Page 16 of My Ruthless Alpha (Alpha Outlaws Club #5)

Not long after Faye came back, and we all watched Margo for a while, Miles eventually bid us all goodnight, ruffling the little one’s hair before he got up and went to his room.

With just the three of us left in the living room, taking in the quiet moment, A comfortable feeling settled within me, and I couldn't shake how right it felt.

Having them both there with me, able to share in those touching moments, meant the world to me.

Despite looking somewhat tired after our excursion and making sure that Sydney was all right, Faye still showed up for Margo anyway.

She watched her attentively and either answered Margo's curious questions or acknowledged what she was saying, never once letting her question if what she was saying mattered.

Faye seemed so perfectly tuned in to Margo's needs and feelings, and something about it made my heart swell. I wanted to tell her over and over again how I thought she was the greatest mom, and with or without me, she always seemed to know how to do the right thing by herself.

Getting lost in thought while that pleasant scene continued around me, Faye's gentle voice stirred me from my untrained focus.

"Margo, honey, I've been wanting to talk to you about something."

Blinking out of my reverie, I looked over and noticed the more serious expression on her face. My chest both clenched and warmed, wondering if the time had come.

When she glanced at me and met my gaze, I knew at once that it was happening...she was finally going to tell her.

Offering her my reassurance, I nodded, watching as Faye took a deep breath and returned her attention to Margo, who looked at her and acknowledged the situation.

"You've been wanting to know who your dad is, right?"

After a moment of consideration, Margo nodded while she absently played with a crayon in her hands.

"Well, I think it's time I told you..."

My heart felt like it was in my throat through the anticipation. It was killing me, but at the same time, I needed her to know.

Even if it hurt me to consider just how long I had been absent from her life, I didn't want Margo to continue thinking that was the case.

I needed her to know that I was around and had every intention of keeping it that way.

"Beau isn't just a friend...he is your dad."

The silence in the room was deafening, and I had no way to gauge her reaction beforehand. I suddenly felt like I was waiting for a judge's verdict, silently hoping she didn't hate the idea of me being her father.

Moving a bit closer, I included myself as best as possible, silently giving them the support they needed in that situation. I put a gentle hand against the small of Faye's back, and I felt as she eased into the touch slightly.

Margo looked between us, seeming confused for a moment. "He is?"

We both nodded, and I could feel my heart hammering against my ribcage.

It was all happening. We were finally telling her, and it was both terrifying and relieving.

"Where were you?" Margo asked curiously, her tone not revealing much of her inner thoughts.

Swallowing hard, I did my best to be as open and supportive as I could be. "I was here, starting my pack and building this place."

She blinked back at me as if considering the idea. "Did you build it for us?"

While it wasn't the full truth, I liked to think I was without realizing it. Like a part of me knew I needed to provide for the two of them all along, even if it hadn't been my intention from the start.

"In a way, yes. Now you and your mom can have everything you'd ever need."

"Does that mean we get to stay?" Margo asked gently, looking at Faye for a moment longer.

I did the same, looking toward her for that answer. I wanted the two of them to stay more than anything, but I knew the decision ultimately wasn't up to me. It needed to come from Faye. I needed to hear her answer and to know what she was thinking.

After another beat of silence, Faye nodded with a soft smile. "Yes, we're going to stay."

Margo's expression slowly lit up at the idea, and I let go of a discreet breath of relief.

Even if I had no reason to believe she'd take Margo and leave again, it still felt good to hear it straight from her. To know that she had no intention of leaving me behind.

I was too invested, and if they were to leave, I didn't know what I'd do with myself in the meantime.

"Is that what you want?" Faye asked her, reaching a hand out to gently stroke her cheek.

Margo's smile lingered, and she nodded her confirmation again.

Grinning at that, relieved by the outcome of it, even if Margo still seemed somewhat confused, as if the bigger meaning of it all still hadn't sunk in yet, I was more than happy.

At the very least, she wasn't upset, and that was what mattered.

While Margo asked us a few more questions, my heart felt lighter than it had before. The relief I felt was unmatched, and I had a lot more optimism than I did originally.

Faye's change of heart was reassuring, and even if we didn't have the chance to discuss it outright, it let me know that we were more so on the same page.

I had my girls with me, and they weren't going anywhere. It was more than I could've asked for, and it gave me every reason to be elated.

After coloring for a short while longer, seemingly happy about getting to stay, Margo started yawning, and her busy evening finally caught up to her.

"All right, someone's ready for bed," Faye hummed as she scooped Margo up, who was already leaning against her shoulder with a sleepy smile on her face. She looked over at me while she began for the hallway. "I'll meet you upstairs."

Regardless of how simple they seemed, something about those words made more of that affection move through me, and I found myself counting down the seconds.

