Page 10 of Alpha’s Secret Baby Girl (Nightfall Island Alphas #1)

Gwen lifted her face to the sky, enjoying the clear blue.

In her opinion, there was no more beautiful sight than an ocean sky.

It blazed with light, stretching over the water.

As the seagulls wheeled overhead and let out their entitled little cries, she smiled.

There had been a time when she wished she could shift into a bird instead of a wolf and go flying away from this island, to somewhere nobody knew her.

In the end, she didn’t need wings to escape.

Except, she had come back. Her smile faded as she lowered her head again.

The beach was deserted except for herself, Kira, and Chelsey.

Although this was a sandy stretch, the area was teeming with jellyfish and coral in the water, making it a hazardous place to swim.

So people rarely came here, except to sunbathe.

Kira stretched out on a worn beach blanket nearby, her head resting on her arms. She wore a white bikini with a frilled skirt that did amazing things to her ass. Chelsy, on the other hand, was dressed in a one-piece suit and a long, kimono-style coverup, complete with a wide-brimmed straw hat.

“That was a heavy sigh,” Chesley said, looking up from her book.

Gwen shrugged. She had agreed to this girls-day-out with her only two friends here on the island as a chance to get reacquainted with them. That, and to put some distance between herself and Rafael. His apology from yesterday had caught her more off guard than she cared to admit.

“I’m a bit worried about how Lianne will do with Rafael. She’s certainly taken with him, but…” She started picking at a hangnail and made herself stop, instead pulling out the hand cream from her purse to rub into her cuticles. “I’m just concerned about how it will go.”

Kira rolled onto her back and squinted at Gwen. “He’s her father. She’ll be fine.”

Gwen bit back a retort. Randall was Rafael’s father, and he wasn’t fine. “I hope so. Yesterday they got along well together. When she became boisterous, he didn’t yell at her. He was very patient, even indulgent. But people can hide who they are, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

More than that, she didn’t want her daughter to get caught in the same web of abuse that was so common on this island.

“He won’t hurt her. The Alpha is great with kids,” Chelsey said.

“He has more patience with them than their own parents do at times. He’s a good Alpha, and he’ll be a good father to Lianne.

Especially once she starts to shift, it’ll be good to have a strong wolf to teach her how to keep control of her wolf. ”

Gwen tried not to wince. She did have a weak wolf, so much so that it was a chore to shift from one form to the other. She used to care a lot more about that. Being back on the island, would she start hating herself for something she couldn’t control again?

Kira added, “He’s been a wonderful Alpha to us.”

Gwen couldn’t stop herself. She blurted, “Is that why you told him about my visions?”

“Well… yes,” Kira answered, as though it should be obvious.

“He’s been amazing for the pack. You saw all the changes he’s made around here.

And there’s plenty more that you can’t see, too.

He’s put a real effort into making everything more socially equitable.

He’s even made it so that the scholarships are chosen anonymously. ”

“Not sure how anonymous it can be when everyone in town knows everyone else’s business. They’ll know who is applying based on context clues,” Gwen muttered.

Chelsey rolled her eyes. “Now you’re just trying to find something to complain about.”

“Am not!”

“Yes, you are.” Chelsey adjusted her big hat so the brim didn’t dip quite so low over her eyes.

“You’re building up walls because you don’t want to see that he’s a changed man.

He didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps, and that scares you because it means you have no reason to keep your distance from him.

Gwen huffed and stared back at the rolling waves.

From here, it looks peaceful, idyllic even.

To the untrained eye, this would be a wonderful place to shed their clothes and go skinny-dipping.

It would end in pain and tragedy if they did.

It was exactly how Gwen felt now. As though only she could see the dangers that lurked beneath the surface when it came to Rafael Buchanan.

“Besides, these visions of yours aren’t going to go away if you leave,” Kira said. “Rafael can help figure out what it means and protect you and Lianne from whatever danger is waiting for you.”

And who will protect us from Rafael if he switches the flip and turns out to be just like his father?

“It’s best for you to be here, where we can help you with your visions,” Kira continued, oblivious to her inner turmoil.

“We’ve been learning about magic, so we can start teaching you.

If you can control it better, maybe the visions will become clearer and you’ll be able to figure out exactly what the danger is. ”

Gwen wrapped her arms around her knees. “I appreciate the pep talk, and I am happy that you two have been able to learn so much. But that doesn’t change things.

It’s just… difficult. You say that the pack has changed, but has it actually gotten better or—” she cut herself off, unwilling to say the words she actually wanted to use.

“Rafael’s not the only one working to change the pack,” Chelsey said.

“Joshua and Michael are, too. It’s not just the money they’ve poured into the place.

It used to be so toxic and aggressive, so you weren’t safe walking down the street.

Now, I feel comfortable running through the forest at midnight.

They’ve made a real difference, Gwen. You’ll see. You just need to give it time.”

She made herself smile, if only to get them to stop talking about it. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Kira and Chelsey shared a look she knew all too well. It was one that said, ‘Yes, and?’

It occurred to Gwen that they might sing a different tune if she told them why she was still here.

If she were to bring up how Rafael had forced her to marry him, would they still talk about how unlike his father he was?

