Page 6 of Alpha’s Secret Baby Girl (Nightfall Island Alphas #1)

Rafael could sense Gwen’s brewing anger.

It was sharp and bitter, like an overly strong pot of coffee first thing in the morning.

It even had a strange sort of pleasantness to it, just like the bitter coffee.

Her anger meant she wasn’t afraid of him.

When she had given him that panicked look, when she had stared at him as though she was afraid he was going to burn her at the stake, it had hit him hard.

She’d been tense before. She’d looked at him warily, but he thought he’d seen hope, maybe even want, in her eyes.

As much as he wanted to claim his mate, publicly and privately, he understood her reluctance.

He understood that he had hurt her and she needed time.

He had been prepared to give her that time.

To show her with his actions that he had changed.

To right his past wrongs and slowly work toward the life he’d always dreamed of giving her.

And it had been going so well. Hearing she had a daughter gave him pause—what if she had a lover? But she didn’t wear a ring, and she didn’t mention another man. That, too, he was willing to have patience with and earn some trust before asking about.

But then he smelled his child. His child. He couldn’t let them leave again, especially not after the look Gwen gave him. What if she disappeared again? Would it be another seven years before he found her again?

“Is this where we’re going to live?” Lianne asked, her eyes as wide as saucers. She bounced on the spot, one hand clinging to Gwen’s hand, the other flapping and wriggling like she was trying desperately to hold in her excitement. She had such pure energy that Rafael couldn’t help but smile.

“For now, at least,” Gwen’s voice was soft. “Do you like it?”

Lianne squealed. “It’s beautiful! Thank you, Mr. Raf-el. Does it have secret rooms?” she beamed up at him, eyes sparkling.

Rafael laughed. “No, unfortunately, there aren’t any secret rooms.”

“You should put one in,” she answered seriously.

“I’ll think about that.”

He showed them around the house, including their rooms. Gwen never relaxed, not that he expected her to.

He was glad that Lianne wasn’t picking up on her mother’s tension.

He was also impressed with how Gwen maintained her composure.

He recognized some of Lianne’s behaviors as habits that Michael had once had, like how she tapped her head and bounced on her toes.

Behaviors that Randall used to scream at Michael to stop doing. But Lianne showed no self-consciousness about it. Clearly, she wasn’t told that she was being annoying or stupid or—

Rafael let out a soft breath, fighting back the rise of anger toward his dead parents.

Now was not the time. Instead, he murmured to Gwen that they needed to talk, and she, in turn, told Lianne that Chelsey and Kira were going to watch her for a bit.

Rafael then led Gwen to his home office, the one he used only for emergencies.

“She’s my daughter,” he said, turning to Gwen.

Gwen’s shoulders hunched. “She’s my daughter, Rafael. Mine.”

His wolf growled. He swallowed back a fresh wave of anger. “You kept her from me.”

“What was I supposed to do?” Her hands clenched into fists. “I was half-afraid your father would have me assassinated if he found out I was pregnant.”

Rafael bit back on a wince. His father wasn’t that bad. But it wasn’t much of an exaggeration. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath to calm himself. Her scent invaded his senses, making it difficult for him to think clearly.

“The past is past,” he finally said. “Lianne is here now, and by your own admission, she is in danger like the rest of the pack. You will stay here.”

Gwen’s chin jutted out stubbornly.

“As my wife.”

Her eyes widened.

Rafael folded his arms, not looking away from her.

He knew she wouldn’t like this, but right now, he didn’t give a damn.

Not when he had so much filling his brain.

“We will get married. It’ll be short and secret, and we’ll tell everyone that we got married seven years ago.

The story is that we married in secret, before you got pregnant, and my father found out.

He kicked you out and threatened you to keep Lianne a secret from me. Nobody will speak against you.”

“Nobody…” Gwen shook her head slowly. “No. No, I’m not going to marry you. I don’t care what people say about me—”

“Then care what they’ll say to Lianne about you,” he snapped, unable to stop himself.

Gwen stared at him with wide eyes. Frightened eyes. “Why? Why marry me? What are you going to do?”

Protect you! He wanted to scream the words, but held himself back. “Gwen.” Her eyes turned glassy, and she looked away. “Gwen, I’m not doing this to hurt you—”

She swayed on the spot, whimpering. Rafael reached out instinctively, grabbing her around the waist. She collapsed against him, her head falling.

She moaned, one hand pressing to her temple.

Rafael pulled her to the couch, where he helped her down.

She continued to moan, clutching at her head with both hands. His pulse pounded. What was going on?

“Gwen? Gwen!”

“It’s… stop shouting,” she groaned. “Vision.”

She closed her eyes, hunching in on herself.

Her shoulders shook, and she held that position for some time before slowly starting to relax.

Rafael rubbed her back soothingly. He started to stand to get her water, but she clung to his sleeve.

After several moments, she sagged back against the couch.

Her eyes opened, but she looked drained and exhausted.

She lifted her head. When she saw his hand still on her waist, she pushed it off.

“What was it?” Rafael demanded, trying not to be hurt.

“Same vision. Stronger.” She shuddered. “I have to leave. The vision is here. Lianne is in danger here.”

