Page 26 of An Alpha’s Guide to Finding the One

I see Rhys stiffen in my peripheral, but I ignore him and focus on keeping my purr steady and scent free of any of the distress I feel. How did we not consider this when we took her shopping last month? Sure, Lainey’s bump was half the size then and she’s growing faster than any of us anticipated, but even still, at sixteen weeks we should have assumed she would be getting close to needing a pregnancy-friendly winter coat.

My lips meet the crown of her head as I hum in understanding. “I’m sorry we didn’t think about that, angel. For now, are you comfortable wearing one of our coats until we can get you a proper one?”

She nods, but her scent is still sour with anxiety. “I just don’t want to be an inconvenience or make you feel like I’m taking advantage.”

Twin growls rocket through the room, startling the omega in my arms. “Lainey, I’m going to need you to stop right there before I say something that pisses you off. You’re our omega. You’re carrying our child. You could ask for the goddamn moon and we would do everything in our power to get it for you because that is our privilege as your alphas. Asking for a winter coat that fits is not some frivolous ask. It’s a fucking necessity so you don’t freeze your pretty ass off. Got it?”

Her eyes are wide and I would be worried I took it too far, but her scent has sweetened into that syrupy, freshly baked huckleberry pie scent that brings me right back to my childhood in the best way. I smile in response, lightly squeezing her neck before I let go and step back. “Glad that’s settled. Now let’s go before we’re late.”

The drive to Lainey’s new doctor is only about fifteen minutes since they are based out of the local hospital, but it feels like thirty with how tense and quiet the car is. Lucky and Wyatt had conditioning this morning and opted to meet us there rather than make us wait, so there was no levity to break up mine and Rhys’s quiet intensity as we focused solely on Lainey and wondered if she was warm enough in his puffy coat.

The thing is so large it’s practically drowning her. Her cheeks were flushed the whole drive, so I told myself she was fine, though my alpha demanded I shove my hand inside the jacket to see for myself more than once. Keeping him in line took up most of the drive.

The second Rhys puts the car in park, Lainey’s door is ripped open. She screeches, and I bark out a “Stop!” Before I realize it’s just my brother. Lucky is frozen just outside the car with our omega half in his arms and half on the seat. I can see him fighting off my bark and while I could help him out by releasing it, I figure he deserves to struggle after scaring the hell out of us.

“The fuck were you thinkin’?” Rhys barks. “You could have hurt her and I doubt scaring the shit out of our pregnant omega is good for her or the baby.”

Wyatt steps slightly in front of Lucky to scoop Lainey up and out of the car, but he cuts a glare at Rhys. “You know he didn’t mean anything by it, he was just excited. Chill out, daddy doom.”

At this, Lainey snorts, which turns into a high pitched giggle. After a few seconds of this, she gasps and smacks Wyatts arm. “Let me down, I gotta pee!”

It breaks the tension, and the rest of us chuckle as she speed walks into the clinic. Lucky finally breaks out of my bark and has the decency to look contrite. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you or her. I just haven’t seen her since last night, and I’m so damn excited to see the baby today. I just didn’t think.”

I toss an arm around his shoulders and ruffle his hair. “You’re forgiven. Our alphas are just on edge after this morning.”

Wyatt’s head whips sideways, concern etched into his features. “What happened this morning?”

Rhys looks around to make sure Lainey isn’t in the lobby when we enter before lowering his voice. “She was refusing to put on a coat and Law figured out she was embarrassed because none of her stuff fits. She didn’t want us to think she was taking advantage off us by asking for a new one when we just took her shopping last month.”

Their eyes go wide with horrified realization. “Fuck. How did we not think of that?” Lucky asks.

Wyatt frowns. “She’s bigger than I expected for this stage in her pregnancy. I was going to ask her doctor about it today anyway but now I feel like it’s really important we do. We’re big guys, so maybe it’s just a big baby, but…” he shakes his head. “I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.”

“What are we whispering about over here?” Lainey’s equally whispered question startles me as she squeezes herself into the gap between Lucky and Wyatt. They immediately find some way to touch her, with Wyatt tossing an arm over her shoulder and Lucky lacing their hands together in a possessive hold.

Lucky smirks, kissing her nose. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

She frowns, flicking him. “Duh. That’s why I asked. Did you get sacked during conditioning?”

He chuckles, shrugging.

“Lainey Ryan?” A nurse calls from a small doorway at the back of the clinic. Lainey’s scent goes sour with anxiety again and it sets my alpha on edge. Wyatt’s concern had already made me nervous for this appointment, but feeling her nerves down the bond is making it all so much worse. My worry continues to grow as she gets her weight and vitals taken, and I’m so lightheaded by the time we enter the exam room I feel like I could pass out.

“Knock knock!” A bright voice calls as a tall brunette woman enters the room. She turns to Lainey. “I’m Doctor Melodie Smith and I’ll be taking over your care for the duration of your pregnancy and postpartum. You can call me Doctor Smith, Melodie, or Mel. I’m not big on formalities. I see we have dads here as well?” She waits until Lainey nods and her smile grows. “Excellent. It’s always nice when the whole pack can be present for these appointments. Now, I think we’re going to take a peek at baby today, but if you have any questions let me know. Okay?”

Lainey nods, smiling slightly. “It’s nice to meet you, Mel.” Her voice is calm and her posture has relaxed significantly. I check her in the bond just to be sure, but she seems instantly at ease with this doctor, which relaxes me the smallest bit.

“Now your chart shows you’re sixteen weeks, is that correct, or is it possible they we’re a bit off in their estimation?”

Lainey nods. “We know the exact date of conception, so they definitely weren’t wrong.” She pauses, worry clouding her eyes. “Why? Is something wrong?”

The doctor shakes her head, but I see an equal amount of concern that she quickly hides. “Not necessarily. I’d like to measure you, take some blood, and then do an ultrasound just to make sure baby is growing on track and you have a normal amount of amniotic fluid.”

The worry in the room is palpable, not just from Lainey and the doctor but also from my pack mates. Rhys has his arms crossed with a murderous look on his face, though that isn’t unusual. Lucky is bouncing on his toes and making faces at Lainey. Wyatt is twirling locks of our omega’s hair between his fingers and purring softly, but me? I’m sweating profusely and about two seconds away from dropping like a sack of potatoes.

My fingers drum mindlessly on my thigh as I stand behind Lainey’s head and watch them do all the things. She barely flinches when they take her blood but a wash of nerves floods the bond when she has to lift her shirt so Doctor Melodie can measure her belly. As soon as I feel it my hand drops to her head, brushing the hair away from her face in a pathetic effort to soothe her all while my alpha beats on his metaphorical chest with pride knowing she’s growing round with our baby.

“Alrighty, everything looks good so far, Lainey. Are you ready to see your baby?” The doctor asks as a tech joins us in the room.