Someone like me should never be in a place like this.

The city limits was a place where there were no laws or rules. It was a place where you could get murdered and buried without anyone ever finding out where you went. It was where I knew my son was, and I was still desperately trying to find him after months and months of searching.

Even the thought of Winston, the Alpha who stole my son from me, left a bitter taste in my mouth. If I ever saw that motherfucker again, I was going to make sure he'd suffer a slow painful death. The first time I’d captured Winston, he had been able to escape somehow. But I wasn't going to make that same mistake again. I was going to make sure I found him and my son, even if it'd take me years to do so.

I was alone and searching in the forest. I walked up and down the same section of trees that I'd already searched a million times, trying to see if there was any trace of my Omega son. The truth was that I missed Tyler. A lot. Whatever I did to make him want to run away with an Alpha, I promised myself that I'd change for him. I only wanted one thing. The chance to talk to Tyler and let him know that I was sorry for having wronged him.

I'd put my business on the back burner for the past few months to search for Tyler. Because of that, my business wasn't doing so well that quarter. Stockholders were selling their shares after news broke that my son had run away. What kind of people would want to back a company when the CEO couldn't even control his own pack?

I was devastated. As each day passed, my heart felt heavier and heavier. It was like I was grieving for my son when he wasn't even dead yet. At least, I hoped he wasn't. There was one thing worse than Tyler running away. It was finding out that he’d died. I wouldn't know what to do if I found out he’d died out here. A Golden Omega as special as Tyler should never be out in a place like this. I hoped that that bastard Winston at least had the decency to care for my son, even if he had taken him away from me.

I was in wolf form, sniffing for my son's scent. It was dangerous for me to be alone without my Betas helping me. But they were only slowing me down. Each day that passed was another day that something could happen to Tyler. Each day that passed was another day my business was losing millions of dollars.

The sun was starting to come down, and my eyes were adjusting to the darkening sky. Night time in the city limits was no joke. If I came across a pack of bad wolves, that'd be the end of me. I continued my search though. There wasn't any time to worry about myself. I needed to find my son. I needed to take him home. As I crossed the stream, I noticed the scent of blood in the air. I put my nose close to the ground, following the trail of blood. It was the blood of an Omega. It led me through an area of fallen trees. I had to shift into human form so that I could walk through it easier. The night breeze caressed my naked body.

"Tyler?" I called out softly, hoping that I wasn't being led into a trap.

A quiet whimper made me turn around quickly. It was so dark I could barely see my hands in front of me.

I heard the soft whimper again. This time, it was muffled. Whoever it was, he sounded like he was in pain but was trying to remain quiet.

The whimpering was coming from behind a large tree, and I saw someone lying down against it. He was naked, and his bright blond hair reflected the moon. Was he my son? I wasn't sure. But I walked toward him slowly.

"Please," he called out.

I didn’t know if he was pleading for help or pleading for me to stay away. I continued to walk toward him, wary that a pack of wolves was going to pop out of the surrounding trees and attack me. When I got closer, I noticed that it wasn't Tyler at all. It was an injured Omega. The trail of blood that had led me to him was coming from his ankle.

"Don't hurt me," he said.

He was naked and weak. His body was lean and toned, like he hadn't eaten in days.

"I won't hurt you," I said, putting both my hands in front of me to show him that I wasn't going to do anything to him.

I noticed that his face was wet with tears. Then I noticed his bright yellow eyes. He was a Golden wolf, just like my son, Tyler. Just like me.

He looked scared of me, but whatever had happened to him had made him too weak to run away. I crouched down beside him and put a hand on his leg. He winced and turned away from me. My heart was racing, and I was confused. What was a Golden Omega doing here? And did he know where my son was?

"Where's your pack?" I asked him softly, not wanting to scare him any more than I already was.

He looked young, and he was half my size.

"They're coming back for me. So you can just leave, please," he said.

I looked around and heard no wolves nearby.

"When are they coming back?" I asked.

"Soon," he said, but he sounded unsure.

"There's no way I'm leaving you here," I said. "Any pack or lone wolf that sees you like this is either going to kidnap you or do something horrible to you."

"My pack is coming back for me," the Omega said. "Please just leave me here."

