Page 2

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me, Kiera," I managed to get the words out, but it was a near thing. Seeing her again after all these years had left me close to speechless.

I guess I'd forgotten she was beautiful. I guess I'd forgotten that my wolf was desperate to protect her, to keep her safe like any good Alpha should for his Omega.

Somehow...I'd forgotten that Kiera Langley was the only woman on the planet who ever affected me, and now I had to pretend that the only thing I was feeling at the moment was anger, not a frustrating blend of anger and lust.

Usually fair-skinned, Kiera was flushed with anger and fear, the color sitting high on her cheeks. Her dark chocolate hair was coiled on top of her head, but strands of it had worked their way free, framing her face and tempting neck. Her eyes, midnight black sometimes cut through with moonlight silver, were wide and frantic. Kiera had been pretty to me before, but the past seven years had hammered out any lingering timidness, leaving behind only the best parts of her.

It would have been harder if I wasn't honestly angry as fuck with her, even as her delicious scent overwhelmed my senses. She'd been in hiding for seven fucking years at this point, and it'd taken a monumental effort to be able to finally find her. When I'd been told she'd only been four hours away the entire time, I'd been ready to tear the nearest person to shreds. I'd been so pissed.

Kiera had used a different last name and stayed under the radar for years, and had she been any other random pack member, I'd have ignored her disappearance and gone on with my life. If a wolf didn't like how I led the pack, so be it. But Kiera wasn't any other wolf.

Despite being from shifter parents, Kiera appeared to have been human without magic. So when I smelled her heat on her and discovered that she was an Omega, it was a shock. Omegas were rare, and they often went undiscovered until their first heat manifested.

Like most of the other pack members, I'd written her off as worthless and boring, but everything had changed that day. She wasn't worthless anymore; she was an Omega, and she belonged to me.

I was a new Alpha at the time, and her surprise and appreciation at my attention had broken me down. I'd been soft with Kiera, taken her to bed, and mated her like she wasn't the lowest member in the pack hierarchy. I'd shown her affection, and she'd returned it tenfold. It made me feel powerful and possessive, like I couldn't get enough of the little Omega.

I’d knotted her, multiple times, throughout that night.

But once her heat had passed, my rational side returned, and I realized that mating Kiera had been a huge mistake.

Omegas were supposed to be weak, and humans were supposed to be weaker than Omegas. Kiera had been an unfortunate combination of both—or so I thought. I needed a powerful, dominant mate, not a submissive little human.

I'd spent the next two days avoiding her and trying to put her out of my mind. My wolf hadn't wanted her to leave, but it had been easy to push his voice to the back of my mind and ignore his howls. Kiera tried to be close to me for a little while afterward, but I was dismissive, and when she didn't get the picture, I was cruel. Eventually, she caught on and left me alone, and I tried to put the Omega out of my mind.

That would have been the end of our association, had she not given birth to a son nine months later. She'd hidden herself away for all that time, unwilling to let others see her condition, and by the time she had the baby, I'd almost been able to forget her.

Almost.

I'd been furious. Whether I interacted with Kiera or not, she was a member of my pack, and therefore, she belonged to me. That also meant her son, our son, was mine. Knowing that she'd hidden her pregnancy from me made me see red. I meant to confront her, to force her and the child to live in my home where I could see my boy raised the way I wanted him to be, but when I went to retrieve her, she was gone.

Kiera gave birth and was so desperate to get away from me and the Saltfang pack that she fled the city the very next day. Had I been a better man, I might have felt guilty that she had been driven to such a decision, but I wasn't. I'm still not a better man; I'm an Alpha, and the sting of knowing she thought she could escape me has never faded.

I'd searched for her for seven long years, and now I'd found her. She stood before me, staring me down with fire in her eyes and a set to her jaw that told me she wasn't going to go quietly. I was prepared for a lot of changes with Kiera Langley, but I never expected bravery to be one of them. Not from the timid woman I had known before.

