Chosen To Be The Alpha's Surrogate

**I Penelope I**

Time slows to a crawl as Malachi's questioning gaze shifts between my face and Jax's taunting words. I want to explain, to tell him it wasn't my choice, that my body betrayed me but the words lodge in my throat.

*I'm so sorry...*

Before I can find my voice, Malachi's attention snaps back to the doorway. His body coils, muscles tensing as he prepares to fight.

"Get back,” he growls at me, pushing me further behind him.

The transformation happens in an instant-bones cracking, muscles reforming, fur bursting through skin. Where Malachi stood just seconds ago, a massive wolf now crouches, hackles raised and teeth bared in a ferocious snarl.

Jax and Rook respond in kind, their shifts equally swift and violent. The sound of ripping fabric fills the air as their clothes tear away, replaced by thick fur and deadly claws. Jax's wolf form lunges first-a blur of silver-streaked gray that collides with Malachi with so much force the impact shakes the floor beneath my feet.

"No!" I scream, stumbling backward as the wolves crash into furniture, sending splinters of wood flying. "Stop it! Please!"

But my pleas go unheard or ignored. The sounds are horrific-growls and snarls mixing with the wet sounds of teeth meeting flesh, claws tearing into muscle. Blood spatters across the pristine white bedsheets, the sickening smell of iron filling the air.

I can practically feel the desperate fury rolling off Malachi as he fights, but he's

outnumbered. When Rook joins the fray, his wolf form seamlessly coordinating with Jax's, I know it's over before it's truly begun.

Still, I lunge toward them, driven by blind panic. "Stop! You're killing him!"

Strong arms catch me from behind, yanking me away from the fighting wolves. I struggle wildly, clawing at the hands restraining me, but more pack members have arrived. They hold me back as I'm forced to watch the brutal takedown.

Malachi manages to sink his teeth into Jax's shoulder, drawing a pained yelp from the silver wolf. But the victory is short-lived. Rook circles behind, clamping powerful jaws around the back of Malachi's neck. With a vicious shake, he slams Malachi to the ground.

Jax doesn't hesitate, going for Malachi's exposed throat. My raw and desperate scream tears through the room. For a heart-stopping moment, I think they're going to kill him right in front of me.

"Please!" I sob, fighting against my captors with renewed strength. "Rook, please don't let them kill him!"noveldrama

Whether my brother hears me or simply never intended to take it that far, Jax doesn't deliver the killing bite. Instead, the two wolves pin Malachi down, applying just enough pressure to force submission.

Malachi thrashes beneath them, his black fur matted with blood, but his movements grow increasingly feeble. Still, he fights-for me, for our child, for the future we were supposed to have. The sight breaks something fundamental inside me.

"Stop fighting," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "Please, Mal. They'll kill you. Just stop."

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As if he can hear me even in wolf form, Malachi's struggles gradually cease. His eyes- still recognizably his despite the transformation-find mine across the room. The pain and betrayal I see in them cut deeper than any physical wound.

When he finally goes limp beneath them, unconscious but still breathing, Jax and Rook step back. They shift, bones cracking as they resume their human forms. Neither bothers to cover their nudity as they stand over Malachi's fallen form.

Outside, howls pierce the night-distant at first, then abruptly cut short. The alarm sirens continue their relentless wailing, but beneath them, I hear shouts and growls. Whatever distraction Malachi planned, whoever came with him-they've been caught

too.

Two more wolves enter the room, already reaching for Malachi's unconscious form as he shifts back to human still in his unconscious state. Seeing him this way-naked, bloodied, vulnerable reignites my panic.

"No!" I wrench free from the loosened grip of my captors, rushing toward him. "Where are you taking him? What are you going to do to him?"

Rook steps between us, still in his human form but with wolf eyes glowing in warning. "Step back, Penelope."

"No," I challenge, ducking around him to reach for Malachi. "I'm going with him. You can't separate us. He's my "

A vicious snarl cuts me off as Rook shifts partially, just enough for fangs and claws to emerge. He towers over me, radiating Alpha power that makes my knees weak with primitive fear.

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"I said, step back." Each word comes out distorted through elongated canines, but the command is unmistakable.

I freeze, instinct overriding courage. My hand, reaching for Malachi, trembles in mid- air.

"Please," I whisper, hating how small my voice sounds. "Don't hurt him anymore. Just let me go with him."

"He stays here," Jax says from behind Rook, his voice cold as ice. "Under guard, until we decide what to do with him."

The other wolves lift Malachi's limp form, preparing to carry him away. Blood drips from various wounds onto the floor, leaving a macabre trail as they move toward the door.

"No," I protest again, moving to follow despite Rook's warning. But as I take a step forward, something shifts inside me.

A warm gush of fluid runs down my legs, soaking through my nightgown and puddling at my feet.

Every eye in the room snaps to the growing wetness on the floor. For a moment, time seems to stop completely. Then a sharp and insistent pain grips my abdomen, doubling me over with a gasp.

*No... Not yet. I still have time. It's not time yet...*

"My water," I manage through gritted teeth, one hand clutching my belly as another

cramp seizes me. "I'm going into labor."