Page 90 of His Gentle Omega
“Why are you here?” Please let Lucas find my phone and call Shay. Or Asher and Gabe. I didn’t know if they were even home, but they were the closest help. Even if Lucas called 9-1-1, help would at least be on the way.
“Me?” Edward pointed to his chest, his voice innocent. “I came to get what’s mine. My alpha and my–our–son. Though I have to say,” he tapped his finger against his lip, “I honestly didn’t think the kid was Shay’s. But what do you know? Shay actually was a sneaky fuck and managed to get a paternity test done, and that welp really is his.
“Honestly, I had so many lovers then, it was hard to keep track of who might be the real baby daddy.” He shrugged, moving in closer and whispered, “I guess tying Shay to that bed and fucking his brains out for days and days, actually did the trick. Not that I gave him any choice in the matter. He did protest a couple of times, but I needed to produce an heir or Daddy said he was going to cut me off. He meant it that time, too. And I mean, what alpha isn’t down to get fucked even when they say no, am I right?” he sighed, and my eyes were wide with all the implications behind the statements he had just made.
Unable to help myself, I whispered, “Oh, Shay.”
“Kinda fucked Shay up though, in here,” Edward tapped the side of his head. “Made his tiger go bye-bye, along with that impressive dick of his.” His voice switched then from the almost song-like quality it had, back to the cruel tone he had used before. “Shay always was weak. But then again, that’s part of why I picked him. He was pretty and he was dumb. Fucking had heart eyes when he looked at me. So easy to manipulate.”
“Shay is none of those things!” I hissed, angrily pushing him in the chest, forcing him to take a step back. He stumbled sideways before quickly righting himself. Anger flashed in his cold blue eyes, and he narrowed his gaze, looking me up and down.
“Oh, my Goddess,” he laughed, his alcohol laced breath making my eyes water. “You have a crush on him, don’t you? I mean, he is fucking hot, don’t get me wrong. But my Goddess, that is one weak alpha. Do you know, in all the times I smacked him around, punched him,” he leaned in closer, whispering as I shrank away from him, “tied him up and forced his cock inside me–even when he didn’t want it–he never once hit me back. Not once did he lay one finger on me. Not even to stop me. See…I have a bit of a temper. It’s kind of a problem, really.”
Shoving him as hard as I could a second time, he lost his balance and fell to his knees. I ran for the gate, hoping my shaking fingers would be able to work the latch. I could take my chances and run for the woods, but even in his drunken state I wasn’t sure I could outrun him. Especially if he shifted. Underneath the stink of booze, I caught the faint hint of wolf.
His hand slammed into my back, the momentum pushing me forward into the fence, and I cried out. Shielding my stomach before impact, I did my best to protect my pup.
Edward spun me around so fast I got dizzy. Both his hands landed against my shoulders and pinned me to the fence. The gate latch dug into my lower back, but I gritted my teeth against the bruise I was positive was being pushed into my skin from the metal.
My hands cradled my bump protectively. “Shay is too good to ever hurt an omega. That doesn’t make him weak!”
He dug his hands into the flesh of my shoulders, pinning me further against the fence. Goddess, he was strong! He was thin, but that was deceiving, because he was much stronger than he looked.
“You’re just the neighbor, you know nothing about him. He’s barely looked your way until today, and that was just to pawn the kid off on you. I’ve been watching Shay and Lucas for days, and they never even knew I was here. Ever since I escaped that hell hole of a rehab facility my parents forced me to go to, all because Shay had to throw a tantrum,” he rolled his eyes dramatically. “It wasn’t like this was the first time I choked him out. There was no need for him to try to get my attention by filing Alpha Law. I’m his mate and I’ll always be his mate. This is what we do, Shay and me. I hurt him, then I cry and tell him I’m sorry, and he forgives me.”
“You’re not his mate anymore.” It felt really good to be the one to tell him that. Giving him a sardonic smile, I dug the knife in deeper. “Didn’t you know? Shay had the mate bond broken. He had them dig it out of him. It was painful, and it took a few times, but he did it. It was worth the pain for him to break his tie to you. That’s how much he wanted rid of you!” I spat the words at him, grunting when he shook me hard enough my head banged into the fence and bounced off it.
But I was angry now, so angry, listening to this man casually repeat the things he had done to Shay. Like it meant nothing to him that he had hurt Shay so badly. If this man thought he was going to waltz into my yard and just take what was mine–my mate and Lucas–he was in for the fight of his life. “And I’m not just the neighbor, I’m his fated mate. The Goddess made himfor me! Me! You’re never getting him back! You’re never getting either one of them back, you raging lunatic!”
Edward let out a scream of pure rage, his hand striking faster than a snake. The flat of his palm hit my throat with so much force I saw stars. Pain instantly engulfed my larynx, strangling me, and I gasped loudly, trying to pull oxygen into my lungs. My knees buckled and I fell forward.
Arms still protecting my bump, I landed on my knees with enough force it jarred my entire body, but I somehow kept myself from falling forward.
I saw the minute Edward’s eyes realized what my hands were cradling. The material of my sweater was pulled tight and instead of hiding my bump, it was having the opposite effect.
Grabbing me by an elbow, he yanked me to my feet like I was a ragdoll. Suddenly, he was looking at me in a completely different light. Jerking away from him, I tried to break out of his hold, but he was too strong.
Pulling me to him, I turned my head to lessen the fumes from the whiskey, as he ran his nose along my neck, sniffing. Rearing back, he let out another of his ragey screams, the sound truly terrifying.
Shift!My wolf growled,let me get a piece of him.
You know I can’t!
“Is that pup you’re carrying his?” Edward demanded, so close to my face drops of his spittle fell on my skin. “You’ve been fucking my mate!”
He sounded hella indignant for someone who had just admitted he hadn’t been faithful. The man was a lunatic that went far beyond anything fueled by alcohol and drugs.
“He’s not your mate,” I bit out. The whiskey fumes of his breath were making me queasy, and I was beyond terrified, but Iwould protect what was mine if it took my very last breath to do it. Shay, Lucas, and this pup. “He’s mine! My fated, and you’re never touching him again!”
Please, please, Lucas, please call for help.
An unnatural stillness came over Edward, and I watched him wide-eyed, tense, to see what he would do next. My free arm still cradled my bump, unconsciously trying to protect the precious life nestled safely inside of me.
He smiled at me, a twisted slash of his lips that made my heart pound in my ears and my blood turn ice cold.
“I’m going to rip that fucking pup out of your stomach and leave your carcass here for Shay to find. Then I’m going to get my son and put him somewhere Shay will never find him.”
In the instant it took for his words to register, I had a snarling gray wolf towering over me, saliva dripping from his snapping jowls. He lunged, his teeth snapping not for my neck, but coming straight for my stomach.
