Page 33 of Bully Alpha's Secret Baby

We finally make it back to the cabin, and the familiar warmth of the place wraps around us the moment we step inside. I close the door behind us, the sound almost too loud in the quiet. Jade doesn’t say anything, just stands there with her arms wrapped around herself like she’s trying to hold everything together.

“Penny’s with Alec,” I remind her. “You don’t have to worry about her.”

She nods but doesn’t look at me. I can see the exhaustion in her every movement—the way her shoulders slump, the tightness in her jaw. She’s holding on by a thread, and I hate it. I hate that she’s been through so much today, and all I want is to take some of that weight off her.

“Come on.” I guide her toward the couch. “You need to rest.”

“I can’t. There’s too much… too much going on.”

I don’t argue. Instead, I sit beside her, close enough that our knees brush. I want to pull her into my arms, to hold her and tell her everything will be okay, but I know Jade. She doesn’t need false comfort right now. She needs something real. Something steady.

“Hey,” I say quietly, tipping her chin up so she has to look at me. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m fine, Damien.”

“No, you’re not. And that’s okay. You’ve been through hell today. Let me help.”

She lets out a shaky breath, and for a moment, I think she’s going to argue. But then she surprises me. Her body leans into mine just the slightest bit, but it’s enough for me to feel it—the crack in her armor. She’s letting me in, even if it’s just for a moment.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Her head rests against my chest, and I can feel her heartbeat—fast and uneven, like she’s still wound tight. But slowly, as the minutes tick by, she starts to relax. I run my hand gently up and down her arm, letting the silence fill the space between us.

“You’re safe,” I murmur, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. “It’s okay now.”

Jade doesn’t say anything, but her hand reaches up, her fingers curling around the edge of my shirt, holding on like I’m the only thing keeping her grounded.

And maybe I am.

After a while, I feel her breathing start to even out, and her body grows heavier against mine as exhaustion finally takes over. Carefully, I shift, lying us back against the cushions so she’s tucked against my side and her head is resting on my chest.

Her eyes flutter closed, and as I brush a strand of hair away from her face, my fingers linger on her skin for just a second longer than necessary. There’s something about this moment—about her letting herself be vulnerable with me—that tugs at something deep inside me.

“Damien?” Her voice is soft, barely a whisper, and I almost miss it.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

I press another kiss to her hair. “Anytime, Jade.”

She falls asleep not long after. I watch her for a while, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against mine, and something inside me shifts. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or how we’re going to face the chaos still waiting for us out there, but right now, in this moment, she’s here. She’s safe. And that’s all that matters.

I hold her close, letting the weight of the day finally settle over me, and I promise myself that no matter what comes next, I’ll be here. I’ll protect her. I’ll fight for her.

Because tonight, this moment, it’s more than just a fleeting moment of peace. It’s a promise.

Chapter 12 - Jade

There’s a buzz in the air. Not the good kind, either—the kind that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up and your stomach do an uncomfortable flip. It’s tension, pure and simple. The kind that’s settled deep into everyone after so many attacks in a row.

The last one was particularly brutal, and it hit East Hills hard. That one’s got everyone on edge. The space between the previous attacks had given us some false sense of control, like we could stop it from happening again if we just figured it out in time.

But time doesn’t seem to be on our side, and now the attacks are coming rapid-fire.

I keep my distance from Damien. It’s easier that way. Not that I’m avoiding him—okay, maybe I’m avoiding him—but it’s not like we don’t have a mountain of stuff to deal with. The pack is tense, Penny’s been having nightmares, and I can’t shake this gnawing feeling that the worst is still to come. But being around Damien lately stirs up things I’m not ready to deal with, like how much I let him in last night. He held me like I was something precious, and I… I let him.

So, yeah. Avoiding him seems like the best option.

I’m trying to blend into the background, hoping no one will notice I’ve been playing ghost, when Damien finds me. Of course, he finds me. He’s got that uncanny ability to always know when I’m trying to hide.

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