Page 74 of His Bonded Omega Mate
Every time I thought of Asher, a rock settled in my gut. It felt like my fault, like I hadn’t been alpha enough to keep them all in line, to lead my mini pack and family. His lion saw me as weak. I knew Hiroshi was also dealing with his own feelings of guilt over the situation. He’d been withdrawn whenever they returned from the clinic after seeing him.
Yet, with everything going on, and the added pressures of the threats to the alpha’s babies, my mate was being a pillar of strength for his omega, but was neglecting himself. I didn’t know how to best help him. Tate needed the support. He couldn’t rely on me without angering Asher more, but it wore Hiro out trying to keep spirits high.
With no small amount of guilt, I’d left the two pregnant omegas in Larken’s capable hands while I headed into the office. Kade had a list of things that he needed done that was about a mile long. I hated leaving my family to finish sorting the house so that it was habitable, but I felt better that I’d arranged a food delivery and moved the biggest items for them.
The mix of alphas and betas with them wasn’t ideal. Half of those pack mates I wouldn’t have picked, but we were lucky to have the help at all.
Still, I felt uneasy when I thought about Hiro and Tate alone with them. I reached for my phone, ready to call and check in again.
“Roan. Roan!” Kade snapped.
“Sorry?”
“I’ve been trying to get your attention. Blake said he got some of the other alphas of the pack to help you move. Is something wrong? Were there not enough or were they late?” Kade looked stressed and tired.
“No, nothing like that. There are plenty of alphas, maybe too many, especially ones that aren’t too keen on me.”
Kade sighed. “I don’t know why. You’re one of the best people I know.” He yawned and stretched a little.
I huffed out a laugh. “Thanks. I think that’s part of the problem. They don’t know me. I’ve been so busy since I joined the pack that they never saw me earn my position. I’m not one of them.”
“So, get to know them.”
“I will. In fact, I’ve planned a delivery to say thank you for the help. Maybe that’ll work on them. I think half of the volunteers just wanted to gawk at Hiro and Tate, which I get, but I don’t want the omegas to feel uncomfortable.”
“You really are a great alpha.” Kade stifled another yawn.
“Have you been sleeping?” I asked with concern.
Kade looked at the triplets playing on a mat on the floor. An elf, Cryabell, was watching over them. “Felix is teething this week. It was Elliotte and Greyson last week. Between that and the constant threats...”
“I’m sorry, Kade. The babies are so precious. I can’t understand why others don’t see them as the gift that they are.”
My best friend slumped into the seat next to me and rested his head against my shoulder. “Can I just rest here for a minute while the babies play?”
I patted his head. “Sure, I’ll just look over the paperwork for the meeting.” He was already asleep against me.
We stayed there for about an hour as I tried to get caught up with the endless paperwork and checked in with my mate and Larken. Both were acting cagey, but since I couldn’t leave until after the meeting, I prayed to the goddess that the brewing trouble could wait until I got there.
On silent feet, Blake edged into the room, trying not to attract the attention of the gurgling babies in the play area of the office. They could crawl already. Elliotte had spoken her first word, “Dad,” to an over the moon Blake. Life should have been nothing but sunshine and rainbows for the alpha pair, but they were struggling under the weight of the changes we’d all undergone because of the beta sickness. I could see it in the pinch to Blake’s mouth as he watched over the babies. Even with the love in his expression, he held so much worry.
Blake looked over at me and Kade with a fond smile.He fell asleep about an hour ago;I said over our pack bond.
Let him rest unless he gets too heavy. He insists on doing too much.
You know, Kade, he just wants to be perfect all the time.I rolled my eyes at Blake playfully.
He already is. My pack alpha said it with so much love for his mate, it should have been sickening. It wasn’t. Their devotion to each other was an example of what mates should be to each other. I felt like I was getting there with Hiroshi. Our situation was more complicated because of our beginning and the fact that Hiroshi had more than one mate, but the feelings were developing, deepening. I loved my mate dearly. One day, we’d be like the alpha pair.
We sat in peaceful silence while Kade dozed on my shoulder, his feet curled up. The paperwork didn’t take me long to sort. There were more applications from shifters wanting to join the pack. Most wanted to come and look at the babies, Elliotte in particular.
The little alpha female had the shifter community torn. We were still getting threats. There had been another attempted kidnapping, but slowly, we were plugging the holes in our security. It would never be perfect and she would have to grow up quickly unless more alpha girls were born. We still didn’t know if she was an anomaly, or the start of a resurgence of the alpha females.
I knew that Blake and Kade had gone to the omega bear, Janet, to ask for answers. Not just about their daughter, but about Tate and Asher. The old woman was unusually quiet about it. Insisting that The Luna wasn’t ready to unveil her plans. There were things we had to figure out on our own. We had to earn it.
With only fifteen minutes to go before the meeting, I roused the still sleeping Kade. Cryabell had just finished feeding and changing the babies, timing their nap perfectly. As Kade rushed around, trying to make himself look presentable in time for the start, the triplets cried. He rushed to them, trying to soothe them all.
“Alpha Mate, they feel your stress. Please, go sit and get ready. I will get them to sleep.” Cryabell insisted in her gentle tone. She calmed each one and cast a bubble of silence around herself and the babies with a little smile and a shooing motion.
