When his mother paused with her glass of wine halfway to her mouth, then downed the rest, Ford muttered a curse and sank into his seat, clearly braced for the worst.
“Hana has begun revocation proceedings.”
Chase couldn’t process the words.A revocation was a serious legal dissolution of a bonding, specifically for relationships that had no hope.Chase had only heard of it happening once or twice in the last five years.
Most alphas and omegas who had problems in their marriage, especially those with kids, chose a Stage One Intervention, which consisted of the immediate family taking care of the children for three weeks.A break from parental struggles and responsibilities often reminded the couple of why they’d bonded and relieved them of all pressures.They didn’t go to work, didn’t take care of the house or the kids, just spent time together at a resort, trying to remember why they’d bonded and made a life together.If that didn’t work, a Stage Two Intervention had the couple attending counselling with the Bonding Guide, who could literally see the bond between mates.
To their parents’ chagrin, Hana had bonded in secret.She and her omega, Patrik, had gone away for a business trip and come back bonded and mated and dropped the bombshell that Patrik was pregnant.Since Hana was the perfect clone of their father and could do no wrong, he’d let her get away with it and let her run the private security firm that handled their family businesses.Patrik had been her secretary for three years before their ‘work trip’.
They were an odd pair who acted more like professional partners than loving mates.They didn’t send Pip to school, because they claimed other people would ‘influence him’, and had hired a full-time beta nanny to care for him, since they were rarely home.Wynna took full responsibility for his education, not just home-schooling but arranging play dates and extracurricular classes in the community.Nine times out of ten, she’d give the nanny the day off and keep Pip all day and overnight.Hana had said multiple times that she was happy for Wynna to take him whenever and for however long she wanted, like it meant nothing.
Chase hated her for that.That was when he’d started taking Pip more often, for days out and classic childhood experiences that he’d never get with his own parents.
But this?This was the lowest Hana had ever stooped.
“What the fuck are they thinking?”
“She claims she felt forced into the mating, because of your father’s expectation for her to maintain family tradition and bond her true mate.Hana claims the burden”—fire flashed in her eyes before she controlled her anger—“of raising Philip has become too much.She has lost her life, her independence, and no longer wants the responsibility of a child.Patrik has agreed to the revocation and is willing to go quietly.”Wynna was silent a moment, then refilled her wine glass a third of the way and downed it in one go.“Neither want responsibility of Philip.”
“No.”Chase refused to accept that his own sister would be that selfish.“They arenotgiving him away.”
Kids weren’t often abandoned by their parents, but sometimes the parents couldn’t cope, had too many kids, or couldn’t keep a child they wanted and loved.There were a million legitimate reasons parents gave up their kids, when they had no other choice.Not one was because they were selfish shits who cared more about themselves than the child they brought into the world.
“No, they are not,” his mother confirmed, her eyes weary and pained despite the grit in her voice.“I have paid them handsomely and handled the legal papers to have Philip transferred into my care, but…”
“Article four.”Ford swore and raked a hand through his hair.
Wynna raised her head, stoic until the end.“Even with my influence, I won’t be allowed to keep him long.Not when your father realises there will be a child in the house again.I’m an omega over forty and the law states that any child below the age of thirteen must be given to a family member who can raise them for the remainder of their natural life.If that is not possible, they will be taken by the state.”She seemed to age five years as she rubbed her forehead.“While I believe Cris will eventually be a wonderful father, he has the company to run and he’s not ready for children.Orson and Farlie have their hands full with their own children, and Zack is too young.”
Chase sat back, stunned by the unspoken suggestion that he was Pip’s only chance to escape a government-run facility.The few that functioned well didn’t have enough money, staff, time or patience to deal with the vast number of kids.Raking a hand through his hair, he couldn’t believe that his mother was shattering his world, Pip’s world.“Pip isnotgoing into an orphanage.You can’t let this hap?”
A glass shattered and the table rattled as Ford stood, evidently on high alert.His ORT experience had him evaluating the situation in a moment, then he calmly sat down as though nothing had happened, eyeing Lucky like he was a potential bomb waiting to explode.From the look in his stormy, tear-filled eyes, that was a distinct possibility.
“No.”Lucky’s hand was wet, probably from dropping the glass of water that had shattered at his feet, his eyes wide and devastated.He held a hand on the back of Pip’s head, the sweet boy clinging to Lucky while he cried.Chase wasn’t sure how long they’d been there or how much they’d heard, but it had been long enough for Pip to understand.
Lucky swallowed and sank his fingers into Pip’s hair.“I won’t let Pip be discarded, like he means nothing.I’lltake him.I’ll adopt Pip.”
Ford
What in the ever-loving fuck was happening?A week ago he’d been a single man, the best agent ORT had, contemplating whether he would give in and take up the beta from Accounting’s offer of a fling.Within days, he was caught up in a love triangle with an omega who was the true mate to another alpha, in lust with that alpha, and now Lucky wanted to adopt someone else’s kid?
Which would make him a de facto parent.
Ford barked a laugh and ran his hands over his face.Watching Pip cry, he couldn’t imagine being callous enough to abandon Lucky to parenthood, walk away from Chase and this mess, to go back to how his life used to be.
The sound of his laughter had Lucky holding Pip tighter, and snapped Chase from his shock.He ran a hand over his mouth and shook his head.“Do you realise what you’re saying?”
Lucky nodded, confirming Ford’s suspicion that his mind was made up.“I won’t let Pip be shunted into a government facility just because his parents can’t see how wonderful he is.”
Wynna sat frozen, though she was probably the only one who might have seen this coming.Was that why she brought Pip with her, to add emotional guilt to her plea, or was that just his cynical mind at work?
“If you give me a few months to have my first heat and adjust to being off Heatwave, I’ll adopt him.Whether that jeopardises my mating or not.”He didn’t look at either of them, and Ford could tell he would follow through.He would choose this kid over them, over a life of his own, even over kids of his own.
Ford had never been so fucking proud, confused and shaken.
“Lucky,” Chase said on a sigh, looking ready to argue as he stood from his seat.
Ford grabbed his wrist to stop him, while Lucky nervously toyed with his Omha’s sigil pendant, no doubt praying for Her guidance.“He’s made up his mind, meda.”Sadness swept over their omega like a tsunami.Even convinced he was about to lose them, Lucky didn’t take his words back to stop himself from losing everything he wanted and loved.“We’ll take him and he can stay a Walker.”
