Page 20 of Alpha's Secret Baby

A frown marred her beautiful brow, and her fair eyebrows scrunched together, her silver stare demanding an explanation.

I exhaled heavily, regretful that her scent was no longer in my lungs, knowing from the look on her face that I wouldn’t get to breathe her in again.

I attempted to explain myself, “My wolf is… happy to see you, Cherry.”

Her suspicious look slowly faded away, and with a gentle smile, she said, “Mine too, Dylan, but… will your wolf behave himself if I take the last two measurements I need?”

I huffed a laugh, wanting to reassure her more than I wanted to touch her. “I promise he’ll behave.”

Stepping forward, she kneeled down in front of me, measuring the width of my thigh, then my knee. I’d fantasized about Cherry so much over the years, wondering what I’d say to her if I found myself with an opportunity like this one. But, excruciatingly, now that she was actually here, I was hopelessly tongue-tied. It didn’t help that my wolf that I’d just promised would behave, rumbled with approval at Cherry’s position,kneelingin front of me. The Alpha beast in me wanted to dominate the beautiful creature in front of me. The urge to push her down on the floor and take her in my arms was in danger of overshadowing my rational mind. The hunter within me seemed to creep up and down in my chest, urging me that it wasn’t words that would win Cherry, that it was only by showing her flesh to flesh, body to body.

“So, how’s life treating you?” I eventually blurted out.

My lame opener elicited a quirk on Cherry’s lips, at least. “Life’s good. I love my work,” she clarified. Pausing for a moment, she added, “I’m… happy.” Tension fell over her suddenly. I kicked myself. I’d made her uncomfortable.

She stood up, flourishing the notebook. “That’s everything I need.” She said with strained brightness.

I nodded, forcing myself to smile, even though my spirits plummeted, knowing that that was it. There was no reason for us to linger here in my mom’s workroom. There was my Alpha Ceremony to prep for tomorrow. No doubt Lucy was bossing about the delivery driver outside. My dad was probably helping the driver unload. I knew I should go down and help. I should accept that this unexpected moment given to me with Cherry was all I was allotted. My heart cramped as I waited for her to walk away, out of my life. Again.

But… she lingered. Her voice was earnest. “I hope you’ll be very happy too, Dylan.”

Heaviness bore down on me. Her sincere tone made me admit, “I’m not happy.”

Cherry’s face paled.

“I can’t be.” I clenched my jaw before confessing, “I’m not in love with Lucy.”

Shock washed over her face, then confusion. “But you’re marrying her?”

With a sigh, I explained, “The only reason to marry Lucy is that she has the bloodline of an Alpha. My dad wants me to secure a powerful mate for the future of the next generation. He said that Nuu-Chah had foreseen a powerful child and heir from a union between Lucy and me. So… I agreed.”

Her grey eyes tracked over me, and I could see her digesting my words, but I longed to know if they had anyrealeffect on her. With yearning, I thought of how my feelings for Cherry had haunted me over the last seven years, as I knew they would. I’d never given up loving her, but my dad hadfinallyconvinced me to put the pack first. He’d lectured me that even as Alpha, my needs were subordinate to the pack’s needs. He’d called me reckless for reaching my thirtieth year and still not having taken a mate and produced an heir. His accusations over my selfishness echoed through my head.“What if something happened to you? With no heir, the pack would fall into chaos.”

Eventually, his arguments had won out. After all, it was because I’d put my need for freedom before the pack that I’d failed to secure my mating bond with Cherry. If I had put the pack before myself, the line of ascension would have been safeguarded. Besides, Starsmoon would have had Cherry as a kind and self-assured Luna. I tried to push away thoughts of what might have been, berating myself for my past blindness.

But that was animpossiblefeat with Cherry still standing in front of me, her sweet scent hitting me like summer blossom. She opened her mouth, her voice gentle, “The fact that you’re putting the pack first, Dylan, shows what an amazing Alpha you’ll be. Starsmoon is very lucky.”

I frowned, hating that my confession had only incited words about the pack from Cherry. Anger at the rapidly approaching future I didn’t want was a feeling I was all too familiar with. And ironically, the past that I’d rejected seven years ago was now standing right in front of me in the shape of Cherry. I wanted to grasp it … grasp her, and tell the future to go to hell.

The more time I spent breathing the same air as Cherry, the more hope kindled in me. Could the feelings Cherry felt for me so many years ago blossom again? A hint that they might seemed to exist in the beautiful stain that had crossed her cheeks earlier as she’d trailed her hands down my body. If only I could be sure she’d felt what I did earlier. Had her thoughts gone back to that night that we’d shared all those years ago?

Courage flared through me as I thought of what she’d said about her life earlier. She’d told me she was happy, but she’d only mentioned that she was happy with her work. Did that mean there wasn’t anyone special in her life? When she’d left the pack and me, she’d done so because she wanted a proper relationship and to lead a full life. But with all she’d accomplished now in her career, wasn’t it possible that she had more room in her life for more? Might she have room in it forme?

My wolf prickled just below my skin, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to tell Cherryeverything. I needed to tell her what I felt.

“Neither I… nor my wolf has feelings for Lucy,” I started thickly, my voice low, and watching the heat rise in Cherry’s cheeks again.

I thought of how my wolf hadn’t lasted a minute alone with Cherry before I’d launched myself at her, hugging and breathing her in.

The sentence was on the tip of my tongue, “Whereas–”

“Dylan?” Lucy hollered from downstairs.

Anger fired through me, and my wolf snarled at the interruption.

But Cherry moved away, offering me a strained smile, “An Alpha’s job is never done, right?” She hurried to the door.

And as Cherry dashed out of the room, Lucy bounded up the stairs, impatient to get my attention. Likely suspicious, too, that things had taken us too long. Frustration somersaulted through me, and I realized I was screwed. I was utterly as in love with my ex-mate as I had been seven years ago. But after my ascension ceremony tomorrow, I would be expected to bind myself to another.

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