"My alpha," Mia said. "And there's no way he's going to let any of you walk out of here."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll try to save you," her father said. "Actually, I'm counting on it."
Mia narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the sound of that. "You were counting on being torn apart?"
"Hardly," her father sniffed. "I may not be as intimately acquainted with alphas as you, dear, but I do know that they will always come panting after their sluts."
"I'm not a slut," Mia said through gritted teeth. Such words from her father would once have stung. Now, she threw them back in his face. "I am his mate. His wife."
Her father shook his head. "Not as far as the voters of our great state are concerned. Poll after poll has shown that they strongly disapprove of your behavior."
"My 'behavior'?" Mia echoed indignantly. She hadn't chosen any of this. No omega did. This was how she was born. It was her nature. Who she was meant to be.
Her father continued as though she hadn't spoken.
"So much that I've lost seventeen points in the latest opinion polls. Even your return home and successful conversion therapy are projected to only bring back five of those points. But…" The smile that stole over his face was as brittle as glass. "If you were lost entirely, perhaps killed by a jealous lover who would rather snap your neck than have you leave him in a failed rescue attempt—well, then I actually gain twenty points. Twenty-two if you die in my arms."
Mia waited for her father's threat to sink in, for his rejection to wound her as it always had. But all she felt was contempt. For her entire life, she had feared her father, but now she felt only a growing urge to strike back, to make him feel a fraction of the pain that he had caused her.
A bitter laugh escaped her. No one got to tell Mia that her life was only worth twenty-two approval points.
"Father, this is the last time I'm going to warn you. You need to leave before Ty gets here."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I know you think you have this all planned out," Mia said, "but this isn't D.C. You're not in control here."
Her father's lip curled in disgust. "Don't be ridiculous. These men have automatic rifles and thousands of rounds. Your rabid dogs don't even believe in weapons."
"That's because they don't need them," Mia said, suddenly tired of the conversation. "I'll make this simple. If you don't get back on those helicopters now, you and all these men are going to die."
Some of the soldiers standing in front of her father shifted slightly on their feet. Mia might not have an alpha's heightened senses, but even she could see that they were nervous.
Their eyes darted into the woods, around the corner of the house, behind the helicopter, knowing that Ty and the other alphas weren't far away.
In fact, they should have been here already.
For a brief second, Mia worried that something might have happened to them. That there might have been other soldiers in the woods that had been lying in wait for the alphas.
But no.
She couldn't explain how, but somehow she knew that Ty was unhurt. The bond between them was too strong to leave her in doubt. If he had been hurt or killed, she would have known.
Her father sensed the soldiers' unease. "Don't let her get into your head, boys. These beasts are huge. Seven feet tall and hundreds of pounds. There's no way they could sneak up on us."
Except…Mia knew that they could. She had seen Ty do precisely that to the bastard who had grabbed her in the woods. Neither of them had even known Ty was there until he'd knocked the beta to the ground.
"You need to leave," Mia repeated.
Her father's mouth flattened into a thin line. "You don't tell me what to do, little girl."
The sharp note of rage in his voice told her everything she needed to know. It was the tone he used whenever she hit a nerve.
Most times, it was punctuated by the back of his hand across her cheek. But not this time.
Never again.
Senator Baird turned to the soldier standing to his left. "Go grab her, just in case we need to use her as a shield."
The beta gave a slight nod and moved toward her. The poor bastard didn't even make it two steps.
Ty rounded the corner of Randall's house in a flash, moving so fast Mia could barely track him. The soldier didn't have time to react. He couldn't even raise his rifle before Ty plowed into him, seeing his limp body flying across the clearing.
Mia took a step back as she spotted Kian and Randall thundering toward them from behind the helicopter. They split up and headed for opposite ends of the line of soldiers and took out the first two with one blow each.
The remaining three betas raised their weapons, but the alphas were relentless. Their movements were too swift. Too sure. Every punch landed. Bones cracked, and blood flew before Mia could retreat.
The helicopter whined to life as the blades started to turn.
Her father, seeing that the tides had turned, ran for the helicopter's open door and pulled himself in.
But he couldn't close it fast enough.
Randall was right behind him, and he threw himself inside, knocking her father over. The helicopter had lifted a few feet off the ground—but it didn't make it any higher. There was a loud pop, and then eerie silence as the engine instantly died. The copter fell sideways to the ground and burst into flames.
Randall appeared in the open door, framed by fire, with her very-much-alive father in one hand and the torn-out controls of the helicopter in the other. He tossed her father out on to the grass below before jumping down.
"Ty," he said. "I believe this one is yours to deal with."
Ty closed the distance in two strides and put his foot on her father's back as the senator tried to crawl away, rendering him unable to move.
"You know what I have to do," Ty said, speaking only to Mia.