Nodding, I got up and watched as she took Margo to the spare room before I went up the stairs and made a mental note to get her moved upstairs to a more permanent room of her own.

The thought was enough to make my pulse quicken again, and I was excited about the prospect.

Even if Faye made no move to leave after we reached a tentative yet unspoken agreement after sleeping together, her decision to tell Margo about me made everything feel so concrete. Like I didn't have to sit and wonder when she might up and leave if she felt inclined to.

While nothing was written in stone, I still had every reason to be less unsure about it all. I felt like I had something tangible after not knowing where things might go.

I waited for Faye upstairs on the balcony overlooking the backyard, where the trees surrounded the perimeter of my property. I sat on the outdoor loveseat while I took in the quiet around me.

The leaves rustled overhead while darkness filled the space, save for the light I had on that lit up the patio. Overall, it was a beautiful night.

Sitting there, I looked to my right and saw the streetlights that lined the road heading out of town, along with the few buildings around. With everyone tucked away for the night, everything seemed so quiet and still.

It was that peace I had worked hard to gain and maintain, and while it was easy to become complacent and overconfident in my ability to protect the grounds and my people, I had to remind myself not to slip into those habits.

I needed to be guarded regardless of how good everything seemed to be. There was a chance that Colton could retaliate at any given moment, and if he really did have a gang behind him, then I needed to be on my game.

If he were to find out that I was harboring Faye—the woman he had his eyes on for a potential mate—I couldn’t be sloppy. I had to stay focused and not lose sight of the fact that he could very well plan on tracking her down.

Above all else, I was going to protect my loved ones regardless of what it would take.

Since Margo was finally aware that I was her dad and Faye and I were making strides toward being something more than just co-parents, I wasn’t prepared to give it all up again.

The door behind me opened sometime later, and I heard Faye’s gentle steps approaching. Glancing over at her, I caught the almost soft yet hesitant expression on her face while she looked back at me. From the looks of it, she had more things on her mind and debated whether it was a good time.

Keeping myself open and receptive, I gestured to the spot beside me, silently encouraging her to sit.

Letting go of a quiet breath, Faye sat down and settled in while we both remained in a mutual silence for a moment.

Then, I perked up again as she prepared herself to speak.

“I hope it was okay that I told Margo about you being her dad.”

A soothing warmth moved through me at her words, and I smiled faintly. “It was more than okay. I’m glad she knows now.”

Faye nodded at that, then fiddled with her fingers in her lap. “I know things have been a bit weird between us…one moment, I’m being receptive, and the next, I’m not completely there emotionally…and I think that means we should probably talk.”

Holding her gaze, noting the slight nerves as they moved through her, I already knew what she meant.

Even though it had been a couple of weeks since she started staying at my place, we never fully addressed what had happened between us before. It was obvious that some pain remained because of it, but beyond that, I didn’t know how to approach the topic.

I didn’t want to be too overbearing or overstep into a territory especially sensitive to Faye.

But seeing as she was the one bringing it up, I decided to go with it. I had the feeling she was right—it would be better for both of us to put everything to rest.

In a sense, I had been waiting to do exactly that and to explain myself so that nothing could be misconstrued.

“You mean about us…before?”

With a hint of vulnerability in her gaze, Faye nodded once again. “Yes. Everything with you leaving and how it was after that…”

Even if it was a big topic that required careful handling, I felt ready to have that conversation. Ready to tell Faye the parts I never had the chance to get off my chest fully. At the moment, I knew my explanation had been rushed and harsh, given how insane those conflicting feelings were making me, but with the opportunity in front of me, I wasn’t going to waste it.

“All right,” I began, pulling my thoughts together as I shifted to face her better. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to tell you everything I was thinking…the reasons behind everything I did.”

As if that had been the exact thing she was hoping for, Faye schooled her emotions and listened intently.

Taking a deep breath, I began, “I know I told you before that I needed time…that I didn’t know what I wanted, and that was why I left. But it wasn’t entirely the truth. I did know what I wanted, but I also knew I couldn’t have it while battling everything inside my head when it all went down.”

Faye’s brows furrowed slightly as she looked at me, growing more curious. “What was going on then?”

“Even since I was young, I had only ever been a beta. I followed Cyrus’ orders and did everything I could to be as obedient as possible. I respected him; I really did. But despite that, I started to feel this sense of insubordination that was entirely new to me. It made me feel guilty…almost like I was betraying him and everyone else in a way. I tried to ignore the instinct at first, thinking it would go away like it was some kind of phase…but it didn’t,” I explained, doing my best to hit every base I needed to. “The more I pushed the feeling away, the worse it became…the more agitated I became, and I was starting to take it out on you. I knew it wasn’t fair; the worse it was, the guiltier I felt. I didn’t want to cause you any harm or put you in a bad position, so I decided to leave and figure everything out on my own first before I dragged you into it more. That was when I realized I had the calling to be an alpha, and I just couldn’t ignore it anymore.”

