Page 32 of Betrayed Alpha Bride

Galen reaches down and picks him up, hoisting him into his arms as if he weighs nothing at all. When we get back to the car, I sit in the back with Nico while Galen drives us home.

When we arrive, I settle Nico in for a nap, then take a shower and change. I can hear Galen moving around in the house, and I appreciate that he gives me some privacy by staying out of my way.

After, I go to the kitchen and hear the water start up as Galen showers. I can’t help imagining him standing under the water, his slick, soapy hands rubbing across his tight abs and broad chest. I have to press my thighs together and hold my breath to regain control.

I busy myself making some coffee, but the whole time the shower is running, I can’t think straight. When it finally stops, I breathe a sigh of relief, hoping that my fantasies will settle down, but when Galen comes into the room wearing snug jeans and a tight T-shirt, my body starts to tingle all over again.

“Making coffee?” Galen asks, leaning on the bench. I nod stupidly, watching him reach out and smooth his damp hair with one hand. He glances over at me, and I’m sure he doesn’t realize he’s giving me a sultry, sexy look.

He looks like every poster of a male celebrity on a high school girl’s bedroom wall.

“I’ll have one,” Galen says, and even though I’m literally holding the cups, I don’t know what he’s talking about.

I’ll have you. That’s what I really want.

Galen’s phone buzzes, snapping me back to reality and saving me from embarrassing myself—or worse, doing something I’ll regret.

I can’t forget how brutally he rejected me before, after I opened my body, heart, and soul to him. I let him all the way in, and he shredded me, right to the bone. It took years to rebuild myself and learn to trust again.

I just couldn’t survive if it happened again.

“It’s Winnie,” Galen says, reading the message on his phone. “Mother has demanded our presence at dinner.”

I let out an exasperated sound. “Now? Tonight?”

“Yes. She wants us there in half an hour.”

A lump forms in my throat as I try to protest, but I know there’s nothing I can do. It was only a matter of time until Macy called on us to officially meet Nico, and we have to go.

It must have been such a shock that Galen brought me back here. I’m not surprised she needed time to process it. Hopefully, she’s going to introduce herself to Nico properly this time.

I know the old wolf has never liked me, but I’m hoping she can make Nico feel welcome. He needs his family now more than ever, and having his pack around him is the only way to get him through this safely.

“We should get ready,” Galen says. “Do you want to get Nico?”

I nod, silently leaving the room and going to wake my son. Nico is feeling much better after his episode and is eager to meet more of his family.

When we arrive at the Ramses estate, Nico is awed. The house is an impressive two-story building made of stone, with a wide driveway and gardens surrounded by neat rings of rocks.

“This is where Grandma lives?” Nico asks.

“Yeah, kiddo,” Galen answers. “I grew up here.”

“It’s huge!”

Galen chuckles. “I know, but it’s pretty boring. Lots of libraries and artifacts. Not much to play with.”

“It’s still cool,” Nico says, taking my hand. “Am I going to get to meet Grandma this time?”

“Yes, you are,” I answer, trying to keep my tone even. I explained to him that Grandma was the lady he saw before, but because of pack politics, it wasn’t appropriate to greet her as family at the time.

So many old traditions, and I don’t even know them all. I had no shifter gene, so there was no point in learning it. I could never be part of the pack!

I’ve never felt even a hint of a wolf within me, but right now, there seems to be a keening deep in my soul—a desperate yearning for something I can’t even define. When Galen takes my hand and squeezes it, I jump a little, but I squeeze back.

It’s like he can feel it, whatever it is inside me, as if it’s calling to him.

We go down the main hallway to the parlor, where I can clearly hear Winnie’s voice.

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