Page 75 of Fated Alpha Baby

“Why?”

“Because I talked shit about her brother in a meeting. He was Heinrich’s beta, and he died fighting the demons.”

“What did you say about him?”

I shiver. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I was an asshole. To everyone around here, and yet, they still treat me like I belong.”

“That’s because you do, Conan. For me, it was the other way around. The members of this pack…they never accepted me for being shiftless. And yet, I feel like I belong here.”

I smile warmly at her. “That’s because you do, Hannah.” I lift her hand to my lips and plant a kiss on her knuckles. “You’ve always belonged, right by my side, in the valley.” I sigh and turn toward the mountains, where the sun begins to set in the valley, casting ribbons of gold and orange on the rocks. “It is unfortunate that we have to leave.”

Hannah leans her cheek on my arm and sighs. “It will only be for a while, Conan. I do believe that we’ll defeat the demons. And besides, we have each other now. Nothing can go wrong.”

I turn and plant a kiss on the top of her head, my hand sliding into hers as we watch the sunset together. “You’re right. We’ll get to return home soon, and then—” I stop abruptly, biting my tongue to stop myself from admitting something that feels so natural.

I want to tell Hannah that I love her, because nothing is standing in our way anymore. Not lies, or deception, or illusions created by an external force.

But now isn’t the time to confess my feelings to her.

She deserves something special, and I’ll make sure to find the perfect moment once we’re in the human city, away from all the drama and danger of the demons.

“And then what, Conan?” she asks with a small frown.

“And then we’ll rebuild our lives,” I tell her with a smile.

The smile she returns is wary, and I can see in her eyes that she’s afraid of the relocation, even if it’s temporary.

It’s all the more reason to finally address our relationship and take her mind off all the stress she’s been put through.

Chapter 22 - Hannah

Absentmindedly rubbing the spot that had been pricked earlier on my forearm, I wave at Clarissa as she hops onto another swing. The one she just left still rocks from the momentum she was using to push herself back and forth, but Clarissa is on a mission to try out all the things the park has to offer.

I giggle through the dull ache in my arm; a reminder that, despite the calm the city offers, there is still a threat out there that has to be dealt with.

It’s why the research team has been drawing blood from the hybrids. They plan on using it once they’ve developed a simulation of the demon portal to test how the portal reacts to hybrids.

They started with the blood samples of the lunas. Tomorrow, it will be Clarissa, Nico, and Marco—Sophie and Damian’s baby, who was born three days ago.

It’s only been a week since the relocation, and in some ways, the city is growing on me. In other ways, I miss the valley—like the picturesque views at sunset, and the smell of pine and earth that greets you when you wake up in the morning.

But then there’s the question of our safety in the valley, and how volatile things are with the demons still a threat, and the head demon locked away beneath the southern ruins.

None of us feels safe in the valley when we’re being targeted because of our link to the Ashclaw Pack, and for the powers the demons need to harvest for their portal.

It’s a good thing we’ve been using Amalia’s masking potion to stay under the radar. And for now, things are quiet, but I can’t help but worry about Clarissa.

She’s a hybrid child, part witch and part wolf, which means she’ll gain the ability to shift into wolf form by the time she’s ten. She has just over two years left before that happens, since she’ll be turning eight next month.

I gulp hard, then feel a hand on my shoulder, warmth sprouting from welcome fingertips.

“Hey, is everything alright?” Conan asks as he finds a seat beside me on the bench, and I notice the Band-Aid on his arm. He’d also offered to give blood samples that would be used to identify the differences between ordinary wolves and hybrids.

The witches from the August Moon coven are giving samples, too.

“Yeah, everything is fine,” I sigh as I let myself bask in the safety of Conan’s presence, even going as far as leaning my head on his shoulder when he slides his arm around me.

“I know there’s something on your mind,” he says, watching Clarissa hop another swing. “You can talk to me.”