Page 65 of Mating Mia
“Well, you’re doing a terrible job,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re scaring me more by not telling me what’s wrong. Is it... is it Orion?”
The name of the alpha who’s been hunting my family for decades still feels dangerous to say aloud, as if speaking it might summon him.
“No,” Kane says quickly, then hesitates. “At least, I don’t think so.”
I wait, giving him space to continue at his own pace.
Whatever’s bothering him, it’s serious enough that he’s struggling to find the words. I’m starting to worry that maybe he’s getting tired of me.
“Yesterday, when I went to pick up Ash from your parents,” he finally says, his voice dropping lower, “someone followed us on the drive home.”
“What? Who would be following you?” I ask, my heart beating hard at the thought of Ash being in danger even for one second. Adrenaline starts to pump through me.
“I don’t know,” he admits, frustration evident in the tightening of his jaw. “Dark sedan, tinted windows. They tailed us for miles, matched every turn I made. It wasn’t a coincidence, Mia. They were tracking us deliberately.”
I sink onto the edge of the bed, my legs suddenly too weak to support me.
“Ash was with you,” I whisper, horror creeping up my throat at the thought of my baby in danger.
Kane nods, the muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenches his teeth. “I took the back roads, drove like hell until I lost them in the forest. Ash thought it was a game, he was laughing by the end of it.”
Despite the fear gripping my heart, I can’t help but smile at that. Of course, our son would find a high-speed chase thrilling rather than terrifying. He’s alphas’ boy through and through.
“Why didn’t you tell me right away?” I ask, hurt mixing with my fear now. “This happened yesterday, and you kept it from me all night.”
Kane moves to kneel before me, his large hands covering mine where they rest on my knees.
“Because I didn’t want to see that look on your face,” he says softly. “These past months, you’ve been so happy and peaceful, and now I don’t want to scare you. I wanted to investigate first, figure out who it was, and make sure there was no immediate danger.”
“You still should have told me,” I insist, though my anger is already fading in the face of his obvious concern. “We’re supposed to be fated mates, Kane. That means sharing everything that happens to you, not shielding me from them.”
“I know,” he concedes, squeezing my hands gently. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“I’m scared,” I admit in a whisper, pressing my forehead against his chest.. “If it is Orion... if he’s found us...”
“Don’t be scared, love,” Kane says with quiet certainty as he holds me. “We’ll handle Orion if it’s him. Most likely it’s just some human who picked on the wrong pack to mess with.”
“But Ash?—”
“Will be protected with our lives,” he interrupts, his voice hardening with determination. “No one is going to touch our son, Mia. No one.”
The fierce protectiveness in his voice is turning me on, and I start to breathe faster. My pulse quickens, heat blooming low in my belly as Kane’s scent fills my senses.
My scent starts to fill the room, signifying how horny I’m feeling right now.
He notices the change immediately, his nostrils flaring as he scents my growing arousal.
“Mia,” he growls, a warning and a question wrapped in my name. “I have to be on alert at all times.”
“I can’t help it,” I confess, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “When you get all protective and alpha like that... it does things to me.”
A slow smile spreads across his face, genuine this time, reaching his eyes and transforming them from worried to predatory in an instant.
“Does it now?” he murmurs, his hands sliding up my thighs, thumbs rubbing against the zipper of my jeans. “What kind of things?”
My breath catches as his touch sends sparks of electricity through my body.
“You know what kind,” I reply, my voice already breathless.
