The time line did fit, her leaving a child between them, the pain he’d felt. It had to be, she was going to be his Mate and he knew it.
Stood there, actually uncertain as to what to do right this minute, where to go from here. Obviously, he couldn’t just leave her out here, not his child for that matter. A male Alpha child, a rogue, he suddenly realised, she’d gone rogue, so his own son would have been born as a rogue as well.
The boy would be in danger. The boy was the heir to his pack and likely had no idea who or what he was to that pack. Likely didn’t even know who his own father was. Bradley doubted that Piper would have told him anything of his birth family. He’d likely never even seen the inside of a pack. May never have even seen another wolf at all.
Swore out loud, “We have to go and get them.”
“I think more recon is needed. We know nothing of her life outside of work, at all Bradley, we should watch for now. Perhaps approach this differently. You can’t just go stalking into her home and lay claim to the boy and take him.”
“Actually yes I bloody can.” Bradley corrected his Beta. “He is my son. So I bloody well can.” and he could, he was an Alpha and she’d left and taken his child with her. Though he did understand, there was no way she could have known for weeks about the pup, but still she could have come back and told him. Should have and didn’t.
“Don’t do it, Bradley, if she is your Mate and we all suspect she is. Including your father. Who now had a lot to say on the matter I believe, she was hurt a lot. Likely damn near dying when she left and you know it, you go in there and just try to rip that boy from her, likely will end up in a wolf-on-wolf fight with her. Do you really want that? Benson going his own Mate, or his Mate going him? She-wolves are damned protective of their offspring, viscous as a matter of fact. Mate or not, she will tear into you and Benson to keep him.”
Bradley did know it, that she’d been hurting a lot.
Had researched into it, how long one could survive the pains of betrayal, it came down to how strong the wolf was, mentally and physically, how often they had to suffer the pains and for how long.
“What do you suggest then, Cooper? I have a child, with Piper Whitlock, and both of them are currently rogues, living unprotected. It’s not safe for either of them at all.”
“I think we try and approach her gently, stop pushing so hard to get to her, give her some breathing room. Let things calm down in her world where you’re concerned.
Why don’t you and I go and get you a look at your boy, see how Benson reacts to him, see how Brandon himself and his wolf feel with you close by. There should be some sort of connection between the two of you.”
“Even now, Benson doesn’t sense anything at all,” Bradley muttered, “and he should.”
“Might be because you can’t scent her. What was it your father actually said?”
Bradley thought about that for a full minute: “That she’s not safe out there, to make sure that pendant she wears does not come off, especially around you three.
My own Alpha Unit. It’s weird, he really pressed that part.
“It is weird, Brad, but I’d be willing to bet, it’s the pendant that keeps her scent hidden.”
“The pendant?” he frowned, “and why would one want to hide their scent?”
“Yes, likely a protective charm of some sort. I watched her, she did not once put on any scent-masking spray, got out of bed, got dressed and then just went running. I smelled nothing, got to be the pendant. She tucked in inside her gym top before the run. Got out of bed wearing it too.”
Bradley frowned “What do you think will happen if it gets taken off?” he wondered out loud.
“Let’s not risk that!” Cooper commented. “Trust your father on that one. Didn’t he say it was likely her own mothers?”
“Yes, a family heirloom, all Whitlock’s wear them.” He sighed, he was beginning to not like this at all. “Stated he would contact her mother’s pack, to come and help out, talk to her. Something about her family she needs to know, though he also stated he thought she had been collected by her grandmother after her parents died and returned to her mother’s old pack. Because he couldn’t find her.”
“Accounts for why she was never placed with another family then.” Cooper nodded. “I’ll drive, leave Piper for today. She did get the feeling she was being watched yesterday, and kept looking over her shoulder.”
“Well, she knows where here, trying to get to her, so no surprise there, did you sleep at all?”
“Yeah, in the woods, her house backs right into a woodland area. I stayed close, so I could hear when they got up, not that I needed to, Brandon was all hopped up and ready to challenge Piper to a morning run.
Apparently, his wolf wanted to kick her butt.” saw Cooper laugh softly. “Doesn’t sound as though he has had his wolf long.”
They were watching from a little way a way, as Brandon hung out with the kids from the birthday party, there were a good two dozen children all running around, in the very large yard. Bradley couldn’t help but smile. The boy he could see, not only knew every kid there, but was quite popular, the human kids always on him, even the birthday boy himself, that kid seemed to be his best buddy.
He sat on the roof of their car, watching along with Cooper. Benson was up and watching as well. Though he couldn’t feel any connection to the boy, Bradley did feel happy while he was watching the boy. He was glad he was a happy child, but Cooper had already told him that from what he had seen and heard.
Piper and Brandon had a really good relationship, that he seemed happy and healthy, was how he had explained it. But neither he nor Benson could sense out the boy at all. Just felt happy watching him. Cooper had taken him over to Pipers house. It was a nice sized two-story house, had three bedrooms and nice open space living area upstairs, open planned kitchen, living and dining area. Polished floor boards in the kitchen with a granite-topped island and two stools for them to use to eat breakfast at, he supposed.
There was a good sized deck off the dining area and there was a table and chair setting out on that deck, there was a small yard not even fenced at all, and it had a couple of large stone stairs that led right into the wooded area behind the house. As Cooper had said it did.
The house had no alarm and Coop picked the lock to the back door in less than a minute, access to her house was too easy. Bradley didn’t like it, if they could get in this easily, so could anyone else. Human or wolf, or any otherworldly creature for that matter.
Piper’s bedroom was large, had its own fireplace in the corner by the window, though it was gas and not natural wood burning. She had a massive en-suite, with an attached walk-in wardrobe. Her suite took up 1/3 of the entire top floor. Though it was very simply decorated, a large queen sized bed, and two bedside tables in black wood, a simple black padded bedhead. And a chair by the fireplace that was it.
There were photos on the fireplace mantle, all of her and Brandon doing various activities, snow boarding, snorkelling, sailing, one of them indoor rock climbing, been to Disneyland and Universal studio’s, there were several of just Brandon as a baby, one even of him surely just a day-old, so tiny all rugged up in a crochet baby blanket.
Bradley picked one up and sighed. He’d had no idea, he’d missed so much of the boy’s life. He wanted to take one or two for himself, but didn’t. Piper was going to know he had been here in her house, in her bedroom. In all likelihood, would be able to smell him. He didn’t really care about that at this point. But he would not take something from her home it wasn’t right.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply