13. Corvin
Today was finally the day I got to see my omega. It had been over a month since she ghosted us. Her text yesterday came as a complete shock, but not one of us turned down her offer for dinner.
I was, however, afraid she’d cancel.
Hopefully, no one in Willow Lake needed to be rescued today because not one of us was keeping it together.
Apollo had been washing the fire truck for almost two hours, the side he’d barely moved from the cleanest it had ever been.
Ezra was in the kitchen organizing and deep cleaning. Or at least, that was the room I’d seen him in last. I had a feeling by the time dinner rolled around the whole place would be sparkling.
My phone dinged in my pocket and I nearly dropped it, I snagged it out so fast. The sound alone had my heart slamming against my ribcage.
Bea
Here’s my new address. I moved, but it’s on the lake. Don’t knock, text me when you’re here so I can come out and chat before we go in, please.
“That’s not ominous at all,” Apollo said, his eyes wide as he looked up at me. I was the leader, the one supposed to calm them, but I couldn’t disagree.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” I lied, hoping like hell it was true. My alpha had been on edge for a fucking month. It was getting hard to keep the act up and I knew my pack felt every minute of it.
We’d all thrown ourselves into work as if that would chase away the pain of finding our mate, then losing her.
I’d seen her around town a time or two, but she was skittish enough I was afraid to approach her. Losing her again would only send me into a spiral and I didn’t want to risk it.
I had to believe tonight would change everything.
“Will you three get the fuck out of here,” Chief growled as he came stalking in. “The rookies are terrified of you and they’re trained properly. We’ll handle anything that comes in.”
“We’ll be back on the game tomorrow,” I promised, trying not to show how damn happy I was to run today.
“Sure,” he said, not looking like he believed us. The old man was our mentor, the one keeping the station running. I was his second in command, and letting him down had me feeling even worse.
Tomorrow would be better. It had to be.
Grabbing the other two, I dragged them out with me, explaining our unexpected day off. They didn’t protest, they simply followed me down the path to our packhouse.
“We’ve got an address. There’s no going back now,” Ezra said firmly. He’d been the most optimistic. There was trauma behind Bea’s actions, but I had a feeling something else had happened as well. She was confident before we took that call but never showed or answered after.
A million possibilities had burrowed their way into me over the past month. It felt like I’d failed as an alpha. My omega clearly needed me and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to fix it.
Fuck. I had to get myself together.
“I’m going to shower and find something decent to wear for our omega,” I announced, rushing away from them the moment we were inside.
Even the hot shower couldn’t shake the weird, unsettled feeling. I didn’t think anything would fix it until I saw my girl in person.
Time seemed to drag on, all of us lingering around the kitchen and living room, dressed and ready, simply in stasis.
“It’s time,” Apollo said stiffly, standing up and looking at me.
“Let’s go,” I agreed, grabbing my keys. We’d be a bit early but she’d have to understand. The omega has kept us waiting and pining for her for weeks. A few minutes would be fine.
Honestly, I’d take her annoyance, too. Anything to know she was real.
Ezra let out a breath, putting on a smile. “Let’s go get our omega.”
The drive was silent and tense, Ezra checking the GPS to figure out which direction to take. We knew the town, but those lake houses could get confusing.
The house was cute. Bigger than I expected for a single omega, but well cared for.
“Text her,” I told Apollo. I heard the phone in my pocket ding but simply climbed out of the truck, leaning against the front and crossing my arms, waiting for the first glimpse.
The front door opened a minute later, Bea stepping out. She was gorgeous. Her dark hair was hanging in curls around her pretty face. Those big, brown eyes were terrified. As if she was just as afraid of us as we were of losing her.
Something shifted in me and I uncurled my arms and held them out. She made a sound, then launched herself at me.
We both let out a collective sigh as I held her tight, breathing in that warm caramel and toasted almond scent. There was a slight burnt edge, but the longer I held her, the more it ebbed away.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” she said on a sob, burying her face in my chest.
Ezra and Apollo moved in, our pack surrounding her. Something big must have happened. This reaction wasn’t just her feeling guilty for running.
“You’re scaring me, honeybee. Please tell us what’s happening,” Ezra begged.
“We’re here, no matter what,” Apollo said gently. He pressed his head to her shoulder, breathing her in and taking a shaky breath in.
“There’s so much that’s happened,” she said. Her voice was thick with tears and she didn’t look up at us, simply stayed hidden. We had to listen to hear her since my chest muffled her voice.
