Chapter 191: Alpha daddy cuddles

Noah’s POV

He’s having a bad dream again. He woke me with an unintelligible shout a few minutes ago, and since then, I’m trying to soothe him with my scent.

"No more" he says and his erratic breathing slowly evens out. "It’s okay..." I whisper as he jerks in his sleep.

"It’s okay...both of us are going to be okay, too. Our pup is already growing so well, and I’m sure it’s going to be a fun ride" I say to him. His struggle stops and he relaxes into the sheets.

He looks so harmless like this. I swallow the lump in my throat before leaning in to kiss his forehead. I feel so sorry for him.

He cried, expressed his emotions, and now he’s stuck in a bad dream.

He’s so troubled...no wonder he didn’t sleep a lot when we first met.

I lift my head to look at the leather chair where he used to sit in back then with a book. The chair is positioned in a way that he can watch everything in the room, and it makes me wonder if he hadn’t been kidnapped, would he be as controlling as he is right now?

I wipe the sweat beads off his forehead, and he mutters in his sleep. He repeats the words again, and I lean forward to listen to what he’s saying. When I do, I catch a few of those words, and they are words that break my heart.

"Protect Noah..." he says and I purr softly.

"I can protect myself, Elias. You shouldn’t worry about me" I say to him even though I know he can’t respond. I mean, it’s not like I expect a sleeping man to respond. I need him to sleep as long and as comfortably as possible.

With a sigh, I lie back in bed and stare at the ceiling. I really need to learn how to protect myself. Speaking up to Aria felt good and fulfilling, but I know I have to do more.

I’m still in enemy territory and I’m still Governor Goldsmith’s son. The Deus family may have accepted me, but they still house employees who hate my guts...Aria for example.

I shudder at the thought of Aria and her attack.

"I’ll be back, Elias" I whisper to my husband and slip out of the bed. The alpha’s empty arms tighten around nothing, and his brows pull together in a frown.

"N-Noah?" he calls in his sleep, and dear Goddess, he sounds so adorable that I want to crawl back into the bed.

"Oh boy...who’s the lovestruck idiot now?" I whisper and put a pillow between his arms. I watch with satisfaction as he hugs it tighter. Elias acts all cold and nonchalant when he’s awake. Who would have thought he’d be a cuddler in his sleep. Isn’t that cute? He’s so cute!

"Your daddy is cute" I say to my stomach as I place a hand on it like I used to do when I was ’pregnant’ with the first pup. The pain follows the memory, but an indescribable happiness is inside my chest now.

"Baby, don’t tell your dad you heard me call him cute, okay? He thinks he’s some kind of dark romance alpha lord daddy" I roll my eyes and button my shirt up.

I’ve read enough of those books to know how they act. Luckily, my husband is worse than them...but in a good way. As I fasten the last button of the shirt, I freeze. Something tells me this kid will have Elias wrapped around his or her finger.

"Wait...can you hear me yet?" I ask in a quiet voice and I’m greeted with silence.

’Expecting a pup that’s not even a month old to hear...are you okay, Noah?’ my own omega asks and I huff quietly before sneaking out of the room.

My new hobby is sneaking through the Deus mansion in the early hours, but today, I have a precise plan. I want to see Damien and I need him to teach me how to defend myself.

I walk in the direction I’m sure I’m familiar with but end up getting lost. I don’t recognize anything here. I slowly turn around and find a lone door with a yellow warning sign on it.

While one part tells me to go open it, the other part asks me to avoid it. I pause and stare for a few seconds before biting my lip. I take a step towards it.

"What are you doing?" a voice snaps.

"Argh!" I jump as I am startled by the unexpected noise and I press a hand to my chest. I quickly turn around and find Damien standing there with a scowl.

The alpha doesn’t look like his playful self. He’s dressed in a leather biker’s jacket, smells of smoke, and seems as menacing as he was when they raided my home.

My brain signals for me to run, but my omega trusts him. I smooth a hand over my belly and straighten my back.

"I was looking for you" I say and he tips his head backwards.

"I’m not in the mood to fuck around, Noah. I’d advise you to go back to your room" he says with a growl and I fold my arms, channeling the same energy I spoke to Aria with. "I’m not going anywhere till you respond to me" I say sassily and he brushes past me.

"Suit yourself, Noah" he replies and goes into the room. He must have thought I wouldn’t follow, but I do. I walk into the room with him and take in the state of the room. It’s medium-sized and is full of various computers.

Damien sits in front of the computers and starts to click buttons. I stand behind him, watching quietly as the focused alpha scrolls through hundreds of files. He’s looking for something.

"Damien? What’s this about?" I ask curiously and he ignores me.

"Damien?"

"Elias, please" he says quietly and I press my lips together. Damien starts replaying the recording of the security camera in the basement. I keep watching quietly as he closes the video and selects a file named Green.

Zane?

My heart skips a beat as I see Zane sitting in the corner of the cell. He’s not looking at the camera; he’s just sitting there quietly. Damien zooms in and I grow worried.

Why are we watching my best friend in this room when he’s clearly in the basement?

"Damien" I call again, growing even more worried.

"Noah, I’d really love it if you didn’t speak for the next few minutes" Damien snarls and I lean in closer to get a better look. There is no sound, but I see the moment Zane gets startled by something outside.

He gets up and runs to the gate. My best friend presses his face against the bars to see what’s happening, and my heart rate kicks up.

A man in all black shows up and Zane starts to talk to him. My eyes widen as the man says something that makes Zane nod vigorously.

No...

Zane steps back and someone else brings in an angle grinder that is already running. The person gestures for Zane to move away before he starts to cut the bars.

No...no...no.

My best friend calmly walks to the corner of the room and picks up a book and a pen. He writes down something and lifts it to the camera. "For Noah" he mouths and I cup my mouth in shock.

Zane places the book on his small bed, gives the camera one last glare, and leaves the cell with the invaders.

My best friend is...gone.