Page 24 of The Alpha's Baby Girl

“Finally,” Juniper gasped as the last group of townsfolk left.

Rowan turned to ask her what she had said, only in time to see her collapse in a heap, unconscious before her body struck the concrete.

Chapter 8 - Rowan

Rowan watched Juniper pull into the driveway in her tiny suburban rental from the massive window in his office. The curtains were slightly opened, and he stood to the side just in case she looked up at his window.

She grabbed a box from the back seat, then shut the door behind her. As she approached the house, Rowan took a step away from the window, breathing deeply.

He returned to the chair and sat in it heavily. He shut his eyes and focused his ears. He could hear Juniper as she climbed the steps up to the second floor. He heard her as she walked down the hall to her bedroom, and when she unlocked her door. And then everything fell silent again.

Rowan blinked again and let out a deep breath. A month had passed since Juniper had put up a shield over Moonwood. A month since she had pushed her powers too far, and ended up unconscious as a result.

Rowan had rushed her to his home, and had watched her like a hawk the three days she had been unconscious.

The pack healer had said that she wasn’t in any grave danger and that she just needed some rest. Rowan had insisted on remaining by her side regardless.

Although Rowan had been asleep when Juniper finally came to, his wolf had nudged him awake, jumping excitedly inside him. He had found Juniper glancing around curiously, presumably wondering where she was. He’d rushed forward immediately, feeling relief.

“Hey, how do you feel?” Rowan had pulled up a chair beside the bed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Uhm…yeah. I feel a little groggy though. Like I’m hungover. What happened?”

“You don’t remember? Well, you cast the warding spell and then passed out right after.”

Juniper’s face flickered in remembrance and she rubbed her forehead. “How long was I out for?”

“Three days.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Three days?Shit. Remind me never to do that much magic again, please?”

Rowan had then caught her up on everything that had been going on since she was last conscious. The whole town had been talking about her, with opinions divided on what they had seen her do.

It had all been great, until she’d asked to return to her motel room. All of Rowan’s persuasions for her to remain in his house had fallen on deaf ears.

“Think about it, Juniper,” he had said. “This way, you don’t need to waste money on a motel. Also, it’s a pretty big house and there’s more than enough room for you in it. There’s also the fact that we are working a case together, and this helps us work more efficiently.”

Juniper had blatantly refused, and two hours after she woke up she was out the front door on her way back to the motel. The motel that Rowan owned.

In a last-ditch effort to convince Juniper to live with him, Rowan had called the manager of the motel. He’d informed the man that Juniper was on her way back, and instructed him not to receive her.

“Cook up something about a bedbug infestation. Anything. I don’t care. Just turn her away. Understood?” Rowan felt some shame at what he had done, but that shame disappeared when Juniper rang the doorbell an hour after she had left.

Rowan had struggled to contain his amusement as she’d asked him for a place to stay for a few days while they fumigated the motel.

A month had gone by since then. Ironically, Rowan saw less of Juniper now that she lived with him than he had when she’d lived across town.

The only time he saw her was when they had investigations to carry out together. Beyond that, she spent her time cooped up in her bedroom. She even took her meals there.

Oftentimes, she went out alone to run personal errands, retreating into her bedroom the moment she was back home.

Rowan hated that he had been reduced to someone who had to peek out of a window. On two occasions, he had walked right up to her door, determined to speak to her. He had stood outside, frozen, staring at the door.

Both times, he had lost confidence and walked away, her scent strong in his nose. Even when they were out working together, Juniper strove hard to keep conversation minimal. She doggedly refused to talk about their recent lovemaking, and that infuriated Rowan.

He knew she had a right to be cold to him after how he had treated her in the past. It still chafed him raw and left him with a burning anger, which was only rivaled by his desire and hunger for her.

He sighed and stood up. It was a good thing he was meeting up with his friends shortly. He hadn’t told them much about Juniper returning and the associated hurricane of emotions that had come with her return.

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