Page 24 of The Alpha Wolf’s Secret Baby Boy

“I was the luna of this pack for many years, my son,” Mother smiles, not taking her eyes off Poppy. “Of course, I remember my pack members, amongst other things.”

Mother glances at me with a knowing look in her eyes, and a shiver runs through me. Was she aware of our relationship in the past?

I clear my throat before saying, “Poppy Barnes is my fated mate, Mother. I have claimed her in a private ceremony tonight.”

“So, that’s what you’ve been getting up to, huh?” Mother chuckles as she folds an arm across Poppy’s shoulders. “Welcome home, Poppy. Let me show you inside.”

My jaw drops with surprise, and it takes me a moment to realize that my mother is accepting of the mate bond because, after all, Dorian married a human.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary, Luna Diane. I can find my own way,” Poppy assures her, and it’s probably because she doesn’t want to be shown to my bedroom.

“Are you sure?” Mother asks, to which she nods. Then, Mother turns to me. “Well, I do need to speak to you, anyway.”

I rub my nape, watching carefully as Poppy heads inside, feeling unsettled because I don’t want to leave her alone.

But I have to.

It’s the only way I can calm my wolf before I do something I’ll regret later.

“I need to go for a run,” I murmur to my mother.

She touches my arm. “This will only be a minute, Damian. It’s about your brother’s pack. The corruption in Nightclaw has spread.”

I watch the front door long after Poppy disappears inside.

Every instinct tells me to follow her. To make sure she hasn’t vanished again. To convince myself she is still here.

Only when Mother clears her throat do I finally drag my eyes away.

If running is the only thing keeping the monster inside me on a leash, then I’d better start running.

Chapter 6 - Poppy

“The corruption in Nightclaw has spread.”

Diane’s statement stops me in my tracks, and I turn around slowly. Mother and son have their backs turned to the door; I sneak behind it and eavesdrop on their conversation.

Damian has his hand clenched at his sides, shoulders tight as he responds to his mother, “I know about the strange occurrence in Nightclaw, Mother. We had a meeting about it with the council yesterday. Simon assured us—”

Diane shakes her head and clicks her tongue. “Didn’t you hear me, Damian? The corruption has spread through the forest, with new signals of activity. Whatever is happening is slowly progressing, and now they’ve found more dead vegetation, and even animals lying dead in the woods. Not mauled. Just dead.”

I gasp, a hand flying to my mouth to cover the sound from escaping.

Dead vegetation and dead animals…?

Is that what Connor was talking about when he warned me not to leave the pack area?

That’s the very same reason Daniel and I left our cottage in Roland and sought refuge in Nightclaw.

Something about this doesn’t feel coincidental, and my mind instantly goes to Daniel.

A lump forms in my throat as tears gather in my eyes. I hope my son is safe. I trust Connor and Ingrid to keep him out of danger, but I still need to go home and make sure he’s alright. Hold him in my tight embrace and find a way out of this mess.

The mark on my neck throbs, a warm pulse radiating beneath my skin. It doesn’t hurt. Somehow, that’s worse.

He wasn’t like this ten years ago. Somewhere along the way, something inside Damian Walker had broken. And now he has this irrational idea that we’re fated mates, and will stop at nothing for me to acknowledge it.

There’s no way I can trust his word when I don’t feel what he claims I should. All I feel is anger. Betrayal. And resentment at the man keeping me from my son. Whatever I felt for him in the past is long gone, thanks to his hesitation to claim me as his mate back when he had a chance. Back when I wanted it.