The omega fox had ribbed his best friend for years about wanting a stranger to call him by accident, the way that friend's mate once did.
The wrong number finally arrived, and instead of a charming alpha it was a little girl sobbing on the line, begging him to find her daddy.
His fox went fiercely protective, and a work friend with hacking skills had her location in minutes: she was still crying, and beside her stood a gray wolf whose scent named him as the omega's fated mate and the child's single father.
Claiming him felt like instinct, yet the man already had a family, and after what had been done to his own father he had sworn never to come between anyone's partner.
He left with only a smile and a small wave for the little girl, telling himself they were better off without him, even as walking away hurt more than he could explain.
