Page 25 of The Alpha King's Mate

“Not really.” I was going to bark back at him with the hopes of getting information that could help me get out of here and home. “How did you get his scent there like that?”

“It was all over my mate’s remains.” His voice cracked. “Can’t believe he’d let his pregnant omega out like this.”

“I’m not pregnant.”

“Don’t lie to me. I can scent it on you. You reek of it.”

“Wait. I’m pregnant?” Instinctively, I put my hand on my belly. Could he be right? How had I not known?

It didn’t matter, not really because he was using it as a distraction and getting us out of here required me not being distracted.

And just then, I realized that I did think I was pregnant. I hadn’t thought of gettingmeout, my de facto went directly tous. I was pregnant with King’s baby. What should be one of the happiest moments of my life was blanketed in horror and distress.

As much as I loved the idea of having a family with my mate, the timing was making this situation exponentially more difficult. I needed to keep the baby protected, while at the same time dealing with this other omega—and that was going to make things infinitely more complicated as well. But I could do this.I’d gotten out of worse before, and I’d never had as much to fight for as I did in this moment.

“I don’t know who you are, but my mate, he’s not a bad guy.”

“Mine was.” His words shocked me. He plopped into a chair. “He stole me from my pack. Didn’t even ask. Just grabbed me. And then he marked me. Refused to let me mark him back. It was his way to control me, and the fucker still is controlling me from his grave.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, not looking at me. I wasn’t sure if he was holding back tears or not wanting me to see his vulnerability. In either case, I decided the best decision was to wait for him to continue.

“If we’d completed the bond, his death would’ve made me sad—sadder than it should have—but I’d be able to get past it. But he never would allow it, and now I’m trapped in this fucking limbo. It’s all your mate’s fault.”

None of that sounded like my mate’s fault.

“Why did King kill your mate?” I asked. I wasn’t going to question whether he did or not—the scent didn’t lie, and, well, frankly, my mate did kill people for his job.

The omega told me a long story about his mate trying to take over an established auction—of omegas not fine antiques—and how he pissed off the wrong alphas.

“He deserved to die, don’t get me wrong, but not until we fully mated. Because now, now I’ll never be whole. I’ll never be able to mate again. I’m stuck. Don’t you understand? I’m stuck. and now I’m not only stuck because of the bond—now I have the chip.”

I didn’t understand what he was talking about, but his hurt was visceral. I hated how much I didn’t hate this guy, how much I wanted to help him—to fix him. But that empathy had to come second. First, I needed to get out and keep our baby safe.

There was noise outside, and I talked to the omega, trying to distract him. Maybe it worked, or maybe he had talked his way through this and had given up, but when the guys barged in to rescue me, he didn’t fight them. He didn’t even try.

Chapter Twenty

King

I reached for my omega, but instead of in my embrace, he was crouched in front of the fucker who took him and was shielding him. Shielding him!

“Omega?” I heaved breaths, reaching for calm.

“King, you can’t kill him. You want to. I know that. He did wrong. There’s no question about it.”

“Then, why?” I tried to speak gently. I reached out to the side, stopping Aziz’s hyena from making a meal from the man in the corner.

“He’s a victim, too. He’s an omega. His alpha forced a bond. It wasn’t his choice. It’s not his fault.”

“How could it not be his fault?” I questioned my mate. “It’s a simple choice. Don’t kidnap people. There. Simple as fuck.”

“Do you remember how crazed we both were before our bond was formed? It’s like that for him, but ten times worse.”

“Where is your alpha?” I asked the man, in direct opposition to what my lion wanted to do.

“He’s dead. He…he controlled me. When he died, they took me, made me work for them. I didn’t have a choice.”

“Who?” I barked.

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