Page 6

~Adrian~

“Are you fucking serious?”

I nodded and took a sip of beer. Colton looked as disgusted as I’d felt upon learning about my mate’s former pack. “Unfortunately.”

My brother sat back in the dining chair and shook his head. He and Chase were the most gentle out of the five of us, but right now, Colton appeared to be contemplating ripping someone to shreds. I didn’t blame him. My hackles were still up.

“I can’t fathom how someone could do that to their own flesh and blood. I mean… the thought of something like that happening to Chase makes me physically ill.”

“I get it,” I said. Thankfully, that would never be a possibility. Chase had four older brothers who would kill for him. We’d been protecting him since we’d found out, when he hit age ten, that he was an omega.

Colton sighed and took a drink of his Coke. While the rest of us loved the taste of alcohol, he didn’t. Hell, the man didn’t even smoke. “How is Carter doing?”

“Much better. Thank you. I think the pneumonia is almost gone. He hasn’t coughed at all since he started the antibiotic. His head is completely healed, and he took his evening meds before Mom kidnapped him for a tour.”

“A tour,” Colton said, one eyebrow raised. “You mean she’s going to regale him with every embarrassing story from your childhood.”

I chuckled and polished off my beer. “Among other things, I imagine.” At Colton’s confused expression, I smirked. “I’ve claimed him, and he insisted on going bare.”

Colton laughed and just rolled his eyes. “When do you want to bet the baby stuff will start arriving?”

“I’m thinking probably a week. I mean, she has to order it first. Then there’s shipping time.” I toyed with the label on the empty bottle and contemplated telling him about Carter’s background. Ironcrest had moved into the area not long ago, but since this was the closest city, it made sense why Carter ended up here.

“What is it?” Colton asked me.

I stared down at the bottle. “He escaped his family pack a few years ago when the whole babyfarming shit started.”

“Yeah…”

“Ironcrest.”

When I looked up, Colton was scowling.

“Why am I not surprised to hear they are the ones behind it? Do they know where he is? From everything I’ve heard, Ironcrest wolves aren’t the type to just let an omega—especially one capable of carrying a pup—walk away like that.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Neither does he. He’s kept a fairly low profile and was really picky about his johns.”

Colton grimaced and took a sip of Coke. I could tell there was something else on his mind, but I didn’t say anything. After a moment, he sighed. “We had a patient come in this afternoon. EMTs found him walking along the roadside, bloodied and delirious. Fever, vomiting, excruciating pain.”

“Fuck. What the hell?”

“Miscarriage,” Colton said, meeting my gaze. “He almost bled out as a result.”

“Ironcrest?”

“Not sure. He was in and out of it from infection when I got off work. He was admitted, though, so he’s still there.”

I blew out a breath. “You think he’s up to talking? Maybe tomorrow?”

Colton shrugged. “You can try. I’m not sure if he’ll be very forthcoming. He wasn’t with the EMTs or anyone at the hospital. I didn’t get a chance to see him myself, though.”

The knowledge that Carter could’ve wound up the same way made me sick to my stomach. “We have to do something about the Ironcrest wolves.”

“What?”

“They’ve been causing trouble left and right,” I said. “Minor shit, but who’s to say it won’t escalate? Especially now that they’ve lost two omegas.”

Colton seemed to think about it and surprised me with a nod. He wasn’t the type to run in, guns blazing. He preferred to stay in the background and make sure others were safe and healthy. We all knew how to fight, though, thanks to our father.

“Believe it or not, I agree. I just don’t know how .”

“Leave that to me.”

Colton groaned. “Adrian—”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going into this half-cocked, Colt. Ironcrest has more wolves than we can handle on our own. I need to talk to the guys at work first.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Colton said. “You’re no doubt going to be a father in a few months.”

“Speaking of Carter, I need to get him an ID. He said omegas weren’t allowed to have any kind of identification.”

Colton nodded. “The one who came in today didn’t either. All he could do was tell us his name and date of birth.”

“Text me his info. I’ll see what I can do about getting him an ID as well.”

The front door shut, and then Carter and Mom walked into the kitchen. I held out a hand, and Carter sat on my lap sideways. Mom dropped onto the chair beside Colton. She looked tired but happy.

“This place is so much bigger than I thought,” Carter said. “There’s a lot more land than what’s visible from the front.”

“Well, we did run a full farm at one point,” I replied before nuzzling the bend of his neck. I breathed in deep, pulling his intoxicating scent of honey and vanilla into my lungs. “I have to go into work tonight, but you’ll be safe here. If you have any troubles, Colton and Mom are here. Chase is, too, but he tends to keep to himself.”

“I’ll be fine,” Carter said, smiling.

Mom cleared her throat. “Let’s get some dinner before you go then.”

“I can help,” Carter said.

Much to my and Colt’s surprise, Mom didn’t argue. Carter got up and joined her on the other side of the island. They chatted like they’d known one another for decades. Colt and I exchanged glances, and he smiled and shook his head. When he stood, he patted my shoulder.

“I need to get out of these clothes and grab a shower. It was a long damn night.”

I nodded, and he left the kitchen. I sat back in the chair and watched Mom and Carter work on dinner. Mom laughed at something Carter said and gave him a hug. I’d never seen her so relaxed with anyone. At one point, my mate flashed me a smile that made me want to drag him back to our room.

It was going to be a long night at work.