I didn't know why I ran. I didn't know why I’d found it so hard to tell Richard I was pregnant until it was too late. But when Richard forced me back to the car, I did what I knew how to do best. I ran. In that moment, he reminded me too much of my father. Sure, I was an Omega, and he was the Alpha, but I was capable of making my own decisions. The baby inside me was mine as much as it was Richard's, and I was capable of protecting it too.

I knew that I wasn't going to run away from him forever. I just wanted Richard to get the message that I was my own person.

As I walked through a grassy field, I noticed the sky was getting dark. The loneliness of being out here alone reminded of the first time I’d run away. The silhouette of the trees looked like monsters. The branches looked like scary, long fingers.

Being out here by myself was different than being here with Richard. The city limits were fun with the Alpha, but they were scary alone. Maybe Richard was right.

"Richard," I called out, hoping he'd hear me.

I'd run so fast that I wasn't sure which way I’d come from.

As I was looking around for Richard, I saw something moving in the bushes.

I froze still, unsure if it was smart to go toward it or run away. I crouched down in the grass to watch.

I saw wolves walking in the distance. When I looked closer, I realized one of them was a Golden wolf. His bright blond coat reflected the moonlight. The Golden wolf was with a Gray wolf, and the small pup running behind them must've been their baby.

I put my nose in the air, and I recognized the scent of the Golden wolf. It suddenly hit me that it could be Tyler.

After months of searching, I finally found him. I stood up and was about to run to them, but I stopped myself. I knew that if I came out of nowhere, I'd risk scaring them away. I sat back down in the grass to think what to do. But I wasn't sure how to approach the situation. They were walking deeper into the forest, and I could barely see them now.

I followed quietly and closely behind them, making sure they couldn't see me.

The pup must've been less than a year old. The pawprints he was leaving in the snow were adorable.

The three of them continued walking until they reached a bushy area. I poked my head through the bushes and saw their home, or at least where they were staying for the time being. It was elaborate, and I wondered how long they'd been here for. The Gray Alpha looked around before he shifted into human form. Then the Omega and the pup did the same. I wasn't surprised by how handsome the Omega was. His blond hair was shiny, and he had long, lean muscles. The Alpha he was with was handsome as well.

Richard and I had spent so many months looking for them that I knew I couldn't lose them again. I wondered how I could talk to them, though. I knew that if I told them I knew Richard right away, they wouldn't trust me.

Maybe I could fake an injury to gain their trust.

I shifted into human form and found a sharp stick on the ground next to me. I closed my eyes and cut my leg with it. I winced at the pain that was numbed by a rush of adrenaline. It didn't hurt too much after the initial shock. When I finally got the courage to look down at my leg, I saw the cut wasn't too deep. But it was deep enough to draw blood and make it look like a real injury.

I took a deep breath and limped through the thick bushes.

"Hello?" I called out. "Can someone please help me?"

The Alpha quickly stood up and put himself between me and his pack.

"Who is it?" the Alpha said, unable to see me clearly in the dark.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just need some help," I said.

The two of them stood in front of their baby. The Omega looked at my leg and took a step toward me before the Alpha pushed him back.

"We don't know him," the Alpha said.

"He looks hurt though," the Omega said.

The Omega walked toward me and put a hand on my leg and looked at it.

"We have to wash it before it gets infected, and I can make some bandages out of leaves for you," the Omega said.

I knew I needed to gain his trust to bring him back to his father or at least convince the Omega to talk to Richard. I knew how much Richard missed his son and how long he'd been searching for the Omega.

The Omega went to the fire and brought over a clay pot filled with water. He used the warm water to wash the blood away. The Alpha picked up the baby and held him in his strong arms, keeping his distance from me.

"What's your name?" the Omega said.

"I'm Ollie," I said.

"I'm Tyler." He pointed over to the Alpha and the baby. "That's Winston and our little baby, Joshua."

"What's a Golden Omega doing out here all alone?" Winston asked.

I could tell he was suspicious of me.

"I ran away," I said, which was partly true.

I didn't want to mention that I was helping Richard look for them. I didn't want them to run or make any rash decisions.

Tyler fashioned a bandage out of leaves to wrap around my leg. As I was standing up, there was a pain in my belly.

"Are you pregnant?" Tyler asked.

I nodded.

"We have to let him stay with us," Tyler said to Winston. "A pregnant Omega can't be out here alone. It's too dangerous."

I looked over at Winston, who looked unsure about the whole situation.

"We don't know who he is and where he came from," Winston said. "He could be lying for all we know."

"We'll have to take that chance," Tyler said to Winston.

Tyler looked at me with his golden eyes. We shared a special connection as Golden Omegas.

All I wanted was to talk to Tyler about Richard. I knew that Richard needed an answer from his son. Even if Tyler didn't want anything to do with his father, he at least owed his father a chance to talk. I'd done the first step by gaining the Omega's trust, and now I had to think of a way to tell him that I knew his father. Not only did I know him, but I was also carrying his father's baby.

Tyler brought me over to the fire, and we sat down next to it. Winston walked up to me. His large muscular body was intimidating. In his hand was a bowl of fresh berries which he gave to me.

It was a kind gesture, but I could tell that he was still wary of me.

Tyler and I chatted a bit about his baby, since I was expecting one too. But Winston kept staring at me the entire time.

When Winston put Joshua to bed, Tyler and I finally had a moment to ourselves. My leg was feeling better after Tyler had bandaged it up. Tyler wanted to show me the view from a nearby hill.

"We're going to go for a walk," Tyler said to Winston.

Winston was lying down next to the sleeping baby.

"It's dark. I don't think it's a good idea," Winston said. "And I don't want you wandering off with some wolf you just met today."

Winston could see that I was sitting right there, but he wasn't scared to speak his mind.

"We'll be fine," Tyler said. "He's a harmless Golden Omega. Ollie and I will be back soon."

Winston was reluctant to let Tyler go, but Tyler seemed pretty headstrong.

Tyler and I shifted and climbed up to a nearby plateau. It was nice being around another Golden Omega. He was around my age, and I felt a strong connection to him, even though I'd only known him for a few hours.

We went up the hill and sat on a big rock, looking up at the stars. I felt more comfortable being up here alone without Winston staring me down.

"So, where were you before living here?" I asked.

"I was living with my father in Forest Hill. But he had plans for me that I didn't agree with, so I ran away," Tyler said.

"My father is the same way," I said. "Super overprotective and didn't let me do anything."

"I feel like all Alpha dads are the same," Tyler said. "They don't understand that Omegas want freedom. Sometimes I see Winston getting overprotective of me, and I have to tell him to snap out of it."

I nodded. "They can't help it sometimes. It's in their blood."

Tyler looked at me with his bright yellow eyes. "Do you miss your father sometimes?"

"Sometimes," I said. "I wonder if he misses me too and if things would change if I see him again."

Tyler nodded. "I wonder the same thing. I know my dad just wants the best for me."

I knew I needed to tell Tyler the truth, and it was a good time now that we had a moment alone. But I was afraid that he wouldn't trust me if he found out I knew his father.

We looked up at the stars and took in the fresh evening breeze. It was something we couldn't do in the city.

"I know your father," I said quietly after a long silence.

Tyler turned to me, and his eyes widened. "You what? Did he send you here to find me?"

I shook my head. "He didn't send me out here, but I've been helping him find you. Your father and I had a fight this evening, and I ran off."

Tyler stood up and took a step away from me. "Winston was right. I shouldn't have trusted you so easily."

"Just hear me out for a second," I said. "Your father has changed, I promise you. Whatever happened between you and your father in the past is history. All he wants is a chance to talk to you."

Tyler shook his head.

"No," he said. "There's no way I'm ever going back to him again."

"But you said earlier that all he wants is the best for you. I know he's a good Alpha. He was the one who saved me a few months ago when he found me injured in the city limits," I said.

I could see in Tyler's eyes that he was conflicted.

"Why does he want to talk to me?" he asked.

"Because he cares about you. He's even put his business aside to spend more of his time looking for you."

"He doesn't care about me. All he wants is to marry me off to a Golden wolf," Tyler shouted.

"No. He's changed. I promise," I said.

"How do you know?" Tyler said.

I looked down at my stomach, then back at Tyler.

"Are you carrying his baby?" Tyler asked.

I nodded. "I got pregnant by accident, and the reason why your father and I had a fight earlier was that I didn't tell him about it until today."

"How far along are you?" he asked.

Tyler seemed a bit more understanding after finding out that I was pregnant with Richard's baby.

"Three months," I said.

"Congratulations," he said softly.

"What was my dad's reaction?" Tyler asked.

I could tell that Tyler still really cared about Richard, even though they hadn't talked in a long time.

"He was excited and protective. He wanted me to leave the city limits to go back to his house. That was how our fight started, and that's when I ran...and ended up finding you guys," I said.

"And he didn't try to force you to go with him?" Tyler asked.

I shook my head. "I don't think he's like that...or else I wouldn't be so...in love with him."

Tyler looked down at the ground. "Maybe he did change."

"I'm telling you he's not a bad person. He's just a bit flawed like all of us. Do you think you will give him a chance to talk to you? It will make him so happy."

"I'm going to have to talk to Winston about it first. He hates my father. But it'd be nice if my father and I reconnected or at least got back on good terms. He doesn't even know about Joshua yet."

I smiled. "It'd be nice to be in a pack with you. It's rare to meet another Golden Omega, and I feel like we have a lot in common...including overprotective fathers."

Tyler smiled. "That'd be nice. Our pups would be around the same age as well, so they can play together."

I was happy that Tyler was willing to give his father a chance. I knew Richard was going to be so happy to find out where Tyler was.