Page 70 of Mating Mia
“Of course I did,” says Kane, kissing me on the lips. “What kind of alpha do you take me for?”
“Sorry, gosh,” I say, laughing as my mother walks over to me to see my ring.
“Let me see,” she says, reaching for my hand to examine the ring. “Oh, it’s beautiful. Perfect for you.”
I can’t stop smiling, can’t stop the tears that continue to fall.
“I never thought I’d have this,” I admit, looking around at my family- chosen and blood, all together in this magical place. “I never thought I’d find you, Mom and Dad. Thought I’d never find mates who love me. And most of all, having a son to raise now.”
“You deserve every bit of it,” my father says firmly, his arm tightening around my mother’s shoulders. “And more.”
But suddenly our beautiful moment is destroyed when the crack of a gunshot shatters into the night.
It echoes off the rock face behind the waterfall.
We all freeze for a split second before instinct takes over. Kane shoves me behind him, his body instantly a shield between me and the threat. Finn and Jace flank us, creating a protective triangle around me.
“Well, isn’t this touching?” a cold voice drawls from the shadows beyond our lantern light. “A family reunion. How convenient for me to find you all in one place.”
A figure steps into the circle of light, and my blood turns to ice in my veins. He’s tall and broad-shouldered, with silver-streaked dark hair and eyes like chips of blue ice.
Orion.
He’s not alone. Behind him, at least a dozen wolves emerge from the darkness, surrounding our small group in a loose circle. But it’s who Orion holds that makes my heart stop entirely.
My mother was somehow torn from my father’s side in the chaos following the gunshot. Orion’s arm is locked around her throat, a wicked-looking knife pressed against her jugular.
“Sarah,” Orion says, his voice almost gentle as he speaks my mother’s name. “Still as beautiful as the day you ran from me. Did you really think I wouldn’t find you eventually?”
nineteen
. . .
Mia
My breath freezes mid-exhale.
I can’t move, can’t even blink as Orion drags the knife tighter across my mother’s throat, his mouth twisted in a predator’s smile.
The circle of wolves behind him fan out, gliding through the darkness with silent purpose. In the coppery lamplight, they look more shadow than man, but my focus narrows and blurs until all I see is my mom’s face. Her jaw is clenched, eyes blazing, refusing to show even a flicker of fear.
The blood beads along the edge of the blade, a crimson line slicing into her neck.
Orion inhales deeply, nostrils flaring, and I know he can smell every ounce of my family’s terror. I want to scream, to run at him, but my feet are glued to the damp grass.
My father stands just a few yards away, fists clenched, the veins in his neck bulging as he bares his teeth. “Let her go, Orion. This isn’t between you and her. You want revenge? You take it out on me.”
“Oh, I intend to,” Orion says, voice syrupy-sweet. “After all, you stole from me. And now you’ve bred a new generation ofcriminals.” His eyes flick to me, and my stomach drops like a stone.
A tremor runs through the three men at my back.
Kane’s arm snaps around my waist, pulling me flush against his bare skin. Finn and Jace close ranks, flanking me, their bodies vibrating with the low, seismic rumble that means they’re fighting the urge to shift right here, right now.
But no one moves—no one except my mother.
She doesn’t whimper or beg. She spits into Orion’s face. “Go fuck yourself, you piece of shit.”
Orion doesn’t flinch. He just presses the blade deeper, and blood flows freely now, painting my mother’s collarbone.
