Page 44 of The Alpha's Baby Girl

“You,” she said as her heart raced wildly in her ribcage.

“Me.” He bared his pure white teeth at her as his lips parted in a devilish grin.

Everything happened in a blur and Juniper had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that she was slung over the vampires shoulders, and trees flashed by in her vision.

She didn’t even know when she fell unconscious. One moment she was rejoicing at her sister’s pain, and in the next the world had gone dark around her.

Chapter 16 - Rowan

It took everything inside Rowan to hold himself back from following Juniper. He had seen it in her eyes. She would have forgiven him if he had applied some pressure.

He had decided to respect her decision though. Juniper saying she would think about it was the closest she had come to actually giving their relationship a chance. Things hung precariously in the balance for the both of them, and the last thing he wanted to do was push her away by applying too much pressure.

So he had watched her leave, when all he wanted was to tangle her in his arms and spend the day like that. His bed suddenly felt too big without her in it and he couldn’t bear to stay in it alone.

Not after the kind of night they had shared. Rowan felt a tingle and smiled to himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gone feral like that.

There was something about Juniper being the one who wanted him. It had surged through him like wildfire, burning him like napalm. She had practically ripped the clothes off his back.

The enthusiasm with which she’d taken him had been too much for him to bear. He had been afraid of hurting her, and it had been a struggle to keep his transformation as minimal as possible.

And every time they thought they were getting tired, they always seemed to find another gear—a way to take things one step further. Neither of them had been willing to tap out, and at some point Rowan had been genuinely afraid that one of them would have a heart attack. If not the both of them.

He sighed deeply, relishing the sweetness of the memory. He stored it like valuable jewels in a special part of his mind, somewhere he could access it at will. Somewhere he would never forget.

And yet…he still didn’t feel certain that she would forgive him. He knew that it was out of his hands. He knew that all he could do was give her a chance to make her own decision, to arrive at her own conclusion. He had no part to play in that decision.

He did have a lot to feel optimistic about though. For one, she had reached out for him when she’d needed a partner to save her life. The healer had explained the concept to him but he couldn’t help doubting it.

If Juniper saw him as her partner, why then was she so hell-bent on leaving? Even after finding out she was pregnant, she had turned down his offer for them to raise the child together.

Every time he felt as if he was starting to understand Juniper better, he was thrown around in a circle and then he realized he didn’t know her so well after all.

There was no point wondering what she was going to do next. He was sure that sooner or later, they would have the conversation that she insisted on running away from.

So he would allow her to think things through in her own time, he decided. He was going to keep doing his best to protect her and take care of her, but the decision ultimately remained hers to make.

Do you think she will forgive us?Hanlon asked quietly.

“I really don’t know. I really hurt her, you know. This is all so confusing for her. All we can do is give her some time, and hope that she sees that I’ve changed.”

The wolf made a sound that seemed to say he didn’t agree with Rowan, but he didn’t push the issue any further. Rowan had to agree with his wolf. Things didn’t look good, but what could he do? He had chosen to respect Juniper’s request for some space. Now, all he could do was wait and hope for the best.

He got out of bed and took a quick shower. He got dressed just as quickly and headed to his study. He had his entire day planned and he had a bunch of important tasks to attend to.

He couldn’t seem to focus on any of them though. His mind kept slipping and he struggled to focus. There was a nagging thought at the back of his mind, as if he had forgotten something important.

He clawed and grasped tirelessly for it, but it felt like grasping at straws. It skirted at the back of his mind, teasing him with almost remembrance, dancing around his memory and annoying him.

And then, just when he gave up and relaxed into his swivel seat, he remembered exactly what had him worried. It should have been at the fore of his mind, if his entire being had not been consumed by Juniper over the last few hours.

There is an ancient vampire in Moonwood.

Rowan remembered the monster he had seen in the orb and called the image up in his mind. It was the last thing he had expected to find, and he still didn’t have the answers for why such a creature was in his town in the first place.

Fortunately, he knew just the right group that could do something about it. He sent a message to the group chat:We need to meet urgently. There’s a lot to discuss. We finally found out what the attacker in the woods is. One hour. -Rowan.

Rowan put his phone away and rushed down the stairs to his car in the driveway. He saw the steward at the foot of the stairs and beckoned at him. “I’ll be stepping out in an hour to meet my friends. If Juniper returns and needs to speak to me, you’re to alert me immediately.”

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