Page 62 of His Forsaken Alpha

Yet mildly thrilling too—which was insane.

A baby boy with blond hair and gorgeous green eyes? He smiled to himself, sure the idea sounded better because of the supposed heat he was having. Instinct, the genetic, innate desire to breed new life—that’s all it was. Right?

Wynter turned back to Cavanaugh, his body already growing needy again. “I can’t do this, Cav. Not again. We can’t tempt fate.”

Cavanaugh frowned. “You’renotgoing back to him.”

His alpha’s knot lessened at the perfect time. Wynter crawled away, putting space between them. “Stop… I beg you. This was a mistake.”

“No,” Cavanaugh murmured, frowning. He reached for Wynter. “Don’t say that.”

Wynter evaded his hands. “No!”

Cavanaugh frowned.

Terror pumped like ice in Wynter’s veins. What would Warden do if Wynter returned home pregnant with another alpha’s child in his belly?

He wasn’t a good papa to the child he already had. He couldn’t bring another into the world when he didn’t have the strength and mental health to raise one. “My family would never allow it. Even if I did go back with you, they’d come after me. I know it. They’d never allow me to be happy.”

“They’d never allow you to be happy?”Cavanaugh asked, frowning.

“Just as much as I know I belong to you, I know they will never allow me to leave. They will hunt me down and drag me back there.”

“Then we run as far as humanly possible. We can travel the world together, like I said.”

“I have a child, Cavanaugh. I can’t just leave the continent.”

“Shit,”Cavanaugh said, closing his eyes. He scrubbed his face and sat up. “So, we take him with us, and I raise him.”

Wynter scoffed. “Yeah, that won’t happen. I doubt they’d letmego. They sure as hell won’t let Jamie go.”

Cavanaugh eyed him. The disappointment rocked him, soul deep, because he felt it, too. He wanted to run away from all his problems. It sounded so easy, but he couldn’t abandon Jamie like that. Wynter didn’t want Jamie growing up thinking he was unloved.

“What does this mean for us, Wynter?”

“It means… you have me until Blacksburg. However, many hours we have left between here and there.”

“That’s not enough. Nowhere near enough.” Cavanaugh shook his head.

Tears burned Wynter’s eyes. “Don’t you think I know that?” Tears spilled over his cheeks. “I knew this was a mistake when I asked you to show me what I was missing. I’m so sorry.”

Cavanaugh leaned forward and dragged Wynter back. He curled Wynter onto his lap, wrapping him tight as the tears came.

“Just give me time to think this over, okay? I’ll find a way for us to be together,” Cavanaugh said. “We belong together. There’s no way we can walk away from this.”

“Friction against stone hones the blade and makes it sharper,” Wynter mumbled, stiffening against Cavanaugh.

“What?”

“Something my papa used to tell me. Pain is an omega’s life. He said it made us stronger.” Wynter brushed his tears away.

“Pain shouldn’t be the only thing in an omega’s life.”

“It’s all I’ve ever known,” Wynter whispered.

“You need a strong alpha to help shoulder your burdens—not create them,” Cavanaugh whispered, seeking his mouth.

Wynter mewled against his alpha’s kiss. He told himself to turn away and be that strong omega he was supposed to be, but just as his papa had always said—he was weak. He slid back under Cavanaugh and ignored what lay at the end of the train’s tracks.

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