His omega's people. They had to be. Ty tensed. If they were the ones who'd hurt her, he'd…
Dark thoughts swirled in Ty's head. Dozens of violent possibilities floated through his mind. So many ways to make them suffer.
"They still coming by?" Ty asked.
"That's the thing," Samson said with a sigh. "They never left. They've set up camp in Evander's parking lot."
Set up camp? What the hell was that about? No beta ever stayed in the Boundarylands for days on end. Not even the most determined family members.
"Is it her parents?" Ty asked.
Samson shook his head. "Beta cops," he said. "Lots of them. Some of them local. Some federal. It looks like they're prepared to stay for a while. They've brought command vehicles and armored trucks."
What the fuck? Ty pressed his lips together. All this for one little omega—the one who was sound asleep in his bed. Who the hell was she?
"What do they want?" Ty asked.
"A girl named Mia Baird. Five-foot six. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. On the slight side. Sound familiar?"
Mia Baird. So now he knew her name.
"Maybe."
"Turns out your omega is the daughter of a senator."
Ty curled his fingers, tightening his hands into fists. Was that supposed to mean something to him? He didn't give a single shit who her father was. She didn't belong to that world anymore.
She was an omega. His omega. On his land. In his bed. No one had any claim to her but him.
No matter how many armored trucks rolled in.
"A senator should know the treaties better than anyone," Ty said through tight lips. "Beta law stops at the boundary. He has no rights over an omega."
"He has no rights over a claimed omega," Samson clarified. "And since I don't see a bite on your shoulder, I'm guessing there's no bite on hers either."
"She's still sleeping off her first heat," Ty growled. "There hasn't been an opportunity."
Samson shot him a severe look—a rare occurrence from his friend. "Then you need to find an opportunity. And soon. Not just for your sake, but for everyone's."
"What does that mean?"
"Tensions are running high, Ty," Samson answered. "On both sides, and the longer Evander's stays closed, the worse it gets. Our brothers can't stand the outsiders taking over the only neutral ground in the area, and the betas don't like that we won't answer their questions."
The relationship between the alpha and beta worlds was strained under the best of circumstances, but once tempers flared, bloodshed inevitably followed.
"You wouldn't be willing to take over operations at the bar for a few days, would you?" Ty asked his friend.
Samson slowly nodded. He didn't seem all that surprised to be asked. He'd probably been thinking of a similar solution.
Opening the bar would give the alphas in the area a place to drink and blow off steam. It wouldn't make the outsiders leave, but it would make them easier to deal with.
"As long as you realize that's only a temporary solution," Samson said. "You're going to need to come down and talk to these outsiders before they get it into their heads to come up here and talk to you."
Ty's blood heated at the thought of strangers trespassing onto his land. Of them coming anywhere close to his omega.
But as much as his instincts rebelled at the thought of leaving her behind, Ty recognized the truth in Samson's words. The sooner he took care of this beta invasion, the better.
For everyone.
"I'll come down today," he said. "They're not going to like what they hear, though. Might make things worse."
"I don't know," Samson said, pushing himself off the post. "I spoke with the outsider in charge of the whole operation. He seems reasonable…for a beta."
Ty nodded. Usually he wouldn't believe that description of a beta cop, but he trusted Samson.
"I'll be down this afternoon," Ty said. "As soon as she…Mia…is up and settled."
Her name felt good on his lips, but he didn't like the bitter taste of having to learn it from someone else.
"I'm glad to hear it," Samson said. He took a step backward, ready to make the hike back to his own land. "And congratulations."
"Wait." Ty rose from his seat on the step, stopping Samson when he was only a few feet away. "Did these outsiders explain what she was doing here in the first place?"
"Apparently, she's a runaway," Samson said. "Something about an argument with her boyfriend."
Ty's back teeth ground against each other as his jaw snapped shut.
An argument.
The kind that led to a bruised cheek and busted knee.
Chapter Five
"Mia."
Oh, no. Mia nestled deeper into the soft nest of pillows. The last time she'd allowed something to lure her out of the warm, comforting cocoon of sleep, she'd instantly regretted it. She wasn't about to make that mistake again.
This time it wasn't the sunlight trying to break through the blissful respite of her dreams, but a low rumbling voice. One that fell over her, covering and comforting her like a heavy blanket.
"Mia, wake up."
One that knew her name.
Oh, shit.
Consciousness crashed into Mia's mind like a brick thrown through a window.
She'd never told the alpha her name. She was sure of that. Hell, for the last few days, she could barely remember it herself. Which meant he'd found out some other way.
Her eyes popped open. The alpha's hulking body loomed over the side of the bed. She didn't think it was possible, but somehow he looked even bigger than before.
For a second, she was amazed that she'd been able to take him inside of her body at all. Let alone practically non-stop for several days straight.
No wonder every part of her felt so stiff and sore.
"How did you learn my name?" she asked, struggling to sit up in bed. Her arms were weak. Her legs, too.
And her core muscles…those were beyond sore. If Mia didn't know better, she would have thought she'd spent the better part of a week with the world's most brutal physical trainer…which wasn't far from the truth.
The
