Page 4 of A Real Alpha (Lunar City)

Oscar

A baby's cry startled me awake. For a split second I had no clue what was happening even though I’d been half awake thinking about Connor and Roscoe all night long.

As expected, I woke up shivering with an aching back, more uncomfortable than I'd been in ages. It was my own fault. I should’ve gone into the bedroom before Connor went to bed to grab a blanket and pajamas.

Obviously, Connor wouldn't trust me going in there with him.

I wanted to kick myself for being so insensitive.

In the end, I'd slept in my jeans, with no blanket, on a couch that was just shy of being long enough for me. Sighing, I pushed to a sitting position, listening to the sounds of Connor scrambling to attend to Roscoe.

Instinctively, I wanted to go help but I hadn't even so much as spoken to the baby.

I had the feeling Connor was too overprotective to let anyone too close.

A soft purr of approval rumbled through my chest at that thought.

He was a good parent, doing whatever he needed to do for his baby.

Anyone would be lucky to have him as their partner.

But I didn't think his last alpha thought as highly of him, based on their current situation. After all, he was unmated and had run away. All signs pointed to the guy being an asshole.

Lucky you, that's what drove him into your home.

I shook away the unsavory thought, ashamed. I wasn't helping him out to get something out of him, dammit, I just wanted to help. And yes, Connor was... well, he was downright mesmerizing, but that was beside the point.

Finally, the crying stopped so I pushed to my feet and went to the washroom before coming back to the kitchen, deciding the best thing I could do was to keep Connor fed for however long he might stay here.

I wasn't sure how open my invitation had sounded to Connor, but I had no immediate thoughts of kicking him out and I sure as hell would insist on him staying as long as he had nowhere else to go.

Breakfast was a bit more basic than dinner. I was tired and stiff, but I didn't think he would complain. When the eggs and toast were ready, I went to the bedroom door and rapped on it lightly.

Silence met my knock, but I cleared my throat and spoke anyway.

“I made some breakfast if you're hungry.”

There was a brief silence.

“Uh—thanks. I'll be out soon. You go ahead and eat.”

I went back to the kitchen island where I'd set the food and sat down, eating slowly in case he came out to join me. He didn't and the clock kept ticking until it was time for me to go open the café.

I guessed that meant I wouldn't be changing.Hopefully no one would notice that I was still in yesterday's clothes and looking worse for wear.

Before leaving, I went back to the bedroom and tapped the door again.

“I'm going to work now,” I said. “Will you still be here when I get back?”

“...would that be okay?”

The tentative question pulled at my heartstrings.

“It would be more than okay. Maybe I can order us dinner...”

“That would be nice,” Connor replied quietly.

“Okay, promise you'll make yourself at home.”

There was a shuffling and then a moment later, the lock clicked. The door opened, revealing Connor, his dusty blond hair disheveled and clothes wrinkled, looking more beautiful than I remembered him from just the night before.

“Promise,” he said, his gaze soft. “And thank you.”

I smiled and for a moment, it felt like it was going to be impossible to leave. I should call in sick.

But no, Igor should already be in the back baking and he needed me to let him in. Plus, he didn't know how to run the cash very well and Sage wouldn't be in until noon. And the café was my baby, so I had to be good to it.

“I'll stop in during my break and check on you guys.”

He nodded, giving me a small, tentative smile—the first one, nearly making me melt into a puddle.

Damn, he was so sweet...

I was basically in la-la-land after that. I wasn't much better on the register than Igor would’ve been, constantly mixing up people's drinks and forgetting the names they’d given for their orders.

When Sage arrived at noon, I practically groaned with relief.

“Oh, thank God,” I said, pulling off my apron.

“What's wrong with you?” she asked, looking me up and down suspiciously.

“I barely slept last night,” I replied. “I'll be back in half an hour.”

She waved me off. I poured two much needed coffees before slipping out the back door and clambering up the staircase to my apartment.

When I opened the door, Connor froze as though he'd been caught doing something wrong, even though all he'd appeared to be doing was sitting on the couch and watching TV while Roscoe wiggled on the floor.

“He needs some baby stuff,” I observed as I entered, taking a seat next to him on the couch and handing him his coffee. “Toys and such.”

Conner took the cup without arguing and shrugged uncomfortably. “He's fine.”

“Oh, he is. He's lucky to have such a good daddy. I just meant it would be nice for him to have a few things.”

He snorted, turning his gaze back to the TV but I could feel that all of his attention was still on me.

“What kind of stuff do you have in mind?” he asked, sipping his drink.

“I don't know. When is he supposed to be able to sit up?”

Connor blinked and glanced over at me.

“Pretty soon, I think. I mean... he's three months now so that makes sense, right?” he said.

