Holy shit. My head was spinning off its axis, tossing me overboard into dark and deadly waters. It was mine? For several long moments, I stared at the wolf and the pained expression on his young face. Soren looked so goddamn broken, so ashamed, like he’d failed me somehow.

I stared at him, because the rest of his words sank home. He’d been a virgin? Something ugly twisted inside of me. Fuck, I’d been so rough with him. Why didn’t he tell me? I opened my mouth, but anything I might’ve said dried up on my tongue, so I closed it again.

Apparently, Soren took that as rejection. “I’m sorry,” he said, barely above a whisper. He took a step away from me. I saw the flash of his eyes in the darkness, smelled the sharp tang of his nerves.

Before he could flee, I caught his wrist. “Please… Just—I need a moment.” I couldn’t breathe. My lungs felt pinched and airless. Fuck, fuck, fuck… This Omega—the man I’d been pining over for the past few months—was carrying my child. My stag wanted to bellow his pride, wanted to pin the wolf down and claim him, right here in the woods.

But that tear in my heart only deepened, tugging stitches free with each ragged pull. I didn’t want another Omega, not after what happened with Wesley. I told myself years ago, never again. That pain was still too real, still too raw and festering inside of me. And a baby? I couldn’t even protect my daughter. What made me think that I was fit to be a father again?

“Hunter. Please, let me go.” Soren’s whisper was an icepick to my frigid heart. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this. I’m sorry…” He shook his head and tried to tug free of my grasp, but I held firm. He looked so damn dejected.

“Stop apologizing,” I barked. “It’s not your fault.”

“It is. I’m the one who pressured you and I—I don’t want to get rid of it, so—”

Get rid of it? Anger burst inside of me, splattering my insides with a blistering heat. “I don’t want you to get rid of it! I never said that, so don’t put words in my mouth,” I snapped. I immediately regretted it when Soren flinched like I’d just struck him. Goddamnit, I was fucking everything up.

I let him go. “Look. Let’s talk about it, okay? I don’t… I never expected this, for sure, but I don’t want— Fuck, Soren. I’m the one who’s sorry. Shit. I thought you used me to cheat on your Alpha, thought for sure that—” I sighed and raked my fingers through my snarled hair. “I’m not mad.”

“You sure about that?” He didn’t sound convinced.

“I’m sorry. It’s a shock, that’s all. I’m gonna need some time to wrap my head around it.” My gaze dropped to the subtle bump of his stomach, lightly stretching the soft cotton of his t-shirt. My fingers twitched with the sudden urge to touch, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him flinching away again.

I closed my eyes on a low exhale. “I want to talk about this. Not tonight. Tonight I need to think about things, but why don’t you come spend some time at my place and we can figure this out. I’ll give you my number. Text me, would you? No offense, but I really don’t want to face your brother’s wrath a second time.”

“Me either.” The tiniest of smiles curled up the corners of Soren’s lips, and with that smile came a flood of relief. Maybe things would be okay. Maybe we could work it out.