And she had a right to be afraid. I wasn't the same man she'd left, the one who'd been too wrapped up in his own self-interest to keep her close like I should have. My wolf was snarling inside me, urging me to pull her close and claim her, but I'd learned a lot over the past few years, and I knew that wouldn't be welcome.

She wasn't going to have a choice about coming back with me, but it'd be better if she came willingly. Or semi-willingly, at least.

"I'm going to ask you again—where is my son?

She flinched slightly, as if my voice was a blade, and her face paled, making her dark eyes even darker. They were wide, too, and fixed on me as if she was afraid to look away.

Good. At least the Omega understood who was in charge here.

"I'm alone," she was afraid, but she was stubborn, too. She stared me down, her face flushed and her shoulders tense. "Why don't you get the hell out of my house?"

"Is that any way to talk to your Alpha?" I demanded. She wasn't my mate, but she was still mine, and if I wanted her respect, I'd take it. "Where is the child, Kiera?"

"I said he's not here," she snapped, taking a step towards me. Her small fists were clenched, and the flush had spread across her chest, creeping up her neck. I wanted to put my lips on her collarbone and taste that heat.

Kiera swallowed and softened her stance, lowering her voice, "He's having a sleepover with a friend. A human friend. So don't think you're going to roll up and pull all this Alpha nonsense on them."

She was lying, and that infuriated me. But I could also see how hard she was working to play it cool, hoping to put me off the scent of my own son. It would have fooled a less experienced Alpha, but I'd had years to mull over the too-few memories I had of Kiera, and I could see the subtle ways she was moving herself between me and the hallway, clenching her fists and rising onto her toes. She was ready to fight for the kid, I realized, and a sick sense of pride flooded my chest.

The pride didn't stick around long, though, burned away by how pissed off she was making me. So what if I had denied her after the night we spent together? That was my decision, and it was completely unacceptable that she fled after that, taking my son from me. Kiera and her child were part of my birthright as an Alpha, and the disrespect of her fleeing had been humiliating.

I nearly lost hope after looking for her year after year, but when I finally found her again, I thought it would be a cause for celebration. I should have known that Kiera would have changed after all that time, but this much of a change was unbelievable.

Where was the sweet, soft woman who was nearly in tears from happiness to receive even a small measure of my attention? Where was the Kiera who had clearly expected me to take her as my mate?

The woman in front of me, ready for battle, lying through her teeth, seemed like a stranger.

I could give her a fight if she wanted one, but the idea of my son's first impression of me being pissed off at his mother wasn't something I wanted.

"Okay, you win," I said, taking a step back. "I won't go near your friend's house."

Kiera looked suspicious, but she nodded once and crossed her arms, her full lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't believe me, and that was fair. I didn't trust myself right now, either.

"So you just came here to say hello?" she asked, and I could tell she was trying to make her voice sound light and casual. It was the tone of someone trying desperately to hide their fear.

And she had every right to be scared. I had a temper, and my wolf wasn't known for being particularly gentle. If she gave me even half a reason to unleash it on her...well, it wouldn't be pretty.

I had never hurt Kiera before, and I wasn't about to start now, but that didn't mean I was above scaring her to get what I wanted, and I wanted my son. I wanted to know how Kiera could possibly think that she had any right to keep him from me after seven years of silence.

"I was just checking up on you," I lied, "and it seems like you're doing well."

She nodded once, a jerky, uncertain movement, and took a step forward. I saw her nostrils flare as she tried to scent me, but I knew she wouldn't find anything. There was no trace of Kit's scent on me, and I had taken special care not to carry any of the Saltfang smells in me either. If Kiera couldn't smell me, she couldn't track me.

"I'm fine," she said, "now, if you don't mind, I have a few errands to run." She moved past me and opened the front door, gesturing for me to leave. "I appreciate you coming to check on me, but I don't need your help."

