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Tony's apartment building is the last stop. I sit in the driver's seat, staring out the window.
"Why is he stalking me?"
"Could be a number of reasons," Adam murmurs. "You're a single female, not affiliated with any pack in the area. Or there's someone with a grudge."
"I only know of three people who would want me dead," I say tightly. "Norman, Jonathon, and perhaps you. Although, dead is probably an exaggeration when it comes to you."
"I'm not your enemy," Adam says. He takes my hands, forcing me to look at him. "I can protect you."
I look at him for a long moment and then smile sadly. "I don't want the strings that will come with the protection you offer. If someone wants to kill me, I want to die a free woman."
His eyes tighten around the corners. "You won't even listen to me."
"Now is not the time for this, Adam." I pull my hands away from his. "I'll be taking the rest of the week off. I need to do some things. I'll message you in a few days. Let's meet up."
I open the car door, and he tries to stop me. "Where are you going?"
"I'll be fine," I tell him. "I have friends here."
"Cynthia––"
"I need to go." I can't look at him. I feel like a fool. My whole life is unraveling before me, and I can't run around fast enough to gather the threads.
"I'll be fine."
I don't know how I get one foot in front of the other. All the confidence I had, the pride in my life, it's all drained away in a heartbeat. Weeks, probably months, this shifter has been stalking us, watching my baby in her preschool, knowing where she is at all times, and I had no clue. My daughter was in danger all this time, and I had no idea about it.
What kind of mother does that make me?
I wipe my eyes as I cross the road, feeling useless.
I made a mistake. I should have told Adam about our child. He could have protected her. He wouldn't have let things get this far.
A hand grabs me by the elbow, and it's Adam who turns me around to face him. "This is not your fault, Cynthia. Nobody could have foreseen this."
"Let go of me." I try to pull away from him as the skies rip apart and weep.
"You're not going to blame this on yourself!" Adam gives me a shake. "Whoever that shifter was, he was skilled. He knew how to conceal his scent. Only an alpha or a trained tracker would have been able to figure it out."
"Go away, Adam!"
"Get in the car." He drags me over to his car. "I'm done with this."
What?
He tosses me inside and then heads into the building. Where is he going?
Is he going to look inside the building and check for the shifter's scent?
I bury my head in my hands. "What do I do now?"
If the shifter was just interested in me, it would have been an easy decision. I send Riya away with Tony and Maya. But he's also interested in her. How do I protect Riya when I don't know who the enemy is? I could barely take him on in a one-on-one fight. How am I supposed to protect her if he comes after her?
I don't want to take any risks when it comes to Riya. Her safety takes priority over everything, including my personal feelings.
The best course of action would be to tell Adam the truth, to let him take Riya. He can keep her safe. He's the alpha now. He can protect her from his own family as well. And this is his daughter.He won't harm her. I was a different story. Riya is his flesh and blood. He'll protect her with everything he has.
My next actions are becoming increasingly clear to me, but the idea of what I now have to do doesn't hurt any less.