She did. Just like she knew he wasn't telling her what was going to happen. He was asking. Asking her permission to kill her father and end the threat to their lives forever.
Mia knew what question cost him. Rage came off him in waves, every muscle in his body tense with coiled vengeance. It had to be killing him to hold himself back.
But he was willing to bow to her desire—even willing to let him live to see tomorrow—if that was what Mia wanted.
You know what I have to do.
Mia met her alpha's gaze without blinking, wordlessly communicating the boundless love and respect she had for him.
"Do it," she said in a clear, strong voice.
The strong stench of urine reached her nostrils as her father quaked uncontrollably, moaning and begging.
The sound of police sirens approached. If Mia could hear them, she knew that the three alphas had heard them quite a while ago. Their hands balled into fists; their muscles tensed as they readied themselves for another attack.
But when the swarm of black sedans with red and blue lights blazing made the turn in front of Randall's house and came to a stop, Agent Christie jumped out of the first car, his gun already drawn.
His men were close behind. A dozen of them climbed out and formed a line facing her father's hired soldiers, waited for a signal.
Christie looked around him, taking in the situation, before settling his gaze on Ty.
"Wick," he said, nodding in acknowledgment. "I need you to know I tried to stop him before he got to her."
Ty cocked his head to the side. "Are you going to try to stop me now? Like you did with that coward beta kid before?"
"Yes, Agent Christie," her father yelled, his voice breaking in terror. "Shoot the mongrel now. Save, and I'll give you anything you want. I swear. Anything."
Christie drew in a deep breath and let it out with a loud sigh. Slowly, he lowered his gun. "Fuck it," he said. "Do what you have to, Wick. The truth is you'll be saving me from a mound of paperwork."
"No," her father cried.
Ty let out a growl of victory. "This is for every time you hurt her."
H
e smashed his fist into her father's chest, the force of the blow crushing his ribs.
Mia closed her eyes as his screams of terror and pain carried across the field. She had no pity for her father, but that didn't mean she could stand to watch him die.
Again and again, she heard the pounding of Ty's hands against her father's ribs. Bones cracked, and blood sprayed.
And then it was over.
The whole field was quiet. The only sound she heard was Ty's ragged breath.
Only then did Mia turn around. She didn't look directly at her father's body—though his bloody corpse was in her peripheral vision.
The only person she wanted to look at was Ty.
Her alpha walked toward her without a backward glance, wiping her father's blood on his pants. He stood before her with her head bowed, waiting—not in apology or regret, but for her signal that it was over.
Mia placed her hands over his heart, feeling its steady beat, looking up into his eyes. No one—not the alphas, her father's hired guns, or the FBI—made a move. No one spoke.
"Thank you," Mia whispered to her alpha.
"For killing your father?" he growled.
"For protecting me. For keeping me safe."
"Nothing will ever come between us," he said, covering her hands with his own. "You are mine, and I am yours."
"Forever."
Chapter Fourteen
Two months later
"Mia, sit down."
Ty's voice, soft yet firm, traveled across the patio at Kian and Paige's house.
And Mia wanted to obey. She really did.
Yet, somehow she couldn't. She was just too nervous.
"Mia," Ty repeated. This time he didn't just say the words but got up and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her toward his chair.
Reluctantly, she sat down on his lap.
A second later, a woman's long, low cry sounded from deep inside the house.
And just like that, Mia was up again.
Damn. The contractions were getting faster and closer together.
How the hell was Paige enduring it? It wasn't just her friend's cries of pain that had Mia fretting and pacing, it also was how much work she knew Paige was doing in there.
No wonder they called it labor.
Paige had been at this for hours now. Long enough for Randall to drive out to get her and Ty.
At first, Mia had been honored that her friend wanted her there when the baby came.
But now?
Well, now she wasn't so sure.
"Mia," Ty cupped his hand over her shoulder again and guided her back down into his lap. "You need to calm down."
How could she, when—in seven short months—she would be in Paige's position?
Her fear must have revealed itself in her scent because even Randall chimed in.
"She's going to be just fine," he said reassuringly. "Omegas are strong. They're built for this. And Gail knows what she's doing. She was a nurse before she came to the Boundarylands."
Mia knew it was true. Every word.
Gail was doing a great job. Paige was strong. The pup would be fine.
But why did it have to sound so painful?
Mia shifted in Ty's lap as the grunts and screams streamed from Paige's house.
And then it fell silent…to Mia's ears, at least.
Mia held her breath as the alphas looked at each other. Huge knowing grins spread across their faces. They knew something. Something they weren't telling her.
"What?" Mia demanded.
But Ty didn't say a word.
"Tell me!"
Before he could answer, a cry sounded—this one a high-pitched bleat.
A pup.
Mia's eyes welled up with joy.
That was what made all the pain and hard work worth it.
Moments later, Kian appeared in the doorway, a bundle cradled in his arms.
Gail followed right behind him with another.