I stared at her in disbelief for a moment before giving her my best, most wolfish smile. "Of course not. You're doing so well all by yourself." I let my gaze linger on the house, and Kiera went still. We both know it wasn't her home. It was just a place for her to hide. "Don't worry, though. Your secret is safe with me,” Kiera opened to protest, but I held up a hand to stop her. "I'm not here to fight you.”

It looked like she was going to fight me anyway, and I could see the refusal building up in her throat. But instead, she sighed, and the tension drained out of her body. "Please just go, then."

I was almost disappointed that she was going to let me go that easily, but I didn't want to push my luck. She looked like she was ready to explode, and I didn't feel like being caught in the crossfire.

So I gave her a mock salute, turned, and left.

I didn't miss the look of relief on her face when she shut the door behind me.

The thing I wanted to do the most right then was turn back around and demand to know why she'd left. I wanted to take her to my home and make her live there with me, where I could keep an eye on her.

She'd lied to my face, and that had pissed me off, but I could see the fear in her eyes, and I knew that she was expecting me to take what I wanted. That's how it usually went with an Alpha and his Omega. And even though she'd left the Saltfang pack without permission, she was still mine.

But I wasn't about to force her. She was going to be my mate, and that meant I respected her. Even if she didn't realize that yet. If she needed time, I could give her that. If she needed to feel like she had a choice in the matter, then that's what I'd give her. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I'd do it.

Because at the end of the day, I would always get what I wanted.

***

It was just past nine when I left Kiera alone, but I found myself unable to really leave the area. Something about Kiera and how badly she wanted to get me out of her house raised alarm bells in my head. I knew she was lying about our son being in the house, but there was something else going on, too. I was sure of it.

So, instead of leaving and trying my luck with her again tomorrow, I went to hide in the treeline behind Kiera's small home. The house was dark and quiet, with only a single light on in the kitchen. I watched the house for nearly half an hour before I realized that I had no idea what I was waiting for. What was I going to do, hide in the trees all night and try to catch her in a lie?

I needed a plan. My wolf wasn't happy with how I'd left things with Kiera, but we couldn't exactly march back up to her front door and demand she tell me where our son was. She hadn't been shy about her anger at me, and I knew that if I pushed too hard, she'd bolt again, this time for good.

And then I would never see Kit.

I sighed and let my head fall back against the tree trunk. There was no way I could stay in the forest all night. While the day had been warm, it was cold out after sunset, and I could feel the temperature dropping as the minutes ticked by. It was April and I was wearing a light jacket, so it wasn't like I was going to freeze, but I also wasn't thrilled by the prospect of shivering like an idiot watching a dark house for hours on end.

Just as I convinced myself that getting a hotel room for the night was better, a light flicked on inside. Then another. I tensed, leaning forward, barely breathing as I kept as still as possible, watching.

Before I could move closer to try and see through the windows, all the lights went out again. Slowly, and as silently as she possibly could, Kiera opened the front door. She'd changed into a black pullover and leggings, an overstuffed backpack on her back and a huge, blanket-covered bundle in her arms. She adjusted the bundle enough to get out of the door, quietly shutting it once more with her foot before moving towards the single car in the driveway.

My mind raced with what she could possibly be doing, but the only explanation that made any sense was that she was sneaking away in the night to hide my son from me.

I should have just stayed put or tried to go around and wait by her car. There was no need to try and approach her, but the wolf was insisting on it, so I got to my feet, wincing as the leaves crunched under my shoes. In the dead silence of the night, it may as well have been an explosion.

Kiera stopped in her tracks, her entire body going tense. She turned slowly and locked her eyes onto me. Her dark hair was up in a ponytail, and her eyes were bright with anger. The bundle in her arms wiggled a little bit, and I was able to truly smell my son for the first time in seven years.

It wasn't the greatest way to make his acquaintance, but at least he hadn't woken up.

I had only portions of a second to decide what to do, but all the clues were right in front of the dark clothes, the full backpack, and the attempts at silence—Kiera was trying to flee with my son.

Again.

