Page 10 of His Rejected Alpha Mate
Skipping over the thoughts of Silas and onto bigger questions, my brain tried to pull me into an anxious cycle. What if Kade didn’t want me here? What would we do?
“Papa?” Angelica was sleepy as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. She was the perfect distraction from my problems.
Sinking into the usual routine helped ease my anxiety. Today should be a good day. I had to look at the positives.
I felt a wide smile on my face as I caught sight of my boy. “Ryder!”
“Kade,” he corrected, looking unsure.
“Yes, of course, Kade. I knew that.” I gestured for him to come closer. He was much too far away. I needed to see him better. To soak in every detail and compare it with my memories. I needed to erase our last moments together. “Let me look at you. I’ve missed you!”
The alpha followed him closely, staying on Kade’s heels, keeping quiet, thankfully. I didn’t know what to make of the young alpha, my son’s mate. He was powerful. His wolf was restrained, but steady. It was odd for someone so young to have so much control. It unnerved me, adding to my anxiety over this meeting.
Once near enough, I cupped Kade’s cheek. I’d forgotten that he was taller than me, taking most of his height from his father, one of the few good things he’d gotten from his dad. Everyone had always said that Kade looked more like me.
“We don’t quite look the same anymore. I can see you in there.” I traced his new features with careful fingers. Blinking back tears, I soaked in every detail of my son. Unable to quite believe that this was real. “They saved your nose, but your cheekbones are higher, eyes seem wider. You’re so handsome, baby!” I couldn’t hold back my praise. He’d always been good looking, but the changes had highlighted his features.
Kade blushed. “Thanks, Papa. I’d like you to meet my mate. This is Blake Sweetwater. He’s the alpha of the Sweetwater pack.” Blake stepped forward as if to shake my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Alpha Blake.” I said carefully, understandably wary of this young alpha, or at least I thought so, until Kade winced. Blake was tall and imposing, and I didn’t know what to make of his silence. Roan had been so much more outgoing when he and Kade had dated. “Come, Kade, and see your sister. She’s been looking forward to meeting you.” I turned away, putting Blake at my back with difficulty, my instincts screaming as I worked to get myself together. My senses flared, and I expected a flash of vision to announce a threat to my safety, but all I saw were doting smiles and kisses bestowed on my son. I twitched as I came out of the sight but didn’t show that anything had happened. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes my visions were wrong.
Suddenly shy, Angelica moved to hide behind me, peering at Kade behind my leg. “Hello,” she breathed, “are you my brother?”
Kade squatted down, so they were eye to eye. “Yes, I am. Wow, I’ve not seen you in such a long time! You were a baby the last time I saw you.”
I felt her fingers loosen on the fabric of my pants as she became more daring and peeked out further. I wanted to hold her to me, fearful of everything in this unfamiliar place. My anxiety took a chokehold on my throat.
“I’m six!” Angelica announced.
“I’m twenty-six. Did you know we share the same birthday?”
“We do?”
“Yeah. I asked Papa if you were my present. I’d always wanted a sister.” The shared memory made me smile, giving me the chance to pull in air. Kade had been so excited for a sibling and we’d spent so much time together in the run up to the birth. Those times were memories I dug out when I missed him too badly to stop tears from falling.
Blake moved and drew my attention. I couldn’t help my glare at the soft way that he was looking at my son. He literally couldn’t keep his eyes and his hands to himself! Just like every other alpha I’d met around a young omega. I could almost smell arousal and that was inappropriate with a young child about! He was probably thinking of turning my boy into a broodmare and making him pump out alpha wolves to rule over this pack. My son was meant for more than just being a breeder.
Okay, so maybe I was overreacting. I had no clue what this Alpha Blake was like or his pack. They’d seemed perfectly nice and hospitable yesterday, but it could have been a trick to lull us into a false sense of security. Everything was moving much too fast for me to cope with. Another headache rose as my breathing steadied. I’d keep an eye on Blake and get Kade out if he needed help. Staying on guard around them until I understood the situation better was a good idea. Things could change.
Unlikely, these people are nice,my inner voice reminded me, and I stopped glaring. I needed to speak to Kade without the alpha looming over me.
“Angelica, would you go play, please, so I can speak to your brother?” I asked in a firm voice, bracing for a tantrum. Kade gave me an assessing look. I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. Time apart had shaped us differently. Did he understand where I was coming from? Could he accept my caution?
“Are you the alpha?” Angelica asked Blake, becoming bolder, more like her usually sunny self.
“I am. Do you want to show me the toys they have here? I’ve not spent much time in this room. I’m always in my boring office.” He said it playfully. It was clear he had some experience with children, and I added it to a mental tally in his favor. Angelica giggled and when he held out a hand, she took it without question and pulled him towards a bin of toys she had been playing with as we waited for them to arrive.
“Kade.” I tried to dial down the admonishment in my voice. It clearly didn’t work with the defensive set of his posture.
“Yes, Papa?”
“Are you sure about this? Being mated to an alpha leader? I’ve heard about this pack and I don’t know how I feel about you being part of it, let alone Alpha Mate!” My worry and fear were plain. We had suffered so badly under his father, a pack alpha leader. I wouldn’t let him make the same mistakes as me.
“Papa! Blake is a good man.” His voice was a plea for understanding that I wanted, deep in my soul, to accept. I trusted my son’s instincts, but my fear was getting in the way.
“They’re all good to start with.” I couldn’t help but say, my words escaping unconsciously. “What about all the rumors?” I’d felt sick to my stomach when I’d read about the supposed omega abuse that had occurred here. The thought of Kade having to deal with it just made me feel weak and ill. I’d thought about rushing to the compound and stealing him away.
“I researched the pack the same as you did. Those were his father. The pack hasn’t been like that for years. They all are happy and love their alpha.” He reached a hand out, trying to use his wolf to calm my fox. Yet it wasn’t my fox that needed calming. My alter was perfectly content with alpha Blake as my son’s mate. It was the papa in me that needed reassurance.
