Page 49 of Broken Alpha

“How are you feeling?”

“Sore. But I'm happy. Can’t you tell?”

I focused on our bond at his words. It was still developing and would continue to do so over the next few days. When it was solid, I would be able to feel him in my head the way I could sense my Omega. Not his thoughts, per se, but the emotions he felt on a daily basis, and it would be effortless. I would be ableto tell if he was happy, scared, angry, or aroused all through our bond. I buried my face against his back and smiled.

“Would you ever consider doing this again?”

“God, yes!” Luke exclaimed a little too excitedly. “But no one tells you how exhausting bottoming is. So give me a few hours.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his enthusiasm, and I rose slightly to kiss him. “You feel things with your whole body. It’s such an emotional thing, and your body’s senses are in overdrive, but it’s worth it. You did so well, Alpha.”

Luke made a slight noise in response to my praise, but shortly a soft snore filled the room. Through our bond, I could sense his contentment and pleasure. The sorrow he experienced earlier, I realized, was regret. Regret that things hadn’t gone right the first time, but relief that our puzzle was now complete. As I drifted off to follow Luke in sleep, I felt a little tug at the bond, my eyes flying open immediately. Luke was still sleeping, my cock had softened enough to pull out of him, but nothing seemed different. That’s when I felt it again, and I couldn’t help the grin and tears that filled my eyes. I smoothed my hand over my bump and looked down at it, a wet smile on my face.

“Hello, Autumn.”

Luke

Three years later….

“Odie!”

I chased after the little toddler, her dark pigtails bobbing as she teetered over to Aidyn, who bent to scoop her up. ‘Odie’ was a term meaning ‘other dad’ that Aidyn and I had agreed upon as a way for our pup to address him to differentiate between her parents. Autumn was very much her Odie’s girl despite being home with me the majority of the time. He nuzzled her, blowing raspberries against her cheeks, her giggle echoing through the room before being distracted by the multitude of colorful fish that swam around us in the underwater tunnel.

“Did you know there are no changing rooms in Alpha bathrooms?” I quipped, setting the diaper bag on top of the stroller.

“Why didn’t you use the family bathroom?”

“Someone was already using it, and I wasn’t about to drag her to the other side of the aquarium to find one.”

“You should’ve grabbed me to take her to the Omega bathroom.”

I shrugged, wheeling the stroller out of the tunnel. I had never noticed the lack of pup care facilities in Alpha-only spaces until after Autumn was born. It was as if society had dictated that Omegas were the only ones who could raise a pup, and therefore, there was no need for things like a changing table in an Alpha-only bathroom. Because of this, I upgraded all my properties to include an area for pup care, regardless of the designation of the parent.

I had been true to my word, ensuring Aidyn graduated with as little disruption as possible. However, Autumn had other plans, arriving earlier than her projected early due date for a male Omega offspring. I still have nightmares about the amount of blood that soaked our bed, both of us terrified that Aidyn was losing the baby. We rushed him to the hospital, where he was immediately processed for an emergency C-section. I wasn’t even allowed in the room, making the wait for information the most agonizing two hours of my life. Aidyn’s parents had flown in for his graduation and the birth of Autumn, staying in the guest bedroom of the new house we had purchased outside the city. They sat with me, often in silence, his mother trying her best to soothe my fears. In my weakest moment, I prayed to whatever powerful being was out there to save Aidyn. Maybe we could try for another child later, but please,pleasedon’t take my little fawn from me.

The sudden wave of guilt and sorrow at the thought was devastating. That I was willing to pick my mate over the life we had created together so fucking quickly. It was made worse by the fact that I couldn’t feel him. He had passed out during the trip to the hospital, shutting off our bond, but I still slightly felt the one for our pup. She was in distress, and I could do nothing about it. Aidyn said he felt her constantly, almost as strongly as he felt me, but she was a flutter on my end, yet at that moment, she was my only connection to him. It was as though I had failed my mate and child.

