I hesitate, glancing toward the playground where Taylor and Adam are now engaged in what appears to be a serious negotiation over sandbox territory with some other children. They're fine for the moment, completely absorbed in their play.
"Sure," I say finally, scooting over to make room on the bench.
He sits beside me, careful to leave space between us, though I can still feel the heat from his body. The faint scent of woodsmoke reaches me, subtle but unmistakable even through what must be industrial-strength blockers.
"I messaged you," he says after a moment. "On the app. An embarrassing number of times, actually." He rubs the back of his neck. "Figured you either deleted it or didn't want to talk to me when you didn't reply."
"I deleted the app," I admit, keeping my eyes on the playground. It's easier than looking at him. "You don't have anything to apologize for."
"Don't I?" He laughs, but there's no humor in it. "My pack acted like complete assholes. I still don't know what got into them. I've never seen them like that before."
I risk a glance at him. His profile is sharp against the backdrop of the park, jaw clenched with frustration.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" I ask softly. "The same thing as ever."
"What do you mean?"
"Alphas are protective over their omegas," I say, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "They don't want to risk anyone else coming in and messing up the dynamics."
A low growl rumbles from his chest, startling me. "Those aren'tourdynamics," he says, the words clipped and hard. "I don't want them to be. I'm not owned by anyone, and if I have to be an omega, I'm going to do it on my terms."
The vehemence in his voice catches me off guard. There's real anger there, raw and unfiltered. But beneath it, I hear desperation.
"Is that why you wanted to meet me in the first place?" I ask, the question that's been nagging at me for days finally finding voice. "To prove something to them?"
He turns to face me fully now, those blue eyes intense. "At first? Maybe a little. I was angry and frustrated and wanted to show them I wasn't going to let this omega thing change everything. And like I said in our profile, I thought the alphas could use a beautiful distraction." He pauses, his expression softening. "But then I met you, and it became about something else entirely."
My heart stutters in my chest. "Darren?—"
"Aunt Lexie!" Taylor's voice cuts through the moment as she runs toward us, another rock clutched in her hand. She skids to a stop when she notices Darren, suddenly shy in the presence of a stranger.
"Who's that?" she asks, edging closer to me.
"This is my friend Darren," I say, grateful for the interruption. "Darren, this is my niece, Taylor."
Darren's entire demeanor shifts as he smiles at Taylor, his body language relaxing. "Hey there, Taylor. Cool rock."
Taylor studies him for a moment, then apparently decides he's worthy of her treasure. She holds out the rock, a smooth, dark stone with a vein of white quartz running through it.
"It's magic," she informs him solemnly.
"I can tell," Darren says, equally serious as he examines it. "That's a very special find."
Taylor beams, clearly approving of his assessment. "I found three more. Want to see?"
"Absolutely," Darren says without hesitation.
Before I can intervene, Taylor has grabbed his hand and is tugging him toward the playground where her collection awaits. Darren throws me an amused glance over his shoulder as he allows himself to be led away by a five-year-old on a quest.
I watch, surprised, as Taylor introduces him to Adam, who immediately shows him the gigantic lumpy castle they've been building in the sandbox. Darren crouches down to their level, hismassive frame somehow not intimidating as he listens intently to their explanations, asking questions and admiring their work with genuine interest.
"This is the mote!" Taylor proclaims loudly.
"Sweet," Darren says, studying the small ring they've filled with the bottle of water they snatched from my purse earlier. "Got any alligators in there?"
Taylor's eyes widen and I can practically see the lightbulb go off above her head. "Adam! We need gators."
They run over to the bucket of beach toys they brought with us, frantically searching the pieces for alligators to eat unsuspecting trespassers.
