Page 70 of Our Haunted Omegas
Indigo
Two weeks after our mating feast our omegas were officially unpacked and the cabin was nearly transformed into something entirely new. As we all settled into our new home bit by bit the whole place started to look lived in and like a place where you’d see kids running around. The only thing left to decide was whether we’d make the nursery in the nesting tower, in one of the currently empty bedrooms, or both. Both was going to be the answer once Ambry and Odie realized it wasn’t selfish to have two. Two babies and two nurseries was an average ratio. Why shouldn’t we have a little habitat for them at both places? What was a nesting room if not a giant nursery?
They discussed it for hours as they did arts and crafts, experimenting with different mediums and styles. Teal still came and went and Cobalt knew more than he told me. I let it be because what else could I do? I didn’t have any proof the bad guys came after us because of him. Maybe it was grandpa’s ‘fault.’ The whole reason he needed to sign off on land deals was to ensure no one got cheated or manipulated. If someone was mad that Teal wanted to start another orchard instead of some crypto business maybe they were the sort who’d blow someone up just for fun.
While our omegas settled into their new lives in the arts and crafts room, the three of us worked on security around the property: both magical and mundane. None of us were thrilled at the idea of having full time security guards around but it might eventually come to that if the dust didn’t settle soon. I didn’t say it aloud, but I thought Cobalt was getting off easy.Odie was having a wolf pup. For three months until the baby was ready to be a baby, the pup and his carrier were a single unit. On the other hand, once Ambry laid our egg, we’d have this fragile little life to protect. It was almost enough to make me whisk him away to live with Sunny on the Starscale worlds out in space. Almost.
“We’re not on our own. That’s the important thing. We’re not on our own. Everyone will protect the egg. The more eyes and fire, the better,”my dragon chimed into my thoughts.“We got this. He has this and hatchlings are sturdier than you think. Don’t be like Dad. Don’t start freaking out already.”
Doctor Dolores visited the cabin twice a week since our return. Part of me felt like we should offer her a guest room but the serious old shebear might’ve taken the offer as a slight as if we thought she were too old to make the drive so often. She might be salt and pepper, but her shaker was still shaking. Sonogram photos from her twice weekly appointments had already taken over our fridge, creating a collage displaying how bright our futures were. Sometimes at night, I’d wake up and stare at them until Guardie came to nose me back to bed. He didn’t like anyone staying on their own too long.
I checked the nest daily and took to dropping chicken eggs from different heights to see if they’d crack inside of it when no one else was around. It was faulty science, of course. Eggs came out soft and pliable so they didn’t automatically crack upon landing or harm the layer. Still, everything inside me screamed that if I didn’t check it something would go horribly wrong for our egg and I didn’t think any of us would survive that.
I doted on Ambry as much as he’d allow me to, but I was finding that all the warnings my father-in-law gave about him being hardheaded and independent were true. Still, I tried. What else was I going to do?
Our phones blew up daily with texts and missed calls about parties, vacations, and asking where the hell were we? Cobalt was particularly fond of saying kids wouldn’t slow him down back in the day but now it was near impossible to pry him away from Odie. He blocked person after person who thought it was okay to send nudes still. Despite Reve’s death and the fact Teal rearranged one journalist’s face the news of our mateships was still front page. All the attention was another reason that sometimes the Starscale worlds sounded so damn appealing. Only I wouldn’t move Ambry that far away from his father-in-law.
***
“He’s close to laying,” Doctor Dolores announced after one of Ambry’s many ultrasounds. “Egg’s nice and big and low. He knows how to do his job. I need you to do yours and for the love of berry bushes stop cracking chicken eggs in the nest! I get it. You’re double-checking things, but Indigo Moonscale, that’s not how it’s done. The nest is fine as long as you don’t contaminate it with raw egg. Sure, it shouldn’t make anyone sick but the moment you count on everything going perfect is the moment you’ve messed up. Be aware but that also includes not making problems you don’t need. Keep him hydrated. Let him pace. Try not to let him wander out into the woods if you can help it and be prepared for him to not want anyone in the nest. Don’t have a lot of visitors. Don’t tell him anything distressing. Don’t try to feed him if he’s not hungry. Once the egg comes be ready to feed him a lot. Call me if anything concerns you. I’d rather you wake me up in the middle of the night for nothing than let a minor issue grow into a medical emergency.” Dolores paused to breathe for the first time since she started talking. “I’ve been assured that you grew up helping care for eggs. Do I need to remind you that keeping them warm is the most important thing? I assume I donot. Also, I don’t have to remind you not to use an abrasive cloth to---”
“Dolores?” Odie poked his head out into the hall. “Do you want to see the egg before you leave?”
I turned on my heels, nearly knocking the shebear over. Dolores growled but I got lucky, and she didn’t take a swipe at me as I sprinted back inside the nesting room. There in the nest that I checked over and over, tending with the utmost care sat my mate and a tiny blue egg. Blue like we were. I climbed into the nest careful not to jostle anything around.
“It’s still hardening,” Ambry whispered, his eyes misted over.
“Are you okay?” I asked, tearing my eyes away from the shell that protected the little life we made together.
“Yeah. It was weird. It didn’t really hurt. Mostly I was worried about the egg, but it’s here and safe and so blue. Like as blue as your hair in those old photos.”
“The dye seeped into his nuts,” Cobalt laughed, leaning on the side of the nest.
“Does that mean we’re having a blue wolf?” Odie arched a brow, standing next to his mate.
“You’d love him even if we did,” Cobalt laughed.
“We don’t know if the baby is a him,” Odie shrugged. “But yes. I’d love a blue wolf.”
“More likely to be green now,” Doctor Dolores walked into the room and peered over the nest.
It was obvious she didn’t approve of our deep forest green hair, but she wasn’t the one who went to bed with us at night.
“Better to hide in the woods with, my dear,” Odie shrugged.
Teal walked into the room, kicking off his shoes at the door and frowning. He’d been arguing with Grandpa a lot over security. He couldn’t be a folk hero and be tailed but he couldn’t tell Grandpa that without blowing his cover.
“He still on about more security?” Ambry asked.
“We don’t have to talk about that right now,” Teal shook his head. “Congratulations on your egg. It looks healthy. It’s a big egg too for having just been laid.”
“It’s already growing,” Doctor Dolores announced. “If my experiences with previous eggs has taught me anything I believe the egg will hatch soon.”
I exchanged a look with my brothers. Did we kick Dolores out and not tell anyone when the egg hatched until Odie’s pup was born? Did we pull what our carrier did so that no one would be pinpointed as an heir.
“It doesn’t matter so much,” Teal said. “Not really. Sure, you could be the first born but so could Co or me. They can’t pin it on any of our kids because of that. If they try the dads will get them.”
“He’s right,” Cobalt nodded.
