Page 19 of A Secret Baby By the Alpha

“I’ll spell it out for you, shall I?” I said snarkily. “You still have no right to any of my secrets, or to any part of me. We aren’t together—you made sure of that when you abandoned me and our daughter. That’s the only secret of mine you’ll ever get, and only because I was too stupid to keep hiding it from you. Don’t worry, I won’t make any of those mistakes again. Especially not the mistake of allowing you to touch me.”

“Chris, don’t do this,” Colson begged. “Just give me a chance to—”

“No, Colson. You don’t get a chance. You lost your chance ten years ago. Now get out.”

Chapter 9 - Colson

I hadn’t had any intention of seducing Christa when I confronted her about Jenny’s parentage, but that didn’t make it any easier when I was rejected. For ten years, I had been dreaming of this girl—my true mate—and she had the nerve to reject me? The alpha? Furious was an understatement for how I was feeling.

If I was being honest with myself, though, I was mostly upset at my own actions. There was no reason for Christa to trust me after what I had done to her. And, as Jenny had pointed out, I still hadn’t apologized for any of it.

Christa had deserved the apology ten years ago, and I worried that anything I could say now would only sound trite and meaningless. An apology would be the kiss of death for any potential relationship we might have. Now that Jenny was a part of the picture, I couldn’t risk that. I couldn’t risk losing my daughter when I had just found out about her.

No, I wouldn’t apologize. I would continue to be exactly as I had been—fierce, loyal, protective of what was mine.

“Get these tools out of here,” I snapped when I got to the pack house. “Construction equipment stays in the back. Got it?”

“Yes, Alpha,” said the young wolf I had spoken to. He ducked his head in submission and began carrying the toolbox toward the rear of the house.

I sighed in irritation and walked toward my office. I had to do my job, but I needed space from everyone. The slightest problems had been sending me into spirals, and it was becoming cumbersome to deal with.

Anger was at the forefront of my mind, but lurking in the back was regret. I hadn’t been there for Christa when she was pregnant with our child, and that was something I could never change. I had missed an opportunity that I would never get again. One of many. Being there for the birth of my firstborn, watching her grow up—all those memories were Christa’s to carry alone. Jenny would have no memories of a childhood with her father, and I would have no memories of being one.

Added to that anger and regret was my confusion at what had occurred in Sparkle Hollow since my absence. When I left, Christa had been highly regarded among her pack. Something had changed, and she refused to tell me what it was. She had made it perfectly clear that she wouldn’t tell me anything else about her past, but I needed to know.

If Christa wasn’t going to give me the answers I craved, I would find them for myself.

“Reagan, get in here!” I shouted to my secretary.

A moment later, Reagan appeared in the doorway. He looked skittish and afraid, but I hadn’t called him in to berate him for any of the many mistakes that had been occurring in the pack lately. For now, what I needed was his help.

“I have a mission for you,” I said. “Have you ever been to Sparkle Hollow?”

***

Reagan had been gone for more than twenty-four hours, and I was starting to get impatient. After giving him the rundown yesterday of what I wanted him to look for when he went to Sparkle Hollow, he had left in the afternoon with a promise to return as soon as he could. I had made sure hewouldn’t be recognized by anyone in their pack, but part of me wondered if he had gotten caught snooping. I couldn’t afford to confront Alpha Lex head-on, but if I had to do it to get a pack member back, I would.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, Orin said.

Why isn’t he back yet?I snarled at my wolf.It’s been long enough for him to find out what happened and what her status is in the pack. If he doesn’t turn up soon, do I go after him myself?

No, he’ll be back,Orin said.

I wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t just information about Christa that I needed, either. The ambush on the transport between the Moonstone pack and Sparkle Hollow would have been noticed, but if they had discovered who was behind it, we needed to be ready. A strong pack like Christa’s wouldn’t let it slide if they knew who was responsible for their missing equipment. Although the Moonstones had become more peaceful in recent years, they were still bound to be out for blood. No wolf pack would take the death of their members lying down.

Evening was fast approaching, and I decided that nothing more productive could be done at the pack house for the day. I may as well wait for Reagan’s return at home.

Christa and Jenny were there when I arrived, eating dinner together and watching a TV show.

“Colson!” Jenny said brightly when I entered the room. “Come see what I made for dinner!”

She hopped up from her spot on the couch and pulled me into the kitchen, where a plate of food was waiting for me.

“I call them taco burgers,” she said brightly, pointing to her creation. “I made tiny burgers and put them on soft tacoshells and melted some cheese on top. You can add whatever toppings you want. I like them with guacamole and tomatoes.”

Jenny was hopping from foot to foot, unable to contain her excitement at showing me what she had done. Although I wasn’t usually a fan of mixed-genre foods, I had to admit that it looked and sounded delicious.

“That sounds great, Jenny. Thanks for making dinner. You didn’t have to,” I reminded her.

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