Page 19 of The Lab: Rigg

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The cabin was warm and smelled like cinnamon when I opened my eyes. Light poured through the windows, and for one heart-stopping second, I panicked because the kids were gone.

Grandpa Joel must have come back and been horrified by the condition I’d left his grandbabies in. They were unbathed and apparently neglected...and possibly had twigs sticking out of their hair from our time outside.

Gramps poked his head inside the room and waved a spatula at me. The smile on his face knocked my anxiety meter down a few notches. “Good morning, lazybones. I see you’ve turned my family into a proper pack of wolves.”

Lily jumped up and tugged at my shirt. “Daddy, Daddy! Gran’pa made bites.”

I groaned and sat up, trying to wake up. “That sounds—” A wave of nausea rolled through me, and I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I couldn’t remember the last time I barfed, but I did remember why I avoided it so much. It felt awful in the moment, but as soon as my stomach was empty, I felt so much better.

The kids were already eating, but Gramps was waiting outside the door with a wet rag and a glass of water when I finally emerged.

“Thank you.” I inhaled the water and washed the toothpaste taste out of my mouth. “I must have eaten something bad.”

He just shook his head and grinned. “Try again, omega.”

“What?” I thought back to what I ate the night before and nothing stood out. Within a few seconds, I realized what he was getting at. “No way. I’m definitely not.” It wasn’t possible. I mean, it was technically possible, but… “What is Rigg gonna say?”

Gramps pulled me into a hug and chuckled. “He’s gonna be so damn happy. Almost as happy as I am right now.”

I sniffled into his shoulder and nodded. “Me too. I think…I’m really happy too.”

Happy but shocked. A person could be both things, right?

When I finally made it to the kitchen, there was practically a banquet set out. Breakfast egg bites, muffins, fruit and yogurt, everything their little hearts desired and a couple things mine did too. Feeling better, I piled my plate with fruit and eggs and wolfed it all down within minutes.

“You’re gonna spoil us.” I waved my fork at all the food as I looked at Gramps. “And make me look bad.”

Lily’s face was sticky with syrup. “You look good, Daddy!”

I winked at her. “Thank you, sweetie.”

The moment was almost perfect. The only thing missing was my mate.

12

RIGG

A small group had gathered outside as I finished my cup of coffee. I heard their voices drifting up to me, but my mind was already focused on getting home. Over the past twenty-four hours, we set up a plan that I felt confident about. It would be a big job to take down the labs that had tormented shifters for decades. But now it was time to wait. We’d set things in motion and had to rely on some of our inside contacts to get us to the next stage. Until then, I was going to wait with my family.

Alden stepped forward when I walked out onto the porch. “Heading out?”

“Yeah, getting antsy to be home.” Just talking about the lab and the efforts they put into finding escapees made me anxious to be with Niles and the children. The kids said they were thrown away, but they still had big gaps in their memory, so maybe they weren’t meant to be out on the streets. Regardless, I needed them all in my arms. “Call me as soon as you hear anything.”

“I’m hoping it’s soon, but we’ve got to time everything perfectly.” He clapped my shoulder and then gave me a half hug. “It was great having you here. You and your family are always welcome here.” He looked me right in the eye. “I mean that.”

I nodded and swallowed back the emotion I felt. They were truly a family, and being a part of their pack wasn’t a bad idea. We didn’t have to live in River’s Edge to be a part of their community. And Niles missed having a pack. “I’ll talk to Niles about it. Thank you for your generosity.” I tried to sound casual, but it really meant a lot to me that everyone had been so welcoming.

The drive back home went by quickly, but I was as impatient as I’d always been on the road. I seemed to be born with the persistent urge to be somewhere else, never content where I was. But this time, I knew where I was headed. My mind immediately pulled up visions of Niles’s familiar scent and the sound of the kids’ voices when they roused me in the morning.

Being away from them for even one day was too long.

As soon as I walked in the door, I knew something was different. Niles’s scent filled me as I took a deep breath, but there was something new in it.

“You’re back!” Niles tried to hold back the kids until I was fully inside, but they broke free and were all over me—four wiry arms tangling around me as they tried to climb up me. It was fucking amazing.

“Daddy Rigg. You were gone so long.” Lily held her arms up for me to lift her.

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