Page 20 of The Alpha's Broken Oath

Goddess, bless his little heart.

Telling my babies their daddy was in heaven was the right call. I never thought I would see Deacon ever again or our lives would intertwine like this. Nor did I think I’d sacrifice the life I’d built for me and my family for Deacon. Again.

Putting the knife down, I kneel on my kitchen floor to face my babies.

“Abby and Devon, do you like them as your friends?”

“Yes! They are cool. Can they come to play with us tomorrow after school?”

I can’t do this to my children. I can’t flee the city. I just can’t start over.

I don’t have enough money. I have no plan, and moving would mean me searching for a new house and a new job.

“Instead of leaving, we can stay, Winter. Maybe we can listen to what he has to say,” my wolf advises.

I’ll stay not because my wolf sounds like she wants us to give Deacon a chance but because the triple salary Deacon offered me would change my life and my boys’ lives.

I’ll play along, I’ll take his offer, and I’ll reject him every single step of the way till he takes the hint and goes back to wherever he came from.

I’ll never let Deacon find out about my sons.

And this time around, I’m not falling for his words like a naive eighteen-year-old with a childish crush on him.

CHAPTER EIGHT

DEACON

Glancing outside the panoramic window of my penthouse to the city that stretches for miles and miles brings some sort of peace to my body.

While Bracken City offers what most people search for outside the confines of their packs, this metropolis is nowhere close to home. It’s nowhere close to how it feels to be an Alpha and be in control.

Moonstone was my turf, but Bracken? This city is Winter’s turf, and she didn’t hesitate to show me how.

She put me in my place as she should have.

Did the slap sting? It sure as fuck did. I can still feel it a few hours later. I can still feel those pretty fingers of hers and that immaculately soft palm of hers connect with my cheek in rage.

The man inside of me, who is head over heels in love with her, smiles. She might have tried to wipe away my kiss from her lips, but at least she slapped me. That meant I got under her skin. That meant she felt something for me, even if that something revolved around the word “hate.” I’ll take that instead of her ignoring me. I’m in her life again.

The man who kissed her and watched her dismiss it as nothing feels a little slice of pain cutting his chest.

Taking my eyes off the city lights, I swirl the drink in my glass, watching the ice cubes clink against each other. My other hand, which has an iPad resting on it, presses play on the video I got from the company’s surveillance footage.

Like a stalker, I watch the cameras show me every move my mate made when she stepped out of my office.

I watch as she steps out of my office with a calm and collected demeanor, and that has the alcohol burning my throat fiercely.

The kiss didn’t affect you, baby, but I’ve been thinking about it every second since you left my office.

I continue watching the footage, from her getting inside the elevator to her getting out of it, only to wind up being ambushed by her co-workers. Winter handles the three women like a pro, and I’m almost proud of her were it not for the fact she used the “he’s all yours” line to get them to back off.

I’m not just anyone’s. I’m hers.

She’ll understand that soon enough.

The footage continues to show Winter as she gets in her car, slams the door, and sits in the driver’s seat for hours. I can’t make out her face clearly, but the minute she lays her head against the steering wheel, seemingly falling asleep, I watch her through the screen, wishing we weren’t separated like this. Wishing I would be there to give her a shoulder to sleep on and assure her we will never be separated again.

I can almost see her lips in my head, moving as her chest puffs and huffs while she snores. I can see her luscious lips, looking delectable against the lighting in the dingy parking lot. I can see and feel so much, and yet I’m farther away from her than I’d like, and that only fuels the urge to be with her again. I have to get her back, or I’ll lose my mind.

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