Page 117 of Abel's Omega
Quin chuckled, but just shook his head when Abel looked up at him. Abel shrugged, and continued to fill his belly.
When they’d finished eating, Holland and Bax went off to the kitchen to clean up and probably talk about everything that had gone on, only from an omega’s point of view. Abel already knew what Bax’s opinion was, but Abel’d done some thinking of his own on that long drive back. Problem was, he need Quin for it to work.
Quin took him back out to the office to give him a run-down on what had happened that week, tactfully letting Abel decide when to fill him in on Montana Border’s machinations.
Abel listened with all the attention he could muster, but, in the middle of a convoluted story about a dispute in the north-east housing area that had proved intractable to the lower level security crew, Abel stopped him.
“I’m dead on my feet, and I need to talk to you about something before I chicken out.”
Quin frowned at him. “What? I know you couldn’t talk with Bax around, but is it that bad?” He pulled himself up to his full height, going in that instant from big brother to sergeant-major, and Abel was forcibly reminded that his brother had risen to the highest rank available to a shifter.
Of course, that was what made him perfect for this plan of Abel’s.
“Sit down,” Abel said, “while I bounce something off you.”
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR
Noah was napping and I was indulging in a little fantasy, courtesy of a novel Garrick had brought back from his latest trip to work with Laine. The apartment was quiet, too quiet. My other three were out playing with their Uncle Quin and Holland, and Abel was gone again, off visiting another Alpha in the hopes of swinging a few more to our side before the weekend, when the pack council would decide his fate, and mine, and Jason’s as well. I sat on our couch, in the apartment we were supposed to be moving out of, and wondered if we were throwing away the last of our time together. What might the council decide to do? Abel wouldn’t discuss it, telling me not to worry, but I couldn’t stop myself. And neither could Jason, who was getting the same infuriating treatment from Mac.
But they couldn’t stop us making plans ourselves.
I had emergency bags packed, and a small stack of human money. Jason and Mac had put me in touch with someone outside walls, and we all had human identification. We’d done the same for Jason and Mac as well, just in case. I didn’t want to leave my home and my friends. For certain, I didn’t want to uproot the pups again now that they were settled into their new life. But I wouldn’t lose any of them if I could help it, and losing our pack was a better choice than losing each other. So, plans were in place and we were as safe as we could be with all this hanging over our heads.
The rapid stomp of puppy feet told me my break was over. I hauled myself off the couch with difficulty. My belly was already huge, and I still had a month to go.
Fan came tearing around the corner and raced over to me. “Hi, Dabi!” He grabbed me around the waist and hugged me, then kissed the expanse of my belly. “Hello, baby.” He patted the curve where he’d kissed, then raced for the kitchen. “Can I have an apple?”
“Of course. Do you want it cut up?”
“Yes, please,” he said as he put his all into pulling the fridge door open. It came open with a sudden loud sucking noise and dumped him on his bum, but it didn’t bother my determined little alpha. He was on his feet and digging in the drawer at the bottom of the fridge within seconds, and presented me with a shiny red apple in the amount of time took me to get a plate out of the cupboard and find a sharp knife.
“Where are your sisters? Still with Quin and Holland?” I asked him.
“Yeah. They’re playing on the slide.” He followed me over to the table and clambered up onto a chair.
I set the sliced apple on the table in front of him. “Do you want peanut butter too?”
“Yeth,” he said through a mouthful of apple.
I got him a spoonful of peanut butter, then poured him a glass of juice and set it beside him. Noah should be waking up soon. And I should probably put together a snack for my three youngest before then. Actually, it would be nice to get out of the house for a little while, once Noah got up from his nap. Maybe we could take our snack outside. Oh, that sounded like a good idea. I abstracted a few more apples from the fridge and began to slice them into a bowl. Cheese would be nice too, and of course, peanut butter.
My phone—my new phone, that Abel had sat me down and made me choose—rang on the kitchen table. Well, not so much rang, as whistled, a piercing wolf whistle.
I answered. “Hello, love.”
“And hello to you. What about Donovan? I don’t think there’s any of those in the pack.”
We’d been talking baby names, trying to come to a consensus on a boy’s name and a girl’s. “I’ll check the database.” It wasn’t a bad name. Better than anything he’d suggested up to this point. “I like it.” I was pretty sure I was having a boy, just from the way he squirmed inside me. Even now, when quarters were getting tighter in there—my poor bladder!—he seemed to enjoy calisthenics and stretches.
As if he were listening in on my thoughts, he began a long, slow stretch that distorted my belly, pushing the left side out like a small mountain.
“When are you going to be home again?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Good. I miss you.” I opened the fridge to look for more apples. “How is it going?”
“Good, I think. Here, anyway. Anything you want brought back?”
