Page 71 of The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Baby

She was not invalidating her feelings or her right to make her decision from a place of hurt. He had rejected her and she couldn’t have vouched in that moment that even if she had told him about her pregnancy, he would have accepted her and her child and fought for them to be accepted as members of the pack, especially not when they weren’t certain that her child would carry the werewolf bloodline.

However, her decision had not only cost the men in her life, but it had almost cost the whole pack, so how could she sit and laugh with them when she felt like she had betrayed them. She hadn’t even allowed herself to be free with the man she loved and had withdrawn from her son as a result of her guilt.

She smiled. Now, things are different.

It was so different to the life she’d had before. The pack had been patient with her and hadn’t taken offense at her avoidance of them. She wasn’t certain if it was because they expected that it would take a lot of getting used to since she was a human and they did not wish to overwhelm her or they had allowed her to be because she was the luna.

Either way, none of it mattered. In the past month, she had spent the time not only making up for the weeks she could have spent with Xander, building a stronger relationship and fixing what had broken in the past, but she had also been there for the pack, allowing them access into her heart just as they had welcomed her into theirs.

And how welcoming they had been. The women, old and young alike, wanted to hear and speak with her and they relished listening to her share her experiences. They found her humanness intriguing just as she found their wolves intriguing.

They welcomed her to try things and never laughed or left her behind when she made mistakes or was unable to keep up, instead, they showed her how, eagerly and patiently.

Although she was not yet married to him, the pack had taken to calling her luna and, while it had been weird at first to have so many people deferring to her and seeking her opinion and approval on different matters, they had made her feel so at ease that it was only a matter of time before she got used to it and them.

Rayla often enjoyed walks around the pack with several of its members. She enjoyed how everything here seemed much more beautiful than it had outside and just how natural they kept things.

They used their cars mostly when they had to leave the pack, although not many of them did, satisfied to maintain a life separate from the human world.

Rayla stripped off her robe and the sleepwear under and headed for the bathroom on bare feet. She turned the knob, allowing the water to cascade down from her full hair down her back and to her feet. She enjoyed the sensation of the warm water that reminded her of the lake the ladies had taken her to.

It was a week ago. On the very first stroll she had taken with the women on a hot afternoon, they had told her of the lake and how they loved to visit on hot days so they could cool themselves and socialize.

Rayla had been excited at the opportunity to bond more with the woman and also see the lake. It was as beautiful as they had described it to be. The path to the lake had been cleared, however, the rest of the surrounding area was like a dense forest.

She had been so taken by the lake that it had taken her a minute to realize that the women were silent. She’d turned around only to see them taking off their clothes.

Rayla gasped and turned away, covering her eyes. Her face turned bright red as the women laughed in jest. They encouraged her to get in with them. It was normal for them to see each other in the nude and not one of them thought much about it because they embraced their forms without shame.

Rayla had felt a little self-conscious as she stared at bodies built like the Amazonian women. Still, she swallowed her shyness and insecurity and slowly began taking off her clothes.

The women had been such angels, turning away until she was completely covered by the water before they looked at her. Their eyes shone with approval as though she had done something quite wonderful. Rayla had never felt more seen than she did in that moment and it was not in the way that would have sent her scampering for her clothes.

She turned the knob and shut off the water, wrapping a towel around herself as she stepped out of the bathroom.

She was happy here. She was happy to see Abel and Xander building an even closer relationship. She liked to watch them bond as she had done this morning. She also liked to watch Abel explore his wolf side now that there was nothing hidden from him. He knew who he was now and he embraced it, a far cry from the scared child he had been during his first shift.

Rayla returned from her lunch date with the women happy and quite full. If there was one thing she had come to realize as she spent time with the werewolves, it was that they loved to eat. There had been a mountain of food that day and they ensured that Rayla’s plate was full despite her protests that it was too much.

She sighed as she turned on the light. It was late evening and, unlike the werewolves who were quite capable of seeing in the dark, she had to rely on the light to see.

“Ah!”

Her feet slipped as she began to fall backward from shock. She closed her eyes, preparing to hit the ground, but hands caught her before she could.

Xander. She clutched him tight and steadied herself.

“You really need to stop doing that,” she said, smacking Xander lightly on the chest.

“Sorry,” he said, although the smirk on his face showed that he was not in the least bit apologetic. “I just missed you so much.”

She smiled, melting into him before a smirk formed on her lips as well.

“Aww, I’m sure you did.” She patted his cheeks lightly before delivering her next words. “Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of me.”

Xander’s mouth fell open as he stared at her in shock. “What? How could you not miss me? I was gone for hours.”

His eyes bulged as he struggled to grasp the possibility of her words.

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