Then I realized Kieran was gone, but I still wasn’t alone in the bed. I turned to stare at the tiny version of him. Ares, tucked safely under my arm, stared up at me in the same confusion I felt.

And lastly, I heard Kieran’s voice. He was calm when he spoke to the people with him.

“You know anything about this?” I asked the baby.

The baby only stared at me with a serious expression on his face.

Protect, was my alpha’s demand.

“Yeah, yeah…” I muttered.

I turned to watch the door, trying to listen to what was going on, but the voices stayed calm and too soft for me to hear. My alpha was suspicious and very uncomfortable with Kieran out of its sight, but for now, it settled with listening closely.

I was probably better off staying where I was at that moment. I still wasn’t chained, so I could easily get up and go see what was going on if Kieran’s voice had even a small shift in its calm sound.

I had a feeling… Terrible feeling… After a night like we had, and two bodies just outside my door… Now who could possibly be visiting Kieran…?

I wrinkled my nose.

The army.

And not too long after that realization, I heard footsteps on the stairs. It agitated my alpha, but we stayed still.

“They’re down here…” Kieran said. “They tried to get to my child… My friend had no other choice…”

Friend, huh…? Not a terrorist he’d kept captive for the past few weeks?

“And your friend is where exactly?” asked a stern voice in a way only an army cunt could speak.

“Still in the basement… He’s resting with my child…” Kieran explained when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

“You mind if we ask him a couple of questions?” the stranger asked.

Fuck…

“I, uh… Let me ask…” Kieran said in an avoiding manner, and carefully pushed the door open.

He didn’t say anything, only gave me an apologetic look.

Fuck me…

I carefully sat up, making sure my covers were hiding my injury.

“I can answer questions,” I said, trying to stay calm and composed.

I should’ve fucking left this fucking place when I had the chance.

Kieran entered the room and stepped aside when two very large army cunts stepped in. My instincts told me to get the fuck away from there, while my alpha immediately decided it didn’t like these strangers, but I forced a smile on my face while I picked up the baby and made him sit in my lap.

Kieran immediately tensed.

“Rough night, huh?” the older soldier asked, peering at me while his comrade glanced around the room.

Both had guns holstered on their hips, and rifles hanging off their backs…

“You could say that,” I said as confidently as I could.

“This is my former captain,” Kieran told me, his eyes never leaving his child. “Captain Garcia. He came to make sure we’re all right.”

“Kind of you,” I said. “You had questions for me?”

They were fucking better get to the point… My alpha was growing more agitated now that Kieran was worried. It didn’t want these soldiers around him.

“What’s your name, son?” the captain asked.

I faked another smile, hating every fucking second of this. “Sam.”

Kieran glanced at me with a frown.

“Sam…?” the captain insisted.

“Sam Taylor, sir,” I said.

I was so fucked…

The captain nodded. “And you’re the one who shot the two invaders outside the door?”

“Yes sir. Tried to give them a chance to leave, but they were going rabid after little Ares,” I said, glancing at the baby, who was staring at the soldiers with wide eyes. “I had no choice. There were more people upstairs after me, so… Had to end it quickly.”

The captain nodded again, looking at me like everything about me screamed suspiciousness. I tried to maintain my cool, but fuck, things were going to shit. I just knew it.

The captain stepped closer. “You did good, son. I’m grateful you were here to protect Kieran and Ares.”

No way…

“Right place at the right time, I guess,” I said.

“You injured?”

“Nah, I’m good. Just a little exhausted,” I said, hoping my wound was still hidden.

“What’s with the chains? And the camera?” the captain’s comrade asked.

“That’s private information,” Kieran said, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear in a shy manner.

The soldiers glanced at each other, then at Kieran. I wanted to gag. But the omega was good. It was very clear he was trying to imply we had kinky sex and liked to film it. And neither of these soldiers questioned it.

“You don’t happen to have any footage from last night we could use as evidence?” the captain asked him.

“No, sir. It wasn’t on last night,” Kieran said.

“Got it,” the captain said, and left it at that. But not before he gave me an up and down look with more curiosity in his eyes.

“Can you say how many intruders there were last night?” he then asked me.

“Uh…” I trailed off with a shrug. “At least five, maybe more.”

“Any information you can give us about who they were or what they looked like?”

“They had guns and baseball bats. That’s about all I remember about them,” I said. “Sorry, but I don’t think I have anything useful to tell you. Except that they were definitely looters. Very desperate, too.”

“Right,” the captain said with a sigh. “Well, you can rest now. If you can remember anything we should know about, contact us.”

I nodded. “Of course,” I said, and faked another smile.

Was I actually getting away with this…?

The captain gestured for his comrade to leave the room, then turned to give me a nod before he turned his back to us. I glanced past him and saw more soldiers studying the bodies. I didn’t dare to open my mouth anymore, so I turned my attention to Ares and turned him around to face me.

Didn’t feel right to let the kid see the bodies…

“Weird stuff, huh?” I muttered to him. “They’re just taking a nap. Don’t worry…”

Ares ogled at me for a moment, then laughed at my face.

“Yes, I know I look like shit. No need to point it out,” I muttered.

Kieran came to sit down next to us with a small smile on his face. His long hair was untied and a mess, his lightly bloodshot eyes had dark circles around them, and his cheeks were pale again.

“You look like shit, too,” I told him.

“I don’t really care right now,” he said softly, then wiggled his nose at his child, who giggled harder.

My alpha finally calmed down now that the omega was within our reach, and the soldiers were backing off. It still kept an eye on them, though.

I peered past Kieran when the soldiers started hauling the bodies away. I had questions, but I chose to keep my mouth shut until we were alone. I hoped they’d fuck off soon. My stomach was burning again, and I wasn’t sure how long I could stay seated up.

“Who’s a good little baby?” Kieran whispered to his giggling child. “We’re having fun, huh?”

I was surprised he still let me hold the kid. He didn’t even pay attention to me, like he already trusted me. A big fucking mistake, but no one was asking me. He got even more comfortable than that, and leaned against the mattress, his hand on the other side of my legs while he playfully tickled Ares. He was practically in my lap already and had completely lost his focus on anything else but the baby.

Like he didn’t want to know about anything else at that moment.

And I let him have his moment. He was acting brave, but it was clear he was still shaken. If I’d not been here, they both would now be heading to the closest slave trader, where they would’ve been separated. For good.

“What does this cute little button do?” Kieran asked, gently pressing Ares’ nose. The baby kept laughing and clapping and bouncing around.

I felt something heavy in my chest…

These two would never have seen each other again if I’d not been here…

My alpha’s attention was on me. It was silent, but that silence let me feel how deep its hatred toward me truly was… How it loathed me… It didn’t want me anywhere near this omega and its child.

Kieran said that I still had a chance to make things right, that my alpha was still able to forgive me, but I couldn’t see how.

“Daddy got your nose,” Kieran murmured to his child.

I watched him. I watched his smile. I watched him when he chuckled at his laughing child. And as I watched their happiness, unable to look away…

I began to understand why my alpha hated me.