A Broken Contract (Alpha's Secret Regret)

The sound of feet stomping up the stairs pulled me out of the spell. I pushed him away, and he stepped back. His hand dropped clumsily on his side. Then he cleared his throat and started to speak. "What you signed is void now cuz you showed it to your pathetic human friend. You'll get another one in the morning."

I was angry at myself for the near miss. When I replied, my voice was high-pitched with an edge.

"You didn't say anything about confidentiality!"

"Shh... Don't wake the little one, Sara," he warned. "And it goes without saying. We were involved for four and half months. That's enough time to learn that no one else can know about my dealings with YOU." These words send a pang to my heart.

"Of course," I said. "I'm far beneath you. Unworthy to be publicly associated with the alpha, I get it."

An emotion crossed his eyes as I spoke, but it was gone in a heartbeat.

"Imagine what'll happen if your pack elders and business partners find out about the child you fathered with someone like me."

"Urgh, finally! You admit with that mouth that he's my child.

Wait. Did you just threaten me?" he gave a short laugh before his face hardened.

Jake now waited near the exit that led to the staircase. I caught him scoffing when Nick asked the question.

"Listen, Sara. I'm not the first wolf to have a child out of mate-luck. If you let the news get out before the right time, it's not me who'll be coming after you with a vengeance. I refuse to believe you don't already know this."

"Now who's threatening who?" I said under my breath.

But he heard me clearly.

swnse

"It's not a threat, Sweetness. My mother will be the least of your worries. Do you know what members of the pack could do to you? They could threaten Alex. And if that happens, you think I'll forgive you?" he asked.

He was right. Forest Mooners were a bunch of bigots, especially the high-born wolves. They would be outraged by this and would find a way to get their pound of flesh.

I was not afraid for myself. But Alex? I couldn't stand the thought of anyone hurting my child. That didn't mean I was prepared to live by Nick's "requirement" for the rest of my life.

"I don't want to imagine what could happen if you get careless, and this news falls into the wrong ears. So let me repeat myself. No one else can know about my dealings with YOU!" He started to walk away as he added, "We'll see in the morning. I'll have the amended agreement ready by then."

As I watched him saunter off, fear formed a lump in my throat. I already set a plan in motion. Even though the lawyer promised absolute discretion, Nick's words rang in my head.

What if Mrs. Montgomery and her

person weren't as careful as they should? What if words fell into the wrong ears and a Forest Mooner finds out about Alex? I quickly brought out my phone to text her, reiterating how much my child's safety depended on keeping

everything discreet.

Her reply came immediately and was reassuring: "I talked to my contact. He knows whom we're dealing with. Don't worry. Mr. Carlisle will get a hand-delivered package from a nondescript source soon."Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

I stood in front of Alex's room,

staring at the text and nodding as if I could hear her comforting voice. At that moment, it felt like my days of peace with my family were not truly over Things could return to normal if all went well with the lawyer.

I took a deep, relaxing breath before opening the door to what was now Alex's room. As I put one foot inside, I was immediately transported into a child's fairytale.