Page 73 of Talk About… Trouble

The tension rose up in the room until it was hard to breathe. She gave us a small smile, not dragging it out.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe to claim, just be a little more gentle and don’t go into a rut,” she said, warning my alphas with a stern glare.

“We’ll keep her safe,” Braxton promised.

“Good,” she said. “Keep both of them safe.”

Devon was quick to reassure her. “Don’t worry. We’re an equal love pack.”

She gave one final nod before she left the room.

“What exactly does that mean?” Braxton asked, confused.

“Male omegas are not as coveted as female omegas,” Devon said simply. “Some packs would treat me as a second-class member of a pack in favor of the female omega.”

Both Alphas growled low in their throats at the thought of that, and Devon and I shared a smile.

“Don’t worry. I know that won’t happen with us,” he reassured them.

“Damn right it won’t,” Nash grumbled, leaning over and giving him a kiss for emphasis.

It was as if Shepherd couldn’t help himself either, his hand finding Devon’s and giving it a squeeze.

Watching my omega melt for them was everything. Devon deserved their love and adoration as much as I did, and the fact that our pack had two omegas, an amazing beta, and two alphas that all treated each other with respect was incredible.

It was such a night-and-day experience that it was chasing away the demons that had stacked up in my past. I was glad, too, because I’d be taking prenatal vitamins, and I’d avoided meds for a long time.

The young beta tech rolled the ultrasound machine in a few minutes later. He was all smiles and reassurances as he instructed me to roll up my shirt and pull down my pants enough that he had access to my still pretty flat stomach. The gel was warmed, and he spread it around with the transducer.

“All right, let’s see what we have,” he said, sliding it around until he hit a black spot on the screen. He settled there, and soon you could hear the softwomp womp wompof a heartbeat.

Tears welled in my eyes, and I reached out, clutching the closest packmate. Shepherd was gripping me just as hard, as Nash held Devon close, and Braxton rested his hand on my shoulder.

Even though we weren’t bonded, I could feel the swell of emotion in the room. Everyone was transfixed and melting for the sweet baby I was growing.

He gave us a minute to process, especially when Nash whipped out his phone to record the sound.

I think the most shocking of all was Braxton’s reaction. He’d grown up in a household full of kids.

As if he felt my worried gaze on him, he gave me a soft smile. “Don’t worry. This is different. This is ours. They will have a childhood far different than I did.”

“They absolutely will,” I agreed.

“All right, I think that’s everything I need. Come to the front and we’ll have your pictures waiting,” the tech promised, givingme a warm washcloth to wipe off with before rolling the machine out and closing the door behind him.

The guys helped me clean up, Devon wiping my stomach off with the gentlest hands before Nash was there to help me off the table.

I had never felt so delicate and fragile, and honestly, with my emotional state right now, it was fitting.

Twenty minutes later, we were walking out the front door, my next appointment scheduled, and a long string of pictures in hand for each one of us. They were nice enough to give every single one of us a copy.

We were so lost in our bubble that we didn’t see what was waiting outside.

A bright flash stunned me as soon as we stepped out of the clinic, ultrasound pictures in hand, making it very obvious what we were doing here.

“What the hell?” Devon said, lunging at the omega in front of me, while Braxton and Shepherd blocked me from view. Nash grabbed Devon around the waist, pulling him back just before he could reach her.

“Delete it, right now,” Nash barked the order.

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