Page 65 of The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Baby

Xander massaged his temples.

So, this is what it’s like to feel betrayed by the one you love most.

He laughed, a sound that was lacking in any humor. He’d tried to hide his hurt from her, masking it with anger until they had gotten home, although he was indeed angry. It was only after she was home with Abel that he allowed the anger to slip off his face, replaced instead with a mask that hid every emotion.

He never thought he would ever have to do that with her. It was insane what a few mistakes could do and how drastically they could change things.

Xander turned off the road that led to his house. He remained in his car for a few minutes, calming himself down. After all that she had been through today, the last thing he needed was to explode in her face like he’d almost done in the car. It had taken a lot to remain calm, not because he wanted to hurt her but because he was plagued with what ifs.

What if I hadn’t gotten there on time and he had rap—

He swallowed. The thought was too much for him to bear, that forming the words even without speaking them wrought havoc on his mind.

What if, what if, what if?

Escaping from the house to calm down while he took Murdoch back home had been easy enough.

“But how am I supposed to escape from my mind?” he asked in the empty car. How am I supposed to hurt that which threatens to tear me apart?

He shut off the engines and stepped out of the car. The walk up the stairs was difficult as he climbed with legs that seemed to be filled with lead.

He stopped in front of the door and listened in, grimacing when he heard her choke on a sob. This was not how he expected to find her.

What did I expect?

He looked down at his hands, splayed out in front of him like they held the answer, but all there was to see were the lines that spread across his palms, branching out like rivulets. In truth, he hadn’t thought of how she would be feeling right now since he’d left her with Abel to comfort her.

He raised his hand to knock but thought better of it, letting it fall to his side. Xander retreated to the bathroom, returning with warm water, small towel, and some salve.

He turned the knob and walked in, setting the water by the table before turning to her. Her eyes did not stray from him the entire time. He gave her time to clean her eyes before turning to face her.

This time, despite the anger he nursed still, he allowed his face to show some of the sympathy he felt for her.

“Come,” he beckoned, stretching out his hands for her.

She quickly got down from the bed and walked toward him, her steps slow and her weight favoring the left.

He sighed. It pained him that she was in so much agony that she couldn’t walk properly, but now wasn’t the time to focus on him and his feelings.

He dipped the rag in water the moment she was seated and pressed it to the cut above her lip. Rayla hissed in pain and he stayed his hands, letting her get used to the stinging sensation.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized for the pain he caused.

Rayla’s body shook with small tremors and her eyes filled with tears that ran down her face.

“I’m so-sorry,” she choked out, bringing her hand up to wipe her tears.

He stopped her halfway and pulled her hands down. “Let me.”

He cleaned her face carefully, pained to see how much she was hurting.

“I’m so sorry, Xander. I should have come to you. I j-just wanted it all to go away.”

He said nothing, but she continued unprompted.

“The video was taken during Abel’s first shift, but I didn’t know about it until after you came to visit,” she began. “The man you saved me from—that’s Ralph. He’s always been obsessed with me but I constantly refused him. After the police came for him when he broke into my house, I thought that was the end of it, but I didn’t realize that he continued to spy on me with a camera. That was until he sent me the video. He’d been spying on me as he usually did when the sound of Abel on the night of his first shift caught his attention. It was why I was in such a hurry to leave when you came the second time. He’s been blackmailing ever since, threatening to post the video if I didn’t pay him.”

Xander nodded. He’d been fuming since she told him the guy was spying on her. Now I wish I killed him.

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