Page 66 of Betrayed Alpha Bride

“Nothing too fancy, I hope,” Clara says, looking me up and down. “I wasn’t expecting you to be in a suit.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” I answer. “You look positively breathtaking.”

Clara ducks her head and blushes a little.

“Well, I wasn’t sure what to wear… this dress is nice enough for something formal but also warm and comfortable, so it was an easy choice. I couldn’t convince Nico to wear formal clothes, though.”

Nico blows a raspberry and does a little lap around the car. He’s wearing a smart turtleneck that looks a bit formal, but the effect is ruined by his casual jeans.

“It’s okay, no one is going to look at us funny for breaking the dress code,” I answer. Both Clara and Nico give me inquisitive looks.

“Come on, Dad, just tell us!” Nico pleads.

“Okay,” I answer, laughing. “We’re going to the observatory. I booked it just for us, so there won’t be anyone else there.”

“Wow!” Nico exclaims. “To see stars and stuff, with a big telescope?”

“You got it, kid.”

“Let’s go!” Nico yells, hurling himself into the back of the car.

“He’s a bit excited, Clara says, laughing. “Since I told him about it earlier, he hasn’t stopped talking about how Dad is taking us out.”

“Good,” I answer. “But I hope his mom is excited, too?”

“She sure is,” Clara replies. “But now I feel a little overdressed.”

“You look amazing,” I whisper as I open the car door for her. “You are beautiful every day, but you wear that gown like a queen.”

Clara’s cheeks color up again, and she looks away shyly as I close the door, then go over to the driver’s side. Before I get into the car, I stretch my senses out to check for any irregularities in the area.

After listening for a minute and scenting the air, I’m satisfied that all is quiet. I did a little digging into the young wolves, and it looks like they’re runaways, not originally from any pack in Wolfshade.

That’s strange enough. I don’t think we’ve ever had wolves just wander in.

I don’t mention it to Clara because I don’t want to worry her, and it seems the youngsters really aren’t up to any trouble. They seem to be ready to move on already, and Sherman and Kyra promised to keep an eye on the situation tonight so I could enjoy my time with Clara.

The drive up to the observatory doesn’t take long, and we get to see the scattered lights of Quartz Key twinkling beneath us as we head up to the rim of the canyon. Dark shadows of mountains fall away behind us as I drive out onto the outcrop where the massive telescope is mounted.

When we arrive, Frankie and Gemma are waiting for me at the front door.

“Hello, Galen,” Gemma says, taking my hands and kissing my cheek. “How is your mother?”

“She’s well. Taking a break from the pack business lately.”

“Good to hear it. This must be your mate, and your son?”

Gemma leans down to greet Nico, and I introduce Clara to Frankie.

“These are the town weirdos,” I say, with a straight face and a serious tone. “They live out here all alone, and rarely come to town. No one knows what they get up to out here, but there are whispers.”

Frankie chuckles. “Yeah, peace, quiet, all the stars in the sky, and the woman I love. Why would I ever leave this peak?”

“Sounds like I should have visited the observatory at some point while I was growing up,” Clara mutters. “Looks as if it might have been exactly what I needed.”

“You’d have been most welcome, sweet girl,” Gemma says. “We hold public events a few times a year and often open up for private visits, like tonight, but the door’s always open to someone who just wants to gaze at the sky for a bit.”

“I wish I’d met you sooner,” Clara says with a wide smile.

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