I shook my head. He looked so young that I wondered if he’d even had his first heat.

"If they're coming back, then I'll wait here until they do," I said.

The Omega sighed. He obviously wanted me to leave him there. But I wasn't going to do such a thing. Usually, I was one to mind my own business. With everything going on in my life, I couldn't afford to help anyone else. But maybe it had to do with the fact that Tyler was still missing that made me want to protect this injured Omega.

I sat down next to him. It was a long day, and I needed a break anyway. In the corner of my eye, I saw him eyeing me up and down.

"You're a Golden," he said quietly.

I smiled. "You just noticed?"

"We have the same eyes. But your hair is different," he said.

"Yes, Goldens don't have blond hair forever. Once they get older, like me, they start to gray out."

Even the hair on my chest was starting to turn gray. The curious Omega continued to look at my naked body.

"So, what's your name, and what's the name of your pack?" I asked.

The Omega remained silent as if he was trying to decide if he could trust me or not. "That's none of your business," he said.

I grinned. "Touché. It's smart of you not to want to talk to a stranger like me."

"I wasn't born yesterday," he said. "And can you go and sit against another tree? I'd really appreciate it."

Who did this Omega think he was? I was only trying to help him, but he was giving me so much attitude that I wanted to just walk away and leave him there. But I knew that if I did, he'd be at risk of being killed by another wolf.

I stood up, and even though he'd asked me to leave a second ago, he was looking at me longingly as if he didn't actually want me to go. I walked over to another tree nearby and sat down, facing him.

"Is that better?" I asked.

The Omega rolled his eyes and said nothing.

"What are you doing out here alone?" he asked when he realized I wasn't leaving anytime soon.

"I have the same question for you, young man. Goldens wolves like us should never be out here alone. We belong in the city, where there are laws to protect our special breed."

"I ran away from my abusive Alpha father," he said softly, unable to look me in the eyes.

Suddenly everything made more sense. "So, your pack isn't coming back for you?" I asked.

The Omega shook his head. Tears fell from his eyes, and I wanted to go back over to him to hold him in my arms. He reminded me so much of Tyler.

"You poor thing," I said. "How did you hurt your ankle?"

"I tripped over that stupid rock yesterday," he said, pointing to it. "I think I sprained it. Every time I try to stand up, it hurts so much."

"You need to see a doctor," I said. "Or your ankle might get worse."

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest one more day. It hurts less now than it did yesterday," he said.

The Omega tried to move his leg and winced.

"Don't kid yourself," I said. "It's probably more than a sprain. Let me get you out of here and take you to a hospital."

"Please. Don't," he said. "If you do, they'll make me go back to my family, and I don't want to go back."

Even though he wasn't my son, maybe this Omega could help me understand why Tyler ran away in the first place.

"Okay," I said. "I won't take you to the hospital. But if you come with me, I can take you to my home. I have a private doctor who will treat your injury without telling anyone that you ran away. Please come with me. You need help, or you're going to die here either to the elements or to a pack of wolves."

The Omega looked at his leg with furrowed brows, then back up at me. "You promise you won't take me back to my dad?" he said.

"I promise," I said. "I just want to help you."

The Omega agreed finally, and I stood up and went toward him. I put my hand on his trembling back, then my arm under his knees and picked him up. The Omega wrapped his arms around my neck. I tried not to get distracted by his sweet Omega scent. In the past, I would have been tempted to fuck the injured Omega right then and there, as any hormone-driven Alpha would. But because he reminded me of my son, I wanted to help him. The Omega told me that he’d injured himself yesterday, so he must've been hungry. He rested his head against my neck as I brought him out of the forest.

I held his shivering body closer to me, trying to give him some of my body heat. After walking a few miles, we finally got to my car on the side of the dirt road. I was surprised it hadn't gotten broken into this time. But I'd only left it there for a few days. Usually, wolves in the city limits were quick to break the windows and loot everything inside. But not this time, and I was grateful because I needed to get the Omega to the doctor as soon as possible.

I unlocked the passenger door with the keypad and put the Omega inside. He had passed out in my arms, and he was sleeping peacefully as I put the seat belt on for him. The poor Omega must've had to stay alert since hurting himself. It must've been a while since he was able to rest.