Killian wracked his brain. “Actually... maybe you’re right. I think I remember her scooping handfuls of cake into her mouth.”
“There you go.” Crush rumbled and nuzzled his nape. “Breathe through your embarrassment. Let it go. Your Gran enjoyed her birthday.”
It had haunted Killian for years, made worse because Gran was no longer around for him to ask her about it. But now that Crushwas pointing out these little details, the memory didn’t seem quite so horrific anymore.
“Oh,” Killian whispered, a boulder rolling off his chest. He breathed and tried to reframe that memory. Tears pricked his eyes. “Thank you. That... That helped.”
Crush nuzzled him, his rumbles vibrating into Killian’s back. “So, when’s your next heat?”
“Um, I think next week...?” Something tickled Killian’s mind. “Mine don’t come at regular intervals, I kinda have to guess...”
Except the pounding desire earlier had sure felt a lot like his heat. Killian rarely lost control of himself; he was rarely so hot for cock that he begged so desperately.
Had he just gone into heat with Crush? Had Crush come inside himtwice?
And were they still knotted together?!
Killian panicked a little. “Actually, I think...”
Before Killian could finish his sentence, someone barked, and a man screamed.
“Who let the pup out?!”
10
THE LOST CHILD
Killian lungedfor the edge of the bed, panic gripping his insides. “Naddie!”
Crush grabbed him around the waist and yanked him back. “We’re still knotted,” the alpha growled in his ear. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
Only then did Killian realize that Crush’s knot was still buried in him; he had grown so used to its presence that he hadn’t even noticed it earlier. He flushed and squirmed. “But Naddie—”
“I’ll get you there. Give me a sec.”
Crush rolled off the bed with one arm anchoring Killian to his chest. He carried Killian over to some wolf-themed hooks on the wall, grabbing the fluffy bathrobe hanging off them.
Killian helped to pull the robe shut around them both. Then they were out of the bedroom, jogging through the cabin. Crush’s knot jerked with every step; Killian tried not to notice the way it rubbed against his prostate.
Just beyond the open front door, they found Hansel and the empty cart. The butler was wringing his hands. “Uhhh.”
“Where’s Naddie?” Killian yelped, already reaching out with his hearing.
Hansel pointed. “You can hear her. She’s not far away.”
Crush narrowed his eyes. “What happened?”
“I opened the door,” Hansel said nervously. “And a little brown shape shot out through the gap.”
“Didn’t you hear Naddie behind the door?” Killian asked.
“The cart was making a racket,” Hansel explained. “I was trying to figure out why—I didn’t realize that even though they were both in the same spot, the pup wasnot in the cart.”
Killian tracked the rustling sounds to a stand of bushes not too far away. There were no other loud heartbeats nearby—no predators. “How did Naddie escape from the cart?”
The shopping cart made a quiet, squeaky noise, like a whine.
Killian’s heart softened. He reached out and patted the cart. “You’re not in trouble. I just want to know what happened. But we’ll come back to that later, alright? Right now, we need to make sure Naddie is okay.”
