Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers-Chapter 165: First Acceptance

Evaline:

The moment the question left my lips, the entire room stilled.

I could hear the faint beeping of the heart monitor beside me. I could hear the distant chatter of nurses in the hallway. I could even hear the rhythmic drip of IV fluid sliding down into my veins.

But Oscar’s silence was louder than all of it.

"I had to ask," I whispered. "I needed to know before I let you back in... before I risked my heart again."

"I understand," he finally spoke, shifting a little closer and sitting right beside me on the edge of the bed. His hand brushed mine, tentative and soft. "And I want you to know, I’m not just here for you. I’m here for both of you."

That made me blink. "Both?"

"You and the baby."

Something tightened in my throat as my brain tried to process his words and their meaning.

"I’m not ready to be a father," he admitted and a slightly nervous chuckle escaped him, "I have never even thought about it. I mean, I’m barely holding myself together most days and the idea of raising a child... it scares me."

He lifted his eyes to meet mine again, and I saw it there - vulnerability, truth, love. "But I do know this, Eva. You want this child. You have chosen to keep them. And if this baby is a part of you, then they are already a part of me too."

My eyes welled up. I pressed my lips together, trying to contain the flood that was quickly rising behind them. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

"I can’t promise I’ll be perfect," he continued, brushing his thumb softly over the back of my hand, "I’ll probably mess up. I’ll probably say the wrong things or panic more than I should. But I will learn. I’ll read every book there is. I’ll talk to Jasper and learn from him. I’ll even talk to Kieran and even River if I have to. I’ll be there for every appointment, every check-up. And when the baby arrives... I’ll be there to hold them, to protect them, to help you raise them."

There was no holding back the tears this time, they escaped... silent and relentless.

"I’ll carry the weight with you," he whispered. "Because you shouldn’t have to do it alone."

I was stunned. I didn’t know what I had expected - perhaps hesitation, perhaps a gentle refusal masked in politeness. But I hadn’t expected... this. The sincerity. The unwavering conviction in his voice. The soft glow of determination in his emerald eyes.

Still, something inside me was still whispering doubts.

"But it’s not your child," I said quietly, voicing the one thing I had feared most. "It’s not yours, or even your brother’s. It’s Ethan’s. And you barely know me, Oscar. You didn’t even want to speak to me after Friday night, and now you are... saying all this? Why?"

He didn’t hesitate. Not for even a second.

"Because it’s yours," he said simply.

Those words... they hit harder than any vow, harder than any confession of love.

And the dam inside me broke completely.

A choked sob escaped as I looked at him through blurry eyes. "You are not supposed to say things like that. You are not supposed to make it so easy to love you."

"I mean every word," he whispered, taking both of my hands now and pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "Eva, I don’t care who the father is. I care about you. You are the one who carried the pain. You are the one who made the choice to protect a life that came from heartbreak. You are brave, stronger than anyone I know. And this child... they’ll be a part of you. That’s all I need to know."

I felt my chest collapse with emotion. My heart was thudding in my ears, and the pressure behind my eyes became unbearable.

"I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this," I said between tears. "Don’t say these things just because you feel guilty or because your wolf is pushing you. You deserve your own path, your own bond, your own family-"

"My path is with you," he cut in. His voice was firmer now, a warm conviction rising in his tone. "It’s always been with you, even when I didn’t realize it. And you are my family now... both you and the baby."

His eyes locked onto mine, filled with a rare vulnerability I had never seen in him before. "I have failed you in the past. First, I wasn’t strong enough to accept our bond, and then I walked away when you opened up to me and were at your most vulnerable. And not a single second has passed since that I haven’t regretted it. I will not walk away again. Not from you. Not from the life you are building."

I reached for him slowly, cupping his cheek with trembling fingers. And he leaned into the touch like he had been starving for it.

"I don’t know if I’m strong enough for this," I whispered.

"You don’t have to be," he whispered back as he rested his forehead against mine. "We’ll be strong enough together."

I let out a laugh-sob, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him into the softest, most fragile hug I had ever given anyone.

And he held me like I was made of glass and gold.

In that moment, there were no secrets. No past. No guilt. No fears.

Just us.

"I’ll be by your side," he murmured into my hair. "Through everything. And when the time comes... I’ll love that child with all I have got. Because they’ll be part of the woman I love."

My heart stuttered.

He pulled back once again and locked his gaze with mine, seriousness clouding his emerald orbs along with something else - love.

And then, he spoke the words-

"Evaline Greystone, I, Oscar Thorne, accept you as my mate. I embrace your past, your truths, your bond with Draven, and the child you carry. I accept all that you are, completely and without condition, to stand beside me as my fated mate and my future Luna."

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