Alpha King’s Secret Baby (The Runaway Mate #1)

Chapter 17

Casey

I wa lked along the boardwalk, Theo’s small hand in mine. With tourist season coming to an end, I could close the store on Sundays and spend more time with my kid. It felt more important than ever after Bastien turned up .

“ Are we going to swim today, Mama?” Theo asked, staring out at the ocean. It wasn’t a cold day, but still not warm enough to swim .

“ The water is too chilly, but we’re going to the farmers’ market on the pier, and they do pony rides on the beach,” I said. One thing I hadn’t expected about motherhood was the amount of negotiating I’d end up doing .

“ They have ponies? Where?” he asked, clearly a fan of the compromise .

“ Just over there,” I said, pointing at two brown ponies beyond the crowd. The locals were out in force.

He tugged on my arm. “Can I ride now?”

“Sure,” I said, happily letting him lead me along. I needed a day of fun and relaxation with Theo. Bastien’s appearance had rattled me. Even the idea of losing Theo was enough to make my heart stop. Bastien thankfully seemed to accept my lie about hooking up with another guy, but my fear hadn’t faded yet. I’d hate for him to find out I hadn’t slept with anyone since him—nor did I expect that to change. As much as I detested it, no other man interested me. Bastien would probably think I was pathetic.

Brushing away thoughts of Bastien, I focused on Theo instead. The line for the pony rides wasn’t long, and soon, he was atop a small brown horse with gentle eyes .

“ Will you come with?” Theo asked, a little less confident now that he was sitting in the saddle .

“ Of course,” I said. “I’ll walk alongside you.”

Theo beamed, and the pony handler led the animal on a slow journey across the beach. It was peaceful, the gentle lapping of waves and the soft sound of hooves on sand soothing me. Theo had the time of his life, alternating between bouncing in the saddle and stroking the pony’s lush mane.

I felt more settled by the time we got back to the boardwalk. I helped Theo down from the pony and hugged him tightly .

“ I love you so much,” I told him .

“ I love you too, Mama,” he said, throwing his arms around my neck and planting a kiss on my cheek. “Can I have an ice cream?”

I laughed. “Sure. Let’s get ice cream.”

A vendor was selling soft serve near the picnic table where Vivian told me I was pregnant. I smiled at the memory. Even though I’d been a mess after my father’s death and Bastien’s subsequent rejection, my son was the biggest blessing, and meeting Vivian had been a turning point in my life. I’d found an incredible friend, and she had been a huge support during my pregnancy. I was lucky .

“ Do you want vanilla or chocolate?” I asked Theo as we neared the front of the line. Not many people wanted ice cream in cooler weather, but Theo and I could eat it in the dead of winter. I didn’t know if that was because wolves ran hot or if it was just our personal preference.

“Chocolate!” he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

I ordered chocolate for Theo and vanilla for myself. I paid for the two cones, telling the vendor to keep the change before turning to hand Theo his ice cream .

“ Theo?” I said, looking around. He’d been right next to me a second prior. My heart lurched. “Theo!”

I couldn’t see him through the sea of people. I turned to the vendor .

“ Did you see where my son went?” I asked .

“ Sorry, no.” He frowned but quickly became distracted with his next customer.

Theo couldn’t have wandered far. He usually stuck by me. I pushed through the crowd, keeping my eyes low, looking for any sign of my son. My breath came in short gasps; I couldn’t get enough air no matter how much I tried.

I could smell Theo, but it was hard to pinpoint him in a crowd. I didn’t know which scent was the freshest trail. As people parted, I kept expecting to catch a glimpse of his brown hair and forest green sweater. I couldn’t see him anywhere.

My legs felt weak, but I continued to push through the masses. Ice cream began to melt down my fingers, and I dumped the cones on the ground, not caring about making a mess. Finding my son was more important .

“ Theo?” I called again. People were starting to look at me, some with concern, others with annoyance. My stomach twisted into knots. How could he have disappeared so quickly ?

“ Mama!”

I turned to find Theo looking happy and completely oblivious to my panic. And next to him was Bastien. My heart skipped a beat, and I felt sick to my stomach.

I rushed toward them, my relief battling the anxiety of seeing Bastien again.

“You can’t just wander off like that,” I scolded Theo, snatching him away from Bastien and holding him close. I managed to hold back tears, but I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking .

“ I’m sorry, Mama,” Theo said. “I smelled another wolf and wanted to meet him .”

“ Don’t ever do that again, okay?” I said, pulling back so I could look him in the eye. “Not all wolves are friendly, and you’re not supposed to talk to strangers, even if they smell like you.”

Theo nodded, his lip quivering. I didn’t mean to scare him, but he needed to understand .

“ I’m sorry, Casey,” Bastien said, his voice soft like when he’d saved me from mountain lions years ago. “When he came up to me, I recognized him instantly and came looking for you .”

“ Thank you,” I said, my voice unsteady.

“Why don’t we sit down for a moment?” Bastien suggested.

