Page 46 of A Secret Baby By the Alpha

The room erupted into cheers and claps, and I grinned at Colson. I had been worried about being accepted by his pack, but I realized now that I had nothing to fear. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was home.

“Some of you may know that Christa and I have known each other for a long time,” Colson continued. “I made a lot of mistakes and thought she was lost to me. But the great wolf god granted me a second chance, and I’m so glad that I tookit. Christa, I vow to love you every day and hold you above all others. I vow to be your champion and to be by your side until the end of my life.”

He paused so I could say my vows to him.

“Colson, I vow to be your best friend and the voice of reason when the world around us seems to be too much to bear. I vow to stick by your side through the good times and bad, and to remind you of your strength and kindness when you forget who you are,” I said.

Colson squeezed my hands with eyes full of emotion, and I squeezed them back. Behind me, I could hear a sniffle and knew that Jenny was tearing up as well.

“I, Alpha Colson Marsden, take you, Christa Lionel of Sparkle Hollow, to be my one true mate,” Colson said.

“I, Christa Lionel of the Sparkle Hollow pack, take you, Alpha Colson Marsden, to be my one true mate,” I repeated.

The crowd cheered as we kissed and sealed the bond between us. I looked out toward the crowd and smiled, only to have the smile fall from my face as an alarm rang out suddenly. Colson grabbed my hand and reached for Jenny before sprinting toward the front of the building.

“What is that?” I asked, fear filtering into my voice.

“It’s our perimeter alarm,” Colson explained. “It means a wolf from another pack has crossed our boundaries in their shifter form. Someone is coming.”

The room erupted into action as the assembled wolves filed outside, ready to confront whatever threat was heading our way.

“Should we take Jenny somewhere?” I asked.

“No time,” Colson replied. “They’re already here.”

He nodded down the road toward the forest, where a group of wolves barreled toward the pack house at full speed.

“That’s Alpha Lex,” I told him. “Sparkle Hollow knows where I am. I’m so sorry, Colson. I should have come up with a plan for this.”

“It’s not your fault. I hoped we had more time, but they were bound to find out eventually. We’ll figure this out,” he assured me.

“Together,” I promised, squeezing his hand.

The wolves slid to a stop in front of the pack house and shifted back into their human forms, with Alpha Lex at the front of the group. Beside him stood Franco, and I realized what must have happened. I had thought he had been thrown off my scent when I ran into him in the hardware store, but he must have figured out who I really was and passed the information to his allies back home.

“Colson Marsden!” Lex shouted from his spot twenty feet away. “You have some explaining to do.”

Chapter 23 - Colson

I had promised Christa that we would figure this out together, but in the back of my mind, I knew the chances of me walking away from this encounter were low. I couldn’t deny the deaths I had caused or any of the other crimes I had committed. Now, Sparkle Hollow was here to collect.

“Colson Marsden, you have some explaining to do,” Alpha Lex said.

“Alpha Lex,” I responded, doing my best to keep my voice even despite the threat to my pack and family. “We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet. Welcome.”

“Save it,” he hissed. “I don’t need your false politeness. I know of your crimes against Sparkle Hollow and its allies, and now I find out you have added more to that list. We demand retribution.”

“I’m aware of the crimes I committed ten years ago. The deaths of your allies was a tragic mistake that I have regretted every moment of every day since it happened,” I admitted truthfully.

“Your regret doesn’t bring them back!” Lex shouted.

“It doesn’t,” I agreed. “But neither does this.”

I waved my hand at the infiltrating wolves, poised to attack my people as they stood in a defensive position behind me and Christa. Even if I was prepared to give in to Lex’s demands that I pay for my crimes, I couldn’t forget my duty. I was an alpha now, and I couldn’t abandon my people.

“Do you think because it’s been ten years, you are going to be forgiven?” Lex asked.

“I don’t expect forgiveness,” I admitted. “But sometimes circumstances change. You’re an alpha, so you must understand. At times, an alpha must place his duty to his pack above all else—even his own conscience.”

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