A few more months had passed, and still, Tyler was nowhere to be found. Every time we found their new hiding spot in the city limits, they'd already be gone. It was a game of cat and mouse, and it was obvious that Tyler knew we were looking for him. I had to return to the city once in a while to make sure my business was doing well. Ollie stuck by my side through everything, and I was lucky to have such a loyal Omega. But recently, the Omega was quieter, and it felt like he was avoiding me.

We were in the kitchen of my mansion one evening. All the Betas went to bed, and it was just the two of us. Ollie was eating a slice of pizza, and I sat down next to him.

"Is something on your mind?" I asked.

The Omega looked at me with his bright yellow eyes. "No, why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "Just wondering if everything was okay. You've been distant recently."

The Omega set the slice of pizza down on his plate and swiveled his chair to turn to me. "Sorry, I've been feeling a bit defeated. It's been so long since we started looking for Tyler, and we still haven't found him yet."

I put a hand on his leg and squeezed it. "Don't think it's your fault that Tyler's missing. I'm already so grateful that you're helping me. I want you to be the carefree Omega I fell for when we first met."

Ollie smiled tightly. "I'll try."

"Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I'm sure," he said quietly.

I didn't want to pressure him any further. But I just wished that things were the way they were before.

I ran my hand gently up his shorts, and the Omega pushed my hand away. "Sorry, I'm not in the mood tonight."

I retreated my hand. It was the first time Ollie rejected my advances. Usually, he loved when I touched him unexpectedly or initiated sex. But I knew that something was up. I just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone," I said. "I'll be upstairs in my bedroom."

I hated how we felt like strangers. I didn't know what I'd done wrong, and I wanted to fix it. The last thing I wanted was for Ollie to run away like Tyler had. I'd already lost one Golden Omega. I couldn't afford to lose two. I needed Ollie more than I liked to admit. He gave me a different perspective on things. When I got stressed out at work, I'd come back to find him relaxing on the couch, and I'd feel instantly better. When we were out in the city limits after another long day, he'd remind me how beautiful the stars were.

I hung my head as I went back upstairs into our bedroom. The bed felt cold and empty without my Omega to cuddle. I stayed up waiting for Ollie to walk through the bedroom doors and curl up in my arms like he always did. But an hour passed, then two. And there was no sign of him. I went downstairs in the middle of the night and found him passed out in front of the television.

I figured that he was just tired, and I tried not to take it personally. I turned off the television and carried the Omega upstairs into my bed. He always smiled when he slept, which made me wonder what he was dreaming of. I tried to think of something that'd bring us closer together again. I knew how much he enjoyed being out in the city limits. Maybe I'd been so focused on my business the past week that I hadn't paid much attention to Ollie. Maybe it was time to go on another adventure to look for Tyler.

* * *

Before my Omega woke up the next day, I was downstairs to make breakfast for Ollie. Usually, I'd let the Betas cook breakfast. But I wanted to impress Ollie and let him know how much I cared about him. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and Ollie walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. His blond hair was disheveled.

"Morning, handsome," I said.

Ollie smiled and sat down at the breakfast bar. I gave the Omega extra pieces of bacon on his plate because I knew how much he enjoyed it.

"You made breakfast?" he said.

I nodded. "Just for you."

Ollie smiled and picked up a piece of bacon with his fingers and put the whole strip in his mouth. He dipped some toast into a poached egg and ate that too.

I was a bit surprised at how quickly he finished the big plate of food.

"Since when are you so hungry all the time?" I asked.

Ollie shrugged. "Maybe I'm still a growing Omega."

I smiled and watched him reach for a piece of bacon on my plate. I cooked it just the way he liked it.

"I have another surprise for you," I said. "But you're going to have to wait until I finish breakfast to show you what it is."

I loved surprising Ollie. Seeing his eyes light up always made me so happy.

When he finished eating, I brought him out to the car.

"Buckle up," I said.

"We're going back to the city limits?" he asked.

I nodded. "Are you excited?"

Ollie looked indifferent, and he was smiling, but it didn't feel genuine.

I reached the familiar dirt road off the main highway. Even though Ollie was sitting next to me, it felt like we were miles apart.

I parked between two oak trees, and we got out of the car. I looked around, making sure there weren't any wolves who could hurt us nearby.

