by Emma Knox
“Brian,” I said. “What can I do for you?”
“Um, I’ve got some news I think will interest you.”
I frowned, wondering if I’d sent him to look for information for me, but I didn’t remember anything like that. At least, the person I sent wasn’t Brian. Also, the expression on his face was strange, almost anxious, but not quite.
“It’s about that Omega we met at the council headquarters last week?”
That had me sitting upright. Evan?
“What happened to Evan?”
I didn’t even bother to ask how he knew about Evan. I’d told him to go and explain things to his parents, but I was yet to tell Dad that he was going to be a grandfather in a few months. News of me meeting up with an Omega at the council headquarters had spread through the pack by the time I followed my pack members back home.
“There’s news through the grapevine. We have people all over, as you know, and someone passed on that Whit is angry with that Omega, as well as with you.”
Shit.
Evan had probably told them already. Was this because of the pregnancy? Also, Evan hadn't called me in days like he’d promised to, and I wondered if that was another side effect of whatever Whit did.
I felt shocked, and a little insulted actually, that Whit would keep his son from me after finding out he was pregnant with my kid. Did he have something against me? Or was I not good enough of a son-in-law? Dammit, I was one of the most coveted bachelors in the shifter community, among those available, and, what? Whit not thinking I was good enough for Evan—a son he treated like filth anyway—was more than insulting.
In any case, I pushed off those thoughts, my expression going grim. If he was going to act unreasonable, then I was going to take action. I’d expected something like this, though, so it wasn’t too inconvenient. For what I was currently working on, I could give the job to someone else temporarily while I was away.
“Thank you for telling me this, Brian,” I said, getting up. “Find someone and have them look over these documents for me, all right? I’m gonna let Dad know I’ll be leaving in a bit.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I wanted to go to Evan’s pack directly and just take him, but I absolutely had to leave that as the last resort. Going head to head against other Alphas when I was already so new to the position could only spell disaster for me. I knew all the rules, but Whit was still older, and had been Alpha of his pack longer. Evan was not only an Omega under his care, he was also his son.
Instead of going where my heart wanted to, I let my head dictate for me. I had to act smart, something I’d never thought I would be able to do back in my high school years. So I went to see the council elders first and foremost, knowing if I could get them to back me up, there was nothing Whit could do to me or Evan.
When I returned home from the Alaskan Shifter’s Community Center, it was to find Evan at my doorstep. I was startled, not having expected him to actually track me down all the way to my pack. He’d never been to the area before, he was lucky he hadn't gotten lost. When he looked up and saw me, his eyes lit up. But only a little, though. He looked totally beat.
“Evan!” I called, hurrying the last several steps between us in a run. A lot of questions bounced around in my head. What are you doing here? Are you okay? Can I help? I didn’t think I needed the answers to those questions, because they would be simple enough to guess. So instead, I said, “Please, come in.”
I hurried around him to open the door for him. I could sense a lot of curious shifters around, and I guessed he’d found someone to direct him to where I was currently living.
Evan heaved a sigh as he answered my invitation, “’Kay.”
“How long have you been waiting here?”
“Uh, I don’t know? I had a taxi bring me to the general area and I just followed the scent to get here. I don’t know how long it’s been since I got here, but I’ve been waiting for you for a while.” He sniffled and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. “Do you think I can get something to eat? I’m feeling a little hungry.”
My eyebrows jumped at how he sounded, so damn lifeless. Did something happen to him? Because he was noticeably different compared to when we first met. He wasn’t reserved and polite—-he was hormonal and emotional. His breath even hitched when he asked for food, and I looked around for the closest shifter to head to the kitchens and have food brought up to my room. Then, I took his arm and tugged him with me up to my bedroom.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” I asked gently, closing the door behind us and pulling him into my arms. “Did you tell your parents yet? Did they take it that badly?”
He sniffled some more and nodded his head against my chest. He’d shrunk in his neck and shoulders, and holding him this close, I could tell he was shivering, even though his body felt warm. When a knock sounded on the door behind me, I detached us and walked him over to the bed, making him sit down. Then I went to open the door and take the food.
That was fast.
I gave the Omega on the other side of the door a grateful smile. She didn’t seem to notice, though, trying to look inside. I blocked her sight immediately. Evan probably didn’t want a lot of people seeing him in the state he was in.
“Thank you, Janice,” I said, a bit stiffly.
She jumped a little, then nodded hurriedly and left as I closed the door.
“Here,” I said, my voice automatically going soft once I turned back to Evan. I sat beside him on the bed and gave him the food. “Eat up and we can talk after, all right?”
He nodded his head listlessly and took the place.
As he ate, I looked him over. I breathed in his scent. There were changes in it, still slight, but I’d been around enough pregnant Omegas to tell the scent was starting to come out. It had been nearly two months since we slept together, and I figured the growing bump on his stomach would get really big in a little while.
“Can I have some water?” he asked.
