Page 30 of The Brooding Alpha's Mate
“Deal.”
Chad was waiting for us when we arrived. He looked so different already. He’d put on some weight, the slight limp he had was a little better, but more than that, I could see the brilliance in his eyes. They were no longer sunken and hiding.
It was weird to think of eyes as hiding, but his had been. Now, his true colors shone bright for all to see. He was like a new man.
“You look good.” Colson hugged him. “What have you been up to?”
“About up to here”—he held his hands up to his chest—“with dirty diapers. Want to help?”
The two of them went off to help with the babies, and I went to check in with my team.
“So this is what it’s like being mated and working together.” I handed my cousin a coffee.
“Yeah. It’s pretty great, isn’t it?”
“It really is. It really really is.” I took a sip of my coffee. “Do we have any word from the DA’s office?”
And just like that, we fell into work, only this time, I wasn’t running errands. I was helping sort information from multiple sources.
I had moved up.
I really hoped I was ready.
These omegas and children deserved only the best.
Chapter Seventeen
Colson
When you’ve lived in chaos for so long, silence and calm were unsettling. I still anticipated a barking order from Dean even though my mind knew he was gone.
The nights were the worst. Goddess damn them for what they did to me and Chad and so many others.
“Did you get some more sleep?” Alex asked from behind me. We’d fallen into a habit of waking up with him as the big spoon and me as well, I would say little spoon but now that I was almost ready to pop, I was the little spoon with the beach ball in front of me.
“I tried, but your cub is very active. He stuck his foot right into my ribs.”
Alex scooted closer to me and rubbed circles around my belly. “I’ll have to have a talk with him later.”
I laughed, but Alex’s voice always calmed the babe inside me down. He knew his papa well.
“You do that. In the meantime, I’ve got to go to the bathroom and get dressed so I can help Raven.”
“It’s Nix’s birthday already. I can’t believe it. But you don’t have to rush. Everyone in the sleuth is helping already. You could stay here and rest. I could bring you breakfast in bed.”
“That sounds so nice. Would you?”
“You know better than to ask that question. There are very few things I wouldn’t do for you, love. Do you need help getting to the bathroom?”
I snorted. “I’m not that big yet.”
Alex left to get me breakfast. He spoiled me, making me feel like a brat all the time, but slowly I was getting used to it. Alex had flipped my world upside-down in the best way possible. Hissleuth accepted me as one of their own, and I was finally out of survival mode for the most part. Thriving was a way of life now. Still strange some days.
I stood in front of our dresser and closet with my hands on my hips. I had nothing to wear. Nothing.
“I’m glad I didn’t bring anyone in here with me,” Alex said, his eyes roaming my naked form. I’d taken a quick shower while he brought up breakfast.
“You would never bring someone else into our den.”
