Page 72 of Betrayed Alpha Bride

“That was not your fault!” I say, stopping him and looking into his eyes. “That’s on me. We should never have left you alone in such a vulnerable state. I’m sorry you had to go through that, son.”

Nico gulps and throws his arms around me. I hold him against my chest, closing my eyes to draw in his scent. Having my son close to me is just pure magic—soothing for both my human soul and that of my wolf.

I ruffle Nico’s hair, wishing that I could shield him from all harm and berating myself for letting that incident occur. I had to send a significant amount of money to the affected farmer, but that didn’t bother me.

The only thing that matters is that I put my son in danger, and I need to make sure that never happens again.

We head inside, and I throw a robe around Nico’s shoulders as we go into the kitchen. To my surprise, Clara is awake, humming to herself as she twirls around the kitchen.

“Good morning,” I say, smiling when she pauses and smiles back at me, my heart soars.

Careful. One smile doesn’t mean she’s in love… although the way her eyes are eating up my naked body is a really good sign.

“Good morning, Galen,” Clara answers, quickly looking away into the frying pan. “I saw you boys out for a run and thought I'd have breakfast ready for you when you got back.”

“I appreciate it,” I reply, putting on one of the robes I keep by the door. I roll it slowly up my shoulders and take my time wrapping it around me and tying the sash. I get another little ego boost when Clara’s eyes linger on me again.

“What are we having, Mom?” Nico asks, sitting down at the table.

“I’ve got pancakes and corn biscuits, as well as sausage and eggs. Do you want some of everything, baby?”

“Yes, please, Mom!” Nico exclaims, picking up his knife and fork and drumming them on the table. “Your cooking has been so good!”

“Thanks, baby,” Clara says, laughing. “I didn’t have much time to cook when we lived out at West Glacier, I was always working. But now I can take the time to indulge my passion for cooking, expect a lot more of it!”

“No complaints here,” I reply, going over to the counter. “Do you need any help?”

“Not at all,” Clara says. “I’m almost done. Go ahead and sit down, and I’ll bring it over.”

When she sets the trays down, the room is silent except for the scraping of cutlery on plates for a good ten minutes. Nico and I inhale a full plate each before piling up for seconds.

“Glad you guys were hungry!” Clara laughs. “I thought I made too much.”

“Nico will need excess amounts of protein for a while,” I reply. “He’s growing fast, and his wolf is very strong. It will help settle his mind and make the shifting much easier if he has high energy levels. He will have to hunt for prey soon to get the amount of nutrients he needs, too.”

“Hunt?” Clara echoes. I can see she’s worried about the day he lost control, and I pat her hand gently.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to be there the whole time. He needs a little guidance, that’s all. I screwed up before, and I should have taken him out to test his skills before it crept up on him like that.”

Clara nods, with worry still lurking in her eyes.

“You sure you’re feeling up to this, kiddo?” Clara asks. Nico nods, shoveling a huge bite of pancakes into his mouth.

“It’s scary,” he answers. “But I trust Dad. So far, every outing makes me stronger, and my mind is clearer.”

“Okay,” Clara says, leaning over to kiss his forehead. “If you’re okay, then that’s all that matters.”

For a few moments, I just watch my wife and child, wondering how I got so lucky. Not just to have them, but that I was able to find them, even after I stupidly let Clara go.

“I’m thinking of planning another date,” I say, breaking the silence. “Something for just the two of us. What do you think, Clara?”

“Don’t want me to come, huh?” Nico asks, grinning. “Trying to get rid of me already?”

“You stop,” I laugh, giving him a little shove. “I’ve got plenty of family activities planned, don’t you worry about that. I’d just like to spend a bit of time with your mom, too.”

“What are you up to?” Nico asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Well, I’ve decided I’m going to woo your mom—just like the old days. Showering her with gifts, taking her out to nice places, and just generally treating her like a queen.”

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