She soaked in every word, flitting between different emotions all the while. Then, a vaguely irritated expression settled on her face. “You rejected me because you couldn’t be a follower anymore? You had to start over on your own?”

“I know how it sounds…and I know it wasn’t fair to you. None of it would’ve been fair to you whether I stayed or not. I just didn’t want you to get hurt in the process, even if it meant causing you pain in a different way,” I said with a sigh. After a moment, I continued, “Besides…it wasn’t an arrangement I came to on my own. Cyrus pulled me aside and leveled with me when he noticed something was up with me. He could sense that I was beginning to defect, and to stop any issues from arising between us, he asked me to leave the pack. Since I respected him, I decided to go with that. I didn’t want to challenge him or cause a scene, so I willingly left on my own, and I couldn’t ask you to leave, too. I didn’t tell you the whole truth because I was ashamed…I hated the thought that I couldn’t follow him anymore, and some days, it felt like I was just making it all up in my head until the day it all clicked for me.”

Faye’s expression softened by a fraction, and her voice sounded somewhat defeated. “If you had told me the truth, I would’ve gone with you…I was prepared to follow you anywhere…you know that.”

My chest tightened at her words because I knew she would’ve done anything for me if I asked her and because I could feel the idea didn’t sit well with her.

“Yes…I do know that. Which is why I didn’t leave it open-ended…why I didn’t elaborate. I didn’t want to put you in an impossible situation and make you choose between me or the pack.”

“You make it sound like it would’ve been an impossible decision for me,” Faye began, looking at me squarely and not leaving any room for doubt as her eyes took me in completely. “But the choice would’ve been so easy. If you told me what was going on from the start, I would’ve chosen you in a heartbeat, regardless of the pack.”

Something about hearing that claim straight from her own lips caught me off-guard. Even if that should’ve been obvious, it was still a powerful thing to know.

“But the pack…Cyrus…”

“I respected him too, and I’ll always be grateful for how he led us, but you were the one I wanted,” Faye went on, expression completely genuine. “It had always been you…and if having you meant leaving the pack, then I would’ve done it without a second thought. That’s why it almost killed me when you left. I thought you’d had enough of me…I thought I wasn’t what you wanted.”

My brows pinched together at her words, sincerity fuelled by her declaration as I reached for her hand. “It was never a matter of you not being enough for me. You were all I wanted too, Faye…which was why I couldn’t drag you into my mess, too. I had been an ass before I left the pack, but I was even worse when I first tried being an alpha. I made many mistakes and had even more learning to do, and while I wish we didn’t have to be apart during that time, I’m also glad you didn’t have to see me like that.”

At my explanation, Faye let go of a gentle breath and averted her gaze, seemingly unsure of what else to say.

Not wanting her to stew in any doubt, I reached out and gently nudged her chin up to have her look at me. With as much gentle conviction as I could muster, I said, “I’m sorry for what I did…I never wanted to hurt you, and I know I could’ve handled things much differently…but you are still the only woman I’ve ever wanted as my mate. Whether it was the best choice for us to be apart or not, I’ve worked so hard to try and become the man and alpha deserving of you and your companionship. I never thought I’d have the chance to make things right with you, but I’ve always hoped for it. And now that you’re here…now that we have our little girl, I want you both to stay here with me. I want to continue proving to you that I deserve your trust. I don’t ever want anything to come between us again.”

Faye’s eyes continued to search mine as hers became softer. She was completely receptive then, looking at me like I was the sun itself.

I never thought I’d be able to see that kind of awe on her face again, yet it felt so sweet, and I didn’t want it to end.

“You mean that?”

“Yes,” I returned without hesitation as I marveled over her beautiful features and moved my hand to cup her cheek gently. “I mean every word. If you’ll allow me, I want to be the mate you’ve always deserved.”

She swallowed hard then, seemingly considering it for a moment before the last of her resistance faltered, and she leaned in quicker than I expected.

Her lips were on mine at a moment’s notice, making my eyes close instinctively. Without missing a second, I adjusted my careful grip on her jaw and deepened the kiss to savor her completely.

Even if we hadn’t resisted our affections ever since we slept together again, it felt different this time. The surge of emotions came crashing in like the walls that remained between us had finally come down, and the heat of her skin against mine sparked a newer, more intense need within me.

Regardless of everything I had done and how I lost every right to her, she was giving herself to me once again, and it was the most complete I had felt in a long time.