“Or she’s just in danger. What happens if you’re back out there, alone, and something happens?” he cupped her face in one hand and tilted her chin up, making her look at him. “You’re staying here. Nobody is going to hurt her as long as I’m around.”

Gwen bit her lip, searching his face. “I understand what you’re saying. But what if the danger is the island itself? What if by keeping us here, you’re the one putting her in danger?”

“I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Gwen slumped back. She pulled her fingers through her wavy hair, her skin greyish from her exhaustion.

Her lips pressed together as she thought it through.

Finally, she nodded once. “Fine. You’re probably right, it’s safer here in the pack than it is isolated on the mainland.

I’ll have to let Kelly know I won’t need her for babysitting… ”

“That settles it, then.” Rafael stood, nodding his satisfaction.

“No.” Gwen straightened. Her eyes cut back to Rafael, and she shook her head. “No, that’s not settled. I’ll stay on the island and I’ll even live in your house. It will be safer for Lianne here than if I were to live with Kira and Chelsey. But I’m not going to marry you.”

Rafael’s jaw tightened. Didn’t she remember what it was like here for unwed mothers? Didn’t she know what people would say about her and Lianne if they found out she’d had his baby outside of marriage? Their town wasn’t kind to anyone who stepped out of line. Marriage was one of those lines.

“You act as though marriage is a death threat,” he said slowly. “But you do realize that by marrying me, you automatically become entitled to half of my shares of the company?”

“I don’t want half of your shares of the company. Besides, if it came to a divorce, how could I possibly fight you in court? I wouldn’t get anything.” She folded her arms, glaring.

Rafael frowned. “We could draw up a prenup if you’re worried about me being fair.”

“It’s not fair to force me into marriage,” she shot back without hesitation. “If you’re making me marry you, why would I think divorce would ever be a possibility? And once I’m your wife, that’s it. I don’t get anything for myself. You’ll own me.”

He wanted to make up for the mistakes of his past. Couldn’t she see that? He hated her accusation, as though he was trying to punish her with marriage. “That’s not fair. Especially since it’s been you who kept me from my daughter for the past seven years.”

Gwen shot to her feet. Her hand lifted, and for a second, he thought she was going to hit him. But she was only gripping her own hair. “My daughter. Lianne is my daughter, Rafael. You have no right to her. Go find someone else to play with if you’re bored.”

The reminder of his words from so long ago was a sucker punch.

He winced, gasping slightly. His mouth opened to explain, to apologize, but he snapped it back down.

She had chosen those words because she knew they would hurt him.

It was to remind him of his past sins without any consideration as to why he had done what he did.

Fine. If she didn’t want to hear his reasons, then she didn’t have to. If she wanted to assume the worst of him, let her. He wasn’t going to fight this anymore.

“This isn’t up for discussion,” he told her coldly. “We are going to be married and that’s all there is to it. I’m not going to have my daughter called a bastard.”

It was Gwen’s turn to wince. “Rafael—”

“I will draw up a prenup. You get to keep everything you came into the marriage with, and I will provide for you in the case of a divorce, provided we’ve been married for at least a year.” His voice was cold as he spoke.

Gwen wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t need you to provide for me. I’ve been taking care of myself just fine.”

“Like it or not, you’re part of the pack,” he said, getting fed up with her resistance.

“You are staying here, and you are marrying me. I’m going to take care of you and Lianne, regardless of your feelings on the matter.

I have said my piece, and you are not going to keep fighting me over this.

Like I said, I will not have my daughter called a bastard.

My child will not be looked down on because you hid her, and she will not be raised in poverty. ”

“And you think that forcing me to marry you is the solution? You think that… that abducting me makes you a good man?” She lifted her chin, her jaw clenched.

“You know what I think? I think maybe you’re the danger I saw in my visions.

Maybe you’re the one putting Lianne in danger in the first place. ”

If he weren’t already so angry, maybe he would have listened to what she was saying.

But what right did she have to talk to him like that when she had kept something like this from him?

She was acting like he was some sort of monster for wanting to ensure she and his daughter were taken care of and safe?

It wasn’t just the money that was an issue.

Social protections were just as important.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” he told her coldly, not sorry at all. “But this is what is happening.”

Gwen’s lips pressed together. “And what exactly do you expect from me in this marriage?”

The question caught him off guard. What was she talking about?

He stared at her for a long moment before he realized.

There were certain expectations when it came to an Alpha.

He had a daughter, but the packs generally went from father to son.

His own father had insisted on having two children by his mother, despite the pregnancies being hard on her.

If he or Michael had been girls, Randall would have probably insisted that Isabel go through even more pregnancies until he had two sons. The heir and the spare.

“I expect that you won’t shit talk me,” he said, because it wasn’t true; he had no expectations at all. “I want you to acknowledge me as your husband and Alpha. I want you to let Lianne know I am her biological father when the time is right.”

Gwen stared at him. “When the time is right?”

His jaw clenched as he nodded. “This is a big change for her. I don’t want to overwhelm her.”

“And you’ll put in the prenup that I can divorce you in a year if I want?” she asked, and he knew from the way her shoulders slumped it was over.

He nodded once, though he was determined that when that year came, she wouldn’t even think of divorce. He was going to change her mind. He was going to prove that this was the best choice. So why did he feel so unsteady?