Page 6 of My Ruthless Alpha (Alpha Outlaws Club #5)

I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to fully wrap my head around the turn of events, but either way, I wasn’t going to complain about the way fate seemed to bring us together again.

Without a doubt, Faye likely didn’t see it that way, but after the grave mistake I had made before, it almost seemed like a miracle, and I didn’t mind admitting that.

By some strange stroke of luck, she ended up finding me of all people, and in her time of need, I wasn’t going to deny her, regardless of how reluctantly she accepted my help.

Even if everything seemed to be working in my favor, I spent most of the night feeling guilty and torn about it all.

Despite having hoped for a chance like that to come around again, I couldn’t escape the fact that I rejected her and fled the pack. I did it all, and there was nothing I could do to take it back. There was nothing I could do to reverse the damage I caused and get Faye to forgive me just like that.

Between then and the present, I did a lot of growing. Perhaps even the most I ever had at any time in my life. I wasn’t the same man who somehow managed to push a budding mate bond aside to figure myself out and better understand what was happening to me. If put in that position all over again, I would never hurt her that way. But to Faye, none of that probably mattered.

The damage and pain were already caused, and she deservedly didn’t trust me. Allowing me to take her in was a major leap of faith on her behalf, and I understood why she was wary of me.

Still, knowing who I had become and being unable to prove I was different made everything feel so strange.

Somehow, she was back in my life, yet the two of us changed in our own ways, and in some sense, we were like completely new people. While parts of the Faye I once knew were certainly still there, it felt like I was meeting her for the first time.

Regardless of us starting from square one again, I could still feel that unrelenting attraction to her, and even if I tried to pretend otherwise, I was interested in her just like I had been before.

The pain of breaking our connection and choosing to discover myself instead had been nearly unbearable. It took a while for me to get past it, and even if time had eased some of the ache, there always still seemed to be a part of me missing, and I didn’t think I’d ever get it back.

But finding Faye made it feel possible. Like she was the piece that would make it all better again.

Even if I thought I was over her thanks to time and keeping busy, in truth, I didn’t think that attraction or interest ever truly left me.

She made her mark on me in more ways than one, and Faye was always bound to be impossible for me to forget.

Standing over the stove while I watched bacon cook in the big pan, I couldn’t get my mind away from Faye or her little girl. The latter made me curious. While I didn’t get the clearest look at her the night before, given how she had been draped over Faye’s shoulder, I couldn’t ignore the strange feeling that moved through me just from being near her.

I had never felt that sense of familiarity with a stranger before, and definitely not toward a small child. It was like I knew her, or at least had met her before.

The closest experience I had to something like that was when I started getting feelings for Faye—when our connection fell into place. It was almost like I had known her for my whole life and even lifetimes before that.

It was an unspoken knowing that didn’t quite make sense, which raised some questions in my mind.

As I moved the bacon around while it cooked, I found myself doing the math…but that couldn’t be right.

I would know if that was the case.

Surely, I wasn’t the only person Faye had been with…I couldn’t make assumptions like that, despite Faye not mentioning a mate or the child’s father.

Shaking it out of my head, I continued with breakfast, eventually pulling the bacon out and getting started on the rest.

After a few minutes, the loud pitter-patter of bare feet against the hardwood floor caught my attention, and glancing over my shoulder, I saw Margo running into the room with a mischievous grin.

Dressed in different clothes from the night before, she came rushing over. Her hair was half-up in one pigtail, seemingly not done yet. Then, she stopped nearby and looked up at me.

Meeting her gaze and matching her curiosity, I couldn't help but examine her closer this time.

There was something uncanny about her features. She looked like Miles when he was a kid, and the thought alone put more questions in my head.

While her face certainly resembled Faye’s, Margo had dark hair and eyes like me, and while I still didn’t want to come to any conclusions, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story than Faye simply moving on with someone else.

Looking a bit shy then, Margo leaned against the closest counter and fiddled with her hair while she gave me a sheepish smile. “Who are you?”

Something was amusing about the way she looked at me, both curious and timid at the same time. I attributed that to me being a complete stranger to her. “I’m Beau…and I heard your name’s Margo, right?”

She nodded, and her smile grew by a fraction. “Is this your house?”

“It is. Do you like it?”

“Yes…it’s big,” Margo said through her quiet giggles, as if aware she had snuck away from her mother. “And it smells like breakfast.”

Chuckling, I lifted a brow in her direction. “Are you hungry?”

When she nodded again, I grinned, broke off a piece of bacon, and handed it to her. “Good, because breakfast is almost ready.”

Margo brightened at the mention of it and the piece I offered her, and she took a small, content bite.

I didn’t know what it was, but seeing Margo’s pleased and warm expression stirred a sense of satisfaction in me, almost like I just wanted to do right by her. Even if I didn’t know her, I tried to protect her just as much as I wanted to do the same for her mother.

