Alexander’s POV
I clenched my jaw as I stared at her, watching as Sarah reached for her clothes, her movements suddenly hurried.
The heat of our passion evaporated like morning mist under a harsh sun.
“Yes,” she had said. “Aria.”
A daughter. A daughter she had never once mentioned.
My wolf, Orion, stirred restlessly within me. *There’s something about her and the child. A connection to us I can’t explain.*
I pushed his thoughts aside, focusing on the anger building in my chest. “And her father?” I repeated, my voice dangerously low.
Sarah paused, her fingers fumbling with the buttons of her shirt. She wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Sarah.” My Alpha tone slipped into my voice without intention, demanding an answer.
“He’s…” She swallowed hard, finally looking up at me. “He’s dead.”
Relief washed through me before I could stop it, followed immediately by shame at my own reaction. Dead. Not waiting at home for her. Not a husband she was betraying with me.
Still, my wolf continued to pace within me, agitated. *She has a cub. A mate bond was formed before us.
“How long?” I asked, grabbing my pants and pulling them on with more force than necessary.
“How long what?”
*
“How long has he been dead?” My words came out harsher than intended, but I couldn’t seem to soften my tone.
Sarah looked directly into my eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. “Five years. Car accident.”
The raw pain that flashed across her face made something in my chest constrict.
Even after all this time, the grief was still there, lurking beneath the surface. I couldn’t help but wonder–did she love him that much?
Was I just a distraction from the memory of a man she couldn’t let go?
I ran a hand through my damp hair, trying to process this new reality.
Sarah wasn’t just the woman who had stumbled into my territory and captured my attention. She was a mother.
A widow. Her life was far more complicated than I had allowed myself to consider.
“You never thought to mention this?” I gestured vaguely. “A daughter? A dead husband?”
Chapter 235
“I didn’t think-” She stopped, took a breath.
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“I didn’t plan for any of this to happen between us, Alexander. This wasn’t some calculated seduction where I needed to present my full biography first.”
Her words stung, though they shouldn’t have. What had I expected? That she would have no past? No complications?
*She is not being completely truthful,* Orion whispered in my mind. *There’s more she’s not telling us.*
“I should take you home,” I said finally, buttoning my shirt with methodical precision. “Your daughter needs you.”
Something like hurt flashed across Sarah’s face before she nodded, gathering the rest of her things. “Yes, she does.”
The drive to her apartment was silent and tense.
My hands gripped the steering wheel too tightly as my mind raced with questions I couldn’t bring myself to ask. Who was this woman really?
And why did I feel so betrayed by information I had no right to demand?
Halfway there, I pulled into a 24–hour pharmacy.
“Wait here,” I said curtly, leaving her in the car.
Inside, I strode directly to the pharmacy counter, ordering emergency contraception. The pharmacist gave me a knowing look I chose to ignore.
Minutes later, I returned to the car and handed Sarah the small package.
Her eyes widened slightly as she looked from the box to me. Something unreadable passed over her features- disappointment, perhaps? Or understanding? She held my gaze for a long moment before accepting the pills.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
I nodded once, pulling back onto the road.
When we reached her hotel building–a modest complex in an area I wouldn’t have associated with her–I put the car in park but kept the engine running.
“This is it?” I asked, eyeing the building skeptically.
“Yes,” she replied, gathering her purse. “Thank you for the ride.”
I should have said goodbye. Should have let her go. Instead, I found myself asking, “Do you need me to come up? Make sure everything’s safe?”
Sarah’s expression softened slightly. “That’s not necessary.
“Right,” I said stiffly.
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She opened the door but hesitated before stepping out. “Alexander, I-”
“Go,” I cut her off. “Your daughter’s waiting.”
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Something like regret flashed across her face before she nodded and exited the car, closing the door softly
behind her.
I watched as she entered the building, not driving away until she had disappeared inside.
But I didn’t leave the area.
Instead, I parked a block away, my instincts refusing to let me abandon her completely. My wolf was unusually agitated, pacing and growling within me.
*Something is wrong,* Orion insisted. *She’s hiding something important. I’m certain of it.*
I pulled out my phone and dialed Ethan, my Beta. He answered on the second ring.
“Sir?”
“The background check on Sarah Winters,” I said without preamble. “Was it thorough?”
A pause. “As thorough as possible given the timeframe, Alpha. Is there a problem?”
“Why wasn’t there any mention of a child in the report? Or her previous marriage?”
Another pause, longer this time.
“That was my oversight, Alpha.”
Something about Ethan’s response felt off. The slight hesitation, the careful choice of words. My Beta was hiding something.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Is there something you’re not telling me, Ethan?”
He didn’t answer right away.
“No, Alpha,” he said finally. “There’s nothing I’m withholding.”
But the hesitation was there. And I didn’t believe him.
I ended the call without another word, my mind racing.
Sarah had a seven–year–old daughter that somehow didn’t appear in any background check. A dead husband no
one knew about. (1)
*She’s running from something,* Orion growled. *Or someone.*
For the first time since I’d met her, I allowed myself to consider the possibility that Sarah Winters wasn’t who
she claimed to be at all.
3/4
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I drove back to the hospital, my thoughts a tangled mess of suspicion and desire.
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The familiar antiseptic smell hit me as I walked through the sliding doors, nodding at the night staff who recognized me instantly.
Thea was sleeping peacefully when I entered her room, the soft beeping of machines the only sound breaking
the silence.
I sank into the chair beside her bed, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. A text from Jeremy.
“Need to see me, Alpha?”
I typed quickly: “Full background check on Sarah Winters. Deeper than before. Focus on family history, marriage records, birth certificates. I want everything by morning.”
Sarah was hiding something, and I needed to know what it was.For my own peace of mind.
And maybe, though I wouldn’t admit it, because I couldn’t bear the thought that everything between us might
have been built on lies.
Chapter 236
