Chosen To Be The Alpha's Surrogate

**I Malachi I**

A roar shakes the ballroom as the beast lunges at Penelope, its massive jaws open and hungry. The crowd gasps in horror, and I hear my own cry of rage and desperation mixing with their screams.

But even as I'm moving, the powerful wolf beneath my skin beginning to surface, I know I'm too late. I'm too far away, the tribal beast moving too fast. I won't reach her in time.

*No. Not her. Not my mate, my child.*

I've never felt so helpless, so utterly powerless in the face of the unthinkable. And in that moment, as the beast's claws reach for my love, I feel a part of me shatter.

Then, something happens.

Penelope moves, not away, but towards the beast. Her arms come up, not to fight, but to cradle her stomach, to shield our unborn child.

Then, it stops. The beast stops.

It's as if the world has been frozen, every eye in the room locked on the impossible tableau before us. Penelope, small and human and achingly vulnerable, facing down a nightmare made flesh. And the beast, savage and snarling, halting its attack as if compelled by an unseen force.

*What is happening..?*

I can only watch, my heart in my throat, as the beast lowers its head, its nostrils flaring as it scents the air. Slowly, almost gently, it nudges Penelope's belly with its snout.

A collective gasp ripples through the crowd, a mix of shock and awe. I feel it too, a dizzying rush of relief, wonder and fierce, blinding pride.

*She did it. My mate, my luna. She tamed the beast...*

As if that wasn't miraculous enough, the creature sinks to its knees before her, its head bowed in unmistakable submission. The room is so silent, you could hear a pin drop. Until Elijah shatters it with a snarl.

"What is this?" he demands, his face twisted with rage and disbelief. "What kind of tricks are you playing here?"

I turn to my brother, my lips curled back in a vicious smile. "No tricks," I say, my voice ringing with triumph. "Just the true power of the Luna. The power *you* sought to mock and undermine."

I stride forward, my wolf prowling beneath my skin, lingering in my glowing eyes as I reach Penelope's side. She's trembling, her face pale and her eyes huge in the dim light. She doesn't flinch when I bring her close, my arm wrapping around her waist in a gesture of unequivocal possession.

"Behold," I say, my gaze sweeping over the assembled pack. "Your future queen. The mother of my heir. The woman who commands even the most savage of beasts."

I turn to Elijah, my voice hardening. "And the woman *you* dared to threaten."

He takes a step back, his jaw clenching. "I meant no true harm," he grits out, but I can see the lie in his eyes, I can smell the stink of his fear. "It was merely a test, a way to prove her worth."

I laugh, a cold, merciless sound. "A test," I repeat, shaking my head. "And what would you have done, brother, if she had failed? If your little game had cost me my mate and child?"

He says nothing, but I can see the answer in the tightening of his mouth, the flare of his nostrils. He would have rejoiced. He would have reveled in my grief and used it to seize power for himself. *Over my dead fucking body.*

I take a step towards him, satisfaction curling through me when he flinches. "Let me make one thing very clear," I say, my voice low and lethal. "If you ever, *ever* pull a stunt like this again, if you so much as look at my mate cross-eyed, I will tear you apart. I will rip out your fucking throat and watch you choke your own blood."

I let my power flare, let him feel the weight of my dominance pressing down on him. He staggers, his knees buckling, and I hear the whispers start up behind me, the pack bearing witness to their Alpha bringing his challenger to heel. *I'm not done yet.*

I turn back to Penelope, my features softening as I cup her face in my hands. She looks up at me, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, and I feel my heart clench in my chest.

"I'm so proud of you," I murmur, my thumb stroking over her cheekbone. Heedless of the watching crowd, I pull her to me and claim her lips in a searing kiss.

I kiss her like I'm claiming her, like I'm branding her with my scent, touch, and the force of my love. I pour everything into that kiss, all the fear, rage, and desperate, aching relief. I feel her melt against me, her fists balling the front of my suit as she kisses me back just as fiercely.

*Mine. My mate. My luna. The mother of my child. Mine.*

I lose myself in her, in the taste of her mouth and the heat of her body pressed against mine. But eventually, the sound of murmurs and shifting feet penetrates the haze of want and need, reminding me that we're not alone. Reluctantly, I break the kiss, but I don't let her go. I tuck Penelope into my side, my arm banding around her waist as I turn to face the pack once more.

"Tonight," I say, my voice ringing with authority, "we have witnessed something extraordinary. Something that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that my mate is worthy of her title."

I glance down at Penelope, a small smile tugging at her lips, my voice lowering. "Something I never doubted for a moment."

She flushes, ducking her head, but I can feel the happy hum of her power, the way it reaches for mine like it can't bear to be parted.

*Soon, little rabbit. Soon, it'll be just you and me, and I'll show you just how thoroughly I plan to worship every inch of you.*