I got up and went to their door. Thankfully, someone was passing in the hallway at that time and I sent them for a glass instead of going myself. I waited by the door for him to get back, then took the glass and locked the door once more. I brought the water to Evan, who’d finished eating, and he drank it all down in one gulp.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
I sighed and took the plate and glass, putting them aside. I sat beside him and gently patted his hair, his back, trying to calm him down because he still looked a bit distressed. I waited until it his body had relaxed a bit to ask questions.
“Now, can you tell me what you’re doing here and why you didn’t contact me first? I could have come to get you myself. And why didn’t you come with anything?”
He stiffened again and turned to me with frightened eyes. “No. I’m sorry for showing up without telling you, but I didn’t want you to come to my house.”
I frowned. “Your parents know,” I stated.
He nodded his head quickly. “Uh, Dad is fine with it, sort of. He was just really shocked, but he tried to help me. He was the one that got me out of the house and gave me the money and directions to get here. I wasn’t sure I would make it…”
Evan’s hands were trembling, and he had them clasped together on his lap. I stopped rubbing his back and took his hands in mine. I was startled by how cold they were, and a bit worried. Shifters always ran hot, the fact that he felt so cold in his condition was a bad thing.
Because the scent was becoming more and more distinct, my instincts were coming out full force. I wanted to wrap him up in my bed to warm him up, and keep him there so no one would make him this distressed again.
Carefully, I rubbed both his hands, warming them up. Evan let out a shuddering sigh as his shoulders slumped.
“I’m really glad I’m here,” he whispered.
I glanced up at him. “How did Whit react when you told them?”
It was easy enough to guess that this was where the problem came from. But even if he was ag
ainst me and his son getting together, he didn’t need to go so far as to make Evan react like this. An unbalanced emotional state could be bad for an Omega and the baby during pregnancy. I didn’t think he would lose it, but complications arising weren’t unheard of.
“Whit, he…he didn’t want me to see you or talk to you after he heard. He actually thought I was lying at first, claiming you were the father when it wasn’t true.” He gave a mechanical laugh that was painful to hear. “I know I shouldn’t be surprised by his reaction, but I… I don’t know. I just hoped he would react differently about this.”
“He got mad at you?”
Evan nodded his head. “He got more than just mad. I was confined to my room, he even had my phone taken away, so I didn’t have access to any money. He was probably planning on me sticking at home to have the baby. He didn’t want me to have anything to do with you.”
“Did you tell him I said I would take responsibility for the baby?”
“I told him,” Evan confirmed.
I scowled to myself. Seriously, what is Whit’s problem? Does he actually have something against me to react so aggressively? Or was it just him as an Alpha getting possessive over his territory? I figured the reason news of Evan didn’t spread around was because Whit didn’t care much for him, but was there actually a different reason? Or did he already have a mate in mind for Evan?
Whatever it was, I didn’t like it, and I suddenly didn’t like Whit. I would have tried to talk to him if he’d reacted reasonably, but now I was just tempted to keep Evan with me so he would never have to go back to that place.
Except I can't do that. Shit.
No matter what, Evan was a part of Whit’s pack, and also his son. If he really didn’t want to let Evan go, he could come to me directly, or he could lodge a complaint with the council.
“I’m sorry if my coming here inconvenienced you,” Evan whispered, pulling me out of my thoughts. “When I got here, and was asking for directions on how to get to you, everyone kept telling me how busy you were getting things settled for the pack. I really don’t have anywhere else to go, though…”
“You don’t have to think that way. Evan, I told you again, and I’ll reiterate it for you if you want. I’m not going to abandon you and the baby, no matter what. You’ll need to put up with all the work I need to get done, but that’s about it. Besides, the one thing every Alpha needs is an Omega that can give him children, and that’s exactly what you are. I have no reason to turn you away.”
Evan’s whole body shuddered, and before I could start to feel worried, he raised his head. His expression was one full of relief, and he pulled his hands from mine, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around me in a hug. It caught me by surprise, but I automatically wrapped my own arms around his smaller body, holding him close.
“I really don’t want to leave,” Evan murmured.
I nuzzled his hair. “No one is going to make you leave, okay? You can stay here as long as you want. If you’d like, you can live here forever.”
It had been the plan the whole time. I just didn’t think it would happen while Evan was a runaway.
Evan raised his head to look up at me, smiling, and it seemed like he’d completely changed from just a moment ago. He really was the best looking when he was happy, he almost seemed to be glowing. Having him so close after so long and looking at me that way, I couldn’t hold myself back. I slanted my mouth over his, and Evan moaned, responding with enthusiasm as his arms around me tightened and he squirmed closer.
The kiss quickly grew heated, and I nipped and licked at his lips, the desire to mark him as mine rising up. This time, there would be no need to hold back—on the marking only, though, since he was pregnant.
It didn’t take too long until the two of us were buried beneath the sheets.
Chapter 12
Evan
I woke up confused for a moment about where I was, but wherever it was, it felt so warm. The scent in my nose was definitely not of my room. Besides Dad, no one ever entered my room, so it would only ever smell of me, or Dad. This scent was familiar, a little spicy, making my body restless; just by that I knew it was an Alpha’s scent.
No Alpha has ever stepped in my bedroom.
Then memories from last night came back to me, and my eyes fluttered open. When I tried to stretch my body out, I felt an ache in my ass and hips, and my face flushed. I was in Max’s room, in Max’s bed, and the scent caught in my nose was his.
For a moment, I just curled into myself, tugging the sheets over my head and bringing my knees up to my chest. I was so damn giddy I didn’t know what to do with myself! Waking up in Max’s bed was the best thing ever! And I could only hope there would be more of it in the future.
I rolled over the bed, my head peeking out of the sheets, just then realizing I might not be alone. But I didn’t see Max anywhere in the room. I couldn’t frown, though, when the bedding was filled with a mix of our scents and what we did last night. I covered my mouth with the sheets as a wide grin spread across my face. I didn’t remember ever smiling this much, so widely that my cheeks ached. I wanted to break out into giggles while I was at it, but managed to hold back.
Slipping out of bed, I stretched my body out, ignoring some of the aches in my body. They would eventually go away on their own, and it wasn’t like it was so terrible. Max had been gentle last night, a bit rougher than the last time, but not by too much.
I looked down my body and felt my face blush. There were marks all over me, on my shoulder, collar bone, nipples, all over my stomach, over my hips, even between my thighs. Feeling shy, I dragged the sheets of the bed, wrapping it around me and holding the front up to my neck so I wouldn’t see. I pursed my lips, wondering how I was going to find Max, when the door opened. I turned to face it, and my good morning suddenly turned brighter.
“Max!” I called happily, shuffling over to him with the sheets trailing beside me.
His eyebrows shot up. “You’re already up? Sorry, I just stepped out for a little bit.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I just woke up a minute ago, and you don’t have to worry about me if you’re busy.”
“I’m not at the moment,” he said. His hands held onto the tops of my arms, his thumbs rubbing gentle circles that made me want to lean closer to him and purr. “I had some stuff I needed to finalize, but it’s all done now. I’ll be free for a while.”
I grinned, practically bouncing on the tips of my toes. I hoped him being free meant we could spend some time together. I couldn’t remember the last time I was as happy as being in his presence made me, and I wanted to take advantage of it as soon as possible.
My mate. It wasn’t official, but Max was already my mate, and I couldn’t have asked for a better Alpha. Max leaned down and pecked my lips, and I gave into my temptation to let out a short giggle. Max smiled indulgently at me, hands squeezing a little.
I would have been more than happy to stay standing there in bliss, but Max’s expression fell a moment later. He pursed his lips, and his brow furrowed in a frown. Instantly, I went still, wondering what was wrong, and if it had something to do with me.
“Evan…” he started slowly.
I blinked up at him, and when he didn’t say anything else for a minute, I spoke.
“Max, what is it? Is there something wrong?”
His frown deepened. “Not so much that something’s wrong… Evan, we need to go back to your house to talk to your parents.”
My fairytale immediately crumbled when he mentioned my parents. While I would have no problem visiting my Omega father, Whit had always been the problem. It had been hard enough getting away, if I went back…
“You don’t have to worry about anything,” Max said quickly. “I plan to go with you and I won’t leave your side the entire time. If Whit tries something, we leave. But I need to at least appear before him, because if he decided to go to the council later, we could be screwed.”
Once he explained it, I under
stood the reason we had to go, but that didn’t mean I would like it. Especially after how I ran away. Everyone would have known by now, including Whit, and the idea alone was mortifying. My eyes welled with tears as I began to cry, ducking my head down and sniffling so Max wouldn’t have to see it. I could feel his whole body stiffen, and it only made the tears drip faster.
“I don’t want to go back there, Max,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes tight, hands clenching on the sheets as my body trembled.
Immediately, Max started rubbing his hands soothingly up and down my arms.
“Hey, don’t cry, okay? I really don’t want to take you back there, either. If I could, I’d just go by myself, but that isn’t proper. I need to do this, Evan. For my own honor and the honor of my pack, or it would make it too easy for Whit to trample us.”
I nodded my understanding, because I did understand. I couldn’t stop crying, though, and a part of me figured it was the pregnancy hormones, but knowing didn’t mean I could control myself.
Max wrapped his arms around me, rocking my body slightly as he murmured words meant to soothe me. I cried until I started hiccupping, and Max rubbed his face into my hair with a sigh.
“What’s wrong, Evan?” he asked after a while.
I hiccupped some more and pulled away, one of my hands releasing the sheets to rub my wet eyes. I sniffled, and looked up at him.
“I’m hungry,” I murmured. Then I wrinkled my nose. “I’m also a little achy…from last night.”
My face flushed as I looked down again. Max was silent for a moment, and then he chuckled.
“Well, then. How about we get you into the bath, then over to the kitchen for breakfast? We can go right after to get this over with as soon as possible. I swear we’ll be on our way back this evening, okay? We’ll also pick up a few of your things…”
I bit down on my lip, feeling anxious. I really didn’t want to do this, for several reasons. After his reaction from before, I could pretty much guess what would happen once we got there. Whit wasn’t the forgiving type, not to mention how stubborn of an Alpha he was. Once he made up his mind, changing it was damn near impossible, and his decision was that I not leave the pack.
