Page 51 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

A large grin spread across my face.

“Thank you, Summer. That truly means the world to me that you did that.”

“He kind of knew already,” she admitted. “He’s very smart and intuitive.”

“So is his mother.”

She blushed and looked at her lap.

I waited until her eyes were back on mine.

“I want to apologize for not validating your feelings during our conversation by the Jeep,” I said. “Youwill always be enough of a reason for me to stay. I just needed you to know that. And I want to prove to you that I’m here for you and Grayson through my actions, not just my words.”

Summer’s cheeks turn redder.

“Well, maybe you can start tomorrow. I was thinking that if you wanted to, the three of us could spend the day together,” my Mate suggested. “So that you and Grayson can get to know each other.”

A whole day with Summer and our son? That sounded like heaven.

“I’ll clear my schedule,” I promised her.

A tentative smile crossed her face.

“I wanted to talk to you about what you’re doing to protect us against the threat of Axel and his Rogues, you know, since Grayson is here and all,” she said.

“I have a plan.”

“Does it have to do with marrying the Alpha King's daughter? To gain part of the king’s Royal Guard?” Summer said. “Last my father heard, your arranged marriage was at a stalemate.”

“No, my plan has nothing to do with the Alpha King,” I answered honestly.

Guilt stabbed at me. Sure, technically, my sentence was true, but I wasn’t being completely honest. I didn’t want to upset Summer by telling her my father’s plans.

I’ll never allow that marriage to happen. It will only cause Summer pain if she were to know.

I knew that I was just using these as excuses, but I didn’t want to ruin things between Summer and me, just when she was starting to give me a chance again.

“Wait, does Axel know about your plans?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. “What if that makes it easier for him to set up a counterattack against you?”

“No, he doesn’t,” I assured her. “When I first got the idea was around the time I started distrusting Axel. I thought that he might be a mole in our pack, spying for the Rogues.”

“Good.” She sat back in my chair and blew out a relieved breath. “Will you tell me about your plan? I might be able to help. I have a degree in military studies.”

There was a note of pride in her voice that almost unraveled me.

“Of course I'll tell you about my plan.” I paused and considered what she just revealed to me. “You managed to get a college degree while raising Grayson?” I asked with awe in my tone.

My respect for my Mate—which had already been high—significantly increased.

She shrugged.

“I took all my classes online. There were some late nights, but I was determined to get that degree…even if I never used it,” she said.

“Oh, you'll definitely be able to use it helping me.”

“What do you need my help with?” Summer asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Battle strategies.”

---