Outlaw (Wolves of Royal Paynes #4) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,83

in the driveway. The guy already broke Hallie's heart and still lives. If he ruins putt-putt day, Knox won't be so forgiving."

My relief that hordes of demons weren't tearing through the forest toward the hotel was short-lived. Hallie hid her emotions, especially ones like hurt. She'd just started actually smiling again. As a pack, we'd helped her decide where to put the nursery and how to decorate it. The doc seemed especially excited for a long-term birth and went all out getting Hallie several body pillows, heating pads, and acupressure bands for her morning sickness. Though she wasn't so lucky as to be done and over with the pregnancy in two weeks, so far, her morning sickness wasn't that bad and truly stuck to its name.

"Are you going to send him away?" I asked.

"And face Hallie's wrath when she finds out?" Faust replied. "It's your funeral."

He made a good point.

The others were already at the landing, along with Hallie. I slipped out from Diesel's arm and joined the others circled around her like a protective wall.

When Alejandro knocked, Diesel answered the door.

I almost felt bad for the man. It couldn't be fun walking by so many angry men who he now knew were capable of literally ripping his head off. He faced the gauntlet with dignity. Now, he just had to get through us.

"I figured everyone would be…well, you're all just together…all the time."

The doc snorted, but it was Hallie's reaction that mattered, and her face had remained stony.

"I think I understand that more now," he rushed to say. "And I'm ready to do this in front of your family if I have to." He sucked in a deep breath. The man really didn't look like he'd had a great couple of days. The bags under his eyes broadcast just how much sleep he hadn't gotten.

He looked worse off than Hallie, and I was petty enough to be happy for that fact.

Learning your girlfriend was pregnant was big enough news to swallow, but he'd also had to come to terms with the fact that his girlfriend's roommates weren't at all what they appeared.

Alejandro scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I love everything about you, Hallie, and have since high school. I told myself you were better off with him, that you were happy and cared for. But you weren't. I should've fought for you then, and I'll sure as heck fight for you now. I love your bravery and resilience but also your loyalty. I shouldn't have asked you to leave this place, and you were right to be angry. But I won't stop loving you or our child. I got something not many else get, a second chance, and even though I blew it and don't deserve a third, I'm hoping you'll let me try. I love you, Hal. I want to be where you are, whether that means living here or outside in the woods. I don't care. I'll make it work."

Hallie's expression hadn't changed, but her voice shook with emotion. "What about your niece? I know you have a duty to keep her safe, and I really can't promise there will always be safety here."

The leftover bullet holes in the foyer were proof enough of that.

"I'll make it work, Hallie. Besides, I'd already thought long and hard about that, and the way I figure it, these guys…" He gestured to the alphas. "…are the most intense, protective people I've met. If they're here, living comfortably with their children and…husbands?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Mates," Hallie supplied.

"Mates. If they live here with their mates and children, they must be relatively certain of their ability to keep them safe."

That was quite literally the point of alphas. Shifters could be volatile and distrustful. Alphas existed not only to care for a pack, but to give shifters that anchor, a net of safety. The world was dangerous, but in a pack, you didn't have to face those dangers alone.

Hallie pushed through the throng of people separating her from Alejandro. He held out his hands, and Hallie grabbed hold. Their foreheads pressed together.

"I love you so much, Al—"

"Who is walking up our driveway?" Isaiah peered out the narrow window next to the door.

Faust brought the surveillance feed up on his phone and we all—including Alejandro—peered over to see his screen.

"That guy was on the side of the highway when I drove here. I figured he was a lost tourist. The surfers who come to this part of the coast