Page 14 of Alpha's Secret Baby
“Don’t worry,” he interrupted, not meeting my gaze. “I’m only here to ask you to visit Lord Hills on behalf of our future Alpha. Dylan’s going to be named Alpha in a few days’ time. You know every pack member has to swear loyalty to him at his ceremony–”
“I left the pack,” I blurted out.
“Pack rules still apply. Every wolf born into a pack has to swear loyalty to a new Alpha, even if they don’t live within that pack.”
I bit my lip, discomfort at the thought of going back, making me argue. “Don’t you think that’s a little outdated?”
Bert sighed. “I don’t make the rules, Cherry.”
I started to wring my hands. They wanted me to return to Lord Hills after all these years?
I frowned confusedly as I realized Bert could just have called me to tell me this. There must be more to his visit than this. “Why didn’t you just call?”
My friend’s blue gaze fell to the floor, and he shrugged again, not seeming to know what to say. “I guess I thought the news that you were expected to come back… might be better delivered in person… by a friend.”
Relief sluiced through me. Bert wasn’t here on Dylan’s orders or the old Alpha’s to claim Fern as part of their bloodline. They still didn’t know that Fern was Dylan’s daughter. If Bert had known, he wouldn’t just be demanding thatIvisit Lord Hills.
Caution still trilled in me, but I felt my guard lower as I realized Bert was here for me. My friend had flown out here to have this difficult conversation with me in person rather than over the phone. Warmth stirred through me. It was touching that after all these years and with so little contact, he’d gone out of his way for me.
More than anyone else, Bert knew how torn up I’d been during my year of trying to live with Dylan, trying to make a go of things, and how much it had hurt to leave the pack. He’d been worried about my well-being enough to come all the way here to deliver this news that definitely stirred up all those difficult emotions I’d buried in the past.
Tears prickled behind my eyelids, and I launched myself at him, throwing my arms around him.
With a surprised, “Ooph,” his arms closed around me too.
“I’ve missed you,” I croaked.
He breathed me in deeply. “I’ve missed you, Cherry.” The scent of grassland and wooded slopes washed over me as my friend’s scent blanketed me. Warmth fluttered through my chest, and I felt as if a little piece of my childhood had returned to me with my friend.
Chapter 10 Cherry
As Bert and I broke apart, my friend’s easy-going grin triggered a matching one on my face. “What?” I asked.
“Sooo, Fern’s a fire-cracker, ain’t she?”
I chuckled but reminded myself I still needed to tread carefully. I gestured to the sofa, inviting Bert to sit down and using the moment to get a grip on my anxiety. I thanked my lucky stars that I’d taken the precaution to conceal Fern’s shifter scent. I’d gone to a witch in Berlin’s Mitte district, who’d given me medicine to block my daughter’s scent to others with unnatural abilities. But I knew I mustn’t reveal any nervousness before my friend about my daughter, or he’d get suspicious.
“She certainly keeps me on my toes,” I started.
Bert’s keen blue eyes took me in, and he didn’t ask, but the silence filled with the unasked question about where Fern’s father was. Knowing it was important for me to broach the subject first before my friend could ask whether she was Dylan’s, I leaped into the topic.
“I met Fern’s dad, a human, in my first year studying here… but… we didn’t stay together, so… I had Fern by myself.”
A shadow fell over his face. “Oh, Cherry. I can’t believe you went through all that alone. If I’d only known, I’d have been over here in a flash.”
“Thanks, Bert…” I reached out, patting his arm. “And I know you would.” I sighed, guilt churning in my stomach for lying to my friend. Especially after the heartfelt reunion we’d just shared. But my deception was for Fern’s sake I reminded myself. Ironically, I hadn’t had to manage my breathing like this since I’d given birth to her. I was making sure I kept it calm, aware that any tell-tale symptoms, like a quickening heart rate or my pheromones altering, wouldn’t reach Bert’s overly keen shifter senses.
I shrugged, feeling like I was over the worst of this conversation. “I guess I felt as if I needed to prove to myself I could do it alone. I had to show myself that I could be everything Fern needed. I knew if I was serious about staying out here, raising her, and completing my degree, I had to be enough for both of us.”
It was my friend’s turn to launch himself at me, and I laughed, only just managing to gasp out, “You’re breaking my ribs.”
Bert let go but with a smile, warned, “Get used to it. You’ve got a backlog of seven years’ worth.” He breathed out a deep sigh and added, “So about coming back. Are you going to be okay?”
I shrugged. “S’pose I have to be, don’t I?”
He nodded resignedly. “At least you’ll get to hang out more with yours, truly.”
I chuckled but took the opportunity that Bert’s light-hearted reassurance gave me to ask. “Could you keep Fern our little secret?”