“Shit. Shit, shit, shit,” Dean growled, hitting his head against the steering wheel. He’d been sitting in his truck in the back of the store parking lot for five minutes, and it was only beginning to set in just how much his life had changed.

One second, one look, one word on the omega’s lips was all it had taken for Dean to recognize that Max—the Max, if the familiar hue of those clear blue eyes was any indication—was his destined mate.

At one point, imprinting on the omega he had been waiting his whole life to find was Dean’s idea of the perfect Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter all rolled up in one. It just had to be Max. It had to be the one omega he had an obligation to mistrust, to vet, to view in the most objective terms…

But damn, what an omega he was. It had taken all the Alpha’s willpower not to reach out and touch the omega’s soft brown hair, to cup his angular face in his palm and brush his fingers over that perfect Cupid’s bow. He’d never wanted anything or anyone more than he’d wanted Max in that moment—and the desire hadn’t faded. Not even once his common sense set in and he realized just how disastrous this conflict of interest could be.

He’d already broken enough professional regulations on his little journey to uncover the truth, and if anyone found out he’d imprinted on Max, it would go from looking like the altruistic effort it was to a personal vendetta. If the omega was truly as intent on changing his life and finding his son as everyone Dean had spoken with claimed he was, having an Alpha—a cop involved in his son’s case, at that—come forward now was the worst thing that could happen to him. It was the worst thing for him and Gavin, and Dean owed them both more than that, even if it meant telling his heart no to everything it had always wanted.

Movement caught Dean’s attention out of the corner of his eye and he looked up to see Max in the driver’s seat of a small blue sedan peeling towards the mall exit. “Shit,” he muttered, starting up his car to take off after the omega. As an undercover cop, he’d tailed plenty of suspects, but his need to pursue the omega was making it hard to follow his professional instincts.

Maybe Max was just going out on his lunch break, but if so, why wouldn’t he have told Dean to meet him then? The way he was driving left no room to doubt he was running from something. From Dean.

“Please don’t be a scumbag,” he muttered to himself, keeping a few cars between him and the omega. He changed lanes when he thought he saw Max look back in the mirror. He switched back in time to follow the omega down a left turn and onto the highway.

“Where the hell are you going?” he wondered aloud, putting more distance between them since the highway was a straight shoot and he’d easily be able to see which exit Max took. If being a department store manager didn’t work out, the omega could sure as hell take up stunt driving. Dean had racked up more than enough justification to pull him over in the last five minutes alone, but he held back. He wanted to talk to Max, not scare him shitless, and flaunting his authority would only make things worse.

When Max finally took an exit populated with gas stations, restaurants and a rest stop, Dean realized what he was doing. Did he know he was being followed? He sure acted like it, pulling off into a highly populated area. So he was clever, but that meant he probably had reason to cover his tracks. Dean was torn between being impressed, concerned and weirdly turned on. Long gone were the days when it was socially acceptable for Alphas to hunt their mates, but it still satisfied some primal urge he’d rather not acknowledge.

Dean pulled into a spot on the other end of the rest stop parking lot and thanked his lucky stars the omega had pulled in there and not the crowded restaurant across the street. Now was his chance, and he wasted no time taking it. He jumped out of the car and stalked across the lot, catching Max’s door as it opened.

The omega’s terrified expression warned Dean of the scream that was coming and he clamped his hand over Max’s mouth to stop it. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he hissed. “I just want to talk.”

Max bit down hard on his hand and the pain was enough to make Dean jerk it back in surprise. The omega took his chance to run and Dean found himself hoping no one saw as he took off after the omega. This shit looked bad, and as soon as he flashed his badge to any concerned passersby to reassure them of his good intentions, Max would be the one who ended up looking bad.

Dean moved up to cut the omega off before he could reach the path leading up to the rest stop’s main building. He caught the back of Max’s shirt, but the omega was quick and he slipped through the Alpha’s grasp. Dean finally managed to catch up with him and pushed him up against the back of the rest stop as gently as he could. He had his forearm flattened against Max’s collar, keeping him pinned to the wall, but despite the fact that there was no contest between them in size or strength, the omega refused to give up struggling.

“I’m not going to hurt you!” Dean growled, finding it more of a challenge to restrain one flailing omega than most of the perps he chased on a near-daily basis. To be fair, he didn’t care if he hurt them. His words seemed to have no effect, so he tried a different tactic. “I’m here because of your son!”

That got through. Max stopped struggling immediately and stared up at Dean, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Gavin?” The way his voice broke when he said the boy’s name, as if he was too afraid to give in to the hope within it, broke Dean’s heart. Whether Max was a fit parent or not remained to be seen, but now he knew the others were right. Whatever reason the omega had for being separated from his son, he’d never stopped loving him.

“If I let you go, will you let me talk?”

Max nodded shakily, so Dean released his hold and took a step back. He glanced to make sure no one was watching and realized somehow their chase had escaped notice. “I’m a cop,” he said, taking out his badge for a split second. He could feel Max’s guard go up immediately. “You’re not in trouble. I’m looking for you because I promised Gavin I would.”

“How do you know my son?” Max asked warily. “Is he in trouble?”