I was given the distinct impression that he wasn't sure. Maybe he didn't know about a lot of the milestones. The thought gave me a weird feeling. For someone who appeared to be a wonderful dad, how did he not know?

“Do you have a phone?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. I did but it got taken— uh, I mean broken...”

Wow. He was a terrible liar. His cheeks were bright red, and he wouldn't look at me.

It probably wasn't the time to keep prying, but ideas were racing around in my head and I couldn't stop myself.

“Is there somewhere you two were planning to go before I stopped you?” I asked.

Again, he shook his head. “I was kind of planning to figure it out along the way.”

I'd assumed as much, but it was good to have the confirmation.

I kept my mouth shut after that, aside from grabbing lunch and asking if he wanted anything.

When he said that he'd already eaten some cereal, it felt like a win somehow.

Like him making himself at home meant he was staying a bit longer—which was a silly thought really.

When my break was over, I went back downstairs.

“It's quiet today,” I said to Sage. “I'm going to run some errands and then head home. Give me a call if it gets too busy for you.”

“I'm sure I can handle it,” she said, but her gaze pierced me. “Where do you suddenly have to be?”

“Nowhere that has anything to do with you,” I informed her.

My first stop was a book shop, which was quiet, too. It was a typical Wednesday afternoon all around, so I took my time browsing the baby section before choosing a book. I knew nothing about baby development, so as far as I was concerned, this book was a good purchase even if they left tomorrow.

The baby seat I picked up at the next shop, I couldn't justify quite as easily. Nor the toys and clothes that I simply couldn't leave without. Roscoe was adorable with a surprising amount of dark hair and bright blue eyes. He needed some cute outfits to go along with that equally cute face.

I couldn't wait to get back to my apartment and deliver the gifts. Maybe I could even finally give Roscoe a bit of attention—if Connor was comfortable with that.

My phone rang and I saw the cafe's name pop up, forcing the thoughts from my mind.

“Hello?”

“There's a line around the block,” Sage said in greeting. “Are you nearby?”

Luckily, the baby store was only around the corner. “I'll be there in five minutes,” I replied.

I'd been planning on going straight home to avoid any questions, but instead ended up beelining through the customers, to get behind the counter and start making the drink orders.

Sage glanced down at the bags I set of the floor, her thin dark brow arching dramatically.

“The line isn't around the block,” I said, speaking before she could say anything.

“Well, it's out the door , same difference.”

She finished the latte she was making and turned to give it to the customer before returning to the till.

I tried to quickly get through the drink list that had piled up.

It didn't take long to get through the orders and the line finally started to dwindle—until there was one, large alpha left, lingering back.

Normally people did that when they were still trying to decide what they wanted, but this guy wasn't staring at the menu, he was staring at me.

“Can I help you?” Sage asked.

He glanced at her and then came forward, if only to look at us a little more closely.

“I'm looking for someone,” he said in a gruff voice. “Wondering if maybe he came in here. It would have been yesterday, a male omega with a baby.”

“Oh,” Sage replied at once. “There was?—”

“A lot of people in here yesterday,” I said, cutting her off. “It would be hard to remember one omega.”

He gave me a piercing look with eyes a very particular shade of blue, just like Roscoe's, and I swallowed.

“You would remember him,” he continued. “He wasn't wearing a coat or anything. He had a baby in his arms. No carrier. A reusable shopping bag...”

He waited, searching Sage’s face for some sort of sign.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t see him.”

He looked at me.

“Me neither.”

For a moment, the man didn't budge. Eventually, he gritted his teeth, nodded, and walked out of the shop.

Sage glanced at me. “You want to tell me why you're hiding this omega in your apartment right now?” she asked under her breath.

I opened my mouth to ask how she knew, but before I could, she gave a pointed look to the bags I'd left strewn across the floor. The large baby seat box was hanging out the top on clear display.

I sighed.

“I don't have any good answers,” I admitted.

“Oscar!” she chastised. “Come on. You don't even know this guy. His alpha is looking for him.”

“That guy is not his alpha,” I growled, surprising myself with the intensity of my feelings. Connor didn't belong to anyone, least of all him. But a possessive voice in the back of my head screamed, mine, mine, mine!

So maybe my motivation wasn't so innocent either.

I swallowed and glanced around, lowering my voice. “Look, they're not mated and there's a reason Connor ran away to begin with.”

“Oh, he has a name now?”

“Yes, and he is in my apartment—because whatever that alpha did was bad enough that Connor was planning on sleeping in the alley out back with a newborn baby. I couldn't allow that.”

“You and your bleeding heart,” she sighed. “But I get it. Someone needs to take care of that omega. Might as well be you.”

Relief filled me.

Sage was a badass alpha herself who had found her fated mate early. The knowing look in her eyes suggested she had a better idea of what I was feeling than even I did.