Page 65 of Alpha’s Conquest

“I will.”

Giving me one final look, Marshall got into his car and backed out of the driveway. The pain in his eyes had eased just slightly before he was gone.

Sighing, I glanced at the houses across the street and noticed more than a few curtains shifting as my neighbors tried to pretend they weren’t snooping in on our conversation. Well, they’d already heard everything. The Wilson family drama was sure to be the talk of the town in about twenty minutes.

I turned back to the house and stared at the concrete where Marshall’s car had sat. It hurt to hear everything he’d said, but there was a sense of relief to finally clear the air with my son after so long. I hoped he knew I meant it when I said I was proud of him. And I hoped he would be okay before he was ready to come home again.

Giving a slight nod to my next-door neighbor, who was absolutely snooping through her window, I went back inside and stripped to only my skin before going back to the sunroom. I slid under the blanket and settled myself into the curve of Casey’s body.

Marshall was right. I had carried pain with me all this time. Pain and aching loneliness. I didn’t feel that way anymore. I touched Casey’s cheek, stroking him softly so I wouldn’t wake him up. The small touch had the opposite effect. Moaning, he wiggled slightly, on the verge of waking up.

“Go back to sleep,” I urged. “No one needs us. You can rest.”

“Mmm,” he groaned. “My nipples hurt. It’s all your fault.” He twisted in my arms and tucked his head under my chin. “You look like you’re deep in thought.”

I leisurely stroked his back. “I didn’t realize how lonely I was before we met. I told myself I was content with being alone. Now I can’t even imagine my life without you.”

“Twenty years is a long time to be by yourself.” A shiver rushed over me when he pressed his lips to the sensitive skin of my neck. He’d left several bite marks there, almost as many as I left on him. “What did you do for your ruts? I can’t imagine you suffering by yourself.”

“A heat bar two towns over. Anonymous sex with dulled senses is almost worse than ignoring my rut. But I had two Alphas to take care of. It would’ve been irresponsible of me to risk a pheromone imbalance. Even so, every time I felt my cycle coming, I tried to convince myself it wasn’t worth the meaningless sex, but my ruts have always been intense. They can’t be quelled on their own.” Casey tensed, and I tightened my arms around him. “You’ll be there for my ruts. I won’t have one without you.”

He chuckled and slowly relaxed against me. “You remember everything I tell you.”

“I very clearly remember your worthless ex spending his ruts with someone else. Of all the crimes he committed against you, that one is almost the worst.”

“Ahh, only almost.”

“The worst one was making you feel like you had no value. If I ever meet your ex, that will be the reason he ends up in the hospital.” Just thinking about it filled me with unquenchable rage. The delicate scent of Casey’s rainy pheromones was the only thing keeping me sane.

“Don’t you dare go to jail over that piece of shit. I’m not raising our baby alone.”

The rage eased, but tension settled in my belly all the same. I sat up and rested my hand on Casey’s stomach. I would do anything to keep both of them safe. “Fine. You win.” I kissed his belly, giving him soft, gentle kisses where my baby grew. “If you’re not going to sleep, we are going to the clinic to get you checked out.”

Grunting, he tossed his arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight. “I don’t want to.”

He was afraid. The tension in his body was a clear giveaway. After so many years believing this day would never come, it was only natural for him to fear he made a mistake, that the tests were wrong.

“Casey.” My firm tone had him peeking out from underneath his arm. “No matter what the doctor says, I’m not leaving. You belong to me now. Do you understand?” His slight nod had me raising an eyebrow, the only warning he would get before I punished him.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good boy.”

THIRTY-SIX

Casey

Casey

Sitting in that cold waiting room brought back‌ memories I didn’t want to revisit. Blood draws. Endless tests. All of them telling me the same thing, that this day would never come. Holding onto hope was almost impossible as I sat there beside Adam, and memories of the past threatened to pull me under.

Other pregnant omegas sat in the waiting room. Some with partners, some on their own, or with family. They rubbed their swollen bellies and smiled as they flipped through the waiting room magazines.

Adam’s arm came around my shoulders, and he pulled me against him. I rested my head on his shoulder, my stomach in so many knots, I worried I might throw up. “It’s okay, Casey,” he whispered, his voice so low only I could hear him.

It wasn’t. I was wrong. The tests lied. They couldn’t be real.

“Casey West.” My name echoed around the quiet room.