Chapter 19
Last night was… peaceful. I feel content in a way I haven’t in a very long time. Crammed in the tiny closet-nest in Bea’s room, I savored the feel of her pressed against me all night. Even if it also meant dealing with Ridley’s arm falling repeatedly on my face while we slept.
They’re both still sleeping when I slip out of her nest. It’s mid-morning, but I try not to wake them. Bea deserves a solid night of rest. Quality sleep does wonders for the body’s ability to heal itself.
Coffee is brewing in the pot, and breakfast bagels are warming in the oven when someone knocks on Bea’s front door. I open it, expecting to see one of her other mates. Instead, I find myself face-to-face with her parents.
A flush crawls up my neck when I remember I’m standing here in only a pair of black boxer briefs. Talk about awkward.
“Come in, please. Bea is still asleep, but she should wake soon.” I step out of the way, holding the door open so they can pass by.
Their pack leader, a man I recall Bea introducing as Phoenix, gives me an assessing, narrow-eyed look. I nearly shrink beneath his gaze, intimidated by the older man, but Bea’s mom slaps him on the stomach and rolls her eyes.
“Relax, Phoenix. She’s twenty-two, and he’s her Fate-matched mate. You remember what it is like to be young and newly in love, don’t you?”
If anything, his scowl deepens. Thankfully, Bea chooses that moment to leave her room. She’s hobbling along with bleary eyes, using the wall to keep herself upright, so I rush over and scoop her into my arms.
Her hands clasp behind my neck, and she buries her head against my throat, groaning deeply when she breathes my scent straight from the source. I laugh awkwardly, patting her back with one hand. “Good morning, butterfly. Uh, your parents are here.”
Her head turns, eyes opening to see her family standing there. She just shrugs and returns her face to my throat. “Of course they are. I’m hungry, and I need coffee.”
Carrying her to the couch, I settle her in the remnants of her blanket pile before heading to grab breakfast from the oven. Ridley joins me a moment later, taking over doctoring Bea’s coffee. He seems much more at ease with her family pack. A sign he has met them before, likely several times.
“Are you all hungry?” I ask after handing Bea her bagels. “I can make more…”
“We ate before we left,” Shelby tells me, “but thank you for offering. Sit down and eat. Enjoy the morning with your mate!”
“Are your other mates here?” I think this dad’s name is Austin. Or maybe I’m getting these two confused. I know her Omega father’s name is Forrest, but he hasn’t spoken yet.
Bea scratches her chin, pointedly looking at her plate, so Ridley answers in her stead. My heart hurts for my mate, knowing she has to balance her needs with the reluctance of the others. It can’t be easy to deny the connection that exists between them.
“Lex and Creed were called back into work to track down the asshole who escaped the breeding camp.”
When the taller of the two Alphas nods, I realize he must be Phoenix, since Bea mentioned he worked in the undercover section of the DAU. So, I got their names correct. Good.
“As for Shiloh, well, that guy’s a dick.”
Bea splutters, glaring at Ridley, who shrugs unapologetically.
“He is, sunshine. You can like him all you want. It doesn’t change who he is.”
“If he needs a stern talking to, we’re available,” Austin offers.
My Omega balks, the color draining from her face and her head shaking rapidly. “No, thanks. I do not need my parents stepping in to help with my Fate-matched mates. That would be embarrassing as hell.”
“How are you feeling this morning?” Shelby asks, redirecting the conversation.
Forrest seems much more attentive now, eyes trained on his daughter as she eats. Ah. I get it now. His Omega is giving him problems. If my fear for her safety nearly made me catatonic, I cannot fathom being in the same position as her parents. To have their only child kidnapped and in danger.
“Okay,” Bea responds with a shrug.
“Bumblebee.” Forrest lets out a soft but distinct Omega growl that has every Alpha in the room sitting straighter. “Don’t downplay how you feel. What you’ve been through is horrifying. It’s okay to admit that you aren’t okay.”
“But I am okay. I’m here. Alive and free. Safe in my apartment with my mates.”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Shelby cuts in, patting Forrest’s hand before he can argue. “But you refused to listen to what the doctors had to say. You aren’t accepting all of what happened to you-”
“I don’t need a doctor to tell me because I already know. I was there. Experienced it firsthand!” Bea shouts, knocking her plate to the floor when she jumps to her feet, wincing when she puts too much pressure on her injured ankle.
