Page 14 of A Secret Baby By the Alpha

“I was just going for a walk. It’s so beautiful here!” I commented. “Have you lived here long?”

“Yeah, yeah, it is,” he said with a voice half an octave deeper than the one he used a moment ago. “I’ve lived here my whole life. Alpha Marsden and my brother grew up together. Are you going to be staying with the alpha for long?”

“I’m not sure yet. There’s been so much going on with the dark alphas. You know, with all their big plans coming up,” I whispered conspiratorially. “But a man like you knows all about that, I’m sure.”

“Of course,” he said, puffing his chest out. “My brother just asked me to join his squadron. He’s in charge of a team that works with Alpha Vitali and Alpha Desmond’s packs. Our expansion is well underway, I think.”

Harry was self-important, but it also appeared that he knew more than I could have hoped for. I just had to keep him talking.

“Alpha Marsden hasn’t given me the full briefing yet,” I said with a wistful sigh. “I don’t suppose you could tell me what the next big thing is? I really want to be prepared to help.”

The young man waved me off as if I had said something too silly to imagine. “You won’t need to help. Pillaging the neighbor packs is the business of men, not she-wolves.”

So they’re going to expand by force,I told Cassia.I don’t know what I expected, but I’m still disappointed.

To say the least,she agreed.

Maybe we can take advantage of one of their planned raids to make a break for it? If we can figure out which direction they’re heading, we could escape the opposite way.

Fewer guards would help,she agreed.See if he knows when it’s going to happen.

“I bet you’re excited to get out there,” I said with a sultry smile. “A strong man like you will surely be sent right away with all the bravest warriors.”

“Next week sometime, we should be heading for—”

“Christa!” a sharp voice interrupted Harry, and I cursed the poor timing.

“Hi, Colson,” I responded with a strained smile. I wanted to keep up appearances with Harry, but I could tell from Colson’s face that he had overheard at least part of our conversation.

“It’s time to get home,” he commanded.

Chapter 7 - Colson

I could hardly blame Harry for opening up to Christa about what he knew of the Dark Alphas’ plans. She was a charming and charismatic novelty to the young man, not to mention gorgeous. But I was still furious at her.

“I know you’re trying to escape again,” I told her quietly as we walked back to the house.

“Of course I am,” she replied. “Just because I’m being forced to stay in your territory doesn’t mean I have to obey your orders. You didn’t expect me to just do whatever you say, did you? I thought we knew each other.”

“I thought we did, too,” I said. “Which is why I thought you would understand how serious I was when I told you to stay inside the territory. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“I’m not an idiot, Colson. All I was doing was trying to get information about how to get out of here safely. I would never put Jenny at risk.”

“There is no safe way for you to leave,” I stressed. “If there had been another way to get you out of here, I would have taken it. But you were the one in the back of that transport van, and the group needed there to be consequences for that. There is only so much I can do to protect you, so just let me do that. Please.”

“You expect me to believe that you care about keeping me safe? You—the man who abandoned me even when I had given you everything?”

“Of course I want to protect you. That is my duty, just like it was when I left,” I explained.

“You think leaving me was yourduty?” she scoffed.

It hadn’t escaped my notice that I had never explained why I left all those years ago. She probably had a million questions about it, but the last thing I wanted to do was rehash the past. We had arrived back home, and my main concern was getting her to go inside and stay there.

“You’ll have to take my word for it,” I continued. “I did what I had to do.”

Her face transformed from anger to heartbreak in an instant, and I felt my heart break in solidarity with hers.

“Whatever you say,Alpha,” Christa said quietly.

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