Page 11 of A Secret Baby By the Alpha

I winced. I had never—would never—cheated on Christa. But that didn’t mean that my actions had put her first.

“I think we both know I have regrets,” I murmured.

Christa’s expression softened at my admission, and I saw a glimpse of the girl she had once been. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull her close, bringing us both back to that time. But that time was gone. Long gone.

I placed my hand on her cheek, unable to control myself when I was in such close proximity to her. It may have been a long time ago, but my heart still ached for her. I couldn’t go another moment without feeling her warmth against my skin.

“Why do you have so many questions about Jenny?” Christa asked.

“It’s not just about Jenny,” I admitted. “Seeing you again… I just had to know. I’ve thought of you so many timesover the years, but I never thought I’d see you again. I admit I’m feeling a bit like a fish out of water right now.”

“That makes two of us,” she said with a sigh, and placed one hand on my waist.

That one touch seemed to ignite a fire that spread throughout my entire body, but instead of acting on it, I remained motionless. For a long moment, we stood with one hand placed on the other.

“Did you marry him?” I asked suddenly.

“Marry who?”

“Jenny’s father. Did you marry him?” I repeated.

I saw her swallow, the motion drawing my attention to her neck. My eyes roved down toward her breasts before I realized what I was doing and refocused on her face.

“No,” she whispered. “I didn’t marry him.”

She still belongs to us, Orin roared ferociously.It doesn’t matter how many other men she’s known. She is still unclaimed.

Although the mention of Christa knowing other men made me flinch internally, I couldn’t help but agree with Orin. I had always known that she was our true mate. From the way she was acting toward me right now, I thought she might feel the same.

I bent forward to kiss her, unwilling to let this moment pass, but she jumped back suddenly.

“Jenny’s out of the shower,” she said.

The sound of running water had stopped. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, knowing that nothing more could happen between Christa and me right now.

We have time, Orin reminded me excitedly.

“I should go check on her,” Christa continued.

“Of course,” I said, returning my hands to my pockets.

She gave me a backwards glance as she left the room, and I felt my heart soar with the possibility of rekindling things with her. There was nothing that would make me let her go again.

You’re right, Orin. I’m not going to make the same mistake with her again.

Chapter 6 - Christa

The awkward push and pull between Colson and me continued to vex me during the days that followed. The initial twenty-four hours in Pack Marsden had been eventful, but after Jenny and I failed to escape that first morning, I decided it was best to play nice with the pack. At least for now. I hadn’t given up on getting back to Sparkle Hollow, but there was no upside to repeating our failed escape.

Unfortunately, Pack Marsden and the rest of the packs they were aligned with were even more distrustful of me than I was of them. This had been apparent from our first day with them and became increasingly obvious with each encounter.

We had gotten permission from Colson to venture into the town without him, with his reminder that any move toward another alpha’s territory would have dire consequences. So Jenny and I had taken a stroll down Main Street, looking for shops to keep us entertained. There wasn’t much else to do.

“This place looks kind of cool,” Jenny said, peering through the window at an assortment of herbs housed in glass jars. They were lined up on rustic wooden bookshelves, and I could see plants hanging from pots along the ceiling. A large orange tabby cat was lounging in a ray of sunlight that fell through the glass, looking content with his surroundings.

“Very cool,” I agreed. “Should we go inside?”

Jenny nodded her head enthusiastically, and I opened the door. A metallic tinkling sounded from the other side of the door handle, announcing our arrival. I peeked around to look at them and saw a set of three copper bells tied around the handle on the inside.

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