Micah’s anger blazed. Feet away, Terence Ventura stared, first in shock, then in fury. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m their profe—”
“Omega,” Kai and Spike growled, stepping close behind Micah so the heat of their bodies burned into his back.
Terence Ventura stared incredulously at Micah. “You? His omega? Are you fucking kidding me? You’ll find better at the dumpster—”
Kai lunged at him, but Micah threw his arm out, stopping his alpha. “Kai, no.”
Kai’s eyes flashed. “You don’t need to hear that shit.”
Terence’s judgmental eyes swept down Micah’s body, and back to Micah’s splotchy face. Micah felt the tightness of his scar tissue, the pull of his stiff muscles and his legs. At the back of his mind, he wondered if Kai or Spike would be convinced to look at him with a fresh pair of eyes. If they would listen to their father, and realize there were better omegas out there.
“Terence,” Natalie cried from the kitchen, but Terence was prowling forward, toward Micah.
Micah held up his walking stick to fend him off; the man yanked it out of his hands.
Micah wobbled, off-balance. The fight left him then—without that walking stick, he couldn’t stand strong. He didn’t feel confident enough to retort.
“Trying to attack me?” Terence snapped, waving the stick. “Looks like you’re ugly and useless.”
Spike wrapped his arm around Micah’s waist and pulled him backward, out of danger. Kai snarled, yanking Micah’s walking stick out of Terence’s hands.
“Don’t fucking touch him,” Kai growled. “Don’t fucking say any of that to him, when you can’t see his worth because you’re too fucking drunk to.”
Then he set down the walking stick and punched Terence in the jaw. Terence snarled, hurling his fist at Kai. Micah’s heart squeezed. Don’t hurt him!
Kai dodged the blow. Spike left Micah, stepping around the couch to grab his dad’s arms from the back. The alpha thrashed. But Spike was younger, stronger, and not inebriated.
“Don’t touch either of them,” Spike snapped. Then he dragged Terence Ventura away, and Kai growled low, stepping between his father and Micah, his eyes flashing.
Spike hauled Terence into a bedroom, slamming the door. It was only then, when Terence Ventura was out of sight, that Micah could draw another breath.
After a beat of silence, Kai turned, his dark gaze raking over Micah, fierce and protective. “You okay?”
Micah nodded, his voice stuck in his throat. He hadn’t expected the insults or the violence, or to feel so helpless. He was a professor. He should have some sort of control.
Kai strode over, pressing the walking stick back into Micah’s hand. His anger still blazed, and his chest heaved with each breath he took. But when he touched Micah, his knuckles were gentle on Micah’s skin, stroking up the side of Micah’s neck.
“We won’t be bringing you back here when he’s around,” Kai muttered. “We won’t let him hurt you.”
There were Spike’s feelings, and then there were Kai’s. And in that moment, with Kai’s heart in his eyes, Micah understood that Kai meant I won’t let him hurt you.
His pulse missed a beat. Staring at Kai Ventura, with those stormy eyes and his touch a promise of protection, Micah remembered the way Kai had barreled forward, Micah’s safety on the forefront of his mind. Kai had been animal, ferocious. Dangerous. Because he cared about Micah. And Micah realized—I love him.
28
Kai
Kai hadn’t expected Dad to wake this early in the day. He’d been on one side of the kitchen doorway. Then he’d decided to give his mom and Micah some privacy, and he’d headed over to join Spike on the other side of the doorway, squeezing Spike’s ass.
Kai had figured he would distract Spike, and maybe they’d head into their old bedroom to see if they needed anything from there.
He hadn’t expected Spike to roll his hips, or their father to open the bedroom door in that same moment. Kai had frozen. Spike had glanced over, and then he’d straightened his shoulders, too.
Kai didn’t remember much of the insults or argument. Wasn’t important. He’d received those same threats before. But then Micah was there, Micah was furious, all but yelling at Terence Ventura for all the stupid things he’d done in the past. The horrible omegas. The sheer volume of neglect.
Watching him, Kai realized that Micah Davis was strong, damn fucking strong, with a sort of righteous fury that made his cheeks flush and his eyes blaze.
Kai’s heart thumped like it had never thumped before. It said, This is my bondmate, and I love him, and he was momentarily stupefied by those thoughts. By Micah.
And Dad prowled at Micah like he was about to attack.
Kai reacted without thinking. He punched Dad, the impact shooting pain through his knuckles. Dad reeled. Spike used the distraction to drag Dad back into his bedroom.
The door slammed. They were safe for now.
Kai turned back to Micah, returning his walking stick. Then he touched Micah’s neck, right over his pulse point. Micah’s heart was beating fast, his eyes fearful. Fuck that man, Kai thought. He’s not my dad.
“We won’t be bringing you here when he’s around,” Kai swore. “We won’t let him hurt you.”
“Okay.” The intensity of Micah’s gaze—like he was only aware of Kai in that moment—it almost bowled Kai over. Kai wanted to lean in and kiss him. He wanted to claim Micah, and let Micah know all of him. I love this omega.
That was a fucking scary thought.
“Kai,” Mom said, stopping next to them. Her brow furrowed. “Now isn’t a good time to stay.”
Yeah, it wasn’t. But Kai wanted a second to taste Micah. Let Micah know how he felt. He wanted to
