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

Keisha’s POV

Nadia had barely finished thanking the Moon Goddess that I was safe when a loud burst of shouting sounded through the open office window.

At first, none of us paid much attention. The estate was rarely quiet, especially after everything that had happened over the past few days. Raised voices weren’t unusual but this one sounded... Angry.

Dane slowly raised his head from the stack of reports on his desk while Nadia frowned toward the window.

"Do you hear that?"

Before I could answer, another voice rang out, louder than the rest.

"I don’t care who he is!"

My stomach tightened. I knew that voice. Without thinking, I pushed myself to my feet.

"Lyra." The word barely left my lips before I was already moving toward the door.

"Keisha," Dane called after me. "Wait."

But I was no longer listening.

By the time Dane and Nadia caught up with me, a crowd had already gathered in front of the Great Hall. Warriors, servants, office workers— everyone seemed to have abandoned whatever they were doing just to watch the spectacle unfolding in the courtyard.

People stepped aside as we approached, and the moment I saw my sister standing in the middle of the crowd, my heart nearly stopped.

Lyra stood directly before Elder Osric, her chin lifted defiantly while the elder leaned heavily on his cane, his expression filled with annoyance. Several guards lingered nearby, looking uncertain whether they should interfere or pretend they hadn’t witnessed any of it.

"You had no right to treat my sister like a criminal," Lyra snapped, her voice carrying across the courtyard. "She’s done nothing to deserve being dragged into a dungeon."

Elder Osric didn’t so much as blink. "I acted in the best interest of this pack."

"The best interest of the pack?" Lyra scoffed. "By throwing an innocent woman into a cell without proof? If that’s what you call justice, perhaps someone should start questioning your judgment instead."

A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd.

I hurried forward before either of them could say anything worse. "Lyra."

She turned immediately, the anger in her eyes softening the moment she saw me.

"Keisha." She closed the distance between us in only a few strides, grabbing both my shoulders as she looked me over anxiously. "Are you hurt? Did they touch you? Did they—"

"I’m alright."

"No, you’re not." She looked back toward Osric, fury returning almost instantly. "Look what they put you through."

I gently caught her arm before she could march back toward him. "It’s over."

"It shouldn’t be."

"Please."

She looked at me, then at the crowd watching us from every direction but stubborn set of her jaw barely shifted.

"He humiliated you."

"I know."

"And nobody is saying anything." She hissed.

"I am asking you to let it go."

She let out a frustrated breath but didn’t move.

Unfortunately, Elder Osric wasn’t willing to end the matter there. "This young woman owes the council an apology," he declared loudly. "Her behavior toward an elder is unacceptable."

Before Lyra could respond, Dane stepped forward, his voice filled with steel. "I believe enough attention has already been drawn to today’s incident."

Osric narrowed his eyes.. "So you intend to excuse this disrespect?"

"I intend to prevent a larger scene than the one already taking place." Dane glanced briefly at the crowd surrounding them before returning his gaze to the elder. "Whatever lesson needs to be taught can wait until people stop treating the Great Hall like today’s entertainment."

Several people immediately looked away, pretending they hadn’t been watching.

Osric followed Dane’s gaze, finally seeming to notice just how many spectators had gathered. After a long silence, he adjusted his robes with a quiet huff. "This matter isn’t finished."

"It doesn’t have to continue today," Dane replied evenly.

For a moment, neither man moved. Then Elder Osric turned without another word and walked away, the other elders following closely behind him.

The crowd began to break apart almost immediately, conversations erupting as everyone wandered back toward their duties.

I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Finally. It was over.

Or so I thought.

The instant Elder Osric disappeared around the corner, Lyra spun around to face Dane instead. "And you."

He looked genuinely puzzled. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

She folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"Who gave you permission to grab my arm?"

Dane blinked once. "You were about to start another argument."

"I was defending my sister."

"You were also seconds away from insulting an elder in front of half the estate."

I closed my eyes briefly. Moon Goddess...

Dane rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn’t trying to offend you."

"But you still touched me."

"I was trying to stop things from getting out of hand."

Nadia quietly looked from one of them to the other before leaning closer to me.

