The last one wasn't bad, but those first two were making her miserable.
Maybe this was just how life was for omegas. What if all she had to look forward to was sixty years of walking on eggshells? If that was the case, then it didn't matter if she claimed Ty or not.
The thought made Mia's eyes sting with unshed tears. If she'd known this was her destiny, she would have stayed home with her father.
No!
Her innate response was instant and overwhelming, surprising Mia.
Ty was nothing like the man who had raised her. That much was crystal clear. Even though she could practically feel his irritation constantly buzzing through the cabin, he hadn't ever lashed out at her. He hadn't raised a finger to hurt her.
Just the opposite. Every time Ty touched her, she felt nothing but pleasure. Crazy, intense pleasure.
Mia bit her lower lip, worrying it back and forth between her teeth as she gazed out the bedroom window. She gazed out across a gorgeous vista of dense evergreens stubbornly clinging to a hillside. In the narrow gaps between their trunks, long, curly fern fronds stretched toward fleeting shafts of bright sunlight overhead.
Given the direct angle of the light, Mia figured it was around noon. Funny, how quickly she'd adjusted to a life without all the technology she'd relied on at home.
No phone to check the time or computer to check her email. No electricity to light up the cabin at night. What was really weird was that she didn't really miss it.
If she was completely honest, there wasn't much that she did miss about her old beta life. Except maybe her friends and the sense of community and belonging that came along with them.
The woods were undeniably beautiful, but they were also isolated and lonely. And it didn't help that the only person she had for company wouldn't stop scowling long enough to grunt more than a few words.
Mia would give anything to have someone else to talk to.
She should have been more careful what she asked for. Less than fifteen minutes later, she heard the thump of two sets of footsteps on the planks of the porch outside.
Two.
Mia froze. For half a heartbeat, fear surged through her blood, freezing her in place. But it all dissipated though the moment she heard Ty's voice.
She couldn't make out what he was saying, just the familiar, deep rumble. The cadence of his words was relaxed. There were no shouts. No growls.
Whoever was outside was a friend.
And, judging by the heavy tread, an alpha every bit as big as Ty.
Maybe bigger.
Mia tiptoed over to the bedroom door and, as quietly as she could, slipped it open a crack. She angled her ear against the gap, hoping that the space would help her catch a few clear words, but she still couldn't make out what they were saying.
Damn it.
She needed to get closer if she wanted to hear what they were saying.
And she really wanted to hear.
Mia held her breath as she slid out of the bedroom and inched her way across the hardwood floor. The closer she crept to the front door, the more words she was able to identify. By the time she reached the fireplace, she could make out most of what the two alphas were saying.
Most, but not all.
"How many…do think they've brought in?" Ty asked. His voice was thick with concern.
"Not sure," the other man said. "A few…"
The last word was too low and muffled for Mia to hear. As carefully as she could, she risked the last few steps toward the front window, making sure to stay behind the cover of the curtain.
"And they're all armed?"
That caught her attention.
Mia leaned her head against the wall and caught sight of Ty in the sliver of space between the window frame and the curtain. He was leaning against the porch railing, his arms crossed over his massive chest. His mouth was a hard line of frustration—an expression she'd seen a lot over the past few days.
"Of course," the second alpha said.
Mia craned her neck a fraction of an inch to get a better look at him.
The stranger was sitting on the rough-hewn wooden chair across from Ty. His back was to her, so she couldn't make out any of his features. All she could tell was that he was huge and dark-haired…and far more relaxed than Ty.
His shoulders weren't clenched. His arms were casually draped over the armrests. His open hands dangled loosely. Overall, the other alpha didn't seem like a powder keg that was about to blow at any second.
Not the way Ty did.
"You really think they'll send their soldiers up here?" Ty said. "I don't care how many guns they have. I'll kill them all."
Dread pooled in Mia's gut.
Beta soldiers in the Boundarylands, threatening to trespass on alpha land—this had to be the work of her father.
Apparently, he didn't trust the FBI, so he'd sent in the goddamned army. If Senator Baird wanted his daughter out of the Boundarylands, there wasn't a force on earth that could stop him.
Mia felt like an idiot. She should have warned Ty something like this was coming, but, truth be told, she hadn't thought about her father—or anything to do with her old beta life—in days.
It wasn't that she had forgotten. Her memories were still crystal clear. It was just that things that had seemed so important just a week ago no longer mattered.
Her priorities had changed.
Just like she had.
Shaking the thought from her head, Mia focused her attention back on the conversation outside.
"They're treating this like a hostage situation," the stranger went on.
"That's bullshit."
"Sure, but what do they care if she's up here by fate or by choice? All any of them want is to be the hero who bags an alpha. You can smell it on them."
Shit.
Mia's chest tightened at the thought of camouflaged soldiers breaking down the door and showering the cabin with bullets. She couldn't let that happen.
But how in the world could she
