Page 24 of A Secret Baby By the Alpha

When she was done, she looked up at me, and I could see a sea of thoughts racing behind her eyes.

“What is it?” I asked.

“You’re better than this, Colson,” she whispered. “At least, you used to be.”

The comment wasn’t accusatory. Instead, it gave a feeling of sadness that perforated the room. I reached my hand out to cup her cheek. She leaned into it, closing her eyes peacefully.

Both of us were thinking about the people we used to be, and how much things had changed. It made me wonder if what she said was true and if I was still the same person I used to be, deep down. I’d done many things I wasn’t proud of since then, but it had all been to protect my pack. Did that make me a good alpha, or a bad person?

“What if I want to be that person again?” I whispered back to her.

“Then show me, Colson,” she replied, an edge of pleading in her voice. “Be that man again. For Jenny.”

I swallowed hard, knowing the task she had set before me was a gargantuan one. But it was clear that I would need to figure out a plan, and soon. Alpha Desmond wouldn’t stop his scheming, and I had a family to protect now.

“I will,” I assured her.

Chapter 12 - Christa

Ever since the night that Colson had been attacked by Desmond, I had become hyper-aware of the missions and tasks he did with members of the Dark Alphas. Every time he left, I worried. At least one of his so-called allies had shown himself to be capable of attacking him. There was no telling when the next strike might occur.

In the last three days alone, Colson had been gone for more than half of the time. Some of the missions took a few hours, but the longer ones lasted over a day.

I was running ragged from lack of sleep, but if he was gone overnight, I couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes. Jenny needed to be protected, and in Colson’s absence, that duty fell entirely on me—just as it had for the last nine years of her life. If anything happened to Colson because of his involvement with the Dark Alphas, Jenny and I were sure to be their next target.

Last night, he had spent the entire night at home. I was grateful for his presence, because it meant I had been able to catch up on some of my missed sleep. He and Jenny had made dinner, after which I had passed out on the living room couch while they watched television. At some point in the night, he must have carried me to bed because I awoke next to Jenny, who was sleeping peacefully beside me.

Reaching over to rest my hand on the top of her head, I was in awe of my little girl’s beauty. After all this time, I thought I would have gotten used to being her mom, but each day, I found myself amazed that I had been blessed with such an angel.

I kissed her cheek lightly, and she rolled over, falling deeper into sleep. With a smile, I got out of bed and quietlygrabbed my robe and slippers, donning them as I crept down the hallway to make a pot of coffee.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Colson teased as I came into the kitchen. “You’re up early.”

“I’m not used to having unbroken sleep like that. Thanks for taking me to bed last night. I would have had a hell of a backache if I slept on the couch,” I admitted.

“Why have you been so tired?” he asked.

“Just the usual mom stuff,” I hedged, folding my arms and squeezing them tightly against my chest.

“I told you,” he said, rubbing my arms reassuringly, “you don’t have anything to worry about. I have everything under control.”

I smiled at him tightly, hoping it was enough to show him that I was okay. There was really nothing he could say to make the situation better. If he tried, I was bound to just feel more anxious. The only solutions I could see were either for him to take Jenny and me home, or for him to break his pseudo-alliance. Neither of which seemed to be on the table.

“Did you make any coffee yet?” I asked to change the subject.

He released my arms and made me a cup, passing it across the kitchen island to me. We sipped our coffee in silence as the sun came up, letting its beams of light filter through the windows and slowly bring the house into sharper relief.

“Are you home today?” I asked when I had finished my first cup and poured myself another.

“No, I’m leaving shortly to meet up with the other alphas,” he said. He betrayed no emotion or information withhis voice, but his tone was measured. Whatever they were doing today, he didn’t want to talk to me about it.

“When will you be back?”

“Hopefully before nightfall, but it could be later. I was hoping to see Jenny before I left, but make sure she doesn’t wait up for me to get home.”

“She’ll be disappointed not to see you today,” I pointed out. “Are you sure you have to go?”

“I’m sure,” he said shortly.

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