Page 72 of Redeeming His Omega Mate

“There are four other routes leading back to Silver Fang,” Grayson continued. “None of them are car accessible, just like this one. Kael could be on any of them.”

“Then we split up,” I said quickly. “Groups of five or six. Tala, you’re with me. Grayson, take the group heading north.”

He nodded, and without another word, we broke apart, each group vanishing into the dense forest.

Twenty minutes down the west path, the sharp scent of shifters hit me. I slowed, ears perked and nostrils flaring.

I motioned to my group, and we moved forward, silent and precise. And then, through the trees, I saw them.

Kael’s troops.

My gaze darted through the crowd until I found what I was looking for. Aria.

Kael had her in his grip. Her small body was trembling, and her tear-streaked face was twisted in fear. And then, as if sensing us, Kael turned. His eyes darkened the moment they landed on me, and his fingers tightened around Aria’s arm, causing her to whimper.

Tala let out a choked cry. “Kael, please, let her go. You’re hurting her.”

Kael didn’t even spare her a glance. His gaze stayed locked onto mine, burning with barely restrained anger. “Do you think you can just waltz back after seven years and claim Tala? Claim a child you didn’t even know existed until two weeks ago?” His voice was sharp with arrogance and contempt. “I’ve turned it over in my head, again and again, trying to understand—what is it about you that made her choose you over me?”

Then his gaze dropped to Aria, his eyes darkening.

“It must be her,” he muttered. “She’s the bond tying you two together. So, if she were gone…”

Tala stepped forward, shaking her head. “Kael, it’s Aria,” she pleaded, her voice soft and coaxing. “You watched her grow. You love her. You don’t want to hurt her.”

His jaw clenched. His grip flexed around Aria’s arm.

“I don’t care!” he thundered.

Aria let out a shriek, her small body trembling as she cried. “Mummy?”

“Aria,” Tala choked out, her voice filled with fear and desperation. Kael’s grip only tightened on Aria.

I took a step forward, forcing his attention back to me. “If you’re so angry at me, if you want Tala so badly, then come after me,” I challenged. “Fight me, Kael. Or are you too much of a coward? An Alpha going after a child?”

Kael stiffened, my words cutting through him. His pride. His ego. His twisted sense of dominance. I knew I had him right where I wanted, and he took the bait.

His lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes gleamed with malice. “Fine,” he said.

Then he shoved Aria forward. She stumbled, but Tala was there in an instant to catch her. Aria buried her face in Tala’s chest, sobbing.

Kael rolled his neck, stepping toward me. His men shifted uneasily, exchanging wary glances, but none dared to intervene. Not when an Alpha had just been challenged.

He tilted his head, eyes cold and calculating. “When I win,” he said, “I’ll take Tala. I’ll take your child. And I’ll take your pack.”

I held his stare. “I’d like to see you try.”

Without hesitation, I shifted and launched myself at him.

Kael shifted and met my attack head-on. His claws tore through my fur, slicing deep into my flesh, and with a vicious twist, he pulled back, dragging skin and muscle with him. Blood gushed out of the wound, and I caught the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. Behind me, I heard Tala’s sharp gasp.

Pain seared through me, but I refused to falter. I staggered backward, gritting my teeth against the agony, my claws digging into the dirt to keep myself steady. I barely recognized the man before me, the man I’d once called an ally. There was no trace of reason or restraint left in him, only hatred and a savage, all-consuming need to destroy me.

But if it was a fight he wanted, I would give him one. He had gone after my daughter. He had threatened Tala.

And now, he would pay.

Kael’s wolf lunged at me again, his massive paw slamming into my side and knocking me to the ground. He pounced, but I rolled away just in time, dodging his attack. His sharp eyes locked onto me, and in an instant, he charged again, fangs bared, snapping dangerously close to my throat.

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