Page 44 of Cruel Alpha

“You and your sister and Mommy and Auntie Julia are gonna go on a little trip, Jack. How does that sound?”

Jack shook his head vigorously.

“I like at home!” he insisted. I couldn’t blame him, I supposed. The only trip he’d ever been on before had involved being chased by angry wolves, a storm, and a nasty car crash. If I was him, I wouldn’t be one for trips either.

“It won’t be like the last trip,” I assured him. “Mommy and Auntie Julia are gonna keep you safe.”

“An’ me!” Emmy yelled, her little arm shooting into the air.

“Yeah, they’ll keep you safe, too,” I promised, but Emmy shook her head.

“No!” she insisted. “I keep Jack safe.”

“Sure,” I agreed. “You’ll keep him real safe, baby girl.” I booped her nose with my forefinger and was rewarded with a squeal of laughter.

The sound of feet on the stairs had me standing up, immediately attuned to her presence. She had a small bag slung over each shoulder, shoving a tiny pair of socks into the blue one on her left.

“Okay,” she was saying. “I’ve got overnight clothes for both of them. You told Ethan to make sure the Ferris guys know Jack is allergic to peanuts, right?”

“Yeah, they know,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll tell them again, though.”

I’d thought the joke might lighten the mood, but Alyssa stopped in her tracks.

“What do you mean? I’m staying here.”

“No, you are not.”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m not going to argue with you right now—”

“Great, so I’m staying.”

“No!” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw both twins flinch, and I lowered my voice, hating myself. “No,” I repeated softly. “We agreed that you and Julia would go together.”

“You decreed that Julia and I would go together,” she said pointedly, grabbing two boxes of juice from the fridge and stowing them in the bags. “I never agreed to it.”

Her stare was flint and fire; in any other circumstance, I would have relished the fight in her. I still did—it was a beautiful change from the stone wall she’d been presenting me with for the last few weeks—but now was not the time to sweep her off her feet and fuck her until we forgot what we were arguing about.

With that route closed to me, I struggled to find the words to convince her to leave. I wasn’t about to bring the weight of my authority down on her, not when I hadjustearned back her trust. I stood there at a loss for a few tense seconds until the front door burst open.

“Here. I’m here. Shit.”

Julia was back, Ethan hot on her tail.

“Found her walking back from the elders’ cottages. Alone, like an idiot,” said Ethan, and Julia shot him a poisonous glare.

“I’ll go get my bag,” she said, taking off up the stairs.

Everything was happening so fast, and I needed to convince Alyssa to leave. I couldn’t lose her now, not after everything. I turned to Ethan.

“Can you keep an eye on the kids for me? Thanks.” Without waiting for his answer, I removed the bags from Alyssa’s shoulders and ushered her into the kitchen area. The open plan of the room didn’t afford much privacy, but it was better than nothing.

“Please, Alyssa. You have to go.” I said in a low tone. It hurt my pride to beg her, but that wasn’t important.

“Why?” Alyssa snapped back at me. “You think I can’t hold my own?”

“I think you’re brilliant,” I told her. “I think they’ll all be terrified of you, and you’ll have a target on your back.”

---