1. Kai

“Mate! You’re my mate!”

“Go away.” I grasped my belly, going into protective omega dad mode. No one was hurting my baby, especially not some crazed fan who’d seen me on TV and fantasized I was theirs. Despite my bump, I ducked and weaved through the crowds, hoping to lose that alpha. Grabbing a rail, I descended into the subway.

I was trying to put as much distance between me and my stalker, but going down into a big tunnel and then onto a train where I’d be trapped wasn’t the most sensible plan. I refused to go home, not wanting the guy to know where I lived, though he might have those details already. There were fan blogs with deets of many TV stars. I still couldn’t get over how behind Tarrin was with the internet, compared to the before time. Apps were almost unheard of and businesses gave me strange looks when I asked if they had one.

When I reached the concourse, the scent of the alpha followed my every step as I waddled to the platform to wait for the train to take me where Dante and I got my ID card. Those guys conducted dodgy business, so I figured they might be able to scare off my stalker.

But when someone offered me his seat, I hunched my shoulders, staring at my feet with my hoodie pulled over my head. It wasn’t just that the guy was following me and called me his mate, though that was scary. But his scent wasn’t like any other, not even Dante’s. Each shifter’s smell was unique, and Dante’s combined with my human scent—whatever that was—to produce a “mate” aroma.

The man following me had a scent that, while different to my mate’s, was alluring, tempting me to stop and inhale it. But it couldn’t be. I had a mate I adored, the father of our baby, my one and only, forever and ever. Tears dripped from my eyes onto the floor, and I shoved my boots over the droplets, not wanting anyone to notice and ask if I was okay.

If they did, they might recognize me, and that could become a thing and give the stalker a chance to get close and take a pic. With me. Gods, he might pretend he was my mate and steer me away from the crowds to do who knew what…

My heart was galloping like a runaway horse. I expected to see it take off and race along the carriage, leaving me to draw my last breath.

A voice in my head told me to stop and act not only like a grownup but also like a dad-to-be. I couldn’t freak out and hope someone would save me, as Dante did that first day. As a parent, protecting our little one was paramount. I’d allowed that stranger to take control, sending me into a panic. Now, I had to wrest it back and lose the guy, or get Froon and his associates to chase him off.

My phone weighed heavily in my pocket. I could have phoned Dante but didn’t because I refused to admit how the stranger’s scent was so enticing. My mate would never hear about this, or if he did, I’d be relating the tale on our child’s eighteenth birthday while leaving out the details of how the scent made my limbs like jelly.

As my breathing evened out, my gaze moved from my boots to a pair across from me. Without lifting my head, I was certain they belonged to him. They were not out of the ordinary, not overly expensive or ragged with scuffed toes. Just a pair of unremarkable shoes, except they had a hint of him.

If Froon set the guy straight and sent him on his way, maybe I could get home, never to leave again. Our baby wouldn’t care if they lived their entire life in our apartment, never walking on grass or smelling flowers or going on a train or bus, would they?

I was freaking out again, and I gulped in huge breaths trying to calm my frazzled nerves. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea, because with each stop, people got out, leaving fewer passengers on the train. There was no way I could lose my stalker unless I was in a crowd.

As the train approached my stop, I did something I’d never done, something I avoided and steered away from whenever possible. I got up, avoiding the alpha’s gaze, and pulled off my hood. Smiling at a couple who were standing near the door, I stood close to them, hoping they’d watched my TV show.

The seconds passed as one glanced at my face and looked away. There was a nudge and the second guy flicked his eyes in my direction. His mouth gaped, and I smiled broadly, hoping they’d say something.

“Are you Kai?” one asked tentatively.

I nodded, and he clasped his friend’s arm and squeed. The three of us got off the train. They took selfies and asked for my autograph.

“Can we tell our friends? They work nearby, and they’d love to meet you.”

“Of course,” I gushed, conscious of that man, my stalker, a few paces behind.

We climbed the stairs, one of the pair holding my arm. “Your pregnancy is why you were written out of the show, right?”

“Something like that.”

They guided me into a store, not Froon’s, and sat me down. Someone produced tea and cakes, and we chatted while I kept a watchful eye outside. He was there, lurking, and whenever a customer walked in, his scent snuck in, too. At least, I thought it did.

The store owner, Adan, was so tickled to have me visit, he offered me a ride home, saying his car was out back. I accepted the ride and crossed my fingers that my rabid fan wouldn’t follow.

But as Adan maneuvered his car in the traffic and chatted about my show, I mourned the loss of the scent, that stranger’s scent, the one who said I was his mate.

How could that be?