Page 21 of The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Baby

The racing of Rayla’s heart stopped. She was so lucky to have such an amazing child as her son. She smiled sweetly at him.

He smirked and continued, “I don’t know what town to choose yet. It’s too quick. I need time to make my decision.”

Rayla was so proud and happy. She hugged him and kissed his head. “That’s my son.” She looked into his eyes. “Thank you for forgiving me.”

“Well, you still need to make my best meal to really earn the forgiveness.” he teased.

“Oh yeah!” Rayla exclaimed. They broke from the embrace.

“Come with me to the kitchen, and I will dazzle you with my culinary skills,” she teased back as they walked back into the house.

It was a Saturday. Rayla didn’t have work.

The morning went blissfully. Rayla made Abel’s best meal. They binge-watched movies all morning into late noon.

When Abel went to football practice, Rayla was at a loss for what to do. So, she decided to spend some time answering her emails. Her phone beeped and she picked it up to check the message. It came from a strange number. She didn’t think much about it until she opened the message.

Rayla couldn’t believe her eyes. The message was videos of Abel when transforming. It captured the whole thing—Abel jumping out the window, disappearing, and reappearing.

If it had been just Abel in his wolf form, Rayla would have been less agitated. They could claim it was fake. But it was a full video of Abel transforming into a wolf.

Who would have captured this? How did they know to? The questions churned in her mind.

If it got out, Abel would never be safe. And Abel wouldn’t be the only one—every other werewolf would be exposed to danger.

Chapter 7 - Xander

He was in his office thinking about his encounter with Rayla from the day before. His mind was a mix of several emotions keeping him busy as he stood by his window, casting his gaze across the horizon.

Xander couldn't seem to get Rayla out of his head, nor could he stop thinking about how he had been a father for thirteen years now and didn't know. He was pissed at her for keeping him in the dark about this, knowing full well what it meant to him. Yes, he did tell her that she wasn't going to be able to give him an heir with the Shadow abilities. But why didn't she reach out when she found out that he was wrong—that her kid wasn't human?

He wanted to blame her; he really did, but a part of him knew that she wasn't entirely at fault. He also had a huge part to play in this… as did the Elders. A frown appeared on his face as he thought about them and how they had misled him. He was going to address that later; however, his heart still beat for Rayla, and he couldn't stop thinking about her.

He tiredly massaged his eyeballs as he gave in to the images of Rayla that were flashing in his head. Seeing her again and speaking with her did a number on him. It affected him more than he had realized. The mere thought of her was making his heart race, a testament to the fact that he was still in love with her.

Xander wanted her back now more than ever. He wanted to have her once again, to give their love another chance and also have the privilege of being in Abel's life.

He found himself imagining how his life would be with both of them in it. He would be the happiest alpha that had ever walked the earth. He thought about how he would be there for Abel during his first turn, how he would teach him the ways and culture of the pack.

He imagined himself with Abel in the woods, teaching the boy how to harness the powers of the Shadows and how to use his abilities to conjure and form all manner of weapons. He imagined teaching him to run at supernatural speed, teaching him to leap, to howl… to hunt.

Abel would be a fast learner since he had alpha blood running in his veins. Xander was certain that he would make sure Abel learned everything there was to learn.

The boy was his pride, his legacy, an extension of who he was, and a testament to the love that once was between him and Rayla.

He had to reunite with them, he had to be with them—and this time, no one would stop him. Nothing would stand in his way, not even the Elders. They ruined his life once all because of a tradition that they were too scared to break.

This time, things would be very different. No one would make decisions for him anymore. And in that moment, he decided to take control of his personal life and his life as alpha of the pack.

He stepped away from the window, ready to go back to Rayla and try to talk things through with her. Yesterday was an eye-opener for him and he realized that he could not afford to lose her again. Despite the argument that they had, he still wanted her because arguments were inevitable and it would probably be the first of many others to come. But he didn't care. He was determined to make this work, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Just as he was about to pick up his car keys from the table, a thick blanket of shadow crept from beneath his door and climbed, enveloping the door. His eyes glowed as he looked through the shadow portal, although he already knew who had conjured this in his office.

Good. It's about time we had a talk.

He walked through the shadows and appeared at the assembly of the Elders.

“Alpha Xander,” the Eldress greeted.