Chapter 234
Chapter 236
“That’s not necessary. Mrs. Peterson is with Aria.” The lie slipped from my lips before I could stop it. My heart hammered against my ribs as Alexander’s intense gaze locked with mine. If he came upstairs, if he saw Aria… he would know instantly. Our daughter had his eyes, the same unique amber flecks that seemed to glow when the light hit them just right. His strong jawline. His dimpled smile.
No, I couldn’t let that happen. Not yet. Not when everything was still so complicated.
“She’s my neighbor–she watches her sometimes when I need to… work late,” I added, the fabrication tasting bitter on my tongue. In reality, Aria was at our hotel with the actual sitter I’d hired, a college student named Emma who needed the extra cash.
“Right,” Alexander said stiffly, his expression hardening.
I hesitated at the car door, fighting the urge to tell him everything. “Alexander, I p>
“Go,” he cut me off. “Your daughter’s waiting p>
The dismissal stung, but I nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind me. I felt his eyes on me as I entered the apartment building, walking through the lobby as if I belonged there. Only when I was certain he couldn’t see me anymore did I exit through the side door, hurrying to catch a taxi back to our hotel.
In my purse, the small package of emergency contraception felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. I wouldn’t take it. Couldn’t take it. Not just because we already had a child together that he knew nothing about, but because deep down, my wolf—what little remained of her—would never allow me to prevent another possible bond with my true mate.
Even if that mate believed I was someone else entirely.
The taxi dropped me at the Grand Plaza Hotel, where Aria and I had been staying since our arrival in the city. The doorman greeted me with a polite nod as I hurried through the elegant lobby to the elevators.
When I opened our suite door, Emma looked up from her textbook with a smile. “She’s been asleep for about an hour,” she whispered. “Perfect angel, as always p>
I thanked her, paid her for the evening, and watched as she gathered her things to leave. Once alone, I slipped quietly into Aria’s room, my breath catching as I watched her sleeping form. She was curled on her side, one small hand tucked beneath her cheek, dark hair spilled across the pillow like ink.
Alexander’s hair. Alexander’s peaceful sleeping expression.
Tears pricked at my eyes as I carefully sat on the edge of her bed, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face.
“I’m trying to do what’s best for you,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure anymore what that was. Keep her from knowing her father? Or finally let Alexander know about the daughter who had inherited not just his looks, but his strength, his determination, his quick mind?
I pressed a kiss to her forehead before retreating to my own room. After washing away the scent of Alexander’s touch–though nothing could erase the memory of his hands on my skin–1 collapsed into bed, emotionally and physically exhausted.
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Chapter 236
Sleep came quickly, dragging me into dreams I couldn’t control.
+25 BONUS
*Alexander’s smile, brilliant and carefree as we raced through the forest behind the Blackwood Pack territory. My wolf, strong and whole then, keeping pace with his magnificent beast. The perfect synchronicity of our movements, the joy of running alongside my mate p>
*“I love you,” he whispered against my lips as we lay beneath the stars, our bodies entwined in the soft grass of the meadow only we knew about. “I’ll always love you, Sarah. No matter what happens, remember that p>
*His hands, gentle yet possessive, tracing patterns on my skin. The sensation of completeness when he claimed me, marked me as his Luna. The pure bliss of our bond, strong and unbreakable p>
* Until it wasn’t p>
*The scene shifted. Foster Thorn’s cruel smile as he told me Alexander was dead. My wolf howling in anguish, breaking inside me. The pain so intense I thought I would die from it p>
Chapter 237
425 BONUS