Page 3 of Betrayed Alpha Bride

Thoughts of my son creep into my mind. I wrestle between doing this for him and potentially creating a situation where he won’t be happy, but having to live with it.

I’ve been lucky. He’s never really asked about his father. What am I supposed to tell him about this?

Nico barely brought up his dad, but he did ask about our magical heritage and why we lived in the human world. I hoped he would be like me—just human and normal—but obviously, he always knew he was different, even before the shifter gene began to manifest.

I swallow a lump in my throat, wondering if I did the wrong thing by raising him in the human world away from his own kind.

I had no choice!

“Clara?”

A smooth, clear voice cuts through my frantic thoughts. As I turn around, my gaze focuses on a statuesque woman standing behind me. She’s tall and slender, with slight curves that are enhanced by a perfectly tailored suit in pastel pink. A white silk collar peeks out at the edge of the fitted jacket’s finely cut lapels, and the knee-length skirt shows off her long, slim legs.

Even though the area is rugged, she’s wearing killer pink pumps. They’re higher than anything I’d ever attempt to wear, even on a flat surface.

“Yes?” I answer.

“I’m Iris Porter, the head of the agency. It’s so nice to meet you!” she replies warmly. When she cocks her head and smiles, her pale gray eyes sparkle.

“Thanks,” I say. “You too.” I walk to her and shake her hand. Her grip is firm but not hard, and immediately, I get a good feeling about her. She’s so perfectly put together, it’s difficult not to feel threatened—even every inch of her very long blond hair is pulled into a twist at the back of her head without a single hair escaping to trail around her pretty face.

“I hope you don’t mind me bringing coffee for you,” she says, sitting down at a nearby picnic table and gesturing to the bench across from her. “I just thought it would save time. So, here—sweet, milky cappuccino with extra chocolate.”

Iris hands the cup to me, and I stare at it warily.

How does she know how I like my coffee?

“How are you feeling?” Iris asks. “Nervous, or excited?”

“Both,” I admit. “I really can’t decide how I’m feeling.”

Iris chuckles. “That’s completely normal, don’t worry. I promise you, I will be there to support you every step of the way.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I appreciate that.”

My stomach flips again, and I take a sip of coffee to cover my discomfort. I don’t want to go home to Quartz Key—in fact, it’s the last thing I want to do, but it’s the only thing that can help Nico. I take some comfort from the fact that I’ll be matched and married, meaning the old hurts from my past won’t be able to touch me.

Maybe I won’t even have to see him again.

I mentally scoff at that thought.Fat chance of that happening!

“Okay, Clara,” Iris says, opening her briefcase, “I’ll just get you to go through your contract and sign. Your partner should be here any minute. Once I have your signature, the contract is binding.”

“How binding?” I ask. “What if it doesn’t work out… or if there’s another claim on me?”

Iris smiles, shaking her head a little. “Our matches are for life. It’s very doubtful there will be any other claims on your heart, and so far, none of our matches have had difficulties. I’m very good at what I do, dear.”

Even though I’m not entirely convinced, I take the pen from her hand. I flick briefly through the contract, but it’s three pages of mostly legal jargon I don’t really understand, so I just sign it and hand the pen back.

“How long will we have to wait?” I ask, my anxiety starting to rise. “Shouldn’t he be here by now?”

“He is here,” Iris says, turning around. “I’m pretty sure he just arrived. I felt the disturbance at the edge of the hidden road.”

Felt?

Is she a wolf? A witch? What is she?

“Just walk up towards the lake, dear, and see if you can see someone coming,” Iris suggests.

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