Page 16 of Betrayed Kidnapped Mate

“You and Linnea are getting along. Does that mean—”

“Touche, touché,” I say before Olivia can say something that embarrasses me. I get to my feet and brush the sand from my hands while standing.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Olivia asks, her eyes darting to Kaila with the same frequency as mine. She’s a strong swimmer—has been around the water her whole life, but it’s always when you look away that something happens. Even adults can get sucked into a riptide or breathe in water from an unexpectedly big wave.

“Yes,” I say, hearing my knee pop. “I could use a good stretching out.”

“I’m staying here,” Linnea says, tipping her head back against her chair. “I delivered two babies this week. I need a break.”

“Well deserved,” Olivia says before we turn and head back down the beach.

It’s not the same as the ocean—the sand is a little grayer, and the water is a little less blue, but it still feels good to be near a big body of water.

“I agree,” Olivia says, and I roll my eyes. While living together, we developed something of our own little pack bond. Even if we can’t exactly communicate in words, many times, our feelings make it through.

“It’s strange watching Kaila with him,” I murmur.

“Are you going to tell him?”

“Absolutely not,” I say, turning to Olivia with sharp eyes. “He left. That’s what men do—they leave you. When you need them most. Bigby is the only person on this planet that I trusted to protect me from my father, and the second he found out I was pregnant, he ran away like a coward. All the muscle in the world doesn’t help if you’re on the other side of the country.”

Olivia is quiet for a long moment, and I take the opportunity to speak again.

“Oh, please, don’t tell me you’re on his side?”

“I’m not on his side,” Olivia says, giving me a hurt look. “You know I’m on your side, always. But—seeing Kaila with him. There’s an obvious connection there. Everyone on the beach can see it. And Kaila deserves—”

“I know what she deserves. But everything up to this point has been about keeping her alive. What happens when I tell Bigby, and we stick around, and my dad comes to get us, and Bigby vanishes?”

“I don’t think he’s going to do that.”

“Evidence proves otherwise.”

“Linnea wouldn’t let that happen.”

“Linnea wouldn’t stand a chance against my father—can she even shift?”

“I don’t think so. I’m not sure. I get that vibe from her.”

“Well, that proves my point.”

“Okay, Aris wouldn’t let that happen, then.”

I chew on my bottom lip, and Olivia raises an eyebrow.

“You really don’t think Aris could beat your dad? According to these guys, he took out an alpha that was using chemical warfare.”

“Yeah, but my dad isn’t alpha because of his brute strength. That’s part of it, definitely, but he’s just—he feels no shame. I once—I once watched him drop a baby over the side of a cliff, Olivia. I don’t know how to explain to everyone that he’s a psychopath. He would beat Aris because my father wouldn’t hesitate to kill every single woman and child in this town. Aris wouldn’t let that happen. He would sacrifice himself first.”

Olivia is quiet for a long moment.

“Are you telling the truth about the baby?”

I suck in a breath, trying to fight the onslaught of images that flood into my brain.

“Yes.”

“Jesus, Rosa, why haven’t you told me about that before?”

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