Page 44 of An Alpha’s Guide to Finding the One

Do you know who the father is? Have you filed for child support? Or did you find some poor sap to take you in and help you with medical care?

I assumed you could handle being on your own at nineteen years old, but clearly I was wrong. You’ll come to Florida and we’ll set you up with one of Jeremy’s friends. And you won’t be bringing the brat with you.

“What. The. Fuck. Has she always been like this?” I try to keep the anger out of my voice, but it’s fucking hard. I don’t know this woman, but I hate her. And I don’t hate anyone. Not even my parents, who chose alcohol and a good time over their own son more times than I can count.

Lainey nods, her eyes getting misty again. “It started after my bio dad met his scent match.” I hiss a sharp breath through my teeth, and she nods. “I was eight, and she was an omega. You know how it goes. He couldn’t resist the pull, and my mom is a beta, so she couldn’t have kept his instincts in check forever. He tried to get my mom to let Amy into the home, to make us an official pack with my other dad and half-brother, but she lost it. Started calling him names and throwing stuff. She broke a lamp and one of the pieces cut him. He left that day, and I haven’t seen him since. At the time I thought it was because he didn’t want me, but now I’m wondering if she kept him away. I’m not sure I want to know.” She sighs heavily, sinking back into my hold. I take a deep breath, inhaling her scent, and force myself to purr. It’s hard with the anger still coursing through me, but Lainey needs this right now.

“After that, it started small. She’d yell at me for not keeping my room spotless, or any time I cried for my dad. Then later, after I presented, she would make little comments about my designation. How I was stinking up the house with my scent, and how my instincts were ridiculous and I would never make it on my own because omegas are inherently weak and pathetic.”

I’m practically shaking, and I can feel the guys’ worry through our pack bond. Because we aren’t all bound by an omega we can only feel extreme emotions from each other, and the riot in my chest definitely qualifies as extreme. “Did she ever hit you?”

Her shoulders go up, tension dropping right back into place. “Not… really. She’d throw things near me. And she slapped me once when I was a teenager for having an attitude. But mostly it was verbal. Her words hit harder than her hands ever could.”

I cross my arms over her chest, laying my hands on her belly and letting the twins’ movements settle my alpha. He’s letting out a war cry in my mind, demanding retribution for the pain this woman caused our omega. “She’s not getting anywhere near you,” I growl fiercely. I would sooner jump in front of a moving car than allow that woman access to my girl. “We need to go home. Tell the others. I know you didn’t want to deal with their reactions, but this is too big to keep to ourselves, honey.”

“I know. But telling you first helped me work through it in my own head. You let me get it out. Will you help me tell them?”

“Anything you need, Lainey. Always.”

She gets a contemplative look on her face before breaking out into a shy smile. “Then can I ask for one more thing?”

A grin back, assuming she’s going to ask for another pastry or something else she has decided she’s craving.

“Will you bond with me?”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t have heard you correctly. Did you just ask me to…”

He trails off, making me grin. “To bond me? Yes.”

He looks around. “It’s snowing.”

I shrug. “I run hot.”

“We’re outside.”

“We have a car. And it has leather seats. Easy clean up.”

He chuckles, but it’s a disbelieving sort of sound. I think I broke my alpha. “Are you sure? I mean you’re dealing with a lot right now and the last thing I want is for you to regret our bond.”

I scoff, cupping his cheeks in my hands. I see why they’re always doing this to me. It’s intimate and sweet and everything we need in this moment. “I could never regret bonding you, Wyatt Hanna. I know I haven’t said it out loud, but I love you. I think I’ve felt it for a while, but when you grow up without any good role models for healthy relationships, it’s kinda hard to recognize the feeling for what it is.”

His face breaks out into a beaming smile and he nudges his nose against mine. “I love you too, honey.” Warm hands cradle my bump just as the twins engage in a wrestling match, moving my whole belly. He chuckles again. “I love you both, too.” I relish in my alpha’s reverent touch, soaking in every second. On the harder days, when my back hurts and my body feels not my own or I haven’t slept well in days, I think this is the last time I’ll want to be pregnant. But then one of the guys will do or say something that sends my hormones into overdrive and makes me think I can do this a few more times. For now, I just have to focus on making sure these babies arrive safe and healthy.

“Soo,” I sing. “About that bonding…”

An embarrassing squeal ekes out when I’m hoisted into the air and then Wyatt moves, carrying me to the car. My belly is so prominent they can only carry my bridal style now, but I’ve learned not to complain. In fact, being treated like a princess might even be growing on me.

The temperature has dropped again in the time we’ve been outside but I didn’t notice the cold until now. My teeth chatter as Wyatt struggles to unlock the car doors and when he finally does, I dive into the backseat and bury myself under the blanket. Wyatt’s nose is bright red, that gap between his front teeth letting out a stream of fogged breath as he hisses. “Gonna grab our stuff now because I don’t plan on either of us being decent enough to leave this car again until we get home.”

A flood of slick soaks my panties, permeating the air with my scent. It’s been extra intense the last couple of weeks, but I’ve also been noticing hints of the guys scents melding with mine even when we aren’t together. With the increased pregnancy hormones, it has my system constantly on edge and raring to go.

“Holy hell it got cold fast.” Wyatt crashes into the backseat next to me, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them to warm them up. The veins in his hands are pronounced from carrying everything back to the SUV in one trip, and my teeth dig into my bottom lip as more slick leaks into my panties. My leggings are probably already soaked through, but I can’t find it in me to care.

Wyatt’s nose and cheeks are flushed pink from the cold, his scent slightly subdued until he sees the hungry look in my eyes. “I can think of a way to warm you up,” I purr, tracing one finger down his jacket clad chest. His pupils blow wide as he scrambles to strip the item off, leaving him in a dark green long sleeved tee that makes his blond hair seem brighter than it is. Unlike Wyatt I chose not to wear layers, so when I strip off my hoodie my entire upper body is bared to the cool night air. The scent of rich hot chocolate fills the small space and makes me feel like I’m sitting in front of a fire sipping the sweet drink.

I probably won’t get to taste Wyatt now, but I plan to when we get home. “It shouldn’t be possible,” he mutters under his breath.

“What shouldn’t?” I ask curiously.