Page 29 of Bully Alpha's Secret Baby

We creep forward, moving silently through the underbrush until the trees thin out, revealing a small clearing just beyond the Red Arrow border. And there, sprawled out on the ground, is the shifter from my vision—his dark fur matted with blood, his body twisted in an unnatural way.

“Oh my God,” I breathe as my chest tightens at the sight.

But before we can move, a figure steps out from the shadows—Gray Reed, alpha of the Red Arrow pack. His icy blue eyes lock onto us, and in an instant, his shoulders tense and he eyes me with suspicion.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he snarls, his voice laced with fury. His blond hair catches the moonlight as he steps forward, and his gaze moves between me and Damien.

“We heard someone was in trouble,” Damien says evenly, stepping in front of me like a shield. “We came to help.”

“Help?” Gray scoffs. “You’re trespassing. Both of you.”

“We didn’t have time for formalities, Gray,” Damien snaps. “One of your shifters was attacked. Do you care more about territory lines or saving your own pack?”

Gray’s jaw clenches, and for a moment, he says nothing. His eyes flit to the injured shifter on the ground, then back to us. “You,” he spits as he jams a fat finger in my direction. “This is your doing, isn’t it?”

I blink, taken aback. “What? No! I didn’t—”

“Don’t lie to me,” he growls as he charges forward, his eyes burning with accusation. “Ever since you showed up again, there’s been trouble. My shifter’s down, and now here you are, conveniently showing up in my territory with your witch powers.”

“Gray, she had nothing to do with this,” Damien declares. “She was with me all night. She had a vision. That’s why we’re here.”

“A vision,” Gray repeats, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Right. A vision. How convenient.”

“It’s the truth,” I insist, taking a step forward even though every instinct is telling me to back off. “I saw it happen. I don’t know who attacked him, but it wasn’t me.”

Gray’s lip curls into a snarl. “You expect me to believe that? After everything that happened the last time you were here?”

I swallow hard, fighting the urge to lash out. “I didn’t come here to cause trouble, Gray. I came to help. We both did.”

“Help?” he sneers, his eyes flashing with anger. “You’re a liability, Jade. You’ve always been a liability. And now one of my shifters is dead because of you.”

“Enough,” Damien growls, his voice low and dangerous as he steps between us, his shoulders squared. “You don’t get to blame her for this. She was with me. The only reason we’re here is because she had a vision of the attack.”

Gray’s eyes narrow, and for a moment, I think he’s going to lunge at Damien. But instead, he takes a slow, deliberate step back, his expression dark with suspicion.

“Watch yourself, Lucas,” he says, his voice a low growl. “You’re defending a witch who’s brought nothing but trouble to our packs. If I find out she had anything to do with this—”

“She didn’t,” Damien cuts him off, his tone leaving no room for argument. “And you’re not going to lay a hand on her.”

The two alphas lock eyes, and the tension between them crackles like static in the air.

“You think you can protect her?” Gray snarls. “You’re just as blinded by her as you were before.”

“She’s part of my pack. And I won’t let you—or anyone else—touch her.”

Gray’s eyes blaze with anger, and I can practically feel the air crackling between them. They’re one wrong word away from tearing into each other, and as much as I’d love to see Gray put in his place, I know this is not the time or place for an alpha showdown.

I step forward before things can escalate. “Stop it. Both of you.” My voice comes out sharper than I intended, and for a second, they both glance at me like they forgot I was even here. Typical.

I move between them, turning toward Gray with my hands raised in what I hope looks like a peace offering. “Look, we’re all on the same side here. None of us want more deaths.”

“Do you have any idea what’s at stake right now?”

“I do,” I tell him. I’m fighting my temper with every breath, but I have to stay calm. “That’s why I’m trying to help, Gray. We can’t afford to fight each other when there’s something much worse out there.”

Damien shifts beside me, still bristling with protective rage, but I shoot him a look that hopefully saysnot now. The lastthing we need is for these two to rip each other apart when we should be tracking down whoever—or whatever—is behind these attacks.

Gray narrows his eyes at me, clearly still not convinced. “And what exactly are you planning to do, witch? You think you can just wave your hand and fix this?”

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