Page 21 of Lion's Crossing

Or maybe I’d simply overreacted, and my parents just wanted to have dinner with me. Somehow, I doubted that, but still secretly hoped for that to be the case.

I walked in through the side door, never having used the front one. Even our friends, family, and the mail-courier knew not to use the front door. Maybe it was a small-town thing. Yet, the scent that permeated through the house was not from a small town. And it wasn’t dinner. There was a predator inside somewhere, an alpha I already knew who wasn’t my father.

My deer leaped with excitement, urging me to go up the few steps into the kitchen to see him again. Another part of me considered leaving. No one had heard my arrival yet, so I still had a chance. Though curiosity won out, and I trudged up to the back of the house, wondering why Linc would be at my parents’ house.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Linc

“What are you doing here?”

The accusation in Knox’s words hurt. I knew my presence was a surprise to him, but I thought he’d be more excited to see me. “I…I wanted to see you again.”

“Wait.” Mr. Anderson’s brows furrowed as he glanced between me and Knox. “You two already know each other?”

“Yes.” I glanced at the floor with my hands behind my back. I may have lied to Knox’s parents about not knowing their son after my sister called them to arrange the dinner meeting of her single alpha brother with their single omega son. “We met on the train when he went to Saramto.”

“Oh!” Knox’s dad brought out a basket of fresh-baked buns and placed them on the already-set table. “That’s the one that broke down. I’m sure you had plenty of time to get to know each other. Why didn’t either one of you tell us?”

I twirled my thumbs, trying to think of something to say without telling them everything that happened between us, and how intimately we already knew each other.

“I didn’t have his contact information,” Knox lied as his cheeks reddened. “I didn’t think I would ever see him again.”

“Well, he’s here.” Knox’s dad nudged him closer to me. “And you need to be kind to our guest. He’s an unmated alpha, and you can’t stay single for the rest of your life.”

My heart broke for Knox, from his dad’s words to seeing the anguish on his face. “I’m only here if Knox wants me to be. I can leave if he’d rather not have me around. I just thought—”

“Sit.” Mr. Anderson gestured to the chair at the far end of the table. “While I don’t want my son settling for just anyone, I believe you are a good candidate for a mate for him. Yourparents are well-known and liked in this town, and you have a good paying job that you would be able to support Knox and any future children you may have together. I don’t like that you live so far away, but it’s something I’d be willing to sacrifice to ensure my son has a good mate. Knox always complains that there are no decent alphas around here, but I think you are the exception. I think my son needs to give you a chance. Especially since you came calling for him.”

While I appreciated the man’s words of support, I didn’t want Knox to feel forced into anything. He stared down at the floor while getting lectured by his father, and when he glanced up at me, I mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, his eyes brimming with tears. “Why me?”

My mind reeled with all the whys, but none of the reasons could be said in front of his parents. “I never stopped thinking about you.”

He took a stifled breath before he nodded and took a seat at the side of the table.

After a blessing to the Earth for the food, Mr. Anderson served a full bowl of vegetable and bean-filled chili to each of us. The buns were passed around, and Knox’s parents set out to query me on my work and my intentions with their son.

I couldn’t lie. I wanted Knox to know that I was fully committed if he wanted to be with me. I didn’t care if he was pregnant or not, but I refused to let him raise a child without support. “I felt a connection with your son from the moment I met him. If he is willing, only if he is willing, I would like to be his mate. As soon as possible.”

Knox gasped as he glanced up at me, a tear trailing down his cheek.

His dad clapped his hands across the table from him. “Oh, I’m so happy. My son is finally going to be mated.”

Knox pushed away from the table and ran out of the room. I was offended for a moment, and then I remembered what my sister had told me about the early stages of pregnancy.

I stood at the same time as Knox’s dad.

“I’m sorry for the rudeness of my son. Sometimes he forgets his place.”

I waved my hand in front of me. “It’s okay. I’m not offended. But, I would like to go talk to him, if I could.”

Mr. Anderson gestured in the direction his son had run.

I found Knox in the main floor bathroom, the door slightly ajar. I knocked. “Can I come in?”

Kneeling in front of the toilet, he glanced up at me. “I’m sorry.”

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