Page 12 of Cruel Alpha Beast
Lacey folds her arms across her chest like she doesn’t believe me. She has every right to feel that way, but I can’t let her go. Watching her run away with her shirt inside-out, disappearing into the woods, was one of the greatest regrets of my life. I should have followed, told her how I really felt about her. I should have faced the slings and arrows that would have shot my way, believed in my strength from the get-go.
But I didn’t. And I can’t go back and change anything. I can only act now and keep her here, never to make the same mistake again.
“Now, tell me whatever it is you’re hiding from me,” I say icily.
Lacey turns over her shoulder, and Greg nods his head silently. When she turns back, I see the reluctance on her face.
“Sawyer, meet your daughter, Shea.” She points across the table at the girl watching this argument in a daze.
My mouth dries instantly. So, I really am the father of this little girl. Our night by the lake meant something. It produced a child. An heir.
A feeling washes over me that I never thought I would feel before. I can’t place it off the top of my head. All I know is that it would ruin me to see anything happen to that girl.
The idea of having children was always something that felt so distant, so far away. Now, my daughter is right in front of me, and a million things could happen to her or Lacey if they leave the valley.
I can’t let them go.
“Then you must stay here,” I say.
“No,” Lacey snaps. “We have a home, and it’s certainly not in this valley.”
“You will be safe here,” I argue back. “I am your alpha. I am her father. You are staying in the valley, and that is final. No compromises.”
“Sawyer, you can’t force us to stay here!” Lacey bites back.
“I can and I will,” I tell her, crossing my arms over my chest. “You haven’t been here in some time, but even you must remember that the alpha’s wife and child must stay within the valley’s limits.”
Taken aback, Lacey’s mouth hangs open. It takes a long moment for her to even formulate another sentence.
“But I’m not your wife,” she says.
“You will be,” I tell her. “After tonight.”
Chapter 5 - Lacey
He saidwhat?
I don’t think my mouth has completely closed since Sawyer first said that he was forbidding Shea and me from leaving. But now that he’s mentioned marriage, I don’t know if my lips will ever touch again.
“This is crazy,” I breathe. I rise from my seat at the table and reach out toward Shea. “Come on, baby, we’re leaving. Say goodbye to Uncle Greg.”
But my brother holds fast to her, all of the color drained from his face. “Lacey, I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
“Well, I’m Shea’s mother, and I think it’s agreatidea,” I say.
“Lacey, think about it,” Greg adds.
I look down at the table, sucking my cheeks in. Sawyer was right; technically, I am still a member of this pack, but I don’t belong. I’m not one of them. I never have been. I’ve only known cruelty and mockery. I can’t allow my daughter to grow up in this, even with Uncle Greg and me to look out for her.
Sawyer’s eyes burn into mine. “You know what happens if you defy my orders,” he says in a low, threatening tone. “At best, you’ll be exiled. Never to speak to your brother again. At worst—”
“I’ll be punished,” I fill in for him. “I remember.”
Twenty-three years' worth of hatred fills my veins as I glare back at Sawyer. Despite any feelings I had toward him in the past, I can and will never forget how awful he was to me. If I take Shea and run back to the woods, then I’ll never have to see him ever again. He will be dead to me, once and for all.
But then again, so will Greg. My brother, my rock in times of uncertainty, will be nothing more than just a happy memory. If I leave, I’ll never see my only other living family member again. If anything happens to him, no one will reach out to me to let me know. I’ll have my daughter and my freedom, but I won’t have my brother.
I duck my head and look back at Greg. Shea is still in his arms, watching everything happening, but hopefully not understanding how dire these circumstances are. I offer her a smile, but then I realize that she’s not even staring at me. Her hazel eyes are fixed on the man she inherited them from.
