Page 16 of The Alpha Wolf’s Secret Baby Boy

I shoot upright, realizing I’m not in my own bed. The duvet is a dead giveaway, and so is the ivory sleigh bed I find myself in.

“Oh, no…”

Panic surges through me, spurring me out of the bed and onto my bare feet that instinctively carry me to one of two doors in the bedroom. I find a bathroom behind the first one, but the second one is locked.

“Shit… Where am I…?” I whisper, rushing to the curtains to draw them back. But when I do, I get the biggest shock.

There’s no way I could forget the place I grew up in for the first twenty years of my life.

Beyond the window lies Cedar Valley—the one place I swore I’d never return to the moment I set foot outside of it.

Now, I find myself back here, staring at an almost panoramic view of the town, recognizing the slopes of the mountains ahead, the assembly of trees of the forest, and the creek running like a sharp line of crystal blue water cutting through the overgrowth at the foot of a mountain.

I take a fearful step back, my heart pounding with horror. How did I get here?

Rushing forward, I try the window, but it’s sealed. Not that it would have been helpful. The metal bars in front of the glass block the spaces I could have escaped from anyway. And just as another realization strikes me—that the only house tall enough to overlook the town is the alpha’s house—keys rattle in the door, a metallic clank slicing through the silence.

The door is pushed open, and an unmistakable face comes into view.

“Damian…?” I murmur in disbelief, eyes widening with shock.

Damian lifts his head, but his eyes aren’t soft or sparkling like they were in the dream. They’re dark and hostile, almost as if he’s internally critical of my existence.

“Hello, Poppy Barnes,” he says, his voice cold and filled with contempt.

My heart hammers in my chest, dread filling every corner of my being.

How did he find me?

I thought I was doing a good job of avoiding him, sticking to places in Fort Smit where he couldn’t find me.

And worst of all…does he know about Daniel?

“What the hell is going on, Damian? How did you find me? How did I get to Cedar Valley?”

Damian chuckles, running a hand across his nape as he smirks. “Oh, so you recognize your home?”

“This is not my home anymore, Damian. How did you find me?”

Damian continues to chuckle as he closes the door behind him with a swift flick of his wrist before he stalks forward slowly. He doesn’t take his eyes off me, and my heart races as the seconds tick by, stretching as far as they possibly can, as if time itself is slowing down.

I gulp hard, but it does little to stop the awareness crashing into me like violent waves. I’ve only caught glimpses of Damian these past few months, and nothing could have prepared me for the face-to-face encounter and brutal reminder of how much time has passed.

He’s different, and time has clearly been good to him, even if his eyes aren’t soft anymore. His arms have filled out. Chest, too. Muscles ripple across his body, pulling his buttoned shirt tight down his torso. Even his thighs appear more powerful, his khakis hugging muscles like a second skin.

Gulping again to stop myself from the unwanted exploration of his body, I drag my eyes up where I notice the definition of his facial features. He wears light stubble on his face, but his sharp jawline remains prominent, that boyish charm visible in the dimple on his left cheek despite the fine hairs on his face.

Then there are his lips, thick and pigmented in a deep shade of pink that has me recalling the taste of cherries on my own tongue, as if he’s closer, a mere inch away, his breath fanning my face.

But he stops a few feet away, crossing his arms in a way that shows off his bulging muscles.

He cocks his head to the side, appearing amused, his smirk staying firmly on his lips. “Did you think I wouldn’t find you?”

That’s what snaps me out of my foolish gawking, and I fold my arms across my chest, hugging myself for reassurance. It’s this same devious charm that got my heart broken the first time, and I have to utilize every ounce of willpower I possess to remain unfazed by him.

It is hard.

“I didn’t know you were looking,” I retort with a scoff, tightening my arms around myself and averting my eyes when he takes another step forward.