Page 2 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

She had a good laugh as soon as we were alone.

“You're a rebel, aren't you?”she giggled as soon as the door closed on his departure. “What am I gonna do with you?”

“Is there anything you can do, Mama?”I'd asked her playfully back then, to which she shook her head and proceeded to feed me dinner like the only one in the pack who truly understood me.

“I can only love you for who you are, Cassandra,”she said as she watched me with her chin resting in her palms. “Just as I loved your Papa.”

I cross my arms over my chest and hug myself tightly, letting the floodgates of my grief flow down. I didn’t have the chance to see her before she passed, to feel the warmth of my mother’s arms around me one last time, or to be beside her bed and witness her loving smile. It happened swiftly, too quickly. All because it was her time.

For the second time in my life, I wish that being a werewolf meant we were immortal beings. But along with theability to shift into wolf form comes the clause of still being vulnerable to a human’s life cycle.

First with Papa and now with Mama as well. This time, though, I'm on my own to deal with the effects of her death. To deal with the funeral of my mother, I have to bury my deep anger toward the pack.

Sniffing and wiping away my tears, I get to my feet on shaky knees, needing to take a moment to compose myself. I have to visit the mortuary and oversee the plans for Mama’s funeral in a few days. The small town of Mysthaven houses the Moon Shine Pack, and all the facilities are run by the members of the pack.

Soon, word of my return will go around. This is the part I’d been dreading the most. Having to face these werewolves again wasn’t something I’d been looking forward to.

Especially having to face one of the members of this society.

“You’re better than this,” I reassure myself with the only affirmation I can draw from my mind right now. I head to the bathroom, wash my face with the cool spring water that flows from the faucet from the depths of Mysthaven’s ground, and ready myself for my responsibilities.

Being back in town is a daunting task without my mother to shield me from the horrors that lurk outside. Without the naivety of my younger self, I’m highly aware of how I no longer fit in with the crowd.

As if I ever did! I chuckle scornfully as I pick my armor in the form of a golf ball-sized stone that Mama painted a butterfly on. Clutching it in a fist seems to soothe my nerves as I head out of the cottage and brace for the impact of being in territory I’d left behind nine years ago.

Walking down the streets of the small town, I catch glimpses of the past in my mind. Having to shake them off, I try to focus on the task in front of me as I pass by the main house.

The Alpha's house…

I shiver inside, hugging my arms over my chest as I suck in a breath.

Don't think about him… Don't think about him…I mantra mentally, not wanting to remind myself of the sole reason why I wasn't here when Mama passed away. The reason for leaving lives inside that double-story building with its pinewood windowsills and lavish curtains.

He's not worth my thoughts. Not worth the energy it would take to remember all the things he did to hurt me.

I know it's inevitable to cross paths with him eventually. For now, I can steer clear of him and take care of my responsibilities.

“Phew…” I breathe when I make it to the mortuary without being seen. I know that soon, my arrival will be a known fact in Moon Shine. I’m counting on my prior absence being overlooked. Or better yet, I’ll be as invisible as I was in the twenty years I’d spent growing up in this town.

Still, with my nerves shattered and jet lag hanging over me like a dark cloud, I inwardly thank the Moon Goddess for my nimble escape when I reach for the buzzer on the mortuary’s door.

“Who are you?”

The deep, commanding question has me freezing on the spot, the familiarity of that voice snatching the wind out of my lungs. It’s a voice I was hoping I wouldn’t hear today, bouncingaround in my head like a marble in an empty can, leaving behind an eerie echo of looming dread.

Why, Moon Goddess? I mentally cry out. Isn't it enough that I lost my mother and that I'm back here again?

Like a deer caught in the headlights, I gulp and slowly turn on my heel, wincing and muttering a string of curses under my breath.

“Cassandra?!” the voice of doom asks in a confused tone.

I have to draw every ounce of courage within me to lift my gaze and meet the piercing eyes of the man behind that voice. Another breath catches in my throat when those accusing eyes turn soft, and for a hot moment, I forget all about my hatred for him.

Not only am I faced with my perpetrator, but I’m faced with the terrible truth that he’s still as strikingly handsome as he was before. The only difference is that the nine years have been good to him, and maturing with a sculpted beard across his immaculate jawline has only added to his allure.

Why does it even matter? I think glumly.

“Cyrus…” I mutter in disbelief, my heart skipping a beat when green, emerald eyes narrow at me. I’d hoped I was strong enough to rebuke the intrusive thoughts about the handsome devil. Thoughts that should have been buried for good when he hurt me come crashing to the surface, throwing me for a loop.

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