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Reika and their son looked gorgeous in the midday light. If the pup had any of her features, he was bound to be a stunner once he reached adulthood.
Mateo was looking rough, while Connor appeared slightly irritated. Neither of their demeanors were really surprising at that point.
“Thank you both so much,” Owen began. “I have to ask you for one more thing; do you think you could take us to see Holo at the Lovell den?”
Connor barely had a few seconds to breathe before he turned his head on a swivel and snapped at his brother.
“Next, you’re going to want us to raise the fucking thing,” he said.
Mateo held out his hand, shaking his head with his eyes closed. This somehow managed to calm Connor down and return his attention to tying the boat to the dock.
“We will drop you off just outside the Lovell den,” Mateo said gently. “But we can’t do more beyond that, Owen. You have to understand that we have a familial duty too.”
Owen did understand, so he brought his hands to his chest and bowed. “I know. I get it,” he said. “This is all I will ask of you. Then you can leave us and continue whatever Father has set you out to do.”
Silence hung between them. Owen knew that his father had a price on both his and Reika’s head. So what they were going to return to doing was hunting him, Connor more likely than Mateo.
He went back to Reika to relay the information, hoping that one or both of his brothers would change their minds when it came to hunting them again.
Owen helped Reika and their baby into the back of the van while Connor and Mateo hopped into the front. There was an awkwardness to the act, but Owen didn’t care. He was going to take what he could get from them for the time being.
A look passed between him and his mate, which indicated a lack of trust. Owen simply shook his head, trying to reassure Reika as she rocked their son to sleep.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive on the outskirts of Lovell land. Owen was relieved when they stopped, and he stepped out to help Reika and their child from the van.
But Mateo floored the gas pedal and whipped forward before Owen had time to grasp onto his beloved.
“Owen!” Reika’s screams filtered away in the hot sun as the door from the van swung on its hinges.
Owen was in shock, holding his hands in the air, painfully empty and betrayed. “Fuck!” he howled. Owen immediately shifted, not caring about the clothing he left behind in tatters. He galloped with all of his wolf power toward the van, the sharp pain in his ribs returning abruptly.
He had made a mortal mistake by trusting the two men who were supposed to be his blood brothers. Perhaps he had been a fool, especially when it came to Connor. That man was willing to do anything to please his father, who had become more and more corrupt as they’d gotten older.
Owen tried not to think about all of the things they were going to do to Reika, to the baby. He simply focused on jetting forward, gaining on his brothers, reaching out with all his being to save the love of his life.
THIRTY-THREE
REIKA
"What are you doing!" Reika screamed, clutching her child closer to her body. She looked back, seeing Owen running at them. "Stop the van! Please take me back to Owen! Let us go with Owen! Let us go back to my pack!" They didn't listen. If anything, they drove faster the louder Reika grew.
"Stop the car! Stop it! Stop! I need to see Holo! The baby and I need medical attention! He hasn't been checked! He needs to be looked over. Mateo, stop the car!"
Connor turned to her, unbuckling himself from his seat. Reika didn't like it. She didn't like the look in his eyes.
She held the baby closer, feeling his little fingers clamp down on her shirt. "What are you doing?" Her voice slightly dropped as Connor crawled from the front.
"Stop!" she screamed louder. "Owen!" She could hear him running and the snapping of his teeth echoing around the vehicle. Owen was still coming for them, but he wasn't here.
"Stop!" Reika unbuckled, crawling away from Connor, but there was nowhere for her to go. She was in a moving van.
Connor grabbed her, slamming her hard against the cushion. She felt his fingers slide over hers, prying her fingers away from the baby.
"NO!" she screamed, pulling her head up. She smashed her forehead against his, not caring if she hurt herself. She was not giving up her child.
Seeming to hear the struggle, Mateo swerved the car. They all slid, slamming into the car door.
"Give me the baby!" Connor said, shoving her hard once more into the cushion. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Reika."
