Page 17 of The Alpha Wolf’s Secret Baby Boy

“I wasn’t looking,” he returns measuredly. “You can imagine my surprise when I found the infamous Poppy Barnes in my brother’s pack.”

“Infamous?” I arch a brow and turn back to face him with a narrowed glare this time. “That’s a stretch. I did not deceive your pack.”

“No,” he chuckles. “But you deceived the alpha.”

I blink fervently, not sure if Damian himself actually believes what he’s saying. “I did not deceive you, Damian. I left.”

“Yeah,” he scoffs. “You left without a word. Just so you could follow my brother to his new pack.”

His voice is laced with bitterness, but what he says is ridiculous.

“What?!” I exclaim. “What are you even talking about? I—”

“Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about, Poppy,” he cuts in, stalking forward again as he unfolds his arms and lifts a pointed finger at my face. “You left Valley Walker, just so you could follow Dorian, because you thought he was a more competent alpha.”

This time, the absurdity of his claim has me throwing my head back, a hoarse laugh ripping from my throat.

“Really?!” I laugh. “You think I left because of that?”

Damian sucks in a breath as if he’s stifling his anger. “You disappeared the night I became alpha of Valley Walker. Then I find you living in his pack.” His jaw tightens. “Tell me that isn’t deliberate. Tell me you didn’t lack faith in me as your alpha.”

I reel at the claim, pausing to take a breath.

Does he really believe I left Valley Walker because I thought he wasn’t competent?

Is he really so daft?

But he has a point. I didn’t have faith in him, but it’s not the reason he believes… I’d lost faith in him ever taking me as a mate when I saw him with Roxanne, and met his hesitation later that night.

Shaking my head, I’m the one who takes a bold step forward this time, ignoring his scent trying to gnaw at my conscience, defying whatever I’m feeling in the depths of my being.

“I did not follow your brother to Nightclaw, Damian. I have only been in his pack for a year.”

Damian straightens up and frowns. “What do you mean, you’ve only been there for a year?”

“We—” I stop myself and bite my tongue. “It wasn’t until a year ago that I joined Nightclaw. And I had no idea your brother was the alpha of the pack. It had nothing to do with him.”

Damian raises a brow. “Where were you before that?”

“It’s none of your business,” I say flatly. “Now tell me, what am I doing here? How did you get—”

My blood runs cold, and I look down at my arm instinctively.

Of course!

I didn’t get hurt.

Damian drugged me and kidnapped me.

That means he saw me while I was out yesterday. He knew I was there.

Does that mean he knows about—

“Yeah, I did what I had to do,” he responds, interrupting my thoughts. He clenches a hand in front of him, staring at his fist. “I took matters into my own hands. You seemed quite…content in Nightclaw. I knew you wouldn’t come willingly.”

I scoff, lifting my head. “Yes, Damian. I was quite content. Thank you very much. You had no business…no business kidnapping me!”

Damian smirks like he’s proud of himself, crossing his arms again. “It is my business. It is my right,” he sneers, and a cold shiver courses down my spine.