Page 60 of The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Baby

“Rayla had been very nervous and fidgety since she came to the pack. Every time I tried to ask her, she deflected, instead of giving me an actual answer. I didn’t want to push her, considering we had only just met again after all those years apart.” He took a breath. “I also thought that it could have been because she was nervous to be around me and unsure of how to navigate things considering how everything ended,” he added.

This had been the actual reason he hadn’t pushed. It would have hurt to realize that she just didn’t care for him anymore and did not wish to be there. It would have killed him to know that she was only there for their son and nothing more.”

“That is a valid reason. Perhaps you should give her time,” Blake chipped in.

Articus, who had remained quiet, finally spoke up.

“Unless that is not the reason why you have called us and something else has happened.”

Xander struggled to say the words through the anger that choked him.

“I watched her through the shadows today. She pawned the diamond necklace I gave her and returned to her village. I could no longer find her through the shadows so I followed after her, curious to know what was happening. There is a mad man who has her tied and is showing a video of my son on his first shift and showing it to everyone present. He has labeled her a witch and my son a demon, both of whom he intends to kill.”

“What?” Blake shouted through the phone. “How are you so calm about this? I don’t think there would be a single living soul left if that happened to Eleanor.”

“You’re not helping, Blake,” Articus said in a tone that was scolding.

“Trust me, Blake. I am nowhere near calm.”

His anger heightened as he spoke. The only reason he left her there was because that was the only way to ensure that nothing else went wrong, and the man clearly loved the sound of his own voice too much to put an end to his show now.

“However, as much as I want to charge in there and kill them all, I cannot think only about my anger and break the treaty, especially when it affects all wolves. I cannot make us known to the humans.”

Xander was frustrated. Knocking them out was the easiest solution, but it wasn’t the best.

“I need your help,” he said again. They were the only ones he could trust to see that this matter was properly handled.

“We’re already on our way to you, Xander. We’ll help you,” Rowan said.

“In the meantime, there must be another way to solve this without revealing ourselves,” Asher added.

Fannar voiced his opinion, “Have you considered asking for help from a vampire? Wiping their memories so they don’t remember anything about this and swiping the evidence from his phone seems like a proper solution to the problem.”

Xander’s anger doubled, but this time, it was at himself.

“How did I not think about this earlier?”

“I would make jokes, but now is not the time. For now, you must find a vampire who is willing to help you. We should arrive shortly and will take care of this little problem.”

“Thank you all for your help,” Xander said, nodding even though they couldn’t see him.

“You would do the same for us. Now, go find a vampire.”

He ended the call after they had decided they would knock out the people with enough force to keep them unconscious while the vampire did his work. The guys had all agreed to meet at the outskirts of the village and take care of this together.

Xander created a shadow and stepped through it in search of a vampire that would wipe the minds of the people, ensuring they knew nothing about the world that had been kept hidden from them for so long.

Chapter 18 - Rayla

Rayla hung her head in shame as she listened to Ralph speak on and on about what sort of a monster she was. She was ashamed and angry; however, the feeling was directed more at herself than at the villagers.

After the time she had spent in their midst, she should have known how foolish it was to do this on her own, and yet, that had not stopped her from falling into the palm of a mentally unstable man whose words the villagers seemed to hang off.

I’m sorry, Abel. I’ve put you in danger when all I wanted was to keep you safe.

“Look at her. Let this video sink in if you ever think to feel any pity for her or her demon child. Be reminded of what she is and what she allowed in this town.”

Ralph’s voice burned in her head. She moved to see him and the people surrounding him but winced when pain shot through her head. She bit her lip to stay silent. The last thing she needed was for one of them to come up to her and hit her again.

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