Page 67 of The Alpha Wolf’s Secret Baby Boy

“Roxanne…?” I gasp as another realization hits me. “I told you, you had nothing to worry about when it came to Roxanne. She’s mated to my beta, Kilian. There was nothing between us.”

Poppy nods slowly as she processes this information, tears still falling from her eyes. “That night when you hesitated, I kept thinking it was because I was nothing like her. Not of high rank. Just an omega. And I doubted you.”

“I gave you reason to doubt me, Poppy. I want to hate you for leaving, for keeping Daniel away from me all these years. But I get it now. I hurt you. And then I went on and kidnapped you and forced you to mate with me, while you’ve been carrying this doubt with you for a decade.”

Poppy gulps as she nods hesitantly. “I really wish you weren’t so understanding. It was easier to hate you,” she murmurs, drawing her hand back and reigniting guilt in my chest.

“We can’t rewrite the past, but we can decide what our future will be like…” I whisper, echoing Dorian’s advice from earlier.

Poppy remains hesitant, her brows furrowing. “I don’t think there is a future for me, Damian. Daniel knows you’re his father, and I need you to promise me that you’ll take care—”

“No,” I cut her off sternly. “You’re not giving up like this. We may have hurt each other, but I am not giving up on you.”

“You have to.”

“I won’t!” I exclaim, leaning in and cupping her cheeks, staring deeply into her eyes. “I don’t know if our relationship can ever be repaired, but I do know that Daniel needs both of us. He needs both his parents. And I need you to fight. We’re going to fix this. You’re gonna get better.”

Without giving it any thought, I crush my lips to hers, disregarding all the hurt and suffering to be in this moment with her, where she knows I’m determined to get her better.

To my surprise, Poppy kisses me with equal passion and fervor, and grabs the back of my head to deepen the kiss. What should be considered insane because of everything going on suddenly feels right, and I can’t stop myself from kissing her harder as my fingers slide into her hair.

She’s moaning on the kiss, her sounds desperate as if she’s trying to breathe me in, and I let her take the reins for a moment. Her fingers suddenly tighten in my hair.

It’s too tight.

Pain blooms across my scalp, and in that moment, something changes, like the air around me becoming colder, Poppy’s lips becoming more frantic.

When she clamps her teeth on my tongue, I freeze, but Poppy doesn’t stop. It’s like my hesitation prompts her to keep going, and that’s when she bites my bottom lip.

I break the kiss abruptly, the mate bond twisting violently in my gut now, and as I pull away, she doesn’t let go, nearly drawing blood with her teeth.

“Poppy!” I gasp breathlessly, shock draining the blood from my face when I meet blood-red crimson eyes glowing with malice.

She smirks like a maniac, and I take a step back.

“What in the…” my horrified voice tapers off, and the horrifyingly dark expression slips off Poppy’s face.

“Damian… Damian!” she panics, wrestling against her restraints, breathing heavily. “What happened? What is happening to me?”

Gulping hard, I step forward and wrap my arms around her shoulders, drawing her to my chest to comfort her as she weeps against me.

“Please help me…” she cries, her body shaking against me. “Please make it stop… Please make the voices go away…”

Voices…?

Whatever the dark witches did to her, Poppy is losing her mind.

As Poppy clings to me, I lift a hand to my mouth and wipe my bottom lip, noticing the blood streaking my forefinger, and I shudder.

I have to help her.

For Daniel’s sake.

And for my own.

No matter what has happened between us, my inner wolf won’t give up. He won’t lose her again.

I won’t lose my mate.