Page 61 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

This scar is a reminder that I survived. Would I have struggled so much had I not known about the child in my womb? I don’t have the answer to that.

I step into the shower and wash off the grime of the day. I hate leaving Finn by himself. Maya always comes over when I need her to, but I worry about whether I’m neglecting my son. He seems pretty well-adjusted. He’s a happy child, and he doesn’t mind me putting in extra hours. But I’m all he has, and I cannot shake off the guilt when I come home sometimes and he’s already in bed.

I do make sure that I always pick him up from school myself. And that we have breakfast and lunch together. It’s just the other stuff that I have to miss out on occasionally. When he was very young, I would take him with me on stakeouts, and he would sleep in the car, completely comfortable. But as he grew older and more curious, I didn’t want to expose him to the darker sides of the world.

Finally clean, I put on my pajamas and open my bedroom door. My son is there, pacing the hallway impatiently with a book in his hand.

“Why do you take so long, Mom?” he complains before grabbing my arm and pulling me into his room. My hair is still wet, but I let it be.

Sliding into his bed with him, I hold him in my arms. “Come on. Let’s read you that story.”

He snuggles into me, resting his cheek on my chest, his arms encircling me, and I begin reading. It’s an adventure story about two heroes who go exploring the world to take down the mighty dragon. I’m only one page in when I hear soft snoring coming from the child in my arms. He is conked out and completely wrapped around me.

Sighing, I kiss his forehead. “You sleep like your father, all arms and legs.”

It’s easier to slip out of his grasp than Cedric’s, though. Once I’m sure he’s not going to wake up, I head to my room. It’s ten o’clock; I still have an hour to write my report. I secure my gun in my desk drawer and make sure all the doors are locked. It doesn’t take me long to send the report to the client. Closing the laptop—one of many incredible human inventions—I decide to make myself a cup of hot chocolate.

When I came home two hours ago, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep without even changing my clothes or cleaning up the mess I had walked into. But that hour-long nap has me feeling more like myself, and while the hot chocolate is heating, I straighten up the living room.

After starting a fire in the fireplace, I settle down in the armchair, warm cup in hand, my legs tucked under me. Another rarity in the human world. They prefer their heaters to fires. Safety hazards, they claim.

They’re right. I would never let Finn sit near the fire like this at his age. But I love it. I don’t know why it comforts me. I stare at the flickering flames as they blend with each other, shades of blue, orange, and yellow. Maybe I’m still holding on to parts of my past.

I don’t want to sleep yet, my mind buzzing with the contents of the report I just sent. The client who hired me is madly in love with her husband and mate. But she has become suspicious of his relationship with her younger sister. Tonight, I removed the tracker from his car. He has been visiting the sister’s house multiple times a week. My client is going to be heartbroken. According to her, her mate had been in love with her younger sister, but she rejected him. He then pursued my client, who fell in love with him. And now, her sister wants him because—

I don’t even know why she wants him. But I can understand how my client must feel.

I felt the same way, knowing my fated mate chose another over me, going so far as to order my death. The agony of learning how worthless I was in Cedric’s eyes never really went away. I moved on, but the memory is painful. The torture that he ordered and his hatred for me still cut me deeply. The bright side is that I’m no longer Princess Vivian’s shadow. I am Leanna. I am a mother. I am a PI. I have friends. I don’t have to bow my head in front of anyone or lean on anybody for survival. I am enough.

My hot chocolate is going cold, and I’m about to sip it when I hear a knock at the door. Frowning, I look at the time before going to check the security camera. When I see the person standing there, I let out a sigh. Of course it would be him at this hour.

I open the door. “Your Majesty.”

Erik Wild is not as tall as my mate. But he’s bigger than me, and he has an imposing presence that commands respect. He eyes the hot chocolate I’m holding. “I see you were expecting me.”

Plucking the mug from my hand, he enters the house with the ease of a person who has been here several times before.

“That was mine,” I mutter.

He takes a drink of the hot chocolate and looks displeased. “It’s cold.”

“Let me make you a new one,” I say reluctantly.

“Coffee, please.” He follows me into the kitchen. “Where’s Finn?”

“Sleeping. Surely you didn’t expect him to be awake at this hour?”

“This hour?” He checks his watch and looks surprised. “I thought it was before nine. I guess I got caught up with work.”

As I start the coffeemaker, I ask, “What brings you here?”

“There’s been another kidnapping.” His voice is low, and a shiver runs down my spine. I was afraid of that.

Lately, there’s been a string of wolf shifters going missing. At first, it was assumed that they had simply taken off, but no one could come up with any explanation as to why they would have done so.

“This would be the fourth case since—”

“Since Harold,” Erik finishes. “Yes.”

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