Whether it was intentional or not, I felt strangely touched by the fact that she sought me out.

Faye, looking exasperated as she glanced around, let go of a relieved breath once she found the little girl standing nearby. “Thank the Goddess…you wriggly worm…not letting me finish your hair.”

Knowing she was caught, Margo giggled as Faye swooped in and scooped her up, making the little girl laugh harder.

Sighing, Faye glanced over at me, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I could’ve sworn I felt her eyes do a full sweep of me while I got started on the eggs. She cleared her throat and wrangled Margo as best as she could. “Sorry about her energy…she’s a bit wild in the morning.”

Chuckling to myself, I shook my head and moved the scrambled eggs around in the pan. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind.”

We locked eyes then, and something about the faint smile on her lips made my heart squeeze like it always used to.

I didn’t know how she managed to have that power over me after all this time, but it was undeniable. She was always so effortlessly beautiful to me, but watching her with Margo exacerbated its effect on me.

In a way, it made me feel more guilty, knowing how badly she wanted to have a family of her own one day and how we both agreed upon it in the future. I probably ruined that perfect family image she had in her head all because I needed to understand myself and where I stood in the pack ranks.

I wasn’t sure if she’d ever forgive me for that, but I could only hope I might get the chance to make it better…to prove to her that I used the time wisely and I did grow to be a better man.

After a moment of staring, getting lost in that faint crackle of unspoken tension, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. “This will be ready soon…I made more than enough.”

Faye looked vaguely surprised by the offer but smiled and carried Margo to the dining table. “That’s really nice…thank you.”

With a nod, I continued with the food, determined to make sure they were both cared for, regardless of her intentions to leave as soon as possible.

The thought of her going after just getting her back in my life made my chest ache, but I couldn’t say anything about it just yet.

While I finished preparing the food, Faye sat the young girl down. With an elastic around her wrist, she carefully put up the other side of her hair until both halves were in uniform pigtails.

I glanced over from time to time, taking in how she interacted with the girl. It was easy to see how much she loved Margo and how easily the little girl brightened up her world—it seemed to go both ways.

Something about it sparked that strange sensation in my heart again, and I did my best not to think too deeply about it.

“All right…” I said, putting appropriate portions on two plates before bringing them over to the table. “For you two.”

Faye smiled as they both accepted the warm meal, murmuring her thanks again. Then, she looked at Margo and lifted a brow at her. “What do you say?”

Margo put on a sheepish smile as she already started to dig in. “Thank you...”

“That’s better.”

Chuckling, I walked to the kitchen to grab my plate. “You’re very welcome.”

While the two of them started eating, and I went to dish my food out, I found myself appreciating the almost domestic quiet that seemed to surround our morning.

I was used to having chaotic and sometimes dramatic breakfasts with my brothers, but it wasn’t quite the same as experiencing them with Faye and Margo. In some strange way, it felt right, like fitting into a different kind of family setting suited me.

It was nice, and something in me didn’t want it to be a one-time thing.

More steps entering the kitchen pulled me from my quiet reverie, breaking those almost dangerous thoughts and snapping me back to reality.

“Man, that smells good—”

Miles’ voice immediately reminded me he was even there. I was so caught up in hosting Faye and Margo that I somehow forgot all about him…and how odd that scene probably looked.

Glancing over, I found him standing there, brows lifted with confusion as he glanced between the two visitors sitting at the table. They furrowed as recognition entered his features.

“Wait…Faye?”

With a somewhat abashed expression to match my own, Faye nodded. “Miles…it’s been a while.”

He blinked back at her, to Margo, then to me while he took a few more steps into the room, obviously not understanding what was happening or why they were suddenly at the house. “You don’t say…and who’s this?”

Turning a bit shy again, Margo leaned against her mother’s side while keeping her big eyes on my brother.

“That’s Faye’s daughter, Margo,” I responded, grabbing another plate before filling it with the last of the food and handing it to Miles. “Faye was having some trouble back home…so the two of them stayed here for the night, and now, we’re all having breakfast.”

Despite the awkward silence that filled the room, punctuated by Margo’s fork clinking against her plate, I did my best to navigate the situation with as small of a scene as possible. I could feel a sense of embarrassment coming from Faye despite how she tried to hide it, and I forced myself not to feel the same thing.

I had the feeling Miles might take it the wrong way and make assumptions based on our history together, and the slight smirk on his face wasted no time proving me right.

“I see…how nice of you,” he chimed, eyes on me all the while he looked smug.

“You’re welcome to join us,” I said, giving him a look that said watch it before letting go of the plate.

Miles bit his tongue and didn’t say everything that was surely on his mind, and he moved over to the table instead. “Sure thing. It seems we have some catching up to do.”

Letting go of a discreet breath, I grabbed my portion and joined them, hating the fact that he was right.