I started enjoying coming out here with Ollie, even though Tyler was still missing. It was a chance to get away from the chaos of my business.

"Doesn't this make you happy?" I asked Ollie. "I thought you liked being out here."

"I'm happy," Ollie said. "What do you want me to do to prove it to you?"

"You don't have to prove anything to me. But I just want things to be the way they were before," I said. "I hate feeling like there's...distance between us."

"Well, maybe distance is good once in a while," Ollie said. "Maybe we should spend some time apart."

My eyes widened. "What's gotten into you? What did I do to you that's making you act this way toward me?"

I'd done nothing but protect and provide for the Omega. But it seemed like he didn't appreciate any of it.

"I have something to tell you," Ollie finally said.

I was silent, waiting for him to continue. Ollie avoided my eyes.

"Tell me," I said, wondering what it could possibly be.

"I'm pregnant," he finally said.

I kneeled down and put my hands on his shoulders to force him to look at me. "You're what?"

There were tears in Ollie's eyes. "You heard me. I'm pregnant. I didn't know how to tell you, and I hated keeping it from you for the past few months. But I can't lie to you any longer."

I looked down at his stomach, which had grown a bit. But I figured it was because of all the delicious food the chef made in the mansion.

"You can't be. You took the pill after the condom broke, and I haven't fucked you without a condom since then," I said.

"I never took the pill. I flushed it down the toilet," he said.

I was stunned that Ollie lied to me, but what hurt me more was how he thought he had to hide something so important from me. I was angry and disappointed the same time.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I wanted to, and I promised myself that I was going to tell you the truth, but as each day passed, I found it harder to tell you. I didn't want to disappoint you. But I can't hide it anymore. I'm three months along, and I'm starting to show."

"Well, we can't be out here if you're pregnant," I said. "I can't let you out here in the wild knowing you're carrying our baby."

"That's crazy," Ollie shouted. "We've been out here so many times before. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't be out here."

"You don't understand," I said. "Wolves can smell a pregnant Omega from miles away. It's not safe to be in a place like this. I need you back in my house now, and we have to call Dr. Michael to make sure the baby is healthy."

It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, finding out that I was expecting a baby. But because of Ollie's lie and stubbornness, everything was getting out of control.

"I'm not going back to the city if you're going to want me in the house all the time. It was the reason why I ran away from my father in the first place. What you're doing is no different from what he did."

I wanted to punch the tree beside me, but I didn't want to scare Ollie away.

"That's not the same thing," I said. "I want you and the baby to be safe."

I put my hand on Ollie’s arm, pulling him back to the car, but he shook it away.

"You're not listening to me," Ollie said.

"If you don't come back with me right now, I'm going to force you into the car," I said.

I hated how demanding I sounded, but I wasn't going to lose Ollie, not after I'd already lost Tyler. I'd be left with nothing.

"You're exactly like my father," Ollie said. "You don't care about me. You just want to keep me locked up."

Ollie shifted into wolf form, and he started running into the forest.

"Come back," I shouted.

My heart started racing. I shifted into wolf form as well and chased after the Omega. But he was too fast, and I couldn't keep up.

"Please don't do this," I said, hating how desperate I sounded. "We don't have to go back if you don't want to."

It was all my fault. I didn't learn the first time with Tyler, and history was repeating itself.

I looked left and right, scanning the forest for any sign of Ollie.

He was gone.

My biggest fear had become a reality, and I'd lost everything that was important to me. I needed to find Ollie before it was too late. I remembered when I’d found him injured in the forest and how vulnerable he had been. If any bad wolves found him, it could spell disaster. Only this time, he was pregnant with our baby.

I followed his scent past the river, and I went deeper into the forest.

I found a fresh set of paw prints in the snow and followed them up a steep hill to a plateau. From up there, I could see how vast the city limits were. I now had to find two Omegas, not one, and I was alone without the help of anyone. I vowed to myself that I wasn't going to return to the city until I found both of them, even if I had to be there forever. Ollie and Tyler were more important to me than my business. My life had no meaning without them.

My overprotection was what had driven Tyler and Ollie away. I knew I needed to change my ways. If I ever wanted to get my Omegas back, I needed to realize that all Ollie and Tyler had wanted was to be free.