Page 28 of Mating Mia (The Alphas’ Perfect Prey #2)

sixteen

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Mia

T he rice simmers on the stove, steam rising in gentle clouds that fog the kitchen window.

I stir it absently, watching the grains swirl in the bubbling water while the oven timer counts down the minutes until the fish is done. The scent of lemon and herbs fills the kitchen, mingling with the earthy aroma of cooking rice.

Through the open doorway, I can see Jace sprawled on the living room floor, his golden hair falling across his forehead as he dangles a stuffed wolf over Ash’s reaching hands.

My son squeals with delight, his chubby legs kicking against the carpet as he tries to coordinate his crawling toward the toy.

“Come on, little wolf,” Jace encourages, his voice playful as he wiggles the stuffed animal just out of Ash’s reach. “Show me those alpha hunting skills.”

Ash responds with a determined grunt, his eyes narrowing with concentration as he pushes himself forward on pudgy arms. He’s already showing the stubborn determination that marks him as their son.

I check the oven timer. Fifteen more minutes before the baked salmon is ready. Plenty of time to finish the rice and mix the salad I’ve prepared.

Cooking still feels like a novelty to me—a skill I’m slowly developing after years of surviving on ramen noodles and whatever I could afford on my meager budget while with my ex-boyfriend Justin.

With having everything that I need now, I’m finding it fun to cook and experiment on my alphas.

Even though the food might taste a little rough at times, they would still gush over how great my cooking is.

A triumphant squeal pulls my attention back to the living room. Ash has captured the stuffed wolf and is now gnawing on its ear with his two tiny teeth, drool soaking the gray fabric.

“That’s my boy,” Jace praises, ruffling Ash’s dark hair. “Nothing escapes the mighty hunter!”

I’m about to turn back to the stove when strong arms wrap around my waist from behind, pulling me against a solid chest.

Finn’s scent, pine and winter air, envelops me as his lips brush my skin, just below my ear.

“Something smells delicious,” he murmurs, his breath hot against my skin.

“Salmon with lemon and dill,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady as his teeth graze my earlobe. “It’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”

“I wasn’t talking about the food,” Finn growls, his hands sliding from my waist to my hips, fingers digging in possessively. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

Heat blooms in my belly, spreading lower as his lips travel down the column of my neck.

“Finn,” I admonish weakly. “I’ll never get dinner finished if you keep this up.”

His low chuckle vibrates against my skin. “Is that supposed to discourage me?”

I turn in his arms, intending to give him a quick kiss before shooing him away, but the heat in his green eyes stops me short. His gaze drops to my lips, and suddenly the rice, the fish, everything else seems utterly unimportant.

“One kiss,” I whisper, already rising on my tiptoes to meet his mouth. “Then I really need to finish cooking.”

His lips curl into a predatory smile. “One kiss is all I need to make you forget your own name.”

Then his mouth is on mine, hot and demanding.

His tongue traces the seam of my lips, and my mouth opens beneath him as my heart pounds faster.

I grab onto his broad shoulders, fingers digging into the hard muscle as he presses me back against the counter. The edge digs into my lower back, but I barely notice the discomfort as Finn’s tongue slides against mine, tasting, claiming.

His hands move restlessly over my body, one sliding up to cup my breast through my thin t-shirt while the other grips my ass, pulling me against the hard ridge of his erection. Even through our clothes, I can feel how badly he wants me, and it makes my pussy clench with answering need.

“Fuck, you taste good,” he growls against my lips, his fingers finding my nipple and pinching just hard enough to make me gasp. “Better than any dinner.”

I arch into his touch, my body responding to him with embarrassing eagerness. It’s always like this with my alphas—one touch, one kiss, and I’m melting, desperate for more. Finn’s mouth moves to my neck, teeth scraping gently over my pulse point as his hand slides under my shirt, seeking bare skin.

“The baby,” I manage to whisper, though my resistance is weakening with every stroke of his clever fingers.

“He’s completely engrossed in the game,” Finn replies, lifting his head just long enough to glance toward the living room. “And Kane went to take a shower.”

As if to prove his point, his hand slides down to cup me between my legs, pressing against the seam of my jeans right where I need him most. I bite my lip to stifle a moan, my hips rocking against his palm of their own accord.

“See how wet you are for me?” Finn murmurs, his voice rough with desire. “I can feel it through your jeans. Your pussy’s already dripping, isn’t it, little omega?”

His filthy words send another rush of slick seeping between my thighs. I reach for the button of his jeans, suddenly frantic to feel him, to taste him.

“I want to suck your cock,” I whisper against his lips, surprising myself with my boldness. “Right here, right now.”

A primal growl rumbles in his chest, his pupils dilating until the green of his eyes is just a thin ring around bottomless black.

“Fuck, Mia. You can’t say things like that unless you mean it.”

“I mean it,” I insist, already sinking to my knees on the kitchen floor.

“Jace! Keep the baby there,” Finn calls out in a rasp, and I can hear Jace chuckle. My fingers fumble with his button, then his zipper, eager to free his cock from the confines of his jeans. I can feel him straining against the denim, hot and hard beneath my palm.

The shrill ring of my phone shatters the moment. I freeze, my fingers still on Finn’s zipper, my mind momentarily unable to process the interruption.

