Page 15 of Secret Wolf Baby

The words rang in my ears, not fully registering in the shock of seeing Jackson again.

Jackson. Here. After all these years.

I had never expected to see him again. Had neverwantedto see him again. Now that he was here, standing in front of me, it felt almost surreal. Like I was in a dream. Or a nightmare.

The last eleven years had only enhanced his features. His light brown hair had always been a little on the wild side. Now, it had a natural, windswept look to it that accentuated his strong square jaw and high cheekbones. Muscles rippled with every movement. He had always been tall, but now he towered over me, his broad shoulders making him seem even bigger.

Over the last few years, I had sometimes imagined what it would be like if I ever ran into him again. Not that I had ever expected it to happen, not with my being confined to the pack. I had imagined how I would feel, what I might say. I had expected it to be along the lines of “fuck you” or “you have some nerve showing your face.” But that wasn’t who I was anymore. And now that he stood in front of me, I couldn’t find the words.

Anger coursed through my veins. He had ruined my life, and now he was here, staring at me as if none of that had ever happened. I wanted to yell at him, to hit him. I wanted to scream at him to get the hell out of my town, spin on my heels, and march out of the room. But I couldn’t seem to move.

My traitorous wolf, on the other hand, didn’t seem to feel any of the anger and bitterness radiating through me. All shewanted to do was get close to him, to nuzzle against him, to wrap herself in his scent. She was positively thrilled to see him.

I stifled her urges, not wanting to even humor them. I didn’t know what he was doing here, and I didn’t particularly care. I just wanted him to leave and never come back.

And what the hell did he mean by saying, “I want her?”

I took in the tableau, trying to discern more about what was going on. Two unfamiliar shifters beside Jackson looked as confused as I felt. One of them gaped at Jackson as though he had gone insane. The other observed the situation with narrow, shrewd eyes.

Jackson was staring at Reacher, his chin jutted out. Reacher continued to glance between me and Jackson as though trying to come to terms with something. What, I had no idea. Meanwhile, Dad had a similar expression to Reacher, his brow furrowed, his lips turned downward in disapproval as if he had just heard something that didn’t add up.

“Really?” Reacher looked at me with disbelief, then back at Jackson. “Her?”

“Her,” Jackson repeated.

All five shifters now stared at me. My face grew hot, and I knew it was turning a brilliant crimson. I looked down at the floor.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” I said, trying not to sound like I was babbling. “I’ll leave now. Sorry.”

“You’ll stay where you are,” Reacher commanded.

I froze, even more confused than I had been a minute ago.

Then, like I wasn’t even there, Reacher turned back to look at Jackson. “You’re sure?” he asked.

“I’m sure,” Jackson said.

Sure of what?I wanted to scream, but no words would come out.

“We have an agreement, then,” Reacher said. When Jackson gave a short, curt nod, the alpha broke into a wide, triumphant grin. “Excellent. See, I knew we could find some sort of arrangement that would benefit both of us.”

I finally found my voice. “What’s going on?” I asked.

Reacher chortled, getting to his feet and walking around the desk until he stood next to Jackson. He looked as though he had just won the lottery.

“This is Jackson,” Reacher said to me, clapping the other shifter on the shoulder. “You’re going to go with him.”

My mouth went dry as the words swirled in my head, refusing to make sense. Go with him? Go with him where? And why?

I looked between Reacher and Jackson and my father, waiting for one of them to burst into laughter and reveal this was some sort of terrible, cruel prank for their own enjoyment. Except none of them were laughing. None of them were acting remotely like this was a joke.

“What?” I croaked, my throat dry. It was the only thing I could think to say.

Reacher rolled his eyes, his content smirk turning into a scowl. “This is Jackson,” he repeated slowly, enunciating every syllable.

A brief shock of annoyance flared inside me. I opened my mouth to explain that I knew exactly who this jerk was. But he seemed to sense what I was about to do and gave a barely perceptible shake of his head. The motion made me stop. I didn’tknow why he wanted to pretend we didn’t know each other, but I was more than happy to go along with that part of his plan.

Reacher was still talking. “He and I just came to an agreement. A trade of sorts. As part of it, this fine gentleman has agreed to let you go with him back to his pack.”

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