Her parents stare wide-eyed, surprised by her outburst. Even Ridley seems concerned, but I’m not. The last thing she needs is someone telling her how she should feel.
“Those doctors only have enough information to tell me what they think could happen as I heal. Their worst-case scenarios will only make it harder to cope.” Bea is out of breath as she hobbles out of the room.
“Shit, sunshine, wait!” Ridley calls, leaping to his feet and rushing over to help her. The two of them disappear into her room, leaving me alone with her family pack.
“This proves she isn’t handling things as well as-”
I cut her father off. “Your daughter is handling things as best as she knows how. She needs time to process and room to heal. Not your worries adding to the burden she already carries.”
“We aren’t trying to make things more difficult,” Forrest protests.
I grab Bea’s plate and discarded breakfast, making a note to get her something else to eat after she’s calmed down.
“Not intentionally. I understand you are worried about her; we are too. But pushing her to talk isn’t helping.
” Dropping everything into the trash, I sigh and push my hair away from my face.
“Look, what you’re doing comes from a good place, but she isn’t ready to talk.
All we can do is to be here when she needs us.
Whether that’s listening or distracting is up to her. ”
“I… I suppose you’re right. We just don’t want her to get stuck in her head and spiral.”
“She isn’t alone, and frankly, she never will be. We may have only met a few days ago, but I need you to trust me—trust us —to take care of her.”
Phoenix stands, nodding to his family before he crosses to where I’m standing by the kitchen island. He offers his hand, gripping mine tightly when I reach out to shake it.
“Our little girl is in your hands.” His hand clamps down on mine, squeezing tight enough to hurt. “Don’t break her heart, or I’ll break your spine.”
Spinning, he walks out the front door without another word. Fates, that is one scary Alpha. I’m so glad my Omega had someone like him in her corner growing up.
The rest of her parents cleared out, asking me to have her call them when she feels up to it.
My shoulders sink, relief flooding through my body when the door closes behind them. I was not prepared to handle anxious parents this early in the morning. Apparently, my Omega wasn’t either.
Stepping into her bedroom, I see Ridley kneeling in the doorway to her nest. When I join him, leaning against the door frame, I see Bea inside, angrily rearranging everything. The most adorable grumbles rumble beneath each frustrated huff when she realizes a piece is in the wrong place.
Ridley raises one brow, silently asking me if we should intervene. We could, but she isn’t harming anyone. If her instincts feel unsettled, we should let her do what she needs to feel better.
He sighs, taking his shirt off and offering it to her with a goofy smile. Bea beams back at him, hastily grabbing the shirt and stuffing it between two of her stuffed animals.
The ringing of my phone startles us all. Blowing out a breath, I grab it from the dresser where it was charging. My father’s number flashes on the screen. I reject the call, but open my texting app and send a message promising to call him back shortly.
“Is everything all right?” Bea calls, peeking her head out the door.
“Yeah.” I wave my phone in the air between us. “My dad was trying to call me.”
“Your dad?” Curiosity and apprehension shine in my Omega’s dark blue eyes. She knows I haven’t spoken to my family since I left for rehab several years ago.
“Um… realizing you were missing and hurt, it put me in a bad place. I tried going to see my therapist, but I don’t think our session really helped. Afterward, I stopped by a liquor store-”
She sucks in a sharp breath, eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Orion! I’m so sor-”
“Nope. No apologizing. It was my decision, butterfly. You aren’t responsible for my choices. I didn’t drink it. Apparently, one of my sister’s mates saw me and called my parents. My dad showed up to talk me down. It was his idea for me to gather things you’d need for the nest at the hospital.”
Softness eases the tension in Bea’s shoulders and jaw as she crawls out of her nest. Her arms wrap around my back, hugging me tightly against her. With her chin resting on my chest, she looks up at me. “Are you going to call him back?”
Tugging her impossibly closer, I nod, then shake my head. “I think I should go see them.”
Her hands wander into the holes of my cutoff, palms soothing up and down both sides of my spine. The heat of her skin and the electric feel of our Fated connection spark a fire in my soul, making my cock grow hard against her.
“Would you like me to come with you?”