The Alpha and Her Secret Mate

When Taylor is Around

“How do you know all of this?” I ask her.

“I read things!” she says defensively. “I did a lot of research before Sammy changed me. I thought it would be relevant for an entirely different reason.”

“I’m so grateful for you,” I say, pulling her into a hug.

She rolls her eyes, but when she hugs me back, I can tell she appreciates it.

Sometimes I wonder if picking Taylor as my Beta was a mistake, but when she’s here, she’s incredible.

When she finally pulls away, she says, “Okay, let’s go give those notes a second look, and then maybe we can do some questioning, put on our detective hats. I love a good puzzle.” Her eyes get distant, and I can tell she’s already mentally gathering clues.

“Perfect,” I say.

We start to go upstairs, but I catch something in my peripheral vision. I turn, my gaze darting in search of a threat. What I find is Alex. My thoughts scramble at the sight of him. Comfort and fear and longing and repulsion all mix together. He gives me look, and I glance up at Taylor and say, “I’ll be up in a sec. I need to do something.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll get started.” She doesn’t even look back as she heads into my office. She’s so focused on the question at hand that she doesn’t see me turn back to talk to my mate.

“Hey,” he says when I stop in front of him. His hands hover awkwardly in front of him, like he wants to touch me, but can’t decide if it’s a good idea or not.

I cross my arms over my chest, making the decision for him. “What’s up?” I ask. “I’m kind of busy.”

He flinches at my words and fusses with the zipper on his jacket before shoving his hands in his pockets. “I was hoping we could talk?” he says. “About last night. And other nights?”

“I really have some things I need to take care of,” I say, but I can’t take my eyes off of him. “And I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it.”

His brow furrows. “Do you regret–”

“No!” I say. “No. Last night doesn’t change anything for me.” I can immediately tell he sees through my lie. Last night only made my affection for him grow, and now I don’t know how to separate my feelings from his lies.

“Please, Layla. I need you. I need your help.”

I clench my jaw when he says this. “Do you know what I need? I need to run this pack. I need to deal with my father. I need to get even half a step ahead of the pack problems because right now, I’m playing whack-a-mole and desperately trying to catch up before anyone else gets hurt.” I scowl at him, breathing hard through my nose. “Make yourself useful or get out of my house,” I snap.

I turn on my heel and stomp upstairs to my office. I refuse to turn back to see if he’s made his choice.