Page 33 of Alpha Scorned

“Momma, O-wen coming home?”

I peered up at Owen in question.

He ruffled Devon's hair. “Sure am, tiger. But I can’t remember how to get there. How about you show me?”

Devon puffed his chest out. “Yay! I show you. Come on.” He pulled at Owen’s big hand, and Owen let him, a delighted smirk curling his mouth and his eyes dancing at Devon’s grunting efforts.

Neither of us acknowledged Jade as we left. I couldn't help but feel satisfied that Owen had dismissed her from his thoughts as soon as I was there.

It didn’t take long to reach my house. Once there, Owen helped me to cook us a meal, showing Devon how to chop a carrot.

“That’s it,” he encouraged. “Keep your fingers away from the blade.”

“‘Kay.”

My heart squeezed at the concentration on Devon’s face. I tried not to interfere. I trusted Owen to supervise Devon with the knife. My son was very young, but Owen was a warrior. He used weapons all the time. Trying not to be overprotective, I turned my attention back to the beef I was frying, and tried to recall anything else that Shane had said that could be important.

“Did you get any more information about Shane?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at the two of them sitting side by side at the table. Owen sighed and sat back in his chair. He shook his head. “No. I interviewed his…” He looked at Devon who was concentrating on counting the pieces of carrot he’d managed to slice. “...friends,” he said with a wink.

I smiled back. “Nothing?”

“No, he didn’t tell them, or even tell Robin what was bothering him…”

“I wonder if he even told the alphas that disappeared with him,” I mused.

“Shane ‘kay now?” Devon asked, looking up at Owen with a little frown on his face.

Owen and I exchanged a glance. I hadn’t discussed Shane with Devon, but he was a clever little boy and listened to the adults around him. Damn. I’d slipped up by discussing Shane in front of Devon. Of course he would be worried about Shane. Other than Owen, he was the only male who’d ever been a regular part of his life.

I turned the heat down under the beef and sat on the other side of my son. He watched me with a serious look, the carrots forgotten.

“Shane not ‘kay,” he said sadly, shaking his head.

“We don’t know if he’s okay, honey,” I said gently. “But Owen is here to help us find him so that we can ask him ourselves.”

Devon’s shoulders slumped and he stared at the table, his hands folded in his lap. I swallowed hard and exchanged another worried look with Owen. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? How did you know he isn’t okay?”

Devon shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “Monsters,” he whispered.

Owen leaned forward and ran his hand over Devon’s head reassuringly. “Dev, it’s okay, you can tell us about the monsters.”

Devon jumped off his chair and ran into his bedroom. We both immediately jumped up and followed him. He moved so swiftly that by the time we got into his room, he was on his knees pulling books off his lowest bookshelf.

With my heart racing, I dropped to my knees by him, dipping sideways as he threw a book over his shoulder. I had no idea what was going on, but instinct told me it was important. This was more than my son being upset by Shane’s disappearance. “Devon, sweetheart, please, tell me what you mean about monsters. What do they have to do with Shane?” I couldn’t ignore what he’d said. Not when I knew my son had some supernatural powers that I didn't understand. My heart hurt, tears burning my eyes at my inability to help him discover them. I’d let him down by avoiding his heritage...I’d been a coward… He immediately dropped his books and flung his arms around my neck. “It’s ‘kay, Momma. I ‘kay.”

I nodded and sniffled, holding him close. Damn, I loved him so much. He kissed my cheek and went back to rifling through his books.

Owen knelt down with me and took my hand. “What did you just think about?” he asked quietly, staring between my son and me.

I swallowed, trying to ease the ache in my throat. “That I know he has powers that I can’t understand, and that it upsets me that I can’t help him—that I avoid dealing with them and it makes me a bad mother.”

Owen’s face softened, and he took my hand in his. “You do help him, Lina, every day. You are a great mum.” My eyes blurred, his words warming my heart. Being a single mum was hard. I’d never known the love of a mother, so I had no idea if I was doing right by my son. Perhaps everyone who had a baby felt out of their depth at some point, but I’d felt out of my depth from day one. I hadn’t been able to protect him as a newborn from the demons who’d sired him, and after we’d escaped the prison it had always been Owen who could soothe him, far more easily than me. I also had no idea what my son was going to grow into and it scared me.

“Hey,” Owen’s big hand on my cheek centered me. “You are a great mum,” he repeated. “I mean that. And you aren’t alone now. I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “We can figure things out together.”

Devon plonked his little bottom down on the carpet in front of us and looked up at me. “You a good Momma. I love you,” he said simply.

Well, shit.

---