Page 58 of The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Baby

Xander reached a hand to his chest as he realized what was happening. He had given her that necklace as a symbol of their love. A bold declaration in front of every single member of his pack that she was the one he wished to spend the rest of his life with.

He could still remember the glimmer in her eyes as she stared up at him with affection when he gave her the necklace.

So what has changed in that time?

Had he done anything that she couldn’t forgive him for? Or did she simply not care for him?

Xander knew there was a lot he had to apologize for still and he knew they were not quite where they had been years before, but he had hoped that she would give him the chance to fix things between them. He’d thought that she was willing to work things out, but now he wasn’t so certain.

Did this mean that she never had an intention to work things out? Was she with him only because they had a son together, and she knew she couldn’t keep father and son apart?

Ignoring the hurt in his chest was harder than he imagined it would be. He massaged the spot now, clearing his throat to stop the burning as his wolf howled within him.

He needed to confront her about it. He watched as she tucked two envelopes into her bag and took one last glance at the jewelry before heading out the door and back into her car. She peeled out of the driveway, seemingly in a rush to get to her next destination.

“Where are you off to now, Rayla?” he murmured under his breath as he watched her.

Her car turned and veered off the main road into a dirt path before coming up on another main road. Xander frowned. It was not a road he frequented, but he remembered that road and where it led.

Why is she heading in the direction of the village?

The last time before they left, she’d been packing up in a rushed manner, clearly in a bid to get out of there. Although he hadn’t pushed to know what demons she ran away from, it baffled him now that she was returning there.

Xander watched her as she got closer to the village. Before he could see any further, the shadows turned black, signaling that he had lost his connection to her.

“Fuck!”

He pushed away the chair and ran his hands down his face in exasperation. None of this sat right with him. Not her behavior since she’d been in the pack nor her sudden need for money that she would sell something that should have been valued.

He snatched his suit jacket off the softly swiveling chair and walked out of the office, heading for his car. He followed her path.

Xander arrived at the pawnshop in record time and, without any delay, walked in.

“Hello, how may I—”

He walked past the woman who welcomed him with a warm smile and a receptive tone and headed straight for the man who was still at the counter as he perused the jewelry once again.

The man looked up from the necklace when Xander’s unmoving frame remained in front of him, casting a shadow on the jewelry.

“Can I help you?” he asked, mild irritation noticeable in his voice despite his polite expression that had clearly been mastered over years of training.

“You have something of mine and I would like to get it back,” Xander said, barely controlling his anger that had taken over as he hid from the hurt resulting from Rayla’s betrayal.

“What?” the man asked, clutching the jewelry tightly to him as the greed in his eyes gave way to alarm.

“You. Have. Something. Of. Mine.” Xander repeated slowly, his tone taking on a threatening quality as he pointed to the jewelry the man cradled in his hands.

The man sputtered as he looked at the others in the pawnshop who had begun to watch curiously, clearly ready to jump in at any sign of foul play or violence. As much as he would wish to have a means to transfer his anger, Xander did not care to pass it on to individuals who were not to blame for his woes.

I just need to understand what the fuck is going on. And get my jewelry back.

He tried again. This time, with less anger in his voice.

“You bought the jewelry from a woman only moments ago for ten thousand dollars. That woman is my wife and I would like to buy the jewelry back.”

The man stared at him, dumbfounded.

“I do not believe that I have to—”

---