Another?
"My brothers," Kian announced, pride shining on his face. "I'd like you to meet my little alpha and his sister omega."
Mia's eyes went wide. She turned to Ty. "Twins?"
Her shock must have shown because laughter filled Ty's eyes. "Don't worry, sweetheart," he teased. "Twins are somewhat rare."
"Somewhat?"
* * *
Welcome to The Boundarylands Omegaverse!
Thank you for reading TY, Book 2 in the series. There are so many more hot alphas from the Boundarylands waiting to meet you.
Keep reading for a sneak peek of Samson’s book, available here: Samson (The Boundarylands Omegaverse)
If you want to spread the word about the Boundarylands, please consider leaving a review. The more reviews a book has the easier it is for new readers to find it.
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* * *
Samson: The Boundarylands Omegaverse
"I don't think it was appropriate for Dr. Cheung to allow you on my research trip."
Cassidy Carr lifted her eyes toward the ceiling of the mid-size sedan she'd picked up from the rental counter at the Sacramento Airports hours ago. She raised her hands and rubbed at the headache that—not coincidently—had been pounding at her temples for the same amount of time.
"You've made that pretty clear, Ian," she said, trying to keep her tone civil and not let her travel partner know how much he annoyed the living shit out of her. But she was a scientist, not an actress. "I heard you say it the first fifty times."
She looked out the passenger side window but still caught him shooting her a glare out of the corner of her eye.
"You don't have to be such a bitch about it," he said. "It's just my opinion."
Yes, Ian Wilkerson's opinion.
The one about how Cassidy shouldn't be in the Alpha Studies graduate program. His opinion about how no woman should be allowed to cross into the Boundarylands and that those who did should be considered deviant by society and brought in for psychological screening. That opinion.
She knew all about it. So did everyone else in the sociology department who stopped to talk to Ian Wilkerson for more than half a second.
The only trouble was a lot of the staff agreed with him.
All except their advisor, Dr. Cheung.
Cassidy had searched long and hard to find a graduate program that would even consider accepting a woman. Dr. Cheung was the first to look past her gender to the passion and thoroughness of her work.
And Cassidy had done her best not to let him down. She'd worked her ass off, rising to the top of her class and becoming his primary assistant during his research trips to the Pacific Northwest Boundarylands.
That was the reason Ian's words were so infuriating.
This was her research trip. Not his.
This would be her seventh visit there in the last sixteen months. Ian, on the other hand, had only visited the Southeastern Boundarylands, and then only once.
This was supposed to be her first solo trip. Her opportunity to prove that she was ready to become a full-fledged researcher—one that didn't need a supervisor.
But it turned out that was too much to ask for. There were too many people at the school who lashed out at the idea of Cassidy making a research trip by herself. They made arguments about legal and financial liability, but she knew their real concerns—that a woman shouldn't be alone in the Boundarylands.
Even if that woman's beta nature had been proven a dozen times over and was only a couple months away from earning a whole slew of letters after her name.
Cassidy tried not to blame them. After all, very few betas had ever set foot in the Boundarylands. Everything the typical beta knew about alpha laws and culture came from outdated school books and biased television reports.
They pictured them as snarling, primitive giants, only content when they we
re fighting or fucking.
But that wasn't the case. They were big, sure—stronger, faster, and far more powerful than any beta, male or female—but they were still people.
But beta society didn't want to focus on commonalities. They just wanted to fear the differences in their natures—an alpha's heightened senses, his territorial instincts, his predatory drive.
It was up to researchers like her to change that narrative. To highlight the shared humanity between the Boundaryland and the beta world.
That was Cassidy's passion in life. That was what she'd been working for all these years. It was why she had made more trips to the same Boundaryland community than any other researcher besides Dr. Cheung. It was why she was going again tonight.
"I just don't understand why you would willingly put yourself at risk," Ian said. "Do you get off on the danger?"
"I don't know what you hope to gain by continuing to berate me," she told him, suddenly sick to death of playing nice. "We're already over the boundary and only a few miles from Evander's Bar. Nothing you say is going to change anything at this point."
Cassidy knew that wasn't entirely true. His words would continue to wriggle under her skin and piss her off. Which was probably exactly what Ian was hoping they would do.
Throw her off her game right before she headed her first solo research trip.
"Apparently, I can't turn my conscience on and off like you can," Ian said, sounding like the injured party instead of the thorn in her side. "You've made some questionable life choices, but you're still a young and somewhat decent-looking girl. It's not too late for you to go into any other field."
Cassidy bit the inside of her cheek. She'd been hearing this same crappy argument from Ian, from her peers, from her family for the last four years now.
"I'm good at what I do. Damn good."
Better than you.
She swallowed down that last dig along with the rage that bubbled up like bile in her throat.
There was nothing to gain by fighting with Ian. She'd learned that a long time ago.
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