Page 61 of Fated Alpha Baby

The wolf pup collapses moments later, shifting back into human form, unconscious in Orlando’s arms.

Relief crashes across Orlando’s face so powerfully that it nearly breaks me to witness it.

He clutches his son as if he’ll never let go again. And all I can think about is Clarissa.

If Nico alone was powerful enough to affect the portal, then my daughter is, too. Fear, unlike anything I’ve ever known, tears through my chest, and I cling to Hannah just as tightly. We both have the same thing on our mind.

The portal overhead flickers again.

It’s smaller now. Unstable, but not gone.

Black energy still bleeds through the crack between worlds, twisting through the air like poison.

Outside, more distant screeches echo through the forest, like the demons are retreating.

But only for now.

Deep in my gut, I realize this battle was only the beginning. The portal has been opened already, and now, we’ll have to work together to seal it before our world is taken over by demons.

Chapter 18 - Hannah

Staring at the children in the living room, my heartstrings tug, like the chords of a guitar being strung to test the sound. But what I hear, what I feel, isn’t melodious or pleasant. It isn’t the sound of the peace I’ve been searching for my whole life.

The only peace I’ve ever tasted was when I lived with the witches in the coven. But even then, I’d always been hiding Clarissa, not revealing she was an alpha wolf’s daughter, as if both Amalia and I knew the consequences that would come with that.

And deep down, I’d been harboring resentment toward Conan for his change of heart, my own heart unsettled. I’d always been looking over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop, expecting the unexpected. The worst.

Now that the truth about my daughter is out in the open, it doesn’t wipe away our troubles. Rather, it adds to them.

Just like Nico, Clarissa is in danger because she’s a hybrid child. The only saving grace we have for now is the potion that masks their wolves. And though he’d been kidnapped, Nico doesn’t wallow in his trauma, and instead plays with Clarissa as if nothing happened.

Deep down, I know he’s hurting. Losing his mother at a young age affected both him and Orlando, and now, he’s become the center of this raging war against the very creatures that took her life. Candice’s death affected all of us in the August Moon Circle and the Nightcreek Pack.

Now, those troubles have followed us to Iron Breath and every other pack that forms the alliance.

It’s unsettling, to say the least.

Surprisingly, though, my one consolation comes from the most unexpected place.

Conan Becker.

He slides his arm around my waist, drawing me to his side as he sighs and watches the children playing inside. We’ve hardly had time to speak about where we stand in our relationship, but that has taken the backseat in light of the real danger lurking in our midst.

We’ve seemed to have buried the hatchet, and maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe I don’t want to be stuck in the past anymore. Maybe—and I may regret it later—I want to feel safe in his arms.

“Amalia and the others have settled in at the guesthouse,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to my cheek and further driving in the fact that we’ve moved forward without even speaking about things. Whatever happened that night in Milford, when we amplified each other’s powers through the mate bond, we’ve become closer.

“We’re just waiting for William and Theodore to arrive now.”

I nod thoughtfully. “Will Iron Breath be fine while you’re here? We can go back to that side of the valley if you’re needed.”

Conan shakes his head. “My grandfather will return to Iron Breath today,” he says, and my heart skips a beat.

I haven’t had time to explain why I’m wary when it comes to his grandfather. I gulp hard and nod slowly this time. “I guess that’s good. He hasn’t told Clarissa, has he?”

“No,” Conan assures me. He’d only briefly told his grandfather that Clarissa doesn’t know that he’s her father, and that it should be kept from her until we were both ready to tell her the truth. “Do you think we should?”

I nod hesitantly, turning my attention back to Clarissa and Nico. “I think we should. But maybe once we’re done with tonight’s conference, and we’ve returned to Iron Breath.” I sigh. “She’s so peaceful, so carefree.”