Page 75 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked as I reheated his food.

“Yeah, Mom,” he said. “I can handle it. Cole said it should only be a few more days.” He winced and massaged his upper jaw where the canines sat. “I really hope he’s right. This freaking sucks.”

Ash ate every pancake I made, and all ten leftover pieces of bacon. When he said he was still hungry, I quickly scrambled the last six eggs and threw some cheese on them for a quick omelet. He devoured it like a starving man eating his last meal.

“I can make you something else,” I said, opening the fridge. “Maybe a….” I stood back and frowned at the fridge. “Where’s all the food?”

I’d gone to the store the other day. We should have been set on groceries for days. I hurried over and opened the pantry to find it, too, was wiped out. Granola bars, Pop-Tarts, chips, nuts—everything was gone. I turned and looked at Ash, raising my eyebrow in question.

He didn’t hold my gaze, instead glancing down, visibly abashed.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Sorry for what? Did you throw the food out?”

He shook his head and glanced at me. “I’ve been snacking a lot the last few days. Midnight snacks, afternoon snacks, morning snacks—all the snacks.”

“Good God, Ashton! You ate all this food?”

If I’d done that, I would have put on twenty pounds. If anything, he looked skinnier than he had a week ago. Of course, that was probably from his weird growth spurt, but still.

“Sorry, Mom. I’ve been so hungry lately,” he said, looking miserable.

“You’re going to eat me out of house and home if this shift doesn’t happen soon,” I said, and walked over to ruffle his hair. “It’s fine. We’ll figure it out. Go get dressed.”

He put his dishes in the sink and headed down the hall to his room. My phone rang, and I glanced at the screen. Another unknown number. I didn’t recognize the area code, but it had to be Perry again. After speaking with Gaige, I’d hoped Perry had vanished for good. Gritting my teeth in irritation, I answered, if nothing more than to tell him to stop calling.

“Perry, I’m really tired of this. Stop calling, or I’m going to file a no-contact order.”

“Not sure who Perry is, but I like the sound of this guy. Did he show you a good time?”

The skin on the back of my neck crawled, and goosebumps exploded up and down my arms and legs. Kyle.

“How did you get my number?” I asked, lips numb with shock.

“I told you, I’m good at learning things. It’s always in my best interest to know exactly what I need to know in anygiven situation. Like you, Avery Carlise, graduate of Emory University. Full-ride academic scholarship, graduated with a degree in English and a minor in creative writing. Left Harbor Mills at the age of twenty-one, first settling in California, then moving to Iowa some three years ago. Works for three different magazines as a contributing columnist. Also, your most recent pap smear came back negative for abnormalities from Dr. Vessel at Women’s Care and Associates in Des Moines.”

I tried not to gag as he spouted off such intimate information—information he never should have been able to know. I felt violated.

“What the fuck do you want?” I hissed.

Ashton, fully dressed now, walked into the kitchen and froze when he saw my face. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Kyle chuckled. “Oh, is that the little bastard I hear?”

Ashton’s newly enhanced hearing allowed him to make out the voice even from across the room. His lips pulled back as he growled. The sound wasn’t as deep as his father’s yet, but it was damn close.

“Don’t you talk about him,” I said, my own voice coming out hoarse and angry.

“Your little wolf there sounds protective. Big, bad wolf growling at the bigger, badder man. That’s cute. You know, he’s about the same age Dallas was when I pulled him in off the street. Young minds are so impressionable at that age. Sad, really. Doesn’t help that the alphas of Harbor Mills make shitty fathers. Dallas’s father Lance, for one. Cole Garrett, for another. You need a stronger hand to train that little pup of yours. What do you say?I house-train your little mongrel, Avery, and in return, you show me what that pretty little mouth can do. Hmm?”

Ashton took two steps forward, eyes blazing with rage, but I held up a hand to stop him. It wasn’t like he could reach through the phone and strangle the pissy man who thought he could intimidate me with perverse words.

“What do you want, Kyle? Cole’s going to be pissed you called me. You’ve told us you want your money, and you’re going to get it. The debt will be paid, and everyone can go on with their lives. Why are you making our lives hell? What the fuck is your end game?”

Kyle gave a slow, humorless chuckle. “On second thought, I don’t want a nosy bitch like you sucking my dick.”

I snorted. “You’re one to fucking talk. You dug around to find out everything you could about me.”

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