyes, his mouth set in a firm line. “While you were unconscious, I had the doctor run a full check of both your and the baby’s vitals,” he said softly. “I thought it was wise, considering how you’ve been running yourself ragged these last few weeks.”

“Oh?” I tried my best to sound casual. “Is everything okay?” Ronan exhaled sharply through his nostrils, eyes flaring with frustration. “The baby’s test results showed a number of things. Specifically, many clear Alpha traits, traits that could only be passed through the bloodline of a parent.”

He leaned back in his chair and watched as the blood drained from my face “So,” he said, face still unreadable. “Tell me, Julia — did those come from Kevin’s ‘ordinary’ bloodline, too?” With those words, my stomach dropped, and I knew we had reached the point of no return.