I hesitated. Having Bastien spend time with Theo was asking for trouble. What if Bastien figured out that Theo was his son? I couldn’t stop my hands from trembling, but my wolf wanted me to trust Bastien and let him take care of me. I wasn’t in a state to deny my wolf—not while fear still gripped my throat.

He guided us to a picnic bench, and I let him. His presence was calming and sturdy. He put his hand on my back as we sat down, and I couldn’t resist the urge to lean into him for a moment. My wolf wanted me to soak up his safety .

“ Where are our ice creams?” Theo asked.

I couldn’t even remember where I’d dropped them. I felt bad for making a mess but couldn’t change it now .

“ I lost them,” I said. I wasn’t about to scare Theo further by explaining how much of a panic I’d been in.

“I’ll go get ice cream,” Bastien offered. “You two rest here.”

I didn’t have the energy to argue .

“ Thanks!” Theo smiled. “I want a chocolate one, but Mom always has vanilla because she’s boring.”

Normally, I would have defended myself against such accusations, but I was still trying to calm down.

Bastien’s eyes shone with amusement. “Vanilla is nice, but I prefer chocolate too.”

Like father, like son.

I watched Bastien go, feeling a pang of regret for what could have been. Bastien probably would have made a good dad. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thought. It was crazy to think like that. I’d seen the ugly side of Bastien when he’d angrily hurled accusations at me.

It wasn’t long before he returned with three ice creams, vanilla for me and chocolate for him and Theo. He sat with us, seeming hesitant to leave, his eyes staying on me like he was watching over me .

“ Why were you here?” I asked. “It doesn’t look like your kind of place.”

His lips tugged into a small smile at my comment.

“I’m looking for an old pack member. I figured a big gathering like this might be a good place to start,” he explained. I remembered Vivian telling me he’d been searching for someone .

“ Who are you looking for?” I asked between licks of my ice cream. It helped to calm my nerves.

Bastien’s eyes darted down for a moment, watching my tongue. My cheeks heated, and he glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck .

“ His name is Frankie,” he said, turning his attention to his cone. “It seems he’s hidden by magic at the moment—at least from psychic visions. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

I remembered a wolf named Frankie. He’d come into my shop about two weeks prior. He’d been nice enough but not very forthcoming—like he had something to hide. Or rather, something to hide from. I didn’t know anything else about him. But if he wanted to conceal himself from Bastien’s pack, I respected that and wouldn’t be the one to give him away. After my experience with Moon Edge, I didn’t blame Frankie for taking precautions .

“ I’m sure I don’t know a thing,” I said. Bastien clearly suspected my magic was shrouding Frankie from psychic view, but he needed to know he wouldn’t get anything out of me. I couldn’t have helped him find Frankie even if I wanted to. I had no clue where he was now. I was pleased to know my magic was working so well .

“ I’m sure you don’t,” he said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. It was hard to look at his deep blues and not feel some affection .

“ Can’t you just sniff him out?” Theo asked. “That’s how I found you today.”

“I’ve been trying,” Bastien said, focusing on Theo. I couldn’t decide if I was relieved to no longer be under his scrutiny or worried about him paying attention to Theo. He seemed to have accepted my lie, but what if he saw some resemblance beyond eye color ?

“ I believe in you,” Theo said with a decisive nod. “Mom always says that if you really believe in something, you can make it happen .”

“ Your mom sounds very wise,” Bastien said. The unexpected compliment made me blink .

“ She’s the smartest person in the whole world,” Theo boasted. I had to smile .

“ I hope you remember that when you’re a teenager,” I said, ruffling Theo’s hair.

Bastien laughed, and something warmed in my chest. Our eyes locked, and my wolf wanted me to crawl into Bastien’s lap .

“ We should get going,” I said, stiffening. I didn’t need those kinds of feelings, and the longer I spent around Bastien, the more my wolf wanted me to be with my mate. But that couldn’t happen .

“ Aw, Mom,” Theo complained. “Can’t I ride the pony again ?”

“ Maybe next time,” I said, already standing. I had to get away from Bastien before I lost my head. Theo pouted but didn’t argue.

Bastien also stood, his expression shuttering .

“ Thank you for finding Theo,” I said to him. However uncomfortable I was in his presence, I couldn’t ignore that he’d been kind to Theo and me .

“ Don’t mention it,” he replied. He turned to Theo. “And you, listen to your mom, okay? No wandering off anymore .”

“ Okay,” Theo agreed. “I promise .”

“ Good.” Bastien looked at me again, and this time, when our eyes met, a tingle ran down my spine, reminding me of how I’d felt around him during the week I’d spent with his pack .

“ Let’s get going,” I said, grabbing Theo’s shoulders and steering him away. “Goodbye, Bastien.”

I didn’t wait for his reply. I kept expecting not to see him again, but the more he stuck around town, the more likely it seemed. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that anymore. The sooner I could get away from his immediate vicinity and clear my head, the better.