Page 79 of Shared Omega

I look one more time at the neural chip in my palm. It’s just a little piece of metal and silicon,

“Those fuckers,” I hiss.

“Oh, you don’t even know how bad they are,” Lily says. “But you’ll find out soon enough. I’ve got lots of stuff to show you.”

CHAPTER 24: SLOANE

Once I’m feeling a little stronger, Lily leads me across the great chamber to the place where her Alphas are huddled protectively around three little babies who are sleeping peacefully on a soft blanket.

At my approach, the Alphas tense up, eyeing me suspiciously, but Lily gives them a pacifying gesture.

I can’t blame them for mistrusting me. After all, I tried to murder their mate right in front of their eyes. It wasn’t me doing it, but I don’t expect them to understand that.

“It’s okay,” she says to the group. “Sloane had a curse put on her by the Outsiders, but she is better now.”

A curse? I look over and notice her casting me a wry glance out of the corner of her eye.

Got it. Too much trouble to go into the details of the neural implant with these guys.

As we are standing there, one of the sleeping babies starts to stir and cry lightly.

“Oh,” Lily whispers softly. “Little Eva is hungry. I’ll feed her while I talk to Sloane.”

Eva? So that little baby must be an omega then, and the other two are little boys—little Alphas.

Ever so gently, Lily scoops the little omega from the blanket. She is precious. She has soft chubby cheeks, rosy with life, and the tiniest, most delicate nostrils I’ve ever seen. Her round head is tufted with a bit of reddish fuzz that matches her mother’s auburn hair.

As Lily lifts her, the baby stops her crying. Her beautiful, curious eyes latch onto my face for a moment, and my heart melts.

It’s so strange. I’ve never really done the whole baby thing in the past, but it seems like that’s changing now.

“Who is that, Eva?” Lily says in a soft, loving voice to her child as she bobs her gently in her arms. “Do you see Sloane?”

I smile and wiggle my fingers at the baby, who just stares at me wide eyed.

Lily giggles and turns the baby in her arms so that she is facing her chest. Tiny hands grasp weakly at her breast, and the baby's lips finally find and latch onto Lily’s nipple.

Lily watches her for a moment, then turns toward her Alphas.

“Sloane and I need to talk,” Lily explains. “I’m going to introduce her to Seraph.”

One of her Alphas, the youngest one with raven-black hair, rises and places his hand on her shoulder. His handsome face is taut with concern for his omega. Maybe it’s because of his youthfulness, but he reminds me of a dark version of Truk.

Lily smiles serenely and places a soothing hand against his marble-statue chest.

“It’s okay, Kadmon,” she says softly. “Everything will be okay. Besides, we won’t be far away.”

The Alpha casts one more uncertain glance in my direction before nodding and rejoining his two pack brothers.

Lily grins and takes me by the arm with her free hand.

“They are really protective of me,” she whispers.

“I know the feeling,” I mutter.

Lily laughs at that. There’s something in the sound of her voice and her bright eyes that makes me instantly like her. I feel happy in her company, like she is my long-lost sister.

I haven’t had another woman to confide in during these last days. In fact, I haven’t really had that since I was a little girl. Now I’m starting to realize how welcome that is.