It wasn’t until a wave of happiness flooded through our bond that I realized he was awake. He was worried, fear tightening around me to the point that I felt violently sick, but he was okay. When I finally held our pup, I broke down, apologizing to her for my thoughts that she didn’t understand. Despite his exhaustion, Aidyn’s purr rumbled through the hospital room, soothing me and the crying pup in my arms. His parents took her from me, and Aidyn pulled me into the hospital bed with him, wincing as I jostled him slightly. I felt like a fucking child, curling around my mate, my head on his chest. Staff and my in-laws left us alone as Aidyn purred to soothe my anxiety, whispering that he was okay and so was our little girl. He had an incision on his lower abdomen that rested right above his pubic hair, which had been shaved for the surgery, but it was the third most precious thing to me. A reminder that I had almost lost him. Of the daughter, he gave me and the life we had created together.

He had graduated college from the maternity ward, something he hadn’t wanted and gripped about, but was unavoidable. Autumn was far too small to go home right away, and she was forced to stay in the hospital for the first two months of her life before we could finally take her home. Several tests were conducted to ensure she was healthy, but a designation test had also been done. The nurse explained that they no longer had towait until Autumn had reached puberty like Aidyn, and I had to find out her designation. The test confirmed that Autumn was an Omega, the first one born in my family in centuries. I didn’t care what she was, just as long as she was healthy. However, I began to realize the true panic of raising an Omega in an Alpha-dominated society, and I was making myself sick with trying to figure out how best to protect her. Aidyn assured me, time and time again, that if she were anything like him, she wouldn’t take shit from anyone.

After discussing it with his parents and seeking their permission, I legally changed my last name, choosing to take the surname of my Omega. My parents cut ties with me after I sent them pictures of our bonding marks and a sonogram of Autumn, and changing my name severed that connection completely. That suited me just fine, I didn’t want them around either.

Aidyn put himself on the trial suppressants that had been discussed the second he was permitted by Ryan, and they seemed to be doing well for him. He still had heats, but they weren’t nearly as long or as difficult—minor inconveniences that Aidyn said he was willing to live with while something was still being worked on. He got a job a year after Autumn was born and was doing really well in his field of Omega Specialty Care. He thrived at his job, quickly moving up the ranks to the point that his employer had put him in charge of his own facility three months ago. We had celebrated with a quiet night at home, and Aidyn assured me he preferred it that way. When we had purchased the new house, I immediately set up an office in one of the bedrooms so that I could look after our daughter while also tending to the investment properties I currently possessed. I took a more intimate approach, and each property was flourishing enough that I was looking to create a clinic for Aidyn for his own facility. Not that he knew that yet; I was still looking into locations.

We paused at the otters like we did every time we visited the aquarium. Aidyn lifted Autumn to the lookout glass, and she squealed excitedly at the pile of otters sleeping right at eye level. She mumbled in toddler speech, and I could only assume she was giving them each a name as her mother held her. I watched the color slowly drain from Aidyn’s face as he held her up, pushing her against the wall to support her better. I abandoned the stroller by the opposite wall, away from everyone so it wasn’t in the way, and moved behind them.

“You okay, little fawn?” I whispered against his ear.

Aidyn melted against me, using me to support the two of them, and he only nodded, his emotions damped. He had insisted on coming to the aquarium, even though his heat had ended two days ago, against my concerns that he wouldn’t be up to the task. Now, I was beginning to think I was right. Once Autumn was done with the otters, we left, stopping at the sensory tanks to touch rays, sea cucumbers, and other ocean life. This was Autumn's favorite part after the otters, so we often spent more time here than at the other exhibits. By the time we were done, Autumn was asleep in her stroller, and Aidyn looked paler by the second.

“Let’s get you home,” I said, mentally making a note to call Ryan once I was alone.

Aidyn only shook his head, smiling at me as he moved through the gift shop. No matter how many times we came to the aquarium, at least several times a year, he always had to get something. I had difficulty telling him no, especially if it was just another otter plush he didn’t already have that he wanted to add to the collection outside our nest. However, he went to the children's clothing, picking out a sundress with sharks on it and a two-piece outfit with my head tilted.

“I think you grabbed the wrong size, babe. Autumn is too big for that; that’s for a newborn pup —”

My words halted in my throat, my gaze flickering between the outfit he held in his hand and the look on his face.

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