Page 105 of His Forsaken Alpha

“Wynter?”

Wynter’s lips opened and closed, but no words came.

“Papa?” the little omega clutching Wynter’s hand asked, looking between them with a small, tight frown.

Cav searched the child’s expression but saw nothing of Wynter there. Was that the face of the alpha who’d stolen everything from them looking back at him?

The air thinned, making it harder for Cav to breathe. He turned to pin Wynter with a glare.

What. The. Hell?

Wynter sputtered a few times before he spun and raced off, pulling the tiny, dark-haired child behind him.

Time slowed. Cav remained rooted to the spot for a few seconds, sure he was going insane again—until the adrenaline pulsing in his veins sobered him some. His feet moved before his brain caught up. Seconds later, he ran, tailing the long, silver-blond head bouncing ahead. When he clambered out of the bookstore and into the sun, he winced at the light abusing his eyes, but still he pushed on, unwilling to lose sight of the nightmare made flesh in front of him. A nearby passing car nearly plowed into him as he stumbled into the parking lot. He narrowly missed one disaster before walking in front of another car.

Horns blazed and people screamed—yet Cav barely noticed any of it. He pushed forward, following the platinum trail until he caught up with his omega.

His omega.

Alive.

How is he alive?

Cav stopped beside Wynter as the omega frantically urged the child into the back of a limo, ignoring his presence. Before his omega could escape, he snagged Wynter by the wrist and spun him, sure he was seeing things.

Sure a different face would appear.

Only it didn’t.

Wynter stared back, tears swimming in his eyes.

Pain slammed into Cav, bile rising as his head throbbed painfully.“Wynter?”He reached out, caressing the face that haunted his dreams.“You’re alive?”

He dragged his omega into his arms, the initial elation the only thing on his mind. Yet Wynter pushed him away.

Cav frowned, confused. Why was his omega pushing him away?

A tear slid from the corner of Wynter’s eye. “Youhaveto let me go, Cavanaugh.Please.”Wynter scanned the parking lot, his breath coming in gasps. “Just walk away and forget you saw me.”

Cav shook his head, wishing he’d not had so much to drink. “I just found you again.” His emotions were all over the place, pinging from one to the other within seconds. Confusion took over.“Let you go?I’m not letting you go. Not without some fucking answers.”

“I’m so sorry, sir,” Marlo’s voice rang out somewhere close. Cav didn’t take his gaze off the ghost in front of him to check. “He’s not been himself today.” Marlo wrapped an arm around Cav and glared up.“Let the nice omega go, Cav.”

Gregory arrived on Cav’s other side, urging him back. “Hey, Cav—let’s go inside before we make a bigger scene out here than you already have.”

Cav yanked out of their grip and stepped a few inches closer to Wynter, ignoring his entourage. He slid his body along Wynter’s, needing to be sure it was flesh and blood there. “Why did you let me think you were dead all these years?”

Wynter trembled against him.

“This isn’t Wynter,” Gregory murmured. “Wynter’sgone.Remember?”

“No,”Cav screamed, glancing at Gregory before turning back to Wynter. “Gregory, Marlo—meet WynterFuckingJaymes.” Cav released Wynter’s wrist, bile rising in his throat once more.“Care to explain? You know I love a good story. This one must bea doozy.”

“I’m sorry, Cav,” Wynter muttered, another tear sliding down his face.

Cav fought the urge to wipe those tears. Instinct roared within—the need to protect the very man who’d broken him.“Save the godsdamned tears!”Cavanaugh roared and regretted it when he saw Wynter flinch. Fuck his regret. He needed to understand what was happening and his mind was too pickled to think straight. “Why did you do this to me?To us?”

Wynter fought more tears, and it broke Cavanaugh to see it. He dragged his omega into his arms again. “You’re alive. Fuck… I’m so godsdamned mad at you right now, so why am I so fucking happy to see you?” Tears blurred his vision as he held his omega tight.

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