Page 48 of Cruel Alpha Daddy

“I’m not Jethro,” he says. He shoves the door open and lets it slam behind him as he strides away.

I sit at the table, letting the tears pour down my cheeks.

I don’t know how all of this got so fucked up—and so fast.

The only thing I can think of right now is that my son needs me. After an attack like this, the whole Silver Meadows Pack would be on alert.

Caleb must be terrified.

Standing up, I head over to the front of the house and look out the window. Rider would be devastated if I run away again, but it sounds like it could be good for the pack if I went back to Silver Meadows.

Then they couldn’t blame me, or Rider, for Bae’s wrath.

I run my fingers gently across the door handle. The town is quiet. Most people are still tending to the wounded or working in the hall.

I could leave, and no one would see me.

Just as I’m about to push the door open, I see something move across the street. My chest tightens with fear as I examine the shadowy tree line, hoping to see nothing more than a wild animal minding its own business.

The leaves shiver again, and the tall build and shaggy blond hair is unmistakable.

Tobias.

An icy fist grabs my heart as I freeze in place, watching him. I’m not sure if he can see me clearly, but he is definitely stalking the house.

I back slowly away from the window, my hands starting to shake as panic rips through me. All my instincts are screaming to run from this place as fast as I can.

“Hello? Fiona?” a familiar female voice calls.

The relief that floods through me is so powerful, I almost collapse. I grab the handle of the door and yank it open.

“Jen!”

“Hi,” she answers, smiling. “I just wanted to check in on you. Are you okay?”

“No. No, I’m not.” I pull her inside. “I need to know, right now, if I can trust you, Jen.”

Her old, pale eyes widen as she looks up at me. “Of course.”

“No, I mean it. I will be your luna, I promise. I won’t abandon you, or the pack. I want to make things better for everyone here. But I have a favor to ask you, and it’s important.”

“Okay,” Jen says kindly. She takes my hands and smiles. “Tell me what you need.”

“Can you get a message to my pack?” I ask, already turning away to burrow through a drawer to find a pen and paper. “If I tell Bailey I’m okay, he might hold off on attacking us.”

“It might also make him ten times more likely to attack,” Jen says.

I shake my head. “Not if I tell him not to. This can all be worked out, I’m sure of it, but we can’t wait. The sooner weexpose Tobias and get Bailey on our side, the sooner all of us will be safe.”

And I can finally see my son.

“Okay,” Jen says. “I’ll get the message to him. Nobody pays too much attention to what an old woman does, so I won’t have much trouble getting out. I’m with you, all the way.”

“Good,” I say, scribbling fast on the piece of paper.

Bailey,

It’s Fiona. I am alive and well with the Sawpit Pack. Rider is doing everything he can to honor the alliance. We can work this out peacefully if the violent members are finally dealt with. I am ready and waiting to assist.

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