Page 35 of I Replaced His Husband
So I stomped loudly the last few steps down the stairs and walked into the room.
What I saw stuck with me. Marco and Adam were sitting on chairs a bit away from the rest, as if they didn’t quite belong in the discussion. Kay was alone on the couch, with two older men facing him like it was some kind of interview. He looked miserable: pale, lips pressed tight, brow furrowed. I felt a sudden, fierce wave of protectiveness. It made no sense; I had no claim on him, but I couldn’t help it. My instincts were screaming.
I fully expected Kay to be upset when he saw me. But when our eyes met, his deep navy-blue gaze flickered with something like relief. That moment made me feel like walking in had been the right call.
"Hey," I said, forcing a smile that was probably too wide.
Adam stood up right away, biting his lip as he walked over.
"Rain, these are Kay’s in-laws, Danny and John Sanders. We’re, um… having a talk."
I gave them a small nod.
"Nice to meet you. I’m sorry it’s under such heavy circumstances. My condolences for your loss." I tried to sound respectful, but also calm and unwavering.
They both stared at me, visibly thrown. Here I was, the guy who had basically taken their late son’s place overnight. I couldn’t blame them for seeing me as shameless. My pulse picked up, part of me braced for confrontation.
They both looked older than I expected, considering their son was only twenty-three, same as Kay. The alpha must’ve been close to seventy, the omega maybe in his early sixties. Attractive, elegant people, clearly well-off and well-groomed. Both men had short, graying hair and were dressed in tailored suits, looking stiff and formal.
"Yeah, so we’re talking," Adam said awkwardly, stumbling over his words. "About, uh… everything that’s been going on."
I turned toward Kay.
"Everything okay?"
Adam answered before his brother could.
"Yeah, we’re just clearing some things up and, well—"
"I’m not interrupting, am I?"
"I'd say you are," the older alpha said unexpectedly, his voice dropping into that lower register alphas used to communicate. There was a hint of threat in his tone, not physical, but clearly an attempt to establish dominance.
Oh no. No alpha would challenge me with the omega I saw as mine (what?!) watching. I pulled my lips into a too-wide smile, showing my canines.
"Well. I'm only here because I care about Kay’s well-being and his comfort. That’s it."
"I understand that, son," he replied, condescending, "but this conversation doesn’t concern you. Kay’s our son-in-law, and what we want to discuss with him is family business."
This was my cue to step up. I focused, aiming to sound calm and refined. "I’m not here to interfere. I just want to make sure that when Kay speaks, his words aren’t dismissed. That he’srespected. That’s why I decided to join the meeting. And to make sure his safety is assured."
Silence. Tense. John Sanders and I locked eyes for a beat. Adam looked out the window. Marco stared at the wall. So awkward. Kay was looking at the floor, but a deep blush bloomed on his cheeks, and his heart started to race. Through that strange connection between us, I felt it… he was actually pleased by what I said.
"And who made you Kay’s spokesperson?" Danny narrowed his eyes.
"I'm his self-appointed protector," I said, with a dry edge of irony, almost amused. I was sure Kay would scold me for it, for just insolently declaring myself his champion like that, which was skirting dangerously close to claiming him. But he didn’t stop me. What a shocker! He just let me play it how I wanted, which said more than words could.
Kay’s in-laws were staring daggers at me, and suddenly the old alpha gave a low warning growl. Alpha-to-alpha warning sounds like that are often instinctive, and so was my response. A deep, rumbling growl rolled out of my chest, a clear message: this is my space, and I’ll protect it at all costs.
I was taller, younger, in my prime as an alpha. He wasn’t a real threat, and he knew it, because his growl faded.
I wasn’t even sure if Adam or Marco could hear what had just passed between us. It was at the lower end of the sound range, maybe just barely within beta hearing. But Kay definitely heard. He looked up at me.
There was something in his eyes, something primal I hadn’t seen before. And with it came a sweet pulse of energy. Those kinds of sounds can trigger omega instincts, and I saw the faintest flicker of that response in him. It was sexual. Subconsciously submissive.
But over this energy there was more. I felt hereallydidn’t want to keep talking to Sanders. He was silently begging me to get them out. He didn’t have the strength to face an alpha right now, especially not one he’d known and respected as his in-law, the father of the man he had loved.
Of course, Kay couldn’t have known that my original intention wasn’t trying to dominate the scene or show off. My reactions were all pure instinct. What I wanted at the start, consciously, was to lift Kay up. To simply help him hold his ground in front of Sanders, even if it didn’t look that way now. Now it looked like a show of typical alpha dominance.