“No. Of course not. I work with his social worker, and he ended up staying with me and my family over Thanksgiving,” Dean explained. “He ran away from his foster parents, but he’s safe now.”

Max listened, hanging on Dean’s every word. His eyes filled with tears, but he kept them in check. “Is he alright?” he asked in a strained voice. “Is he…is he healthy? Happy?”

No matter how much of a fight he’d put up moments earlier, the omega standing in front of Dean seemed small, fragile and vulnerable. The Alpha knew his words were going to feel like a knife in the gut, but if he was going to help Gavin—if he was going to help both of them—all cards had to be out on the table.

“He’s good,” Dean said, smiling a little. “He’s tall as a weed, and stubborn as hell, but he’s a good kid. He’s smart and healthy, and he does good in school when he’s not getting in fights.”

Max gave a strangled laugh and those tears finally spilled over his cheeks. He covered his mouth and Dean could tell he was trying to get himself together. “Can I see him? Do you have a picture?” he whispered.

“Of course,” Dean said, fumbling for his phone. He pulled up the photo from Thanksgiving and the bittersweet pain that filled the omega’s eyes as he studied the photo like it was an ancient, priceless relic broke him all over again.

“Who is that with him?” Max asked, his voice cracking. “Are they his…his foster family?”

“No. That’s my mom and my nephew,” said Dean. “The Newports are his fosters.” He hesitated. The part of him that already felt devoted to Max, despite the fact that the omega was a complete stranger, was railing at him for what he was about to do, but he had an obligation to Gavin first. If Max was the person Dean hoped he was, he’d understand. “They’re good people. They love Gavin and they want to make him a part of their family, permanently.”

Understanding crossed the omega’s features, but even though Dean could tell the words brought him immense pain, he nodded and kept his shoulders square. “I’m so glad,” he said shakily. “I’m glad he has people who love him the way he deserves.”

“He’s a special kid,” Dean said, clearing his throat. “But see, not knowing where he came from is keeping him from reaching his full potential. He’s got it in his head that somewhere out there, you’re looking for him and you never stopped wanting him. Until recently, I thought that was just wishful thinking, but meeting you?” He smiled a little. “I’ve never been more relieved to be wrong in my life.”

“Of course I want him.” Max’s brow furrowed in pain as he hugged himself. “I always wanted him. I never gave Gavin up, he was taken from me.”

“I believe you,” said Dean, noting the surprise on the omega’s face. “I know about Chris, or at least, what you told your friend back at the Cabin and what little Trent Krieg was willing to spill.”

The murderous look that entered the omega’s eyes made Dean second guess his assumption that Max was some fragile thing that needed to be protected. But it just made him want to do the protecting all the more. “Trent Krieg is a lying piece of shit,” he seethed. “He and his wife tried to buy my baby, and when I refused, they took him anyway.”

“I know,” Dean said in a somber tone. “I talked to his lawyer. I know the adoption wasn’t legal.”

“Then you have to help me,” Max said earnestly. “All this time, it’s been my word against Chris’, but if you really are a cop and you know the truth, then you can help me get my son back.”

“I want to help,” Dean assured him. “There’s no excuse for what happened to you, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make sure the Alpha who took advantage of you pays for it, but just because it happened then doesn’t mean that being with you is what’s best for Gavin right now.”

“The hell it doesn’t!” Max snapped. “He’s my son. He belongs with me, not some random family.”

“That random family has been feeding and clothing him for the past year,” Dean replied, struggling to walk the line between firm and gentle. “They can give him a life most kids could only dream of.”

“I’ve changed,” Max said, his voice cracking. “I don’t work at the ruthouse anymore. I got a new job. A real job with benefits. And I have my own place. I can take care of him now the way I couldn’t before.”

“Maybe that’s true,” Dean said softly. “And I’m not saying you shouldn’t be part of his life, but you have to think about what that means for him. It’s not just about stability, it’s about safety. When I showed up, you looked like you’d seen a ghost. It’s because you thought I was working for Chris, isn’t it?”

Max looked away, his jaw set in refusal to answer.

“I know it is,” Dean murmured. “Can you honestly say you’re in a position to enter Gavin’s life right now without bringing him into it?”

The omega hugged himself tighter and while his hair kept Dean from being able to see his face, he could see the way the smaller man’s shoulders trembled. “He’s my son,” he said in a small, pained voice.

Dean reached out and stopped himself twice before he finally decided to give in and take Max into his arms the way he’d wanted to from the moment he’d met him. The omega’s soft scent filled his nostrils and the feeling of Max in his arms was so right, so perfect, it made his heart ache. “I know. And I know how much you love him, but you need to ask yourself what’s truly best for him, even if it hurts. You’re the only person who loves him enough to do that.”

Max broke down in sobs, and Dean felt like his soul itself was lit on fire. He was halfway to convincing himself that the right thing could go to hell when he heard the sound of a gun being cocked from behind him.

“Step away from him,” a man said in a low, cold tone. Dean froze, slowly raising his hands and turning around while keeping himself between Max and the stranger with a gun. His first thought was that Chris had tracked them both while he’d been following Max, but as tall and imposing as the man was, his scent was that of a beta, not an Alpha.

Either way, that look in his eyes told Dean he was all kinds of fucked if he moved a single inch.