Or would they twist the circumstances to try to justify his actions?

The sad thing was, she didn’t know whether they would defend him or her.

Yes, he had changed the town. Yes, it seemed like a much better town.

However, his reasons for doing this were to protect Lianne from the pack.

So it couldn’t have changed that much. It was like calling grey white just because it wasn’t black.

She couldn’t confide in them, even if she didn’t have to hold to Rafael’s ridiculous lie about them being married before Lianne was born.

“You know, Rafael really has—” Kira started.

“I don’t want to keep talking about Rafael,” Gwen snapped. “Chelsey said it will take time for me to see his changes, and it’s true. You can’t convince me that he’s different now. He has to convince me with his actions.”

Kira winced and rolled to a sitting position. She pulled on a cover-up, her chin drooping to her chest. “Sorry.”

Gwen let out a shaky breath, not liking how she had responded, either.

“I’m sorry, too. It’s just a lot of emotions right now.

I had another vision last night and didn’t sleep well.

It’s not an excuse, but I would rather talk about the magic.

I mean, if it’s okay. We can go do something else instead. Something fun.”

She thought about the diner and how Rafael suggested she could get a job there if she wanted.

It was amusing to think about how they’d react if she came waltzing in with a dazzling CV, the wife of their Alpha, and told them she was going to work.

It would help her build her savings, after all.

Even though Rafael had offered her money in the prenup, she refused.

She didn’t want to feel like she was bought and paid for.

That thought made her wince, too. Rafael had promised she could divorce him if she wanted to.

Was it a lie to keep her complacent? Or was a year living together long enough for him to play it off as though their marriage was a foolish, hormone-ridden choice when they were little more than teens?

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

Maybe because part of her hoped that Kira and Chelsey were right and that in a year, she’d be living in a golden glow of marital bliss.

“What was that?” she asked, lifting her head.

Kira lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t say anything.”

Gwen huffed. “Right. So, about my visions. I haven’t had any luck in figuring out what they mean. Rafael has the Elders meditating on it, but I thought maybe we witches would have better luck.”

Kira grabbed her water bottle as she nodded. “I have been thinking about it. Have you seen Rafael in any of your visions?”

Gwen considered. “No. Even when it’s the pack, it’s not really individual faces. I mean, I know that you and Chelsey are there, but most times you’re these undistinguished blobs, rather than people. There’s just so much darkness.”

“Dark like the night of the new moon dark?” Chelsey asked.

“Maybe.” Gwen frowned.

She had never thought of when her visions were taking place. She had always thought the darkness was just a result of the danger, that it represented some evil force threatening the pack and her daughter. But what if Chelsey was right? What if the vision was giving her a timeframe?

Kira propped her chin in her hand. “Also, when you say you’ve seen Lianne, is it the same way you saw us? Just knowing that we’re there?”

Gwen shook her head. “No. I always see Lianne very clearly, which must mean that it’s not during the new moon. The darkness has to be metaphorical.”

Chelsey stood and tied her cover-up shut. “We should head to the museum. They have a bunch of old records about witches and witchcraft. Maybe we’ll be able to find some sort of dream-interpretation chart or something.”

They gathered their things quickly. The beach wasn’t far from town, and they had walked to it. By the time they got to the museum, Kira was grumbling about her poor choice of footwear. Gwen grinned and was going to reply when five men suddenly ran across the street.

“Oi, it’s Gwen Parker,” one of them said.

Gwen tensed. She knew these men. Tyler, Fergus, Randy, Ned, and Ross. They had been truly terrible to her, Kira, and Chelsey before she left. Now the five of them looked as though their favorite chew toy had returned to the island. She shrank back instinctively but forced herself to straighten.

“Gwen Buchanan,” she said calmly, though she had no intention of changing her name. “Or didn’t you hear?”

Tyler’s smile only grew. “Oh, I’d heard. Congrats on your wedding. But I must say you… look different than I remember.” His gaze dropped to her belly. “It’s exciting to see that you’ll be having another baby. When are you due?”

Did he really think that was clever? The other four men chortled. Kira and Chelsey had drawn together and were pressed against Gwen’s back, like they wanted to run off. So, this was the town that had changed so much? Gwen’s hands clenched into fists as she stared down her former bullies.

“We lost the heartbeat yesterday,” she said, making her voice tremble with tears. “It would have been a son.”

Tyler’s eyes snapped back to hers, widening. Before he could say anything else, Rafael’s sporty little two-door pulled up to the curb. Relief washed over her.

Rafael stepped out of the car. “Ah, there you are. The council wants to speak with you, Gwen. Hop in.”

“We’ll drop Kira and Chelsey off at their place first,” Gwen said quickly. She wasn’t going to leave the sisters to face these men alone, especially not when she’d just humiliated Tyler.

Rafael’s mouth quirked in annoyance, but he nodded as he pulled his seat forward. “Get in.”

As they drove away, Gwen turned her face out the window, not looking at Rafael. He didn’t need to know that he had rescued her in the nick of time. In fact, he hadn’t rescued her at all. She had it covered. It was just… nice that he’d shown up when he did. Very nice.