Page 5 of Alpha's Secret Baby Girl
Lianne was screaming. The ocean crashed and roared around her, and she screamed. Her voice echoed in Gwen’s ears, but no matter how much Gwen pushed herself, she wasn’t getting any closer. Darkness closed in. It clawed at her throat, plucking at her hair and peeling back her skin. Other voices joined Lianne’s scream as everything dissolved around her.
***
The scent of sea air settled in Gwen’s lungs as the ferry pulled into the docks on the island. Her pulse thrummed in her throat. Lianne gasped and laughed, clapping and pointing out the seagulls in the air, the seals on the beach, and the dolphins leaping out of the ocean. She was delighted by everything she saw, but Gwen could only feel dread.
This place was the one place she had never wanted to come back to.
Kira waited on the dock. She bounced on her toes, a wide smile on her face. When she waved eagerly, Gwen waved back. Her arm felt stiff, her smile frozen on her face. This wasn’t a safe place. It wasn’t right to be back here. What if Rafael—
He’s not here, she reminded herself of the conversation she’d had with Kira before deciding to come back to the island. Rafael wasn’t here; he was attending to some business on the mainland. Only Michael was here on the island, and Gwendoubted he’d notice her enough to report back to his brother. Kira hadn’t mentioned Randall, so it must mean he wasn’t around either.
It was safe. For her and for Lianne.
“Gwen!” Kira enveloped her in a hug. “Ohmygoodnessitsbeensolong!” she exclaimed in one breath.
Gwen laughed and hugged her back. Something inside felt lighter already. She would be able to tell Kira about these visions, be reassured that she just needed a good, solid rest. Kira took the two of them walking down the beach, and soon encouraged Lianne to start busying herself collecting seashells.
“So what is this about?” Kira asked, her expression careful. “You always swore never to bring her here.”
“I wanted to leave her at home. But I decided I didn’t want to leave her with the neighbors that long.” Gwen bit her lip. “Something… happened.”
Kira nodded, letting her speak at her own pace. Gwen explained the nightmares she’d been having and how they had grown more intense, to the waking hallucinations. She kept expecting Kira to tell her she was being crazy, but instead, Kira’s expression only grew more serious.
“I’ve been having dreams like that, too. Less detail than yours, but they’re there. I decided to look into my ancestry because of it. You know… the witches.” Kira lowered her voice and glanced around anxiously as she spoke, even though they were alone on the beach.
Gwen watched Lianne as she picked up a starfish on the sand. She was about to tell her to put the starfish back, and not in her little bag with her shells, but Lianne carefully carried the starfish to the tideline and placed it in the water. Lianne pattedthe starfish and raced back up the beach, collecting a second starfish.
“You think this is our witch heritage?” Gwen asked Kira, not looking at her.
“It might be.”
Both of them were descended from a coven of witches that had moved to the island three hundred years ago. The magic was meant to have bred itself out as the witches mated with the wolf shifters, but having that witch ancestry was cited as the reason why Gwen, Kira, and Chelsy had such weak wolves. Shifters and magic weren’t meant to mix. If it weren’t for the pact made by witches and shifters way back when the witches first arrived, the three of them may have been kicked out entirely, even though they didn’t have magic of their own.
“I believe that something is igniting our magic heritage,” Kira murmured. “These aren’t just nightmares. They’re visions, and I think they’re warning us of danger that is coming for the pack.”
Gwen’s stomach clenched. She wrapped her arms around herself. If that was the case, she needed to get Lianne and get off this island. Get away from the pack and everything that came with it.
Kira touched her shoulder. “You’re thinking of leaving again.”
She hesitated but nodded.
“Rafael isn’t due back for several days. You’ve come all this way. Why don’t you stay for a few hours, at least? Show Lianne some of your old haunts? And we can do a bit more research, compare notes.” Kira peered at her anxiously. “Please. It’s been so long.”
Gwen bit her lip. She should leave. She should get her daughter out of here. But Rafael wasn’t here. And it had been so long since she’d been able to just be herself with her friend. Plus, it would give them the opportunity to go through their visions and compare notes. Maybe they’d figure out what was happening. She forced a smile and nodded.
“Alright. A few hours can’t hurt.”
Chapter 2 - Rafael
Randall Buchanan had always performed his duties from his office in his home. The house, therefore, had to be spotless at all times, and young Rafael and even younger Michael couldn’t do anything that might reflect badly on them. They were never allowed to exhibit age-appropriate behaviors, whether that was playing too loudly or having sleep-deprived meltdowns. No, they were both meant to be pillars of society from the moment they were born.
After he became Alpha, the first thing Rafael did was to renovate the old town hall and add a second story to it, where he could have an office space away from his living space. While in college, he came to realize that having clear boundaries in life allowed him to perform his duties more efficiently and to greater benefit.
Today, he, Michael, and Joshua Woods, Rafael’s best friend, were in his town hall offices. Rafael had been in the city attending to various business investments, but he had returned to the island late last night. His muscles were tense and sore from a lack of sleep, but he kept his dark hair combed neatly, and there was nary a wrinkle to be found in his suit. He could have stayed in the city overnight, but he always hated it there. The island, with its soothing stillness, was much preferable.
“Dr. Vera Green got back to my email,” Joshua was saying as he drummed his fingers on the large oak table. “She wants to meet with us to discuss the initiative more. She thinks it has promise, but wants more information about our plans.”
Joshua’s golden eyes flashed with something, no doubt thinking about how pretty Dr. Green was. His mouth was set into the same line that it always was, but it was softer than hisusual scowl. His blonde hair was slicked back today. He slouched in his chair, but it did nothing to hide his height. His t-shirt and jeans clung to his muscular frame.
