Page 3 of Alpha's Secret Baby
With a sigh, I clicked open another email, hoping to find something to occupy my thoughts.
Then, a gentle knock sounded at the door.
“Yeah?” I called out.
Cherry pushed open the door, carrying a steaming mug. Another of her nightly habits, especially if I didn’t join her for dinner. She’d warm up a cup of milk and bring it to me.
“Hey,” she settled the cup on my desk. “Don’t work too hard. Remember, it’ll still be there in the morning, and a future Alpha needs his rest.” She smiled sweetly.
I stared at her, thinking about how much she kept on trying, no matter how much I kept pushing her away. Her grey stare was pensive, but there was something else there. Fondness. I was struck with the thought that she would keep treating me well, no matter how many times I pushed her back.
I offered her a warm smile. “I won’t, I promise.” I picked up the mug, bringing it to my lips, hoping it would give her some satisfaction to see me drink.
The milk was just the right temperature, with a tiny hint of honey, and before I knew it, I’d downed it. As I brought the empty cup down from my mouth, I noticed Cherry’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
God dammit.
Too late. I realized this was the first time I’d finished any of the drinks she’d brought me. Usually, I left half-finished cups here in my study. I guess as a not-so-subtle protest that, I wouldn’t submit to any part of the mating bond.
I shrugged, trying to downplay what just happened. “You made it perfectly.”
With the back of my hand, I wiped a stray drop of milk from the corner of my mouth and then noticed Cherry’s intent stare slipping to my lips. I spotted the way her throat bobbed as she watched.
“Thanks,” I said abruptly, setting the mug down and turning my attention back to the computer screen, pretending the email in front of me had me absorbed.
“You’re welcome,” she said, her voice husky, before picking up the mug and leaving the room.
As I read the same line over and over, the echo of her breathy voice rang in my ears, and a while later, I realized that my fingers kept touching the corner of my mouth as if her gaze had left a mark.
Chapter 3 Cherry
Our whole pack was seated around a huge banquet table, draped in crisp white linen and decorated with candles and flowers. A feast of rich dishes rested along the middle, which the pack had all pitched in to make, and were all enjoying now.
Despite the festive mood, my own was strained. I sat to the left of Dylan. He was to the right of his father, while Heather sat to Chris’s left. I felt like Dylan, and I were supposed to be the mirror image of our Alpha and Luna, but creeping shame built in me. I couldn’t help noticing how often Heather leaned in to talk to Chris or patted her husband’s arm and other little signs of affection that marked the pair as apropercouple.
Whereas Dylan and I had barely exchanged two words all night. Dylan mostly talked to his father about pack business. The only time I managed to speak to him was to ask if he’d tried the salmon or venison and other dull things.
A sheen of sweat beaded along my forehead as I dwelled on what everyone must be thinking as they watched us. My skin crawled, and I felt as if the whole pack’s eyes were on me, despite everyone being too busy enjoying themselves.
The banquet was to die for. Heather, our Luna, had spared no expense in celebrating her husband’s fiftieth birthday. The whole pack was gathered in the huge open-plan reception room of our Alpha and Luna’s house. The building was a converted barn, but none of its agricultural roots showed. The airy, high-ceilinged space would have looked at home in the richest areas of downtown Seattle. We were on the second floor, with huge balconies on either end, thrown open to the starry night sky.
I fidgeted with the strap of my dress. I’d been blown away as I’d put on the silver number tonight. It hugged my every curve, falling around me like a waterfall in the moonlight. But I was uncomfortable becauseHeatherhad given it to me. She’d told me she’d worn it atherMoon Ceremony, saying it would mean a lot if I wore it tonight. But now, it only added to that hot, prickly feeling washing over me. I was a pale imitation of what Heather was. I didn’t deserve to wear this because Dylan didn’t want me as his mate.
A lump rose in my throat, but then Bert’s voice sounded beside me, “Do you think John’s ever gonna lay off the ribs?”
I followed my friend’s gaze, biting my lip to hide a smile. John, one of the older members of the pack opposite, was tucking into his third plate of red meat. The man had terrible gout but was notoriously bad at restraint. John often joked it was his wolf’s appetite. I smothered a laugh as John’s wife nagged him.
Bert’s steady stream of chatter had been tonight’s saving grace, the only thing able to distract me from my worries.
But, in a second, my amusement vanished. Chris, our Alpha, pushed back his chair. He tapped the side of his glass quietly. Discomfort sluiced through me.
It was Chris’s birthday. There wasnoreason for my nervousness. The pack was here for their Alpha.
“As you know, I pride myself in making my speeches like my wife, short and sweet.”
Laughter tittered through the pack at the familiar joke, but unease crawled across my skin. I couldn’t shake the fear that I was about to be dropped into the limelight. Heather’s eyes met mine, a warm smile on her face as if to say we had so much in common. Because I shared her petite build, I’d been able to borrow Heather’s dress. But weweren’tthe same. Not in what counted.
My eyes crept towards Dylan, only to find his dark eyes staunchly turned away from me. Sadness cloyed at me as I saw again how indifferent he was to me.