Anger welled in me from the never-emptying spring of it in my chest, and without a second thought, I ran. Kiera did the same, springing into motion like a gazelle, but I was taller and unencumbered, so I reached the driver's side door first. She let out a quiet cry of frustration and tried to yank me away from the car, overbalanced by holding our son. It was so ineffectual I laughed, which made her even angrier. She wasn't going anywhere.

I'd won.

"Liar," I told her, more amused than accusatory now that I'd gotten the upper hand. "Now that I know I can't trust you, I'm not giving you any choice, Kiera. Get in the fucking car, or I'll take that pup from your arms and leave you behind while I take him back to Saltfang territory, where he belongs."

For the first time since I'd seen her again, Kiera's expression shifted from anger to true, bone-chilling fear. Her mouth dropped open, and she tightened her hold on our son, her eyes flicking between me and the bundle in her arms. I didn't think she was going to listen, and for a second, I thought about going through with it. But when I moved to pull him into my own arms, Kiera started backing away, a low growl emanating from her chest.

It wasn't the warning sound of a shifter, but the universal sound of a mother protecting her young. It was almost mind-boggling how much she'd changed.

"Get in the passenger seat," I told her once more, "Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"I can't," she whispered. Her eyes were huge in her face, and her voice trembled, "You have no right to him, and I will not allow you to take him."

Her words enraged me. No right to my son? Did she seriously think that a child belonged to a single parent? It had never occurred to her that Kit's fate was interwoven with mine? She was my Omega, and this was our son. I didn't care how angry she was at me. It didn't matter that we had parted under the worst terms possible. We were bonded by the pack, and we'd made a child together.

I'd tried to give her a choice, and she'd chosen badly. Now she had to live with the consequences.

"Get. In. The. Fucking. Car."

She took another step back. Kit let out a quiet snort and rolled over in her arms. She looked down at him, her mouth pressed into a thin line of resolve. "Fine."

She moved past me, holding Kit so tight I worried he couldn't breathe, and went to the other side of the car, opening the back passenger side door. As carefully as possible, she got Kit into the back seat, still wrapped up and snoozing. When she shut the door again, she wouldn't meet my eyes, her face flushed in the pale moonlight.

I walked past her without a word and got into the car, waiting to start the engine until she got into her seat as well. I waited in tense silence as she pulled on her seatbelt, the car so quiet I could hear the way she was chewing on her lower lip.

Well, if she was pissed now, I was about to make it ten times worse.

I found the silver cuffs in my pocket, holding them tightly so they didn't rattle as I took Kiera's hand with my free one. She tried to pull away, but I didn't let her, bringing her hand to my face as if I wanted to scent her, and to my surprise, she gave up the fight. Her eyes were confused as she watched me, and it was her confusion that gave me enough time to strike.

I had the cuff around her wrist so swiftly that she didn't even have time to register what was happening, lunging forward to secure the other cuff to the passenger door handle. She was lucky I'd managed to grab her left hand, or it would have been an uncomfortable four-hour drive back to Saltfang territory.

Her mouth fell open, and she pulled on her wrist, but I knew she wouldn't be able to escape. My Omega was speechless, her expression shifting from panic to rage over and over again.

"You're lucky I don't put one around your neck," I said with a growl. I looked back at the boy in the back seat. He hadn't stirred the whole time, and it made me wonder just how heavy of a sleeper he was. Better for him to be out of it while I make Kiera realize just what she was in for, anyway.

I couldn't help myself, reaching back and pulling the blanket to finally see my son's face. He was indeed still sleeping, but the sight of him was like a punch to the gut. I'd seen that face before, reflected back in me in the mirror when I was so much younger, and in the photographs of me as a child. He looked so damn much like me, with shades of Kiera in the shape of his eyes and the set of his mouth.

My son. I was taking him home at last.

I could almost feel the fear rolling off Kiera as I looked at Kit, and she didn't relax until I let the blanket drop and settled back into the driver's seat. "Get comfortable," I tell her, shifting the unfamiliar car into gear. "We've got a long drive, Omega."