“Ignore it,” Finn says, his voice strained as he threads his fingers through my hair, urging me to continue.

The phone rings again, insistent. The number isn’t one I recognize, but something makes me hesitate.

“It could be important,” I say reluctantly, rising to my feet despite Finn’s frustrated groan.

He steps back, adjusting himself in his jeans with a grimace. “Whoever it is has the worst timing in history.”

I grab the phone, swiping to answer just before it would go to voicemail. “Hello?”

“Mia?” The voice on the other end is achingly familiar, though strained in a way I’ve never heard before. “It’s Ben.”

My stomach drops, all thoughts of Finn and what we were about to do vanishing instantly.

“Ben? Are you okay?” I ask, wondering why my adoptive brother was calling.

“Not really,” he says, and I can hear the tremor in his voice despite his obvious effort to control it. “I thought you should know... Mom and Dad were arrested this morning.”

The kitchen seems to tilt around me, the floor shifting beneath my feet. I reach out to hold onto the counter, knowing exactly why. “Arrested?”

“Child abuse, fraud, kidnapping,” Ben lists, his voice cracking on the last word. “The adoption agency filed charges. They said... they said you were taken, Mia. That they took us illegally. Is that true?”

My heart hammers against my ribs so hard I’m sure Ben can hear it through the phone.

I’m the one who contacted the agency, who set this whole investigation in motion. But I never expected it to happen so quickly, and especially never thought Ben would care.

“Yes,” I whisper. “They kidnapped us. They never loved us, Ben.”

There’s a long silence on the other end of the line, broken only by the sound of Ben’s uneven breathing.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he finally asks, hurt evident in every syllable.

“I didn’t know how,” I admit, guilt washing over me in a nauseating wave. “Everything happened so fast. I was going to call you, I swear, but then Ash was born, and... I’m so sorry, Ben. I never wanted you to find out like this.”

Finn’s hand settles on my lower back, a silent show of support. I lean into his touch, grateful for the anchor as my world tilts once again on its axis.

“It’s okay,” Ben says after a moment, though we both know it isn’t. In reality, I thought my siblings hated me and never wanted to hear from me again.

“Are you... Are you all right?” I ask, desperately wishing I could see his face. “Where are you staying?”

“I’m at Jake’s house,” he says, referring to his best friend from high school. “His parents said I can stay as long as I need to. The police said they’re going to need me to make a statement about... about how they treated us.”

The implications of that hit me hard. Ben will have to testify against our parents, to detail the abuse he witnessed, maybe even experienced himself. More guilt twists in my gut—I’ve thrown him into this mess without warning, without preparing him.

“I’m so sorry,” I say again, the words woefully inadequate. “Do you need anything? Money, or a place to stay, or...?”

“I’m okay,” he interrupts, a hint of his usual stubbornness returning. “I’m eighteen, Mia, not nine. I can handle myself.”

Despite everything, a watery laugh escapes me. “I know. I worry about you.”

“Yeah, well, that’s nothing new.” There’s a pause, then his voice softens. “I miss you, you know. Even with everything that’s happening. I wish you were here.”

Tears spill down my cheeks, hot and unstoppable. “I miss you, too. I love you, Ben. You’re my brother, no matter what some DNA test says.”

“I love you too,” he replies, and I can hear the tears he’s trying to hold back. “I should go. I’ve got a lot of homework to do.”

“Call me anytime,” I insist. “Day or night. And if you change your mind about needing anything?—”

“I’ll let you know,” he promises. “Bye, Mia.”

“Bye,” I whisper, but he’s already gone, the line dead in my ear. I lower the phone slowly, staring at the screen as if he would call back. The timer for the fish beeps insistently, but I can’t seem to make myself move to silence it.

“Mia?” Finn’s voice breaks through my daze. “What happened?”

I turn to him, tears still streaming down my face.

“My adoptive parents were arrested,” I say, the words strange and distant on my tongue. “The adoption agency filed charges.”

Finn’s eyes widen with understanding. “That’s a good thing, Mia.”

I nod, guilt washing over me anew. “Ben’s all alone now. He has to testify against them, Finn. He has to relive all of it because of what I did. I don’t think my other siblings will say anything.”

Finn pulls me into his arms, his solid warmth enveloping me as the oven timer continues its shrill beeping.

“Don’t blame yourself, love,” he says firmly against my hair.

“I should have warned him,” I whisper against Finn’s shirt. “I should have prepared him somehow.”

“Maybe,” Finn concedes, his hand stroking soothingly down my back. “But what’s done is done. All you can do now is be there for him going forward.”

The oven timer finally falls silent, but the smell of slightly overcooked fish begins to permeate the kitchen. Finn reaches past me to turn off the stove under the rice, which has already started to stick to the bottom of the pot.

“I’ve ruined dinner,” I say weakly, wiping at my tears with the back of my hand.

Finn shakes his head, a small smile softening his usually stern features. “We can order pizza. Right now, you need to sit down before you fall.”

He guides me to a chair at the kitchen table, his hand never leaving my back.

As I sink into the seat, I look through the doorway to where Jace is still playing with Ash, both of them oblivious to the drama unfolding in the kitchen.