Oops… I Went Into Heat and My Alpha Daddies Claimed Me

CALLUM’S POV

I stared at Dane for a long moment, waiting for him to move.

In all the years we’d worked together, he’d never once stood in my way. If anything, he’d always been the one clearing the path before I even reached it, anticipating what I needed before I said it aloud. Tonight, he was doing the opposite.

Damien shifted inside me, restless in a way that was similar to how I felt.

"What’s gotten into him?" Damien grunted in my head.

I wished I knew.

"You do realize you’re blocking your Alpha?" I asked, keeping my voice even despite the irritation threatening to surface. "Whatever point you’re trying to make, you’ve made it. Step aside."

He looked at me without flinching. "I can’t."

His answer wasn’t even disrespectful nor stubborn. If anything, it sounded resigned, and that was what finally convinced me something had happened before he got here. Dane wasn’t a man who acted on impulse. If he was willing to stand between me and that door, then he’d already considered the consequences and decided they were worth facing.

I studied him carefully.

His clothes were still the same ones he’d left in earlier. There was dust on one sleeve, the collar of his shirt was slightly crooked, and exhaustion was behind his eyes.

"What happened?" I asked.

For the first time since he’d walked into my study, his gaze shifted away from mine. "I went to see Keisha."

"I assumed that much."

"I wanted to check on her," Dane continued. "I thought I’d make sure she was alright before the rumours got worse."

"And?"

His jaw tightened.. "Lyra answered."

I frowned slightly. "I thought Keisha opened the door."

"She did."

He took a slow breath before continuing. "I asked if the rumours were true."

I didn’t interrupt.

"I tried to get her away from the house." Dane rubbed the back of his neck, frustration creeping into his voice for the first time. "I only wanted somewhere private where we could talk."

"And Lyra?"

"She came out."

I could picture it without trying.

Lyra wasn’t the sort of woman to ignore voices outside her sister’s door. She would’ve stepped out immediately, asking questions before anyone had the chance to stop her.

"What happened after that?"

"She wanted to know why I was there. At first she thought it was strange. Then she became suspicious." His voice remained calm, but I knew him well enough to hear the anxiousness beneath it.

Oh shit.

"Keisha tried to calm her down." He paused. "That only made things worse."

I felt my stomach sink as I listened carefully.

"Lyra started putting things together. She asked Keisha if I was the father."

The room fell completely silent and even Damien stopped pacing in my head.

"What did Keisha say?" I asked, my voice tight.

"Nothing." He answered almost immediately. "She froze."

I exhaled slowly.

Oh.

Dane looked down at the floor for a moment before meeting my eyes again. "She would’ve kept asking until Keisha broke. So I admitted it."

My chest tightened. "You told Lyra the child was yours?"

"Yes."

"You understand what you’ve done."

"I do."

"No." I shook my head. "I don’t think you do."

I walked past him, stopping beside the window overlooking the estate.

Outside, the grounds were quiet. Lights glowed faintly through the darkness, giving the illusion that everything was peaceful. Anyone looking from outside would think this pack had never known a single problem.

If only they knew.

"You’ve just placed yourself at the centre of every conversation this estate is going to have for weeks."

"I know."

"You’ve given people permission to judge you, Dane."

"I know."

"They’ll question your loyalty." I turned back to face him. "And Lyra."

His expression changed almost imperceptibly. "I know. I understand what I did."

"You once dated her. This is crazy. Now she’ll believe you’ve secretly been involved with her sister."

Dane nodded. "I’m aware."

I walked back toward him. "If you already knew all of this..." I said slowly, "...then why?"

He looked at me steadily. "Because if people believe the child is mine, they stop asking questions."

I frowned. "What?"

"They don’t look at you."

Neither of us spoke for several moments.

"They don’t wonder why you’ve been protecting Keisha. They don’t question why she has access to places others don’t. They don’t notice how often the three of us disappear at the same time." His voice remained calm, almost painfully so. "They see exactly what they expect to see."

I felt something cold settle in my chest.

A lie to cover the truth. Everyone would believe.

Because it was ordinary. A Beta getting a woman pregnant was gossip. But an Alpha secretly fathering a child with the same woman alongside his Beta? That would tear the estate apart.

I nodded. "Okay then. I trust your decision. I’ll find a way to clear everything."

He nodded. "I’ll return to the patrol grounds."

The study felt strangely empty after Dane left.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with nothing but the quiet sound of the fireplace and the thoughts I had been trying— and failing —to keep in order.

I remained where I was for several moments, staring at the closed door as though I expected him to walk back in and tell me he’d found another solution. One that didn’t ask him to shoulder the blame for both of us. One that didn’t leave Keisha trapped.

Damien was quiet. Even he couldn’t find fault with Dane’s decision. Neither could I and I hated it.

I hated that it had come to this. I hated that the safest option for Keisha demanded another sacrifice from Dane after everything he had already given this pack. He had spent years standing at my side, taking risks without complaint, and now he was preparing to let the entire estate believe he had betrayed a woman he once cared about.

Fuck.

I crossed the room and stopped beside the window, looking out over the estate. The lights spread across the grounds were beginning to disappear one after another as people retired for the night. They had no idea how close everything had come to collapsing. They would wake tomorrow with only one story on their lips— a young woman carrying her Beta’s child.

If that was the story they accepted, then so be it.

Keisha would be spared the questions she wasn’t ready to answer. Nadia would never suspect her own father. And the pack would remain exactly as it needed to be.

I rubbed a hand over my face. The sudden vibration of my phone pulled me from my thoughts.

I glanced at the screen before answering. "Vera."

"Brother." She sounded happy. "You sound exhausted."

"I’ve had a long day."

"I guessed as much." There was movement on her end, followed by the distant sound of people talking. Unlike my study, hers wasn’t quiet. She was still at the border camp, surrounded by soldiers who had spent the last several days trying to secure a peace agreement.

"I have good news," she continued. "The Duskens finally agreed."

I straightened. "They signed?"

"They did. It took longer than I expected, but they’re willing to move forward. We spent half the afternoon going over the final conditions, and neither side has objected."

A breath I hadn’t realised I was holding escaped me. "That’s good work."

"I’ll accept the compliment," she said with a laugh. "Especially after listening to stubborn old wolves argue for three days straight."

"I don’t envy you."

"You shouldn’t." Her amusement faded, replaced by a serious tone. "They’ll be breaking camp tomorrow evening. Once they’re gone, the border should return to normal patrol rotations."

"I’ll be there before then."

There was a brief pause. "You don’t need to."

"I do."

"I’ve already handled the difficult part."

"I’m aware"

"And yet you’re still coming."

"I want to close this myself."

Another silence settled between us before she sighed in quiet acceptance. "I thought you might say that."

"I’ll leave first thing in the morning."

"Fine." Her tone softened. "We’ll have everything prepared before you arrive. You’ll only need to review the agreement, speak to their Alpha, and oversee the departure."

"Good."

"You sound distracted. Everything good?"

I looked back toward the door Dane had walked through only minutes earlier. "A few things came up here."

"Anything I should worry about?"

"Nothing you need to leave the border for."

She didn’t press. Vera had always known when to ask questions and when to leave them alone. "Then I’ll see you tomorrow."

"You will."

She hesitated just before ending the call. "And Callum?"

"Yes?"

"Get some sleep before you drive out here."

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth despite everything. "I’ll try."

The line went dead.

I lowered the phone slowly and slipped it back into my pocket before looking out across the estate one last time.

Tomorrow, I would leave for the borders.