Page 48 of Brutal Alpha Bully

“Look for another bag,” I snap without meaning to. “There are more in the closets, I’m sure. We need to take what we can and go.”

“But what about Xeran?”

“What about him?” I turn to her, shaking my head as I wildly grab one of her books from the table and stuff it into a tote bag like this is the most important thing for me to pack. “Itoldyou this was temporary, Nora. Please, do as I say.”

I start to turn, to head to the kitchen and gather up canned food we can bring along with us, but that’s when the scent hits me.

It’s barely noticeable. Subtle at first, hidden beneath the penetrating smoke and Xeran’s charred, sweet scent that clings to everything in this house.

But still, it’s there. Unmistakable. Terrifying.

It’s Nora’s true scent. Rich and complex, carrying notes of both Xeran and me. Hints of alpha dominance that point to her biology, sweet notes of my own scent, and something that every single person in this town would identify asSorelinstantly.

“No,” I breathe, head snapping up to her. “No, no, no.”

“What’s wrong?” she asks, taking a step back, her eyes meeting mine. And I can see in them that she knowsexactlywhat’s wrong.

“You stopped taking your pills,” I say, staring at her in disbelief.

She shrugs one shoulder. “They ran out.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I forgot.”

“You’relying, Nora.” I step closer to her, my hands shaking as they hold the tote bag with a single book. “Wepromisedthat we would never lie to each other—”

“You’ve been lying to me since we got here!” she interjects, finally dropping the shark.

Her face is caught somewhere between fear and anger, and it’s so starkly clear that she’s just a kid. A kid always acting older than her age. Required to act older than her age, and now arguing with me like a teenager.

“You said Xeran was your friend. And you said I should stay away from him. But he’snice, and he’s smart!”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s nice, Nora, you have to listen to me—”

“And he’s mydad, isn’t he?”

Chills run down my back. She knew. Nora figured out the purpose of the pills, and she purposefully made the decision to stop taking them. She wanted Xeran to smell her scent, to figure it out.

The realization hits me like a physical blow.

My scheming, brilliant, too-smart daughter, deliberately sabotaging the protection I spent a decade weaving around her.

“You have no idea what you’re doing, Nora,” I whisper. “If he finds out, he’ll—”

“What? Take me to the aquarium? Teach me how to be a good alpha? Is it so bad that I just want a dad?”

I want to scream,Yes!

Because wanting things from Xeran Sorel has only ever hurt me. And I can’t be sure that he’ll want us, or that he’ll be proud about owning us. Would he hide Nora away in this house, keep her as the product of his secret love affair?

And what if he eventually meets his real mate? Has children withher?

The thought threatens to rip my heart from my chest. As does looking at Nora’s tear-stained face, the pure devastation that sits on her features.

“Just…” I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Just go pack your things. Now, please. We can talk about this in the car.”

Nora hesitates for a moment, but then she turns and climbs the stairs, leaving me alone in the dim living room, trying to figure out what in the world I’m going to do.

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