Page 19 of Alpha's Secret Baby Girl
Tyler’s eyes snapped back to hers, widening. Before he could say anything else, Rafael’s sporty little two-door pulled up to the curb. Relief washed over her.
Rafael stepped out of the car. “Ah, there you are. The council wants to speak with you, Gwen. Hop in.”
“We’ll drop Kira and Chelsey off at their place first,” Gwen said quickly. She wasn’t going to leave the sisters to face these men alone, especially not when she’d just humiliated Tyler.
Rafael’s mouth quirked in annoyance, but he nodded as he pulled his seat forward. “Get in.”
As they drove away, Gwen turned her face out the window, not looking at Rafael. He didn’t need to know that he had rescued her in the nick of time. In fact, he hadn’t rescued her at all. She had it covered. It was just… nice that he’d shown up when he did. Very nice.
Chapter 8 - Rafael
Gwen was on edge as they went to the town hall for the meeting with the council. Kira and Chelsey had been silent as he drove them to his house so they could look after Lianne until Gwen and Rafael were done. No doubt they were intimidated by being in the Alpha’s car and given the precious responsibility of watching his daughter. He had interacted with them before, but the lines between outsider and Alpha were significantly more blurred when they were in his vehicle. They should get used to it. They were friends with his mate, so he was going to make a special effort to look out for them.
As much as he could, at least. When it came to a pack, it was impossible to look out for everyone all the time.
He shook those thoughts from his head as he pulled up to the town hall. The Council was already waiting for him and Gwen. They chatted with each other in low voices in the conference room. Most of them had a cup of coffee in hand. The Elder Priest was also present. He shared a look with Rafael as he and Gwen entered. The Priest wasn’t happy with pre-dating the marriage certificate to seven years ago, but had agreed that it was necessary for the sake of the pack unity.
“Ah, Alpha Rafael.” One of the Elders, Thera, greeted with a small smile. Her gaze skipped suspiciously over Gwen. “Mrs. Buchanan.”
“Actually, I’ve kept my maiden name,” Gwen answered, not missing a beat.
Disapproval showed openly on many of the Elders’ faces.
Rafael fought a frown of his own. There were fractures enough between them, and he didn’t want to make it worse by arguing in front of the Council. This would require a discussion,though. He had assumed that she and Lianne would both change their last names to his. He hoped this wouldn’t cause another fight between them. They were married; they should share a name.
“Well, then.” Thera shot him a brief, disapproving look as though Gwen’s words were a defiance against him. “Why have you come back to the pack after deserting it seven years ago?”
Rafael tensed.
Gwen’s shoulders hitched. “I needed answers. You know about my visions. I—”
“And you didn’t think that in the last seven years, you should have returned to your husband? You kept his child from him, and for what?” Joseph demanded, narrowing his eyes. “He would be within his rights to divorce you for your actions.”
“My personal life with Gwen is not up for discussion,” Rafael answered sharply. Gwen’s hands were twisting into the hem of her shirt. She used to do that when she was particularly nervous. “My marriage and my child are not your concern.”
Gwen shot him a brief, thankful look. It made his chest swell with pride. He liked it when she looked at him like that, as though he was someone she could rely on. There was hope for them yet, it seemed.
“It is our concern if the wife of our Alpha refused to let his daughter be raised among her own kind,” Thera said.
Rafael shook his head. “No. If that is why you asked me to bring Gwen here, we’re leaving.”
There were issues between them still. Ones that he wasn’t sure would be easily resolved, but that didn’t mean he was going to put up with this. He and Gwen would figure out their ownproblems without the interference of the Council. The last thing he wanted was for them to drive her away again.
“The matter of my visions,” Gwen said, her voice shaking. “Do you have any idea of what they might mean?”
“Yes. The visions you claim to have.” Thera steepled her fingers.
Rafael’s wolf bristled. Claim? As though Gwen was a liar?
“I have had them. I wouldn’t have returned otherwise,” Gwen answered. She folded her arms and lifted her chin, staring down the Council. “I came here for answers when I saw a danger to the pack and my daughter. I’ll admit that things have changed around her in ways that I didn’t think were possible. I also understand that my arrival has caused a certain upset in the pack balance. But I didn’t come back to cause trouble.”
Here, Thera let out a heavy sigh. “Forgive us. This meeting has started on the wrong foot. We did not bring you here to blame you for the troubles in the pack, nor to say that your visions are false or the cause of the danger we face.”
Rafael relaxed a little to hear it, but he frowned more deeply. The way Thera spoke indicated there was a real, actual danger they were facing. But if they had interpreted Gwen’s visions, why would they start off attacking her? Were they just feeling her out, or was there something more nebulous at play? He was glad she’d stood up to them, too. The Elders could be a pushy bunch, slow to change, and always finding something to argue with him about. Gwen needed to be able to hold her own against them.
“That said, you will understand that we are going to keep a careful watch on you,” Thera continued. “As we do with all outsiders.”
“Outsider?” Gwen spoke before Rafael could. “Right. It’s not like I was born in this pack. Not like I spent most of my life on the island or that I’m married to your Alpha. But I’m an outsider.”
