Page 8 of Alpha's Secret Baby Girl
Kira’s eyes glowed with pride as she nodded. “We are doing very well. All those old tenement buildings were torn down and replaced by new apartments. The Alpha has done a lot of good work here.”
“He really has,” Gwen murmured. She put her arms around herself and turned to Kira. “And… you said that he hasn’t taken a mate?”
Kira peered at her, a knowing look on her face. “No. He hasn’t. Though they do say he had a few flings while he was away at college.”
Gwen winced. Of course, he’d had flings. A man as handsome as Rafael had to have women throwing themselves at him. While she hadn’t exactly had ‘flings’ of her own, she’d had the opportunity. She was busy and hadn’t wanted to have another man in her life, but if an overweight single mother like her had men interested in her, someone like—
“Gwen. It’s been a while,” said a deep, husky voice behind her.
The air seemed to disappear from around her. Kira’s eyes widened, turning into bulging circles in her face. Her mouth opened as though she was going to blurt out ‘I didn’t know he was here.’ Gwen didn’t let her. Instead, she turned to face him.
Rafael Buchanan was even more handsome now than he had been seven years ago. The last traces of baby fat that had softened his sharp angles had disappeared, leaving him with a hard, lean body, a chiseled face, and an aura of complete self-assurance. Her mouth went dry as her gaze lingered over his sun-kissed brown skin, his dark eyes, and those lips she remembered pressed against her skin.
Suddenly, she was glad she’d left Lianne with Chelsey.
“Alpha Rafael,” Gwen said stiffly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
She had to get out of here. Away from him. Her body burned. Her fingers itched to reach out to touch him. After sevenyears, she should be stronger than this, but every nerve ending in her cried out to be soothed by his touch. Heat pooled in her belly, and the memories—gods, the memories! It would be far too easy for her to fall into his trap again.
Just because he’s changed the town doesn’t mean he’s changed himself, she reminded herself.
Rafael frowned at her. “What brings you back to the island?”
“Nothing,” Gwen said quickly.
But Kira answered at the same time. “She’s been having visions of danger.”
Gwen winced. “They’re nothing.”
“They’re not nothing,” Kira insisted.
Rafael’s gaze flickered around them. Gwen quickly did the same. Was anyone watching? It didn’t seem like they were, but Rafael jerked his chin down the road.
“Come with me to my office. I want to hear about these visions.” He turned on his heel and marched away. A paper bag swung loosely in his hand.
Gwen glared at Kira but reluctantly followed. Her mind reeled over everything, not helped by the strong, manly scent that wafted off Rafael as he strode on ahead. Gods, she missed that scent. She found herself breathing it in, trying to convince herself it wasn’t because she wanted to be buried in his arms again.
They went to the town hall, Gwen barely noticing the changes now. Rafael led them upstairs to a modestly decorated office. He set his bag on the desk, but he wasn’t paying enough attention. It was only halfway on and fell off. Two books spilledout. Gwen bent to help pick them up automatically, then snorted when she saw the titles.
“101 Ways to Make Him Fall in Love?” She read the first self-help book, then laughed out loud when she saw the second book, a romance with a shirtless man clutching a woman to his chest as she gave him a dewy-eyed look. “Captured Rogue Alpha Pirate.”
Rafael took the books from her, his cheeks darkened with a flush. “They’re gifts.”
“Rogue Alpha Pirate,” Kira murmured. “I gotta get a copy of that one for myself.”
Rafael waved a hand as though he was brushing away an annoying problem. “Never mind that. Tell me about these visions.”
His tone was sharp and commanding in a way that reminded her all too well of Randall. Gwen’s stomach churned even as she tried to push through and ignore these feelings of doubt. She didn’t want to tell him anything, but if what Kira said was true, her wants here were low on the priority list. The town and the pack were in danger. There were still enough vulnerable people here who didn’t deserve to suffer. And moreover… Lianne was in danger, too.
She explained her visions about the demonic forces creeping up on the town. “The latest ones included my daughter,” she said, not looking at Rafael as she spoke. “She was screaming. I tried to get to her, but the vision always ended here.”
Silence followed. It lingered long enough for Gwen to shoot an uncertain look at Rafael’s face. A flicker of shock was on his face. As soon as he noticed her looking, it disappeared.He straightened his shoulders and nodded once. He didn’t ask about her daughter.
“These visions are always here on the island?” he said instead.
Gwen nodded.
He rubbed his chin as he thought. “I wish we knew more about how magic worked. Do you have any contacts on the mainland?”
