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

KEISHA’S POV

Oh goddess, I wanted to sleep but sleep never came.

No matter how many times I closed my eyes, all I could see was Nadia’s face standing at my doorway, tears streaming down her cheeks as she begged me to tell her it had all been a joke. I’d watched her walk away without stopping her. I’d watched the hope disappear from her eyes, and now every time I thought about it, my chest tightened until it became difficult to breathe.

The room was dark except for the soft moonlight spilling through the curtains. Lyra lay beside me, pretending to sleep, though I knew she was awake. Every few minutes she’d glance in my direction before looking back at the ceiling, giving me space without leaving me alone.

"I broke her," I whispered into the silence.

Lyra turned onto her side to face me, her voice soft. "No."

"I did."

"You told the truth."

"The truth broke her. My truth. My fault."

She reached across the small gap between us and covered my hand with hers, her thumb rubbing slow circles against my skin the same way our mother used to whenever one of us woke up crying after a nightmare. "You’ve been carrying this alone for months, Keisha. You can’t blame yourself because the truth hurts. Some truths always do."

I stared at our joined hands without answering.

"I know you’re thinking about Nadia," she continued gently, "but you can’t undo what happened tonight by refusing to sleep. You’ll only make yourself sick."

"What if she never speaks to me again?"

Lyra was quiet for a moment. "Then you’ll keep trying until she does."

I finally looked at her. "You really think she’ll forgive me?"

"I think she loves you too much not to."

Her confidence wasn’t enough to erase the unease in my chest, but it loosened it just enough to make me relax for a second, exhaustion finally winning and I fell asleep.

***********

The first thing I heard was my father’s laughter.

It rang through the little house we had grown up in and the smell of breakfast that always seemed to follow him on Saturday mornings was drifting through the air. I was little again, my feet dangling from a dining chair that had always been too tall for me while my mother fussed over my hair, insisting I stay still long enough for her to finish braiding it.

Lyra sat across from me, grumbling because she’d been given one less pancake than I had. "It isn’t fair."

"You already stole one from my plate," I shot back.

"I was testing if yours tasted better."

Dad laughed so hard he nearly spilled his tea. "I see raising two little troublemakers was my greatest mistake."

Mom rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "It was."

The four of us left the house together, Dad carrying both our schoolbags despite insisting they were making him old before his time. Mom walked between Lyra and me, holding our hands as we skipped toward the car, neither of us wanting to go to school.

It was perfect. Then it all changed. The day my father’s dead body was brought home and I watched my mum break down under the rain in the back.

I tried to move but I couldn’t. I tried to call for my mother but sound came out.

Dad... Mom... Please... Somebody help them.

I struggled to reach them, but no matter how hard I ran, the distance between us never became smaller.

Then everything went black.

I jerked upright with a sharp gasp, my entire body shaking.

"Keisha." Lyra’s voice reached me before anything else. She was already sitting beside me, one hand on my shoulder while the other held a steaming mug. "It was another nightmare."

I pressed a trembling hand against my chest, trying to steady my breathing. "I saw them." My voice barely sounded like mine. "I saw Mom and Dad."

Lyra’s expression softened immediately and she passed me the mug without saying anything, waiting until I’d taken a careful sip before speaking again. "I still dream about them too."

I looked down at the coffee swirling inside the cup. "It felt so real."

She nodded. "It always does."

Neither of us spoke for a while. Eventually Lyra smiled sadly. "You know... it’s been years since we held a proper memorial for them."

I looked up. "We always say we’ll do something."

"And then life gets in the way." She laughed bitterly.

I nodded slowly. "Let’s do it this month."

She smiled. "I think they’d like that."

*********

Breakfast was quiet and uneventful.

Neither of us had much of an appetite, but Lyra still insisted I eat before leaving the table. By the time we finished, something else kept ringing in my head.

But it wasn’t the pregnancy anymore. It was Nadia.

"I have to see her."

Lyra looked at me for a long moment before giving a small nod. "I figured you would."

"I can’t leave things like this."

"No, you shouldn’t."

She stood, disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later carrying a small paper bag. "I packed some snacks for her. She always lights up whenever Becca makes these."

I accepted the bag with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"Don’t stay too long," she warned. "And if she isn’t ready to talk, don’t force her."

"I won’t."

I left the house and for some reason, the walk to Alpha Callum’s mansion felt longer than usual.

Maybe I should go home. Maybe Nadia needed more time. Maybe seeing me would only make things worse. Maybe—

"Miss Keisha?"

I stopped in my tracks.

One of the younger maids hurried toward me, smiling politely before holding out a neatly folded envelope. "This was left for you."

"For me?"

She nodded. "I was asked to deliver it as soon as I saw you."

Before I could ask another question, she dipped into a quick bow and hurried away and I frowned and unfolded the letter.

"Meet me at the back gate. I only need a few minutes. Please come alone."

I read the note twice with a frown.

What was this? Who even sent this? Could this be a trap after everything?

I glanced toward Callum’s mansion before looking back at the path leading toward the rear gate.

Fuck. I shouldn’t go, but curiosity won.

Keeping the paper folded tightly in my hand, I changed direction and made my way through the quieter part of the estate. The farther I walked, the fewer people I passed until the sounds of the main grounds faded behind me.

The back gate came into view and I saw someone was already there.

The figure stood with their back to me, completely still, as though they had been waiting for a long time.

I slowed and my footsteps crunched softly against the gravel.

That was when the person turned. The moment I saw their face, every ounce of color drained from mine.

My fingers loosened, the paper slipped from my hand and my heart stopped.

No...

That can’t be...