Page 36 of The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Baby

His lips quirked into a smirk.

“I'll just be in my room.” She headed toward the door.

Xander was in her path, and as he tried to move away, she attempted the same, but he ended up being in her path again.

“Sorry,” they both said in unison.

She moved away and he simultaneously did the same, forcing them back to the same situation.

They chuckled nervously as Xander stepped aside and helped open the door for her.

“Thank you,” she replied. He responded with a welcoming silence.

Rayla left the room, and as she walked down the hallway, she could feel his stare on her back. She got to her room, opened the door, and walked inside.

Leaning against the door, she let out a heavy sigh, confused about the whole thing. She walked over to the bed, massaging her eyeballs as her mind raced like a speeding vehicle.

Rayla tossed herself on the bed in a state of discombobulation. She was confused because she knew that she was still madly in love with Xander. But Rayla was afraid of her past hurt.

She wasn't sure about anything right now. Even though the sex last night was great, it wasn't enough to erase all that time she suffered, the hell she went through because of him.

She buried her face in a pillow for a moment as her mind flashed back to the day she met him—or rather, the night she met him.

That night, she was out in the woods despite the horrible stories about the beasts and demons that lurked in the darkness of the forest.

Going for walks in the midst of nature was something she loved doing—it was a way of clearing her mind whenever she felt stifled.

She was eighteen at the time and was battling with how she wanted to do more than take over the chicken farm like her parents wanted her to. Rayla wanted to leave her small town, to see the world and explore it. There was more to life than her parents’ chicken farm.

That night, while clearing her head, she had wandered onto an unfamiliar path, and she didn't realize that she was lost until it started to get dark.

She still couldn't seem to find her way back, so she walked the forest, thinking this was the end for her and wondering if things could get any worse when she tripped and fell down a gentle slope. Rayla tumbled all the way down, and before she could get a grip, a log rolled down the same slope, traveling swiftly toward her. Her eyes widened and, with a gasp of fear, she rolled away, but she wasn't fast enough. The log trapped her foot, settling on it.

In pain, she shrieked, her voice echoing through the forest. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she thought that her scream might draw the attention of the demons and shadow monsters the townspeople always talked about.

She tried to pull her leg from underneath the log, but it was stuck, and the more she pulled, the more it hurt, so she stopped trying.

As she lay there, helpless on the ground, Rayla was tempted to scream for help but she was too scared. It was ironic that she was afraid tonight when she never used to pay attention to the fairytale that her friends and parents so strongly believed in. If everything she'd heard about the woods was true, then she was obviously doomed.

Several thoughts overlapped themselves in her head about how she would be feasted upon and she soon started to shed tears.

As she thought that all hope was lost, she heard the sound of a loud thunder clash after a dangerous flash of lightning streaked through the night sky.

“No, no, no…” she pleaded with the thick clouds above.

That instant, the sky started to weep, drenching her to the skin as she struggled against the log. Her white dress was now muddy from the splatter of rain that had soaked the dirt beneath.

She was shivering at the cold and her lips were trembling. She was helpless and was wondering if this was how she would die.

A few minutes later, the bush around her rustled, inflicting her with fear as she thought it was a predator watching her from the darkness.

She returned to her struggle with the log, but once again, her attempts were futile.

The sound of the rustling was growing louder. Whatever was within the bushes was getting closer.

“Oh, God! No,” she whimpered, refusing to give up on her trapped foot.

The rustling of leaves ceased as did her breath. She swallowed, bracing herself for whatever would reveal itself.

---