Page 25 of The Alpha Wolf’s Secret Baby Boy

As my heart pounds with panic and I clutch my pendant tightly, I continue listening to their conversation behind the door.

“... Dorian has called for another meeting with the council. He’s concerned about the pack’s safety, and what this means for Amelia and Damita.”

“Not everything is about Dorian,” Damian says as he grunts, sounding more furious than ever. “I also have a pack to protect. I have a mate to protect.”

My brows furrow. It’s almost as if Damian is avoiding going to Fort Smit again. But he promised…

He even said he’d take me there himself.

So why is he looking for an excuse not to go?

“Are you going to tell me about this mate bond you’ve decided on?” his mother asks, and Damian chuckles sardonically.

“What do you want to know, Mother? Do you want to know how I found my fated mate in Dorian’s pack? How she left Valley Walker a decade ago, and ended up in his pack?”

“You’re not making any sense, Damian,” his mother says. “Are you saying Poppy Barnes left Valley Walker to follow your brother?”

“No!” he responds quickly. “It’s not that simple, but it still angers me, okay? Dorian left Valley Walker, and because of him, I—I—” Damian growls and doesn’t say anything else, and I can hear him pacing the porch.

“This isn’t like you, Damian. Whatever is going on with you, you need to figure yourself out. Your brother is not the enemy. I thought you two got over the past.”

“Got over the past? How can I get over it when it walked right into my life again?”

My heart skips a beat when I realize he’s talking about me.

What do I have to do with his relationship with his brother?

“I need to go,” Damian says, and I hear him climb down the porch steps.

“Go blow off some steam, and come back. Your mate must be waiting for you.”

“Oh, I don’t think so!” Damian laughs maliciously. “She hates my guts, and it’s all because of Dorian!”

The wind outside rustles violently as Damian shifts into wolf form, a treacherous howl slicing through the air before thick paws pound into the distance.

I bolt upstairs to the bedroom I’d been locked in last night, just to pretend that I didn’t hear their conversation in case Diane comes inside. But once I’m inside the room, panic sets in again, and all I can think about is Daniel.

Tears roll down my cheeks, and they’re out of control, forcing me to the bed, where I take a seat on the edge and sob into my hands.

Whatever happens, I need to get to Fort Smit. I need to get out of here and back to my son.

My body trembles inconsolably, my sobs become so loud that they drum in my ears, and I don’t hear anything around me until it’s too late. I’m jolted from my sorrows when a warm hand touches my shoulder, and that’s when I find Diane towering over me, worry etched in her furrowed brows.

“I see you haven’t found the right bedroom,” she comments with a hesitant smile.

I sniffle and try to gather my composure as I straighten my spine. “I—I was lost,” I lie, not wanting to explain how I got here in the first place.

I can hear the worry lingering in her voice from the conversation outside. I can see it in her eyes, and I heard it in her voice when she spoke to Damian. The last thing she needs to learn is that her son kidnapped me and forced me into a mating ritual.

I know what it’s like to be a mother concerned about her child.

“That’s okay. Would you like me to show you to Damian’s bedroom? I’m sure you’ll be sharing the same bed.”

“It’s a lot more complicated than that, Luna Diane…” I sigh, hanging my head when she takes a seat beside me.

“My son won’t tell me anything, so are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

I shake my head slowly, lips pursed for a beat. “I don’t think it’s my place to tell you, Luna Diane. I—”