Page 6 of Daddy Wolf's Secret Baby

“Tomorrow, I’ll go buy a bunch of packing boxes and get Emma and Ruthie to help me with the rest.”

She was exhausted when she finally made it to sleep about three. It seemed as though she had only gotten a minute of shut eye when her alarm went off.

Jace was up as soon as she started making breakfast.

“What’s with all of the boxes?”

“Your grandma has cancer. Grandpa called me last night. We’re going to move back to Angel’s Creek.”

“What about all my friends?” he asked.

“You can keep in touch with them. You have email and video chats, and we might even come back to visit. I know that I’ll miss Emma and Ruthie, too, but Grandma needs us.”

Jace stared at her as though he was going to protest, but he simply nodded. “A man always takes care of his family, first, no matter what. That’s what Grandpa and Alpha Gentry said.”

“It’s the same for women,” Zahra assured him. “You know that you will be the center of attention for a while. Your Uncle Zac and Conner have mates and a passel of pups. There are other members of the pack who will gush over you, too.”

“I know.” He paused for a second and asked, quietly, “Will I get to meet my dad?”

“Yes. You look just like him, so I imagine that everyone will figure out the truth right away. Remember, he is a good man. It’s just that things didn’t work out between us, and I had to leave before he knew about you.”

“I understand.”

Even though Jace said he understood, Zahra wondered if he really did. It was hard enough for an adult to comprehend, let alone a child, however mature he might be.

After they ate and she put the dishes in the dishwasher, they stepped outside. Just then, Elias pulled up in front of her house in his Maserati.

“Good morning, Zahra. Hello, Jace,” he said pleasantly.

Although he was being pleasant, Jace instinctively stepped closer to Zahra until he was touching her. Zahra briefly wondered if her son was getting ready to defend her.

“It’s a beautiful day out. I was hoping that the two of you might join me for a trip to the zoo. The polar bears are amazing.”He looked at Jace and smiled. “You can have all the cotton candy and Dippin’ Dots you want.”

“Thank you for asking. That’s kind of you. Unfortunately, we have a lot of errands to run and we simply can’t today,” Zahra said.

A dark cloud passed over Elias’ face for a moment, and Zahra was afraid that he was going to say something nasty again. However, he simply nodded at her. “Soon, then, right?”

Zahra got the feeling that he wasn’t asking.

“Sure. Soon.”

He strutted back to his car and peeled away onto the street. The smell of burning rubber made Zahra sneeze.

“I don’t like him,” Jace said.

“Me, either. Let’s go get those moving boxes.”

As soon as they got back, Zahra called Emma and Ruthie, who insisted on helping her pack. She also called the moving company, who promised they would have her and Jace’s belongings in Angel’s Creek by the following Monday.

“I think we’re going to leave tonight,” Zahra said. “After it gets dark. You can call me paranoid, but I honestly think that Elias will try to stop us from going if he knows we’re leaving.”

She had told them about their encounters at the picnic and this morning.

“I think you might be right. It would be too much of a blow to his pride to think that someone actually had the audacity to tell him no and walk away from him,” Emma said. “He’s used to getting what he wants, no matter what.”

“If he asks you guys where I went, please don’t tell him. It won’t take him long to figure it out, but hopefully, we’ll be settled in when he does. Maybe he won’t come after me.”

Emma made the zipping motion across her lips. “We wouldn’t tell. I don’t know if he’ll come after you or not. It might be too much effort and he’ll pursue someone else. On the otherhand, he might take it as a challenge, insult, or both. I’d watch my back.”

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