The Guardian Wolf And Her Alpha Mate
The Guardian Wolf and her Alpha Mate Bonus 12

Ophelia POV:

Freezing, I don't move for a moment as i process what Alex has said.

"Lia?" He asks, his deep voice coaxing me from my thoughts. "What do you think?"

Sitting up I spin so I'm sat looking at him clearly. "I think it's the right thing to do."

Seeing a slight hint of shock pass through his eyes, he soon sits up opposite me. "Really?"

"Really," I confirm. "You know I've always been very keen on the idea of Jax taking your place once our time has come.

Now I think it's more than evident that it's the right time, he has a Guardian Wolf by his side. We know that Guardian Wolves are our protectors, our supporters and someone who will do anything in their power to continue our work in creating peace and unity between packs and other species."

"Exactly," Alex says, looking at me in relief.

With a nervous chuckle, I shrugged before trying to sound casual with my next comment, "I would also like to start a family with you."

"You would?!" He gasps. "But..you..?"

"I know," I whisper. Seeing a hint of hope in his eyes! quickly put my hand over his and shake my head slightly, "nothing has changed for me Alex, I can't have children. I'm sorry."

"No Lia" he replies sternly. "Don't ever apologise for that."

"You were hopeful," I whisper.

"No," he says, shaking his head. "I was hopeful we could start soon, yes, but then I remembered it takes time to appoint a new Alpha King."

"Oh," I mumble, my cheeks heating in slight embarrassment.

"Would you really want to start a family soon?" He asks quietly.

"I've always wanted a family with you Alex. I just needed time to process the fact that that ability was taken from me" I explain. When Alex found me, I had been chained and beaten, and my purity had been taken from me by force. He was my saviour, in far more ways than one. He found that spark in me once again, he built my confidence back up and he was there for me through all my trauma and helped me learn how to cope with it. But when I learned that from the way I had been treated, I could never have kids...it sent me on a downward spiral. The loss I felt was hard to comprehend, and the worry I held that my mate would be disappointed, ate at me until one day I exploded and told him the truth. To say I was embarrassed at even thinking he would care, was an understatement. I was mortified that I considered him holding that against me, and I know it upset him to. But he was understanding, forgiving and supportive. For a long time, I struggled with rational thinking; my life had been unstable for a long time, and it showed. But Alex changed all that, he not once held anything against me. He worked to replace any horrific memories with beautiful ones.

"I worried that after what happened to me, bringing a child into our life would complicate things and endanger them" I explain.

"I know" he says quietly, "I did also. Losing my family like that..it made me want to wait."

"I know too" I whisper. "But I want a child between us Alex."

"Why don't we adopt?" He asks suddenly.

"You'd want to adopt?" I ask in confusion.

Nodding slowly, he offers me a small smile. "Knowing you can't have a pup of your own, whatever route we took, has made me realise I could only ever have a pup of my blood with you. Anything else would feel wrong. Like I was betraying you...even if it wasn't physically." "But you wouldn't be Alex," I say, furrowing my brows.

"I know but." he trails off with a little shrug. "I just can't wrap my head around that, and there are so many pups out there in need of a loving home. Nova and Luca are perfect examples; they may not be blood-related, but have you seen a more stable sibling bond than them?"

"No... Are you sure, Alex? I don't want you to feel like you have to make that decision just because of me," I whisper.

"I'm not," he assures me. "It's for all of us."

Blinking quickly to keep the tears at bay, I offer him a wobbly smile.

"Oh, sweetheart," he whispers before pulling me close. Sniffing as I rest my head on his chest, I can't help the tears that fall.

"You're so good to me" I mumble as his chest rumbles with deep laughter.

"I was thinking the same about you" he chuckles. "So were really going to do this? I mean I know it takes time, the process of stepping down and finding the next Alpha King, but it gives us ample time to look into everything properly."

"We're going to do this," I giggle, pulling away and flashing him a wide grin.

"Parents," he smirked as he nudged me gently with his shoulder.

"We will be" I promise him, grasping his hand tightly as we struggle to tame our excited grins.

We return to our comfortable silence for a few more moments, before I hear Alex sigh once more. "What you thinking about now?" I tease him, sitting straight and rolling my eyes at him.

"Kingsley's pack" he admits as my eyes widen in surprise.

"T have to admit I hadn't thought of who would replace him"

I reply quietly. "Do they have a Beta?"

"Do you think it's time for them to be recognised as an official pack?" Alex asks me, clearly lost in his thoughts to not have registered my question.

"They aren't a normal pack though" I point out.

"They're not, and it doesn't mean they have to be" he says with a slightly shrug. "What Kingsley was achieving was impressive, why change his dynamic of running things?"

"So you suggest someone continues his legacy?" I confirm.

"Definitely" he replies immediately. "I was thinking Luca."

"Because of Sophie." I realise.

"Well yes, in a way. But Luca is far more than a Beta, his blood is the only thing that kept him in that position.

However being Rogue King doesn't mean he needs Alpha blood" Alex explains. "The pack trusts Sophie, she's a familiar face and will ensure to do what her father set out to do. Luca is a great leader, he has a natural ability and he is very likeable, plus a formidable fighter. I think they'd be a great replacement."

"I agree" I say softly. "So it still be a Rogue Pack?"

"Yes, but be recognised by the council" Alex elaborates. "I believe it will help with peace and overall unity."

"I think it's definitely worth mentioning to them," I reply with a smile. "Change is coming."

"Change is coming," Alex repeats.