Page 43 of Cruel Alpha Daddy

It would be worse. Far worse than the conditions they lived in before.

“What are you going to do?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” he answers. “Right now, I’m waiting for information. I know this thing is going to blow sky-high any minute now. I want to catch it before it explodes, but if I jump at the wrong time, I’ll be the cause of everything going to hell.”

“Rider,” I whisper, reaching across the table to take his hand. He looks up at me with his big, dark green eyes.

“I swear, I will never abandon you again, Fiona,” he says. “I won’t let any of this come between us, and I’ll fight to my last breath to make sure you are safe.”

“Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.”

I squeeze his hand, and his eyes soften. At that moment, I see his son in him so clearly, it’s almost as if Caleb is in the room with us.

Pressure builds in my chest, and I can feel the words hanging on my lips.

Rider. You have a son. His name is Caleb…

The idea of dropping these words into the stillness between us is terrifying. My imagination serves me up a variety of reactions Rider might have. None of them feel pleasant.

And then what? We go get Caleb and bring him back here in time for the pack war?

I close my heart down again, trying to keep my face calm so Rider doesn’t suspect I’m hiding anything.

After I tell Rider… I have to tell Caleb, too.

I’m not sure which thought scares me more.

Chapter 17 - Rider

I spend the afternoon helping the others repair buildings and furnishing houses. This was a very small mining town, one of many that popped up in the days of the early settlers and was abandoned when the money ran out.

I wonder how many ghost towns there are in these hills. For that matter, I wonder how many ghosts there are.

After the majority of the pack has dinner in the hall, I head home with Fiona. Tobias and his group didn’t join us to eat, and as I leave the hall, I shoot a questioning glance at Ryan. He just shrugs.

It makes me uneasy that we’ve heard nothing from his faction all day. If he knows we’re onto him, he might make his move a lot sooner than I expected.

I wouldn’t put it past him to set the cabins on fire while we’re asleep.

Just as I reach the front door with Fiona, I hear a far-off howl. It chills me right to the bone, making the hair rise on the back of my neck.

“What is that?” Fiona asks, her voice tight with fear.

“Trouble,” I mutter, turning to look up into the hills. I can’t see any lights, but the drumming of paws is easy to hear, along with the gasping breaths of at least ten swiftly running wolves.

I tilt my head back, and I don’t need my wolf senses to taste the blood on the wind.

“Go inside, right now!” I command, shoving Fiona towards the cabin.

She shakes her head. “I will not! What’s going on?”

I grab her shoulders, shaking her a little. “Fiona, something bad is going down. I need you to get inside and stay there. Lock the door. Don’t let anyone in, and don’t come out.”

She glares at me, then looks over my shoulder towards the hall. “The other women are going to the hall. That’s where I should be, too. I’m their luna.”

She sticks her chin out, ready for me to argue with her. As much as I’d like to, I can hear the troop of wolves in the hills getting closer. Their howls sound like a chorus of hellhounds.

“Fine, go,” I finally say. “Get all the women and children into the hall and lock the doors. Don’t let anyone in. But be careful—don’t get trapped in there if a fire starts.”

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