Page 52 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
“Rex,” I say very softly. “We need to talk.”
“I know,” he says. “I think it’s finally time for all our secrets to come out.”
I nod, looking away into my lap.
“It was hard to hear you talking about what happened after I left,” Rex says. “I never imagined the pack would put you through hell like that.”
I chuckle under my breath. “Being a single mother is probably the worst social crime you can commit in Eccles. Myuncle already thought I was worthless. I didn’t directly reveal you were the father because everyone thought you were a traitor, and I thought they might hurt Jarrod, but I think most people knew, anyway.”
“Well, here’s the thing,” Rex says with a sigh. “I am a traitor.”
“No shit,” I mutter, chuckling. “You’re the alpha of Eccles’s ancient enemies!”
“No, not just that,” he says, smiling. “I went into Eccles on a secret mission.”
“You fucking what?” I ask, letting go of his hand and backing up a bit.
“Look,” Rex says, sighing. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I really want you to know the truth. I feel awful about leaving you the way I did, and the only way to even try to make up for it is to tell you why it happened.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“There is a secret organization called Wolf’s Shadow. It exists to protect our community from the human world and prevent conflicts between them and us. Operatives are called Shadows, and I became a Shadow almost immediately after high school.”
“If it’s secret, how did you get recruited?”
“They run tests at most high schools once a year,” he explains. “They present it as a special scholarship, which it actually kind of is.”
“You’re a secret agent,” I say, shaking my head a little. “Like an actual, proper black-ops guy.”
“Yeah,” he replies, grinning. “Sorry if it’s shocking.”
“It’s more than shocking,” I say, putting my hand on my forehead as if I can stop my skull from breaking open. “Is that why you left me? For a mission?”
“Yes,” he answers, looking a little withdrawn. “I had orders to move out the next morning to ensure my cover didn’t get blown. But Scarlett,”—Rex leans forward and takes my hands, looking urgently into my eyes—“I shouldn’t have slept with you. I know that. All I wanted to do was find you so I could say goodbye, for my own sake. I couldn’t tell you I was leaving, but I needed to see you before I left. I never intended for anything to happen.”
I try to absorb his words, the meaning behind them.
“I was weak,” he says, looking away. “I was selfish. I had to be with you. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity because I thought I’d never see you again, and if I didn’t have you, at least once, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Rex,” I whisper, squeezing his hands and shuffling closer to him. “I understand. There is a part of me that is angry you slept with me knowing you were going to leave, but here’s the thing—I would have regretted it, too.”
“Really?” he asks.
“Yes. If I woke up that morning and you’d vanished, I would have always wondered what it was like to be with you. I like having those memories, even though they often hurt me.” I lean forward and give him a quick kiss on the lips. “Now, they don’t hurt so much. And you gave me Jarrod. If you hadn’t been with me that night, our son wouldn’t have been born. I can never regret that.”
“Nor could I,” Rex agrees. “I hope some of your questions have been answered now.”
“Yes,” I reply. “But what I don’t understand is why you went undercover in Eccles in the first place. Do they really pose such a threat to the human world?”
“They might,” Rex replies. “At the moment, it’s about risk assessment. I couldn’t find out anything while I was there, and the last five years have been very quiet. Wolf’s Shadow hasn’t taken their eyes off them, though.”
“But why?”
“Scarlett,” he says, staring at me. “Are you sure you don’t know anything about the work they’re doing outside of town?”
Even though I don’t, my chest still tightens as if I’m about to lie.
“I have no idea why they’re digging,” I answer.
