The Secret We Couldn't Keep

CHAPTER THREE

Raina's POV

I stood near the corner of my father's office while he paced back and forth behind his main desk, and my mind was completely spinning from the message I had received earlier and the news Raina had given me. My father picked up a stack of paper files and slammed them down on the desk, turning around to face me with a furious look in his eyes.

"You need to keep your focus on the hockey team and the upcoming championship match, Damon," my father said, and his voice was cold as he pointed his finger directly at my face. "That wolfless girl has become a total threat to our family's position in this pack, and we cannot afford another scandal after everything we built here."

"I rejected her in front of the whole academy just like you wanted, Father," I said, trying to keep my voice steady while my hands clenched into hard fists inside my pockets, "So why are your guards still following her around the territory late at night?"

"I don't need to explain my security decisions to you, my son," my father said, leaning over the table while his eyes narrowed at me. "Just make sure you stay away from her completely, because if she tries to get close to you again or interferes with our plans, I will make sure she is removed from this pack permanently."

I didn't argue with him because I knew how far his anger could go, but I thought he just meant he would banish her to another town, so I left the pack house as fast as I could and met Raina near the old training rink where nobody ever went after midnight. The moment I opened the door and stepped into the small room, Raina turned around from the wall and stared at me with tears in her eyes.

"Damon, we can't keep doing this," Raina said, stepping right up to me while her whole body trembled with stress. "We have been secretly together for months, and now I am carrying your baby, so why did you reject me in front of everyone if you knew how much we meant to each other?"

"I was terrified of what my father would do to you if he found out about us before I was strong enough to protect you, Raina," I said, reaching out to wrap my arms around her waist and pulling her small body close against my chest while my inner wolf fought to soothe her. "I know I hurt you terribly at the ceremony, but I swear to you right now that I am going to protect you and this baby no matter what happens."

"It's getting much harder to hide everything, Damon," Raina whispered, resting her forehead against my chest while I held her tight. "I felt like someone was watching me when I walked through the woods tonight, and if my family notices anything strange about my body, they are going to throw me out onto the street."

"Nobody is going to throw you out while I'm breathing," I said, raising my hand to touch her cheek gently, "We just need to be extremely careful for a few more days until I figure out a way to get us out of this territory safely."

Before Raina could answer me, the side door clicked open, and Ethan walked straight into the room with his hockey bag slung over his shoulder, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw us standing so close together.

"I knew I wasn't crazy," Ethan said, dropping his bag onto the floor with a loud thud while he glared at the two of us with pure disgust. "You two have been disappearing at suspiciously similar times for weeks, and now here you are holding the girl you publicly rejected yesterday."

"Shut your mouth, Ethan, and walk out of here right now," I said, stepping right in front of Raina to shield her from his view while my jaw tightened.

"Why are you protecting her, Damon?" Ethan asked, stepping closer with a red face while he pointed at his sister. "My father and Alpha Marcus were just talking in the main hall about how Raina might know something about your family's true origins, and if she's using some secret to mess with our pack, I am going to tell the guards myself."

"If you say a single word to my father or anyone else, Ethan, I will make sure you never step foot on a hockey rink again," I growled, taking a massive step toward him until Ethan backed down and held his hands up in silence.

"Whatever, keep playing your dangerous games," Ethan muttered, turning around and slamming the door shut as he walked out into the dark night.

Raina stepped out from behind me, and she looked up into my face with a deeply serious expression that made my chest tighten instantly.

"Damon, look at me and tell me the truth right now," Raina said, taking my hands in hers while her voice shook, "If it comes down to a choice between me and your father's power in this pack, who are you actually going to choose?"

I stood there frozen because I couldn't answer her immediately, knowing that walking away from my father meant losing my team, my title, and everything I had trained for my entire life.

"Just go home, Raina," I whispered softly, pulling my hands out of hers because I couldn't face the disappointment in her eyes right now. "We will talk about this tomorrow night when things settle down."

Raina didn't say another word, turning around with her head down and walking back out toward her house through the side paths.

I watched her disappear into the dark, completely unaware of the nightmare waiting for her at home, where she would walk into her searched bedroom to find her drawers torn apart and her hidden pregnancy test completely gone.