Twice Tempted: Between Two Alphas (Mia and Cameron)

Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Aaron notices me first.

He stops playing immediately and runs to my side.

I drop to my knees and hug him.

He pats my back. “We’re fine, mom. You don’t have to worry.” When I lean back and kiss his forehead,

he studies me with eyes that see too much. “Are you okay, mommy?”

I force myself to smile. “Of course! We’re together!”

He doesn’t believe me. And he flinches that I might lie to him.

I hug him again and whisper, “Hey, my little man, knock it off. No reading mommy’s mind!”

He giggles. He’s still grumpy, but I know he won’t stay that way.

I’m grateful for these glimpses of my little boy. Children should be free to play and learn and discover

the world. They shouldn’t have to carry the weight of their parents’ sins.

Morgan approaches. She shoves her hands into her designer jeans. “I’m sorry.”

Not a conversation I’m having with the little ones around.

My daughter squeals with laughter as she kicks the soccer ball past some imaginary goal line. Jace

sweeps her up and tosses her in the air, cheering her victory.

My kids are happy.

They’re surrounded by kin. By packmates.

A dark thought swirls through my mind and then sinks into my stomach. I’ve denied these people my

children.

Grandparents, aunts, uncles.

Cameron–his right as a father.

They never rocked my kids to sleep. Never took them for walks in the park. Or played blocks or stayed

up with them at night when they were getting their first teeth.

A sliver of guilt burns my stomach.

Morgan continues to watch me closely. “Hey Aaron, why don’t you get back into the game? Your Uncle

Jace… he’s way too smug with that last goal. I know you can beat him.”

Aaron grins. He’s definitely got competitive genes.

He runs off then stops and glances back at me.

“I’m good! Go have fun!” I smile until he turns and then I narrow my eyes at the witch who I thought was

my best friend. “Walk with me,” I say.

We leave the kids and Cam’s family. I’m not happy about it, but they deserve this time. Alpha

Healmsworth shoots me one angry look, as his wife keeps tearing up as she stares at the kids. I arch a

brow back at him.

Daring him to argue.

“You’re… I don’t know, different,” Morgan says. “Your energy.” She inclines her head. “Is it being on the

packlands?”

Witches draw power from the earth, so I understand why she would think that. “No, our magic doesn’t

work that way.”

“It’s nice here.”

“Are you really trying to distract me with small talk right now? You promised me!”

She takes a deep breath. “I did.”

“Then why would you do this? You have to see that it’s going to be impossible to leave here.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t.”

“What?”

“Leave.”

“I have a career, a home, a new…” What was Eric to me? I didn’t know exactly.

“A new wolf lover?” Her eyes sparkle as she considers the possibilities.”That’s exciting.”

“No.” Eric’s pack was at war. And his ambitions…

I’d have to figure out things with him at some point. Right now, I am dealing with the problems in front

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“You’re glowing.”

“Stop, Morgan.”

Her eyes falter and her steps slow.

“I trusted you with my children. With their futures. And you turned them over. Without my consent. You

had no right.”

She nods. “But we are not meant to be alone, Mia. There’s a reason covens form and stay together.

You’re a wolf. You belong with a pack.”

I don’t need this from her. I don’t need anyone telling me what to do or making choices for me. “You.

Had. No. Right.”

Her eyes get watery.

Morgan is a force of nature. Literally. And in her home with the power of thirteen witches united–there

was no way anyone should have reached her at all.

“You wouldn’t betray me like this.” I can’t believe that she would.

It has me wondering if something else isn’t behind this…

“Morgan, what’s really going on?”

Her face pales. She breaks a sweat. It’s slight, but I detect it.

Oh no. I have my suspicions, but I don’t want to think that she could do such a thing to me… “Morgan!

Tell me, damn it–”

“Did he come through here?” It’s my father and he races into the room, looking terrified.

“What? Who?” I ask him.

“Aaron.” My father shoves a hand through his hair. “He said he’d be right back. I thought he was

coming to follow you, or maybe to see his father… but …”

“Dad, please tell me you did not just lose my son!”

I close my eyes and focus for a moment. I won’t panic.

It’s only been like three minutes. It’s not like Aaron could’ve gone far.

I head back into the hall and then outside. His scent is there. With the way he was running all over the

square, his scent’s everywhere. But I am drawn to the left so I trust my instincts. I don’t run because I

don’t want to alarm my daughter.

Morgan’s on my heels and my father too. We take the steps into one of the packhouses. I’m not sure

whose. The other scents are unfamiliar. Why would he go into some random home?

For a bathroom maybe? Naw. He loves a good ‘bush wee.” Which, creators of Bluey…cartoons should

not teach these things!

My son is too young to track. Those senses don’t develop until the teen years. So why would he come

this way?

We hurry inside. I take the stairs two at a time. I can feel him now. If I listen hard enough I can hear his

breathing. I push open the second door in the hallway and stop short.

Aaron’s standing in what appears to be a very pretty nursery.

Pinks and whites and pale purple. Huge stuffed animals all over the room and a reading nook with a

fairytale castle. It’s a little girl’s childhood dream.

Aaron’s dragged a stack of toy boxes over and stands on top of them so he can reach all the way into

the crib.

“What are you doing, I ask?”

“Bonding with my sister,” he tells me.