Page 26 of Rejected Wolf's Secret Baby (Rejected Moons 4)

Kayla sighs. “I think you might be making a mistake,” she says. “But I guess it’s your mistake to make.”

“So you won’t tell?”

“I’d never betray your trust, you know that. If you want it to stay secret, then it will stay secret. Plus I’d do anything to protect this child from Lonnie.”

I sigh. “Thank you,” I say. “That means everything to me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kayla says. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think anyone else is going to guess. Dad definitely won’t. He’s just not that alert right now. And Lonnie and Pat aren’t looking at her as closely as I am. Neither one of them knows you were out with Brandon that night three years ago.”

“Do you think Brandon might guess?” I ask.

“Not if he never sees her,” Kayla says seriously.

I nod. Keeping Emmy hidden feels wrong. But the idea of exposing her feels even worse. And with those as my only options, I’ll go with the lesser evil.

Brandon never needs to see her.

15

ALICIA

KaylaandIhavedinner with Dad that night. Kayla cooks, which isn’t the norm—at least, it’s not the way things were when I was young. Dad’s always been an amazing cook, and it’s a little hard to see him just sitting and watching while Kay does it. He looks kind of sad about it, too, like he’s aware that this ought to be his job, but I know Kayla’s trying to get him into the habit of accepting someone else in the kitchen. We can’t have him doing things like forgetting to turn off the oven.

She brings a big bowl of spaghetti to the table for us and we all help ourselves. Once everyone is served, Dad clears his throat.

“I’d like to talk to you girls about something,” he says.

Kay and I exchange glances. “What’s up?” she asks.

“I’ve been thinking it’s time for me to step down,” he says quietly. “As alpha.”

Even though I don’t disagree, the words shake me to my core. I’msoused to my father being the leader of the Greystone Pack. He’s always taken pride in his position, and he’s always been a great leader. I never thought I’d see the day he stepped aside.

Kayla sets her fork down slowly. “Are you sure about this, Dad?” she asks. “Because, you know, once you abdicate, you can’t take it back.”

“I know,” Dad says. “We all knew this time was going to come. I don’t want to be one of those sad old alphas who hangs on so long that eventually the pack has to depose him. That’s not fair to the rest of you. I wouldn’t want you girls to have to go through that, and I certainly wouldn’t want Lonnie to have to go through that.”

I get what he means. Deposing a sitting alpha involves his successor challenging him to a duel, and Dad’s in no shape for that. For a moment, I wonder if Lonnie would actually do such a thing. He’s a bastard, but could he kill his own father?

I have to admit, I don’t know the answer. And that’s terrifying.

“You’re sure it’s time?” I ask him.

He sighs. “I don’t want to do it,” he admits.

“I’m sure it must be hard to think of giving up a position you’ve had for such a long time,” Kayla says.

“It isn’t just that,” Dad says. “I’ve been thinking about Lonnie.”

“What about Lonnie?”

“Well, obviously he’ll be alpha once I step down,” Dad says. “But do you think he’ll be good for the pack? I used to think so, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Is my father finally seeing his son clearly, after all these years?

Kayla looks at me, and then looks back at Dad. “He’s going to come to power anyway,” she points out. “He’s next in the chain of command, and there aren’t any potential challengers who could take him on. Even if we all agree he’s not a great candidate, there isn’t anyone else.”

“What about David?” Dad asks.

---