Page 36 of Their Alpha

Goode relaxed, then stood and came around his desk. I stood to greet him, taking his hand as he shook mine.

“I’m pleased with your answer,” he said, walking me towards the door. “And I’m looking forward to a bright and fruitful future.”

“So am I,” I said, smiling.

I wanted to run. It was agony to walk casually back through the office to reception, then to wait for the elevator with the receptionist grinning at me. As I stepped into the elevator, she wiggled her fingers goodbye at me.

I waved back, but as soon as the elevator doors closed, I lost my smile completely.

I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed Fletcher. I could warn them Goode was coming and give them a head start. Fletcher’s phone just rang and rang, though, without any answer.

By the time the elevator doors slid open on the ground floor, I was coming close to complete panic. I needed to get to them. I needed to save my omegas from unspeakable horrors.

Clutching the book of fairy tales tightly in one arm, I all but ran down the city street, dodging pedestrians, to get back to my building. It seemed to take too long, but I had the feeling everything would take too long at this point.

Once I reached my building, I headed straight to the parking garage, not stopping to go upstairs and change out of my suit. There wasn’t time. I tossed the fairy tale book on the passenger seat, noticing with relief that I hadn’t taken my overnight bag with a few changes of clothes out of the back seat yet, then turned the car on and backed out of my space with dangerous speed.

My drive back out to the farm took longer than driving into the city had. It was too close to rush hour, which meant more traffic on the city streets and a bit more on the highway leading west. I growled at the cars around me in frustration and banged on my steering wheel a few times when I hit red lights. At least Goode would run into the same sort of traffic. It sounded like he was making a stop before he headed out to the farm, so I might have gotten enough of a jump on him.

I tried calling Fletcher a few more times, but I still didn’t get an answer.

“What are you guys doing?” I hissed in frustration after my fifth attempt to call.

They were probably asleep. Both of them had just gotten through heat, and they were probably exhausted. That would just make them vulnerable when Goode caught up with them, though.

Deeper worries lashed me once I finally reached the highway and could speed out to the countryside. The things I’d overheard Goode say definitely indicated he would kill Fletcher when he found him. I didn’t want to imagine the ways he would torture Gideon if he got his hands on him.

It wouldn’t happen. I wouldn’t let it happen. Fletcher and Gideon were mine now, and I would defend them with my life.

The faintest tickle of strangeness at the way I was so ready to claim both omegas as mine sounded in the back of my brain, but I ignored it. I’d reached the long drive at the farm, and I didn’t have time to worry about my feelings.

The house looked empty when I got there. Dusk had started to fall, and I was certain I should see lights of some sort on in the house. A single light over the front door wason, but it could have been on a timer. The expensive car parked out front was still there.

I parked and jumped out of the car, running to the kitchen door, where I’d entered before, and knocking loudly.

“Fletcher? Gideon?” I called through the window.

I pounded again, but was answered by silence. Panic pushed me away from the door. I dashed around the house, peeking in at as many of the windows as I could reach. The house seemed abandoned, but that didn’t mean Fletcher and Gideon weren’t upstairs.

I was on the verge of finding something to break a window when sense hit me. The bond. I could reach Fletcher through the bond.

I forced myself to take a few steps back from the house and breathe. It was probably unnecessary, but I closed my eyes and forced myself to concentrate.

Fletcher still felt so far away. The bond was stretched and faint, but it was definitely there. I slowly turned in a circle, feeling for Fletcher with everything I had. When I felt like I was facing him, I opened my eyes.

I wasn’t facing the house. I was certain Fletcher and Gideon weren’t there now. If I wasn’t mistaken, I was facing northeast.

I dashed back to my car, slammed the door, and started the engine. I didn’t know where I was going, but if I followed the sense of Fletcher I could feel through our bond, I might just find them. That meant I had to head northeast.

I drove up the driveway as fast as I could, then turned onto the road in as close to a northeasterly direction as I could manage. A black SUV was coming from the otherdirection, but I had plenty of time to make my turn before it reached me.

It was pure chance that I looked in the rearview mirror as I put my foot on the gas and sped on. The black SUV turned onto the farm’s driveway. Watching that felt like a rock dropping into my stomach. It was Goode. He’d found them. That was the only explanation.

Goode was too late. Fletcher had taken Gideon and run. That didn’t mean they were safe yet, but they would be. When I caught up to them, I would keep them safe and stop anyone from hurting them.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Gideon

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