Page 34 of Fated Alpha Baby

Silence falls on the meeting chamber, and I glance at Simon before continuing.

“She fought them off, using the combined forces of air and fire magic. But the use of her powers to defeat the demons exhausted her. She will need some time to recover.”

Grandfather nods slowly. “Perhaps I should pay her a visit, then.”

My throat clutches. “No.” I shake my head, knowing that it’ll only make things worse if my grandfather visits her. She hardly wants to speak to me, and I can’t imagine what a disaster it will be if my grandfather shows up in her volatile state.

I don’t even wish to tell them that she’s an ex-member of the Iron Breath Pack. Not until I’ve made sure that things are good between us.

She seems convinced that the only reason I mated her was for the sake of the alliance and for the restoration of my powers.

I mean, I don’t blame her for thinking that. But if I want to get anywhere with Hannah and this mate bond, I’ll have to work harder. I’ll have to win her over. It’s what my inner wolf demands of me.

It’s not about my powers or the alliance. It’s about her. It’s about having her right where I need her, by my side, as my luna. Last night, when I watched her wield her powers to protect us, to protect her daughter, I was reminded of what I felt for her all those years ago.

Those feelings were reignited the moment I laid eyes on her again, even if she broke my heart.

“She will rest and decide when she’s ready to meet everyone,” I assure the others. “For now, we should focus on this new alliance and wait for word from Sister Amalia on their progress with interrogating Hale.”

Everyone nods in agreement, and I blow out a sigh of relief,

“Have you been able to establish if the area in Annika’s vision was in Helena Valley?” Heinrich asks.

“We may have a lead with the alpha of Blood Mill. William promised to keep an eye out for any signs of a portal. But for now, we don’t have anything, apart from my fated mate being an established witch.”

“Which means Annika’s vision was correct. We just have to be very careful now,” Damian warns.

I nod. “Whatever the demons have planned, we will be ready.”

“Agreed,” Annika says. “Sophie and I have been training as much as we can. We believe that, with the help of your mate, Conan, we can finally win this war.”

***

Rounding up the soldiers and implementing extra cautionary measures around Iron Breath territory, I’m simply trying to distract myself. Avoiding Hannah because I’m still reeling from her bitterness this morning.

As the sun begins to set on the valley, the pseudo-high I’d been riding all day seems to fade. I’d thrown myself so deeply into my duties that I hadn’t stopped for a moment to think about Hannah, except this morning at the meeting in Silver Stone.

Simon hangs back while the soldiers disperse to take their positions for the night patrol rotation, standing beside me as any good beta would. An overwhelming sense of regret overcomes me as I reflect on the past couple of months alone.

I’d been acting like a tyrant, an uncaring, barbaric kind of alpha who couldn’t care less about mate bonds and rituals. When the research team first proposed the ritual for the alphas of the valley to find the fated mates that would restore our powers, I scoffed at the idea. I thought it was foolish to tie oneself down to another, binding powers as if one were weak without someone else.

Codependency, I thought bitterly back then.

But now, with Hannah as my mate, I realize that a part of me had been missing all along.

I’d always missed her, even if the heartbreak kept me locked in a loop of indifference, where I refused to think about her at all. I really loved her.

That’s why I was against the fated mate bond, refusing to accept that someone else could ever get close to me. But as fate would have it, the same woman who had the power to hurt me is also the woman responsible for the restoration of my powers. They may not be fully restored yet, but in time, they will be, if she gives me the chance.

But what I’m feeling now, regret heavy on my shoulders, isn’t because I want my powers back.

I want to be a better man—for Hannah, and for Iron Breath and the others.

I’ve been a douchebag this whole time. To myself, and to the people around me. Like Damian, when he first performed the ritual, and then with Heinrich. I went as far as spewing cruel words to both of them, only for the fellow valley alphas and their mates to bring more safety to this place.

“I’m sorry,” I sigh to Simon when it’s just the two of us left on the ridge, watching the sun set behind the tallest mountain in Bitterroot.

“Sorry?” Simon frowns at me. “For what?”