Pack Plus Three (Pucking Pregnant Book 1)

7. Nate

“You look like shit.” Devon laughed, taking in Jeremy’s face. We were all sitting in a coffee shop, grabbing something to eat after Jeremy’s hockey game. While the arena had plenty of salty, fried food readily available, Jeremy preferred something slightly healthier after a game, and I was inclined to agree. He had been extra tired and irritable, and this was just a friendly pre-season game.

Hence the bowl of sweet potatoes, chicken, and peas in front of me that I had hardly touched.

Jeremy had just finished a game against the Falcons, and it seemed they had decided not to play fair. Their defenseman, Connors, had spent the entire game hitting every member of the Chargers into the boards or throwing high elbows—just playing dirty.

My packmate didn’t suffer bullies easily, so he’d rounded on him, intending to intimidate and give him a clear message to back off, but the little shit had taken his chance to try and deck him. The idiot was oblivious to the fact Jeremy was both significantly taller and wider—he easily had fifty pounds on him. When he’d swung to start something, Jeremy had swung to end it.

It had only been a small scuffle, but Connors had landed a few decent blows to Jeremy’s face before he had him on the ground, and the referees finally intervened and pulled them apart. The resulting bruises weren’t the nicest to look at, but they would fade in a day or two.

“Why don’t you come home tonight?” Devon suggested before taking a large bite of his sandwich.

“You have been at the project apartment a lot,” I commented with a frown. “We hardly see you at home anymore.” Until recently, he had only been spending a night or two a week at the fixer-upper apartment, but now, he was easily spending the majority of his time there. Something about that unsettled me, even if I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why that was.

Jeremy took his time chewing the tiny bite of chicken he had just put in his mouth. His brow was furrowed, like he was carefully trying to pick his words. He wasn’t usually so reserved with us. We were family, after all.

He swallowed before speaking. “One of the neighbors is on their own, and I’ve been helping out where I can.”

“Another little old lady? I swear, you’re collecting them at this point!” Devon laughed, as if he wouldn’t do the exact same thing in Jeremy’s shoes. That pair had hearts bigger than their heads at times, and that was saying something, considering Jeremy’s sheer muscle mass.

“She’s not an old lady. It’s an omega. She’s single and heavily pregnant,” Jeremy admitted with a sigh.

An omega?

A single omega?

“You’re not getting attached to her?” I asked quickly. “We agreed—no omegas.”

There was no missing Devon’s grimace as Jeremy opened his mouth to speak. “You decided no omega for you, Nate. We understand why, but I won’t lie—I am kind of getting attached to Daisy. She’s so damn sweet.”

“Why haven’t we met her yet?” Devon asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

“But you said she’s pregnant? She must have an alpha, then,” I said with a frown, doing my best to ignore the panic rising in my chest. I couldn’t do it again. Being with an omega was a risk—one I couldn’t take. I wouldn’t survive it.

A small part of me that I had squashed down knew that Devon and Jeremy wanted more. They wanted a family, Jeremy more than anyone. He loved kids and wanted nothing more than to be a stay-at-home dad one day. He took every opportunity to kidnap his nieces and nephews. I also loved having the kids around—I wasn’t a total Grinch—but opening myself up to that kind of pain again was an impossibility.

“From what I gather, the sperm donor split the moment he found out about her pregnancy. She lives alone in a run-down apartment, making what little she can working from home—it’s beyond unfair to her. She’s had terrible morning sickness, and she hasn’t admitted it, but I think she’s also got vertigo. She’s been wobbling around a lot.”

“What sorry excuse for a sperm donor—what alpha in their right mind—would leave an omega alone to fend for themselves in the first place, let alone a pregnant one?”

As much as I disliked the situation, I had to agree with that. The motherfucker that had abandoned a pregnant omega was absolutely a waste of the air they breathed.

“While I agree, it’s not your job to look after her,” I said, but the words felt hollow.

Jeremy turned to glare at me so fiercely, I almost shrank back. “It may not be my job, but I want to help her. I’m not going to flaunt her in front of you, but I’m not going to lie. I like her, a lot. I fully intend to date her.”

“Even though she’s a single mother?” I asked, and I knew the words were total bullshit.

“Fuck, yes. She and the squirt are a package deal. You know I want kids. This just escalates the timeline, and that makes me insanely happy.”

I started to grasp at straws. “But what if the father makes an appearance?”

“If I’m bonded with Daisy, her kids essentially become mine, legally speaking. Considering the sperm donor split, I highly doubt he’ll be around to sign the birth certificate, so he won’t have any rights.” Jeremy shrugged, a dopey grin on his face.

Bonded.Jeremy was already thinking about bonding. The fucker was head over heels, and there was no talking him down.

Fuck.

“Dude, you’re talking about bonding and adopting her kid... Have you even asked her on a date yet?” Devon laughed.

Jeremy shook his head. “I can tell she’s attracted to me, though. There was a...moment recently. She smells so fucking good, like apples and brown sugar. I don’t see how anything between us could be wrong.”

“I just want you guys to stay safe,” I said, dread sticking to my gut like glue. “We can all date without bonding. That way, you guys aren’t at risk of going through everything I am.”

Severing sickness. My bonded omega had died less than twenty-four hours after we solidified our bond. To die so tragically and violently so soon after bonding.. it had destroyed a part of my soul and left me physically sick. Leaving me with medications that cost an arm and a leg and a deep emotional pain that would never ebb.

Jeremy sighed. “Look, I know how badly the severing sickness has fucked you up, man, but having an omega around could be a good thing.”

I shook my head. “You guys can do whatever you want, but keep me out of it.” As I took a bite of sweet potato, I couldn’t help the sinking sensation in my stomach.

Was this the beginning of the end for our little pack?