Loudly.
She presses a hand to her midsection and looks between me and Perrin with a sheepish little smile. “Sorry.”
"Downstairs," Perrin says, already heading for the door. “Let’s feed you two.”
We leave the bedroom, heading down into the kitchen.
Perrin goes straight to the fridge and pulls out two covered dishes. He sets them on the counter with a satisfied nod.
"Odette left us food," he announces.
"I love that woman," I say with all my heart.
"You can say that again." Perrin pulls back the foil on the first dish. Braised short ribs, the meat so tender it's practically falling apart, sitting in a sauce that smells like red wine and rosemary and a secret ingredient that Odette won’t share no matter how many times you ask.
Elowen leans over the counter, inhaling. "I might love her more than I love you two.”
"I'm okay with that," Perrin says, his voice completely serious.
Elowen smiles, pulling herself up onto the counter to sit while Perrin puts the dishes in the oven to warm. "Does Cliff's family cook like that?"
"Cliff's mom is a good cook," I say, stealing a piece of bread from the basket on the counter. "She makes a lot of southern dishes, with fry bread. His parents are both alphas, no pack, very traditional. They live out in Eastfall."
"Will I meet them?" Elowen asks. “I mean, are they on good terms?”
"Oh yeah," Perrin says. "Cliff will call them once things settle. It's pretty normal for new omegas to stay close to the pack for a while before extended family gets involved. Gives everyone time to acclimate."
Elowen nods, processing that, then turns to me. "What about your parents?"
The kitchen goes quiet.
I glance at Perrin to find he's already looking at me.
Something passes between us in that half second that doesn't need words. A shared pain that will probably never go away.
Elowen goes very still on the counter, and I can feel her pulling back slightly, obviously thinking she’s overstepped.
"Sorry," she says quietly. "You don't have to?—"
"No." I look up at her. "You're our mate. You should know everything about us." I break off a piece of bread and hand it to her. "It's just not a fun story."
She takes the bread and waits.
"Our parents are very traditional betas," Perrin's tone is a little flat. Like he's trying very hard to sound unaffected. "They don't believe in pack dynamics. Or partner sharing." He cracks the oven door and takes a peek at the ribs. "Or, it turns out, having sons who are essentially very gay."
Elowen stares at him. "Are you kidding me?"
"Nope," I pop a piece of bread into my mouth.
"Who the hell has issues with their kids being gay?" She makes a face that somehow manages to convey both profound confusion and complete contempt, like she's been presented with information that is not only wrong but actively stupid. "Alphas and omegas?—"
"Exactly," Perrin cuts her off. "Alphas and omegas tend to be very open about sex. But betas…"
"Very few betas commit themselves to packs," I say. "And the ones that do either grew up in a pack or have families that are at least somewhat progressive about it." I reach for another piece of bread. "Our parents arenotprogressive people."
"Our mother once told me that therapy was for people who couldn't handle real life," Perrin says, closing the oven. "So that should give you a pretty solid picture."
Elowen looks between us, and the smile she'd been wearing is completely gone, replaced by a gentle frown. "I assume they cut you off?"