“Then let us in. Tell us what happened so we can help,” I said. It was a command, not a bark, and it seemed to help her pull herself together enough to speak.
She pulled out of our embrace, wiping a hand over her tear-stained cheeks.
“You’re breaking my heart, Siren.”
She let out a noise that was half sob, half laugh.
“So, the day I was supposed to meet you for lunch, my twin sister showed up at my door. She’s a terrible person, manipulative and we’ve been no-contact for years. She had my niece in tow. Then… she split. Leaving me with a fourteen year old I hadn’t seen in eleven years.”
“What?” I growled, earning a punch in the arm from Ezra. The pain of it had the sound cutting off. “Sorry, that wasn’t at you.”
“I know,” she said, waving it off as she started to pace. Her arms were wrapped around her as if she could hold herself together.
“So, is she living with you now?” Apollo asked.
“Yes. I know you didn’t sign up for that, but she’s mine now. I’ll give my girl a home forever if she needs it, we’re a package deal,” she challenged, glaring at us as if we had disagreed.
“Okay,” I said. “We’re in.”
She tripped at my words, but I reached out, snatching her closer and wrapping her in another hug.
“‘Okay?’” she echoed. “Just like that you’re in?”
“Yes,” Ezra said. “We would have been from that day, honeybee. We were all in the moment we met you.”
“I wasn’t ready,” she admitted in a small voice.
“Now you are?”
“I want to be,” she said. Her eyes begged me to believe her.
“Then give us a chance, Goddess,” Apollo said, pulling her away from me and into his arms. I couldn’t argue, sharing was part of this dynamic whether my alpha liked it or not.
Seeing her with Apollo was just as satisfying, though. He was pack and this meant she was with us.
Real.
Here.
“That’s not all,” she admitted, letting him hold her still but turning to face us as well.
The fact she wasn’t pulling away was a good sign.
“Okay,” I said. “Tell us.”
“I’m pregnant.”
We all froze. Her scent spiked with panic but Apollo let out a whoop and danced her around. A startled laugh burst out of her before she was crying again.
We closed ranks, squeezing her in a group hug as I blinked away my own tears. We thought this was over and here she was, giving us the fucking world.
“We’re going to be dads,” Ezra breathed out. His voice was just as stunned as I felt.
“You’re still in?” she asked. The fear in her voice wouldn’t do, but only time would fix those old wounds.
"We are," I confirmed. “That is, unless we don't pass your niece's approval."
That got a little laugh from Bea, but I was serious.
My mother worked two jobs most of my life, just to keep up with everything that my siblings and I wanted or needed.
She dated a little but my brothers and I were really tough on the guys so they never stayed after a few dates.
Looking back, the guilt of it all hits me now.
I needed to call my mother and apologize and tell her the good news.
"Yeah, tell her to bring it on," Apollo joked.
"You have to know that if you're in, you're all in. Phoenix has been through a lot and I won’t have you breaking her heart," Bea told us fiercely.
"We would never do that," Ezra promised. "At least not on purpose."
"My mother was a single mother and I took her struggles for granted.
Am I realizing that now? Yes, but I have a feeling that once we tell her about the baby, she's going to move here," I told them.
"I know that we have a lot to learn about each other but these two are some of the best men I know.
But… I will not hesitate to kick their asses if I have to. "
"And he will," Apollo added.
"You’re our mate and your family is our family," Ezra said with pure confidence.
We broke apart and Bea wiped the tears that had spilled down her cheeks.
"I know that Phoenix is on edge waiting to meet you. Would you like to come in and have dinner?" she asked with a shy smile. We were seeing a new, more vulnerable side of Bea, and I loved it just as much as her feisty side.
"It would be our honor," Apollo answered for the three of us.
Bea shook her head at that but a little smile tipped her lips. We followed her in silence as she pushed the door open and went inside.
The cabin was spacious and homey all at the same time. The scent of whatever she was cooking smelled amazing. But the thing that caught my eye was the dark-haired teen that had an uncanny likeness to Bea. I knew that she was her sister's daughter but she could easily pass for Bea's.
No one said anything as we all took seats around the table. The girl watched us carefully, sizing us up. It felt like an inspection.
“Phoenix, this is my pack. Corvin, Ezra, and Apollo,” she said, pointing each of us out. “Guys, this is Phoenix.”