Page 39 of Alpha's Secret Baby
Cherry’s gaze dipped down as if she couldn’t face looking at me. “I went to a witch in the Mitte District here in Berlin to get a scent blocker,” she confessed. “It conceals Fern’s shifter scent from other preternaturals.”
“Is it permanent?" I asked. Not just thinking of myself and how I wanted our daughter to have her whole heritage open to her but also of how Fern might feel when she was older if that part of her had been taken away by her mom.
“By Nuu-Chah, no,” Cherry exclaimed. “We can get a spell to reverse it. I’d never have made a decision like that for Fern.”
I laid my hands comfortingly on her shoulders. “I know that, love. It’s just I also know now how scared you must have been that if the pack and I knew that Fern was my daughter, we’d insist on her being raised as part of Starsmoon.”
Cherry sighed and admitted, “I did worry. I mean, I used to,”
“I'd never take Fern away from you,” I held her silver eyes, needing to reassure her and show her that she could trust me completely.
But I knew I also needed to be honest about how I felt. I loved my mate and my daughter more than anything in the world, but Iwasthe Alpha of Starsmoon. I would eventually need to return to my pack.
And besides that, I wanted to tell Fern about her heritage. I wanted to tell her she was my heir and next in line to be the Alpha of Starsmoon. Like Cherry said, that wasn’t something she had the right to take away from her.
So I said, “But I hope with all my heart that both you and Fern will come back to the pack with me.”
Chapter 25 Cherry
I turned the lamp on my desk as evening fell. I was alone in my studio. Maisy and the sales assistants had gone home hours ago. I should too, but… I lingered. I was only half-heartedly working on the design in front of me. Instead, I was thinking about the request Dylan had made a few days ago: to come back to the pack. I’d known the request was coming for weeks. But it hadn’t made it any easier to hear. I’d told him I’d think about it, and I was.Incessantly.
We’d had a lovely time a few days ago as a real family on Fern’s birthday. I loved watching my daughter play party games with her friends and bask for the first time in the knowledge that she had her momand dadthere. And I enjoyed basking in Dylan’s attention too. Thoughts of the way we’d made love that night, tenderly, lovingly, knowing that we were part of a family we’d made together had been beautiful. The way he’d caressed me with such tenderness and reverence had made me feel like a Moon Goddess.
Concerning our extended family, too, Dylan’s request to come back with him to the pack seemed to make sense. Our moving back to Seattle would make my dad’s life so much easier. I knew he’d been willing to relocate to Berlin for his granddaughter and me, but I knew, too, he was happy where he was in Seattle. He’d had a whole lifetime there, and the house he lived in was full of memories of my late mom and of my childhood. Over the last few weeks, I’d told my dad that Dylan and I were making a go of our relationship here in Berlin, and he’d been pleased for me, promising to come out and see us soon.
Besides, my dad, we’d have Dylan’s parents back in our lives too. I knew things could be rocky at first, given how Dylan’s choosing to pursue me meant that he’d gone against the old Alpha’s wishes. But I knew Chris and Heather were good people. And I was sure once they’d met Fern, their granddaughter, they’d be pleased to have us back in their lives. The idea of my daughter having such an extended network of family after having just me for so long seemed like something in favor of the move too.
Yet, the idea of going back wasn’t all roses. I looked around at the vast, airy studio. I’d withdrawn a lot from Dylan over the last couple of days, hiding in my work and pulling a few late nights while he spent time with Fern. As much as I wanted to be with my mate, I felt as if I was already grieving for the business I’d have to let go of.
I stared around at the long white tables where final prototypes lay. The interns who had now been here for the summer months were working on their final pieces. They’d be finished up in a few days. Their questions echoed through my head, and their eager energy seemed to dance in the studio, which had been their learning space and the incubator for their creativity. I loved being part of that process and couldn’t imagine not having it in my life. My gaze fell on the mannequin draped with a dress that Maisy was altering. My heart throbbed painfully. I pictured Maisy’s careful movements and heard her bright voice and easy-going humor. It must have been almost nine months that I’d worked with my assistant designer, and I felt another pang in my chest as I contemplatednotworking alongside her.
Just then, my phone rang, and I dreaded it being Dylan checking in and asking when I was coming home.
I glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Bert. I’d long since patched things up with my old friend since he’d betrayed my secret about Fern to Dylan. It was hard to stay angry at him when he’d helped bring my mate and me back together and indirectly given us such joy over the last few weeks.
“Hey, Bert!” I said, answering the call.
“Hey stranger, I didn’t think you’d pick up with you working late.”
I pursed my lips, suspicion filling me. “Did Dylan ask you to check in on me?”
“Does your oldest friend need your mate’s permission to check on you?”
“Oldest friend andBetato the Starsmoon Alpha,” I retorted, wondering if Dylan hadorderedBert to find out what was going on in my head.
“Cherry,” Bert said after a long pause. “He wouldn’t do that. He may be my Alpha, but Dylan’s a good guy. He wouldn’t try to manipulate you by using me like that or to find out what your decision was until you’re ready.”
My heart hammered against my ribcage. “But you know that he asked me to come back to Starsmoon?”
“Of course.”
I sighed. Of course, Bert knew. HewasDylan’s best friend. He’d have confided in Bert.
“The thing I don’t understand is why you haven’t spoken to me about everything that’s going on,” Bert said.
I sighed, massaging my neck and wishing Dylan were here. His deft fingers always knew how to get me to relax. “Because you’re biased,” I answered. “You want your best friend and Alpha back in Starsmoon.”
“Of course I do, but do you honestly think I’d not put what you wanted above what I want? Seriously, don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh on the men in your life?”