Chapter 35 #2
Orion steps out first, offering me a hand. New York got its first snow last night. We woke to a few delicate inches of fine flakes covering the balcony. It isn’t the fun snow where you can build snowmen and forts; this is the pretty kind that passes through your hand like glitter.
Trudging up the recently shoveled pathway, Orion keeps my hand in his. The front door creaks open when we reach the steps, and a short Omega woman steps out. She’s all dark gray hair and a beaming smile.
“Oh, Fates, you’re actually here!” She steals my hand from Orion and squeezes both tightly, pulling me up the steps and into the house. Panicked, I glance over my shoulder at my mates. None of whom seem startled or concerned.
“May, you haven’t even introduced yourself,” a hulking Alpha says from inside. He’s tall, close to Shiloh’s height, with a thick layer of brown stubble on his jaw.
My eyes dart between him and Orion, immediately noticing the similarities between them.
Fucking hell, they brought me to meet his family?!
With no warning?
I send a pulse of annoyed fury through our bond, and my Alpha gives me a sheepish smile. He rescues me from his mother’s clutches, an arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me into his side.
“Bea, these are my parents. May and Oliver Walker.”
“Come in, come in!” His mother urges the rest of my mates, clasping her hands against her chest as she takes us all in. I swear literal stars mingle with the tears in her light brown eyes. “Oh, this is such a joyous day! I’m so happy to meet you all!”
“Come on, May, don’t crowd them at the door,” another voice calls from further back in the house.
She blushes and ushers us into a decently sized living room. Pictures and miscellaneous decor cover the walls. A mish-mash of country chic and colorful bohemian. It’s cute and quaint, much like the Omega herself.
Two men sit in matching armchairs by a large picture window overlooking the fenced-in backyard. “Pops, Old Man,” Orion greets, leaving my side long enough to give each man a hug. “This is my pack, and my mate, Bea. These are my other dads, Teddy and Winter.”
“Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?” May asks, then quickly corrects herself. “Of course, you do. Be right back!” Halfway to their kitchen, she snaps Oliver’s name, demanding he help her. The older Alpha rolls his eyes, but smiles as he follows her.
“I’d say we’re sorry for our mates’ exuberance, but we aren’t. And May is nothing compared to Venus.”
Orion groans, head falling to my shoulder when his dads confirm they invited his sister and her pack to join us for lunch today. If she’s anything like my mate paints her to be, we’ll be fast friends. And trouble for everyone involved.
“So, Bea, tell me about yourself. Please. I was so excited when Oli told me my baby had found another Omega. A second chance at forever.”
Pain lances through Orion’s chest, short but potent. I rub my palm up his back, silently letting him know I’m here. Talking about Serenity still hurts him. Understandably so. Losing a mate is an atrocity I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, let alone someone I love deeply.
May bounces from person to person, asking endless questions between conversations with her mates. Lunch is on the grill when their front door slams open. A bright-eyed Omega with a short brown bob and a baby on her hip squeals in delight when she sees me.
I panic when she flies my way, wrapping me in a tight hug. “Oh, Fates, I cannot tell you how excited I am to meet you!”
Two men and another woman walk in a moment later, carrying baby supplies and grocery bags.
Ridley offers them a hand, taking the bags to the kitchen, where May quickly puts him to work.
I bite back a smile, enjoying the chaos of this bubbly family.
I’m sure my Alpha feels the same, coming from a family just as loud as the Walkers seem to be.
“Bea, this is my sister, Venus. Vee, this is my mate.”
Vee’s baby quickly winds up on Orion’s lap. The sight of him cooing at the tiny human makes my ovaries weep. We aren’t anywhere near ready for a baby, but one day I want that. A family with my mates and several kids running around.
“It will be so nice to have another Omega at family events. Mom is great, but it isn’t the same when there are literal generations between us.” Vee collapses onto the seat beside me, looking exhausted. One of her Alphas scoops her into his arms and sits back down, letting her melt against him.
“Omega time is important,” I agree. If I didn’t have Omen and Foster to hang out and gossip with, I would absolutely lose my mind. They get me in a way my Alphas never will. Not without experiencing heat hormones and the hurricane of ups and downs that follow.
“I see you two bonded. Congrats! He needed someone like you. After losing Ren… well, we all lost ourselves. She wouldn’t want us to wallow in our misery, though. The best way we can honor her is by causing chaos.”
Smiling, I think of all the stories Orion has shared about his wild first mate. She would be honored to know her former sister-in-law was wreaking havoc in her name.
“You two caused enough trouble while she was alive to last a lifetime,” Orion jokes. “Vee and Ren were best friends. A permanent third wheel on our adventures.”
“Like you didn’t love having me around!” Vee protests. “I never tagged along when you guys went on proper dates, just the fun ones. Like the color race she signed you up for the week of your twenty-first birthday!”
Orion’s mom interrupts story time, calling us all into the kitchen to grab plates. It’s crowded and loud. Full of laughter, love, and baby snuggles.
Wrapping my arms around my Alpha, I press my lips to his cheek. “I’m happy you found your way back to them.”
“Me too, butterfly. If I hadn’t met you, I might not have.”
“You would have. Maybe not this soon, but one day you would have come home. You love them too much to have stayed away forever.”
He smiles, staring into my eyes with an intensity that steals my breath. “You are my home, butterfly. The holder of all my love, even if pieces of it are shared with others.”