Page 58 of Rejected By The Alpha Heir

The security guard bursts into the room, interrupting us, and we hurry out, motioning to the attacker on the floor. I lead Yelena back out into the hall while they attend to him.

“Cleo called me,” I say, keeping my eyes locked on her. She pales and leans against the wall for support.

“Cleo? How?” she demands.

“I guess she found my card on the table. I don’t know. But she called me from school. Her teacher said she would be watching her until you came to get her. Yelena, Cleo was so upset. She was crying and so worried that you were going to die.”

Yelena gasps, her hand coming up to her face. “I have to go. I need to get to her. She’s going to be frantic.”

“Come on. We’ll take my truck,” I tell her, digging my keys out of my pocket. Yelena nods, and I grab her hand as we navigate through the hospital.

“Do you need to tell someone you’re leaving?” I ask as she stops by the employee locker room. She shakes her head. “I’ll send my boss a text. I just need to grab my bag and my coat.”

I wait outside the door, pacing until she returns.

We hurry back out through the parking lot toward the alley where my truck is parked. Yelena’s face is hard to read, but there’s tension rolling off her.

As soon as we get to the truck, she hands me her phone. The map app is already running with directions to Cleo’s school.

“Austin,” she says, looking over at me as she buckles up. “Hurry, please.”

“On it,” I reply, reversing and pulling out to the main road.

Thankfully, Cleo's school isn’t too far away and we make good time. As soon as we arrive, tires screeching on the pavement, Yelena grips the door handle, ready to jump out.

I barely come to a complete stop when she leaps out of the truck and runs down the sidewalk toward the front door. I follow after her, catching up as she talks animatedly to the receptionist.

“Mama!” a little voice calls out, and I turn just in time to see Cleo running full speed down the hall toward Yelena. Yelena kneels down, arms wide, and catches her in a giant hug. They both are crying, and it makes my wolf even more anxious to gather them up, claim them, and protect them.They are ours.

It’s several minutes before Yelena and Cleo have calmed down enough to release each other. We wave goodbye to the curious receptionist and make our way back to the truck.

“Oh no! I don’t have a safety seat for Cleo,” I say when we get there. I want to kick myself for forgetting that crucial component.What kind of father forgets about that kind of thing?

“Just this once, we’ll be fine. We need to be home,” Yelena says quietly. I help her and Cleo into the back seat of the truck and then climb in and head toward Yelena’s house.

This time, I drive under the speed limit, hyper-aware that my child and my mate are vulnerable right now.

Yelena and Cleo have their heads together and are whispering back and forth. I can’t quite make out what they are saying but I am relieved when I hear them both laugh.They’re going to be okay.

Once inside, Yelena goes to shower and change, and Cleo and I make sandwiches together in the kitchen.

“You rescued Mama,” Cleo says as she carefully spreads jelly on a piece of bread.

“Because you warned me, kiddo,” I tell her, handing her the peanut butter. “So I think that means you rescued her.”

Cleo doesn’t say anything else, and I wonder if she Saw this. I want to ask her, but I don’t think Yelena will be pleased if I talk to her about her Seer abilities right now.

Finally, Yelena emerges, dressed in a comfortable pair of leggings and a button down flannel shirt that looks very, very familiar.

I stare at her as a rush of emotions floods through me. She looks so beautiful and vulnerable, and I'm overwhelmed with theurge to hold her, to comfort her. But I don’t think she would be receptive to that. At least not right now.

My wolf is ecstatic, seeing our mate seeking solace in something of ours. It gives me hope, even though I'm still haunted by memories of the past, of when things went so wrong between us.

“Mama!” Cleo says, running over to her and giving her a giant hug. “I told you not to go to the hospital.” Tears are dripping down Cleo’s cheeks, and it breaks my heart.

Yelena meets my eyes over her little girl’s head and then she looks down at Cleo. “Honey, did you see what happened today before it happened?” she asks carefully.

Cleo pales but doesn’t answer. I crouch down next to her and put a comforting hand on her back.

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