Chapter 0013
Lauren wasn’t here.
I swept the room again, my senses on high alert, the scent d been chasing still faintly in the air. It was hers- unmistakably Lauren’s—but it was fading. She’d been here and she was gone.
I strode toward the table, my gaze narrowing. “Where’s the woman who called me?” I demanded, my voice sharp.
The stranger looked up, startled, her brow furrowing. “Un how about a hello? Besides, I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s just me?”
Frustration flared hot in my chest. I didn’t have the patience for games. “Don’t lie,” I growled, the words low.” Lauren was here.”
Her confusion only deepened as I barked an order to the Gathma behind me, my tone sharp. “Search the entire mall. Now.” Without waiting for acknowledgment, I pulled but my phone and dialed the number from earlier.
Before the call even connected, a familiar ringtone sounded from the table, and my eyes snapped to it. There it was
-a phone vibrating softly against the worn wood infront of her.
The woman’s expression shifted, her surprise hardening into anger. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her
arms.
“Excuse me?” Her voice rose, loud enough to draw a few curious glances from nearby diners. “I’ve never met such an arrogant man in my life! I feed your kid because he’s hungry, and you barge in here like some lunatic, interrogating me like I’m a criminal? You’re welcome, by the way!”
I opened my mouth, but she wasn’t finished.
“What kind of father lets their son wander off like this anyway? And instead of thanking me, you act like this?” Her tone sharpened, cutting through the noise around us. “You’re a terrible father!”
A flash of rage burned through me. Bold of her to speak to an Alpha like that, but I pushed the reaction down. I didn’t have time for this.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my wallet and handed her enough cash to cover the meal and then some, ignoring as I turned to Owen.
“Let’s go, boy” I said, my voice clipped, leaving no room for argument.
The drive back was suffocatingly quiet. Owen sat in the backseat, his little face turned toward the window, arms crossed, his jaw set in that way that told me he wasn’t about to make this easy.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter, the leather creaking faintly under my fingers. “You shouldn’t have run off,” I said finally, breaking the silence. “Again. We can’t keep doing this, boy.”
Nothing. Not even a glance.
I took a slow breath, easing my tone. “I’ll talk to Sophia. She shouldn’t have torn up your drawing like that, alright? If you don’t want her visiting anymore, I can make that happen.”
His lips pressed into a thin, stubborn line, but still, he stayed quiet.
My gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, watching the way his small hands fidgeted in his lap, betraying the stoic act he was trying so hard to pull off. Something about his silence felt different this time, heavier.
“Owen,” I said, my voice sharper now, but he didn’t move.
Chapter 0013
The tension twisted in my chest, “Owen, who else was with you?” I asked again, this time lower, softer, the question almost a demand.
His shoulders tightened, his whole body going rigid. For a second, I thought he’d keep stonewalling me.
“You scared her away,” he muttered finally, the words so soft they barely reached me over the hum of the engine.
Her.
My knuckles turned white against the steering wheel. “Who?”
He didn’t answer. He just turned his face further toward the window, his reflection a stubborn blur in the glass.
But he didn’t need to say it. My instincts screamed the answer loud and clear.