"I think we should leave before Round Two begins."

I almost laughed despite everything. "Lyra," I said softly, slipping my hand around hers. "Can we just go home?"

She looked at me for a long moment, then her shoulders slowly relaxed.. "For your sake."

She shot Dane one final glare before allowing me to lead her away, though I could still hear her muttering under her breath about arrogant men like him.

By the time we reached the annex, the tension had settled into an uncomfortable silence.

Dane stopped outside the front steps instead of following us in. His gaze lingered on me for a brief moment, as though making sure I was truly alright after everything that had happened. "Get some rest," he said simply. "You’ve had enough excitement for one day."

"I will," I replied with a grateful smile.

He gave a small nod before leaving, while Nadia excused herself as well, promising to stop by later in the evening. Once the two of them were gone, only Lyra and I remained.

The front door had barely shut before my sister let out a long sigh and threw herself onto one of the chairs. "I still can’t stand him."

I couldn’t help smiling faintly as I walked into the kitchen to pour us both glasses of water. "You’ve made that very clear."

"I’m serious." She accepted the glass from me before shaking her head. "The man has no idea how to stay out of other people’s business. First he stops me from putting that elder in his place, then he acts as though he did me some great favor."

"He was trying to stop things from getting worse."

"Maybe. Doesn’t mean I have to appreciate it." She took a sip before studying me carefully, her expression gradually softening.

"What I don’t understand is you." She leaned back in her chair with a puzzled look. "Out of everyone in this estate, how did you end up liking someone like Dane? Your taste worries me."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

"There you are," she said, pointing at me with obvious satisfaction. "I’ve been trying to get that smile back since we left the Great Hall."

The smile faded almost as quickly as it had appeared.

My eyes drifted to the tabletop, and suddenly every emotion I’d been holding together since morning returned all at once and the tears came without warning.

Lyra’s expression changed immediately. "Oh, Keisha..." She crossed the room in seconds and wrapped her arms around me before I could even wipe my face.

"I’m sorry," she whispered. "I wasn’t trying to upset you."

I quickly shook my head against her shoulder. "It isn’t because of what you said."

"Then what is it?"

"I don’t even know anymore." My voice trembled despite my efforts to steady it. "Everything has happened so fast. I keep telling myself I’m fine, but... I’m tired, Lyra. I really am."

She didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she held me the way she used to when we were little.

When I finally pulled away, embarrassment crept in.. "I should probably wash my face."

"You should probably sleep," Lyra corrected gently. "You’ve looked exhausted since this morning."

I nodded in agreement and rose from my chair.

The moment I took a few steps toward my room, a wave of dizziness hit me so suddenly that the walls seemed to blur. My knees weakened beneath me, and I instinctively reached for the nearest piece of furniture, but my hand caught nothing except empty air.

Before I could fall, Lyra caught hold of my arm and her face drained of color. "Keisha!"

"I’m alright." I forced a smile, waiting for the spinning sensation to pass. "It was only for a second."

"You almost collapsed."

"I’m pregnant. Maybe I just stood up too quickly."

"Or maybe you’re going to the doctor."

I sighed. "Lyra..."

"No." She was already reaching for my shawl. "You spent hours in a dungeon today, you’ve barely eaten, and now you’re almost falling over. We’re seeing Doctor Fenn."

Arguing with her was pointless so I nodded weakly.

Less than thirty minutes later, we were seated inside Doctor Fenn’s clinic. After listening carefully to everything Lyra had witnessed, the doctor examined me thoroughly, asking questions about my appetite, my sleep, and the dizziness before carrying out another, much longer examination.

The room remained quiet while she reviewed her findings, and I couldn’t stop myself from studying her face for any hint that something was wrong.

Instead, she smiled. "There’s nothing to worry about," she said reassuringly. "Both pups are developing exactly as they should."

Neither Lyra nor I reacted and Doctor Fenn frowned slightly, then looked between us. "You... did know there were two, didn’t you?"

I stared at her. Lyra slowly turned to look at me, wearing the exact same expression of confusion.

Slowly, I blinked, my heart racing. "...Excuse me?"