The Alpha's Secret

THE ALPHA’S SECRET THE RAVEN CHRONICLES: BOOK 2 MISSY DE GRAFF STONE PHOENIX PRESS CONTENTS 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 26. Chapter 26 27. Chapter 27 28. Chapter 28 29. Chapter 29 30. Chapter 30 About the Author Also by Missy De Graff Copyright © 2023 by Missy De Graff All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Edited by Zero Alchemy Cover design by Paradise Cover Design ISBN 978-1-7370270-3-4 ASIN B0C2L1R5Z8 The moon shines brightest when going through the dark night of the soul… CHAPTER 1 LUCINDA A dark shadow looms outside and circles the cabin. It stops underneath the window of the kitchen and paces back and forth as the sun rises. The silhouette of a wolf stretches along the leaf-scattered ground. I know who it is before he enters. Caiden. Alpha of the Blood Moone Pack and my true Fated Mate. His once-striking solid white wolf is turning a dingy gray as the cursed beast residing within him fights for control. Damn that witch for cursing him all those years ago. Though, it wasn’t until recently, when him and I met, that the beast began to change him. Caiden shifts from his wolf-beast to human form and steps into the main room of the cabin. “I thought I’d find you here.” “Yup, I’m here.” My legs dangle over the edge of the couch, and I wiggle my bare feet to get warm by the heat of the fire. The cabin is Caiden’s special place, deep in the woods away from everyone and everything. He comes here when he needs to relax and unwind. I come here to get away from daily pack life. Caiden crosses the room, and my heart flutters at his nakedness as he heads to the bedroom. The sound of drawers opening and closing comes from the room, then he walks back into view wearing red plaid flannel pants and an oatmeal thermal shirt. My lips twitch, exposing a wry smile. Damn, he looks sexy. “Is everything okay?” he asks. “Yeah.” But everything is far from okay. I’m freaking out. Caiden and I are at the center of everyone’s attention. I have a twenty-page survey to complete for the planning of our mating ceremony, and that’s just to decide what food to serve. I close my eyes and turn my head away from Caiden. As the daughter of an Alpha, I was raised to be a Luna—the wife of an Alpha—and a leader of a pack. I know what’s expected of me as the mate of an Alpha. But I’ve always done what I wanted, when I wanted. The list of rules and regulations the Blood Moone pack has—not to mention their unwritten traditions and unspoken expectations—is daunting. When I was born, my father promised my hand in marriage to Dylan, my childhood best friend, until that damn witch cursed him, too. And now he’s Caiden’s Beta, second-in-command. I smirk at the irony of our complicated history. Dylan and I are still working to salvage our prior friendship. However, I’m realizing that my time alone as a rogue living outside of a pack, which Dylan forced, changed me in ways I don’t think will ever be fixed. “Then what’s up?” Caiden asks. “Nothing. I’m fine.” Lie. Why am I lying to Caiden? He’s my mate, and not just my mate by marriage, but my Fated Mate. Our souls are bound to each other by destiny. I should trust him with everything. Don’t I expect the same from him? Would he—has he ever lied to me? I watch him through the slits of my eyes. No, I don’t think he would ever lie to me. My heart drops to my stomach, and queasiness stirs from lying to him. He sits on the couch, lifts my legs, and drapes them across his lap. With a calm yet serious tone, he says, “Lucinda, I can tell when something’s bothering you.” “No—” I take a deep breath and let out a long sigh. My shoulders slump forward, and I dip my chin to my chest. Do I look as pathetic as I feel? A quick glance at Caiden’s piercing stare answers my question. “I know you want to slow things down,” he says, “but our pack has certain traditions we can’t ignore.” My pulse quickens at the thought of the mating ceremony and the Alpha’s ritual. Why am I nervous? “I told Mia to lay off the planning for a few weeks, but as the Alpha, the pack holds me to a certain standard.” He tilts his head back and runs his hands through his hair. His jaw tightens and his nostrils flare. “By claiming you the way I did, we already broke several of the traditions. And keeping it a secret from the pack was careless.” Breaking tradition, as other pack members have made very clear, is taboo. “I know.” I reach up and brush his cheek with the backs of my fingers. As our skin touches, the little sparks soothe my nerves, and I smile. Caiden rests his head against my fingers. “Mia thinks she can drag out the planning