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Three alphas in total sit close to Grace at the table we’re all seated at on the back patio after dinner. Each is very different, much like my pack.
Gods, that feels good to say.
My pack.
Anyway, Kai is a tall alpha with a swimmer’s build, toned thighs, and brawny arms. He’s slightly tanned, like he spends a lot of time outside, with red hair that’s cut short, deep green eyes, and sharp cheekbones. He smells like cherries, pleasant, but not to my taste.
Jared is the biggest of the three men bonded to Grace. Not quite as big as Nico, but very built, with thick, corded arms and meaty thighs. His skin is a golden brown, much like Knight’s, and his hair is dark and shaved down close to the scalp. He wears a cheery smile that is a little strange when you meet him because, at first glance, you just wouldn’t expect it. I would expect more of a scowl. He smells like roses, which makes my nose tickle.
And then there is the last alpha. Dominance exudes from him, but it’s not overpowering for me. It’s just his aura. Grant is the tallest of the three, with shockingly white hair that I totally dig. His eyes are a piercing blue that cut right through you, which is a little unnerving. To be completely honest, he looks like someone who walked straight out of one of my favorite animes, and I am all here for it. Grace is lucky as shit.
It’s sunset, the sky a delightful mix of pretty pinks and oranges. A little farther off in the yard, we can hear the girls playing in the little clubhouse that Cal built them for when they visit. I instantly fell in love with Syn’s parents when we got here, and I met them.
Cal and Talia are great, so sweet and loving. A pairing like theirs is unusual, but not unheard of. I’m sure that now, heats are no longer an issue, or if they are, they’re not as strong as they used to be. I find myself curious how they handled it when they were younger.
“So, Ripley. River has told me a little about you over the last few months, but he’s been tight-lipped on a lot of the details, only giving me the bare minimum. How’d you two meet?” Talia eagerly asks, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table, clasping her hands, and setting her chin on her hands.
I smile as Syn rolls her eyes at her mother.
“Ma!” she groans, exasperated.
“It’s fine.” I laugh. “Um, okay. So, I met Syn and Kian first. The night before I ran into River, actually. Syn saved me from this jerk of an alpha at the ceremony the Omega Center throws for all the graduating omegas. He was manhandling me, and then they offered to walk me back to my dorm so I could finish packing. There was this scent that was attached to them I was going absolutely crazy for.” I grin, glancing at Syn as she smirks.
“Oooh. Who’s was it?” Talia gasps excitedly, making me chuckle.
“River’s. You can imagine how surprised I was to learn that he was Syn and Kian’s omega. That coconut and honeysuckle scent was stuck in my head all night.” I bite my lip, blushing. “Anyway, River and I have said that Fate or Destiny was working on something behind the scenes for us. He says it’s the only answer to why I never found another pack I felt drawn to. I ran into River the next day at this festival that happens near my parent’s place, and I don’t know. It’s like he was a magnet that I was immediately drawn to. When he called me Little Bird and smiled at me, I was done for.”
I can’t help the tiny smile when I think about meeting River for the first time. One of the best days of my life, finding him.
“That’s so sweet. River has always kind of walked to his own tune. Even I noticed that the first time I met him,” Talia says, smiling softly at me.
Grace scoffs, and I turn to face her, raising a brow. “Problem?”
“Nope. Just trying to understand how everyone can believe this bullshit. Ma, River is an omega. Omegas are omegas, no matter what. They do not want other omegas, and they certainly do not want other omegas with their alphas.”
She refuses to believe that two omegas could love each other and live in harmony, despite the fact that I sit here with River’s mark on my neck.
“Why is it so hard for you to believe that I love him and that he loves me? Why is it so far beyond your comprehension that two omegas could be attracted to one another and choose to bond? How can it be shocking that he would choose to share his alphas with me if that was what we all wanted? We’re all adults. We can talk and have grown-up conversations, especially ones that concern our pack and its inner workings. I love every single one of them. Alphas, beta, and omega, and they love me. The thing is, Grace, it’s really none of your business how our pack runs nor how we choose to love one another. We aren’t hurting you or anyone else. We’re doing what feels right for us. Nobody else. We’re not here telling you that you need to let another omega into your home.”
I take a deep breath before continuing.
“You’re right. River is an omega. Sometimes. He nests, he has heats, and he can be bratty and clingy as hell. I would know from personal experience. But he’s also more when he’s with me. He’s alpha-like in that he wants to care for me, keep me happy, and make me feel loved. He’s an omega with alpha tendencies, and I love it. I love that he wants to organize blankets and pillows with me and that we’ll snuggle in the nest for days, hiding out, just us two. I love that he’s so clingy with me and that he wants all of my attention, but that he tries his hardest to make sure our alphas and beta get time with me as well. Honestly, I’m thrilled that I have someone that understands me on a deeper level and what I deal with as an omega because he’s the one that’s going to know how to take care of me better than anyone else in the pack. I miss them all when I’m not with them, and it’s been like that from the moment I met them. I just didn’t realize it for a while. I’m not ashamed of loving River. In fact, I have nothing to be ashamed of. At the end of the day, he’s my omega, and I’m his. We all belong to each other, and I couldn’t imagine a better life for myself.” I shrug my shoulders, relaxing back into my chair.
I speak calmly, relaxed even, the entire time. My voice doesn’t raise once, but with how quiet it gets at the table, you’d think I’d shouted through a bullhorn. Syn’s lips are sucked in as she tries to hold back laughter, but I catch the pride shining out of her eyes as she looks at me, and it causes a thrill to roll down my spine. Cal coughs, but I see he’s also trying to hold in a laugh. Talia has her hand clasped over her lips, and I see the mirth dancing in her eyes as she glances down at the table.
Grace’s lips are parted, her eyes wide at my spiel. Her alphas are wisely staying out of this little dispute, choosing to look everywhere but at their omega. Surely, they realize that she’s being ridiculous. I mean, why is she so concerned about who we’re fucking when she’s not in our beds?
It takes Grace several moments to pull herself back together and finally respond.
“Well... Alrighty then,” she says, clearing her throat and looking at me with the tiniest hint of respect shining in her eyes.
And that’s it. Nothing more is said on the subject of River and me, or me and the rest of the pack from Grace. Mama Talia asks more questions about how all of our relationships started and have progressed. I’m more than happy to tell her how I was the one to kind of make a move on her daughter. Everyone chuckles at that except Grace. Although I catch a tiny hint of a smile playing on her lips.
Maybe with time, things will get easier with Grace. I can only hope. Nobody wants to have problems with their significant other’s family. Of course, it’s not like Syn is close to Grace, from what I’ve gathered.
In the end, we have a pretty relaxed evening. Syn and I leave around ten, several hours after Lilah and Violet tap out and fall asleep on the living room couch with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella playing in the background. Good choice. My personal favorite.
Back in our hotel room, Syn and I cuddle up on the bed, both too tired to do anything. She’s curled around my back with her arms wrapped tight around me, face pressed to my head as she breathes me in. I fall asleep to her purr, lulling me into blissful REM.
