Page 80 of Fated Alpha Baby

I don’t just need Conan.

I don’t just trust him.

I love him. Not just because he is my fated mate, or because he’s Clarissa’s father, but because he is, and always has been, the most important person in my life.

Chapter 23 - Conan

“She refuses to speak,” Orlando tells me, his jaw twitching as he clenches it in anger. “She won’t even tell us her name.”

I nod slowly, eyes narrowed on the witch who sits cuffed in metal binds in a holding cell behind the one-way mirror.

She can’t see us from here, but going by the way she’s smiling sadistically at the mirror, she knows we’re standing behind it, watching her.

“She will reveal the secrets she is keeping soon,” Amalia says with certainty in her tone. “Sister Hannah has proven to be a remarkable extractor of information. And unlike Hale, this one knows much more.”

“Well, Hannah still needs time to recover,” I remind Amalia, and she nods.

“Yes, of course, Conan,” she assures me as she places a hand on my shoulder. “How is she doing, by the way?”

“Better,” I reply with a deep breath. “It’s only been two days since the attack, and she’s much stronger again. She promised to come down here tomorrow. But I don’t think we need to rush her into the ritual just yet.”

“I don’t know, Conan,” Alpha William chuckles, nodding over his shoulder. “It seems your friend Henry is getting a little…tense.”

I follow Alpha William’s gaze to where Heinrich speaks to Amos and the research team, his brows furrowed as he runs a hand through his hair. He does look a little tense, but it’s only because we have the captured witch in the basement of his company building.

We all agreed that it would be wise to keep the dark witch away from the valley, using wards and runes to keep her hidden here for questioning. The witches of the August Moon Circle have tried to interrogate her. So have William, Orlando, and Heinrich.

But she refuses to speak a word.

Amalia suggested using the ritual that was used on Marcus Hale, deciding that Hannah would be the one to perform it again. Despite my many protests, Hannah agreed to do it, but only once she felt strong enough.

Using all her powers to heal me after the witch attacked me in the alley was taxing on her. And though we don’t know how the witch found us at the park in Hamilton, we’re praying for some peace again.

We’ve taken every measure to cover our tracks—especially to keep our identities hidden from the human world we’ve found ourselves in.

And while we have a dark witch in custody, the team still works hard to find a way to close the portal and to keep the dark entity, Vaelkor, locked under the southern ruins.

“I don’t blame him,” I sigh as I turn back to the mirror. “This isn’t easy for any of us. And with the birth of Damian and Sophie’s pup, I think we’re all praying for a moment to breathe.”

“A moment of respite is invaluable during this time, Alpha Conan,” Amalia says, turning to face me. “Perhaps we should take every little crumb we can get our hands on.”

She nods, and I give her a half-smile in return, understanding what she means without her having to say the words. I slip out of the basement using the service elevator, relieved to be returning to my family, even if I’m unsettled by the volatility of our circumstances.

Going to our new apartment, to my family, doesn’t feel like going home, only because we’re not in the valley. But it doesn’t stop the excitement from building in my chest as I make my way up to the fifteenth floor of the apartment building.

And before I can knock on the door, it’s thrown open, and Clarissa flies into my arms, while Hannah waits on the side.

“Hey, kiddo!” I greet her with a lighthearted chuckle as I spin her around twice before setting her on her feet over the threshold. I turn to plant a soft kiss on Hannah’s lips, and she instantly smiles.

Though her scent isn’t as strong as it usually is because of the masking ointment covering her scent gland, her natural essence remains sweetly intoxicating in a delicate way that still beckons to my wolf.

Hannah opens her mouth to say something, but she stops with a telltale smile when Clarissa grabs my hand and tugs me inside.

“Daddy! I wanna show you something!”

I glance over my shoulder at Hannah with a frown, and all she offers is a nonchalant shrug as she follows us into the apartment. She wears a smirk because she knows what Clarissa wants to show me, but she keeps it a surprise until Clarissa drags me to her bedroom.

She releases my hand and skips to the light switch.