Page 7 of Daddy Wolf's Secret Baby

Zahra smiled. “The men in my pack won’t let anyone hurt us, that I can promise.”

“Still,” Ruthie said, putting her hand on Zahra’s leg.

“We’ll watch out,” she said.

That night, after the sun set and darkness settled on the town, Zahra and Jace hugged Emma and Ruthie, promising to keep in touch. Then, making sure that Elias wasn’t around, she and Jace hopped into her packed car and headed west.

Jace fell asleep soon after and she drove the next eight hours, listening to podcasts, although her mind whirled with their reception when they arrived – especially from Josiah. The closer they got to Angel’s Creek, the more anxious she was. More than once she had to almost force herself to relax her grip on the steering wheel.

Finally, fifteen hours later, after several stops for potty, meals, and snacks, they pulled into her parents’ driveway. She sat in the car for a minute and just breathed. Her parents rushed out of the house a minute later.

Jace knew them well since they had visited often. He hopped out of the car and into their arms. She opened the car door and slowly walked toward them.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” Isabel said, hugging Zahra tightly. “It will make everything so much easier.”

“Of course, Mom. I was ready to come home, anyway, to be completely honest.”

“Good. Come inside.”

They grabbed bags and boxes and toted them to Zahra’s and Zac’s old rooms.

“As you can see, we have plenty of room. You guys can stay as long as you want until you find your own place,” John said.

“Or, you can just live here with us,” Isabel added.

“I love you guys, but I don’t think that I can live with my parents again. I’ll start looking for a house in the next day or so.”

“Don’t be in a rush,” John said dryly.

Zac and Conner knocked on the door an hour later. She embraced her big brothers tightly. They hadn’t seen each other since she left. Zac was getting ready to become the alpha and Conner had been moving all over the country since he was in the rodeo. When they both settled down, they had been so busy with their lives, they never managed to visit, although they had kept in touch.

They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Jace. Of course, they knew Jace existed and had even talked to him on the phone a couple of times. However, they had never seen a picture of him.

“He looks just like Josiah,” Zac said.

“Exactly like him,” Conner agreed.

They both looked at Zahra for an explanation.

“Josiah and I had sex the night of the party after graduation. The next day, he told me that he didn’t want to be a couple because it might ruin his friendship with Zac.”

She didn’t mention that he had also been worried about his position in the pack.

“I didn’t tell him that I was pregnant because I didn’t want him to be forced into a relationship with me. Please give us a chance to settle in before you say anything to anyone.”

“I’m going to beat his ass to a pulp when I see him,” Conner growled.

“You can’t. He was honest with me about his feelings. Forcing him into a relationship would have made everyone miserable. I made the decision to leave.”

“He’s going to figure out that Jace is his son,” Zac said. “It’s kind of obvious.”

“I know. But at least give us a couple of days to settle in.”

“Fine,” Zac said.

Conner nodded in agreement.

Relieved that she had a little bit of time, she hugged her brothers. They all sat down in the living room and talked for a while. Gradually, Zahra relaxed, feeling more and more at home.

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