Chapter 18 Major
eighteen
Major
He was kissing her.
Hands buried in her mass of soft curls, chest against one another, lips, tongue, and desire. There’s something diabolical about watching your packmate make out with an Omega you know doesn’t belong to you.
When I realized Jesse’s truck stayed behind, I assumed he needed help. The terrain is not the smoothest for travel. It’s supposed to discourage people from crossing the township’s border, but that meant it’s a fucking bitch to travel.
Derrick and I jumped out of the car, and a group of our parents was already gathering, waiting for us. Before I even kissed my mother, I told them about Jesse’s truck, and two of his dads decided to walk back to check it out. I was expecting a busted tire, but instead, we found them kissing.
“Hey, son, do you want to give the girl a little breathing room so I can say hello?” Marshall chuckles, all good-natured.
When I called my father and told them we were coming and bringing a girl, I never explained the situation. I didn’t want to talk about that on the phone, but as I made my way here, I realized my mistake.
Of course, they're gonna think we're dating. I never come around with a girl, and suddenly, here we are, and all over Veda. I know what it's going to look like, and I regret not explaining to them first, but there are so many layers to this that I couldn’t just tell them over the phone.
“Hey there, Dad. I'm sorry.” Jesse chuckles, not looking very upset by being caught.
He should.
Marshall steps away so Jesse can open the door, all while Veda looks in complete shock.
My gaze caresses every part of her, tortured by the way her lips look puffy and well kissed.
My hands ball into a fist, and I shake myself off from the spell as Jesse hops out of the truck and takes both his dads into a bear hug.
“Hey there, kid. We’ve missed you,” says Marshall as he taps his son’s back, but his eyes are on Veda.
She seems like she's frozen in place watching the scene unfold, and I fucking hate Jesse for putting her in this situation. Almost as much as I hate him for kissing her like that.
“This is Veda,” Jesse says, and they all glance back at the truck.
She waves awkwardly, making the men chuckle, not me. I know I’m not winning any popularity contests by keeping myself so serious, but I can’t let my guard down. Not around her.
Jesse extends his hand to her, and that’s what takes her away from the stupor.
I don't miss the way her hands clutch his as if they belong together. I’m so caught up by the kiss, I forget all the other problems we have.
Veda jumps out of the car, and her perfume hits us all at once.
It’s so fucking strong I stumble on my feet.
I’d love nothing more than to kneel for her.
This Omega will be the death of me.
Vision swimming, my eyes harden, I try to stay focused. Jesse’s dads stare at Veda, a thousand different emotions running through their eyes. Fuck, this is a mess, and we are not even officially at the township.
“These are my dads, Veda. Marshall and Bill.”
“Hi!” She's all smiles as she shakes their hands.
Veda knows so fucking little. How is she going to take it when she sees the township? Most packs are formed with at least three Alphas to an Omega. My mistakes stack one on top of the other.
“Come here, Veda. I will walk with you,” I say, nodding to my side where I want her.
Her soft brown eyes harden when she takes me in, and it hurts. She’s soft with everyone else, but I can’t blame her for hating me. I never gave her a chance. Her reaction to me is on me, but it still cuts deep.
She licks her lips, tasting my pack brother on them before nodding and following me around. As she moves, Marshall and Bill look back at their son with questioning gazes. Jesse shakes his head, telling them we’ll talk about it later.
So much we have to explain.
Jesse jumps back into the truck, peeling out as I move Veda out of the way.
She’s a baby deer walking in the tough terrain, even with her girly cowboy boots.
Without thinking, I put my arm around her waist, helping her walk.
I can feel that my touch has her tensing up, but I keep it there, waiting for her to ask me to move away.
She doesn’t.
We move at a safe pace until there are not many rocks and the small road opens in front of her. She can walk now, and I play around with keeping my arm around her, just so I feel her skin on mine, but that would put me in the same situation as Jesse.
Wanting what you can’t have never ends well.
As the dust dissipates, we get the first view of the township, and my chest swells with pride when Veda gasps in wonder. It doesn't matter that I was raised here. The beauty of this place never fades, even to my eyes. There’s something magical about this place, as if it jumped out of a storybook.
Tucked inside the mountain range, where no one would dare to go, is the small township with wooden houses by the river. In the winter, the snow is thick, the mountains turn white, and the river freezes, making the place look like a snow globe.
In the summer, kids run around and splash in the river, and laughter is everywhere.
That’s how I grew up, and that's why I couldn’t stay. It hurts to imagine what my future would look like if I had been scent-matched with an Omega. A mate, a home, and kids. Staying meant watching everyone find their happiness but me, and I couldn’t take it.
“Wow, this is really beautiful,” Veda’s voice brings me back to the present.
Conscience nudges into me, and I take a breath before lowering my voice.
“There are a few things I want to tell you.” My eyes are on the township, counting every step until I join my family. I can see Mom squeezing Derrick from here, her eyes happy as she takes us in.
“What is it?”
“Everybody here has more than one dad,” I blurt out.
It’s not a perfect explanation of anything, but it’s a start. She expects to meet a mom and a dad, and I’m about to give her a mom and three dads.
"Oh, cool! It's like an LGBTQ community?”
Her tone is so soft, I start laughing. I didn’t even think about that. We have packs that are together happily without an Omega. My uncle has three husbands, and they are very happily mated, but her assumption catches me off guard.
“No, I mean sure, in some cases, but I don’t mean just that.”
We stop in our tracks as I stumble over my words. Veda watches me carefully, waiting for whatever I have to say, but damn, I never promised to be good with words.
“I mean, I have one mom and three dads. Most people do. This is a township for the packs to live in peace.”
“Wait—” She shakes her head. “What is a pack?”
Before I can answer that one, my mom comes barreling in, her hands around Veda quickly.
“Oh my god! Hello! It’s so nice to meet you!”
I want to be upset that we were interrupted, but it’s impossible with Mom.
She always hugs first, questions later. Veda huffs out of breath with the strength of mom’s hug, but her mouth breaks into a smile. Something inside my chest moves and grows, but I’m not allowed to feel anything, and I blame Jesse for the unwanted reaction.
Mom takes a step back, her hands still holding Veda’s as she takes a look.
I see tension on Veda again. I notice she’s very sensitive to criticism, and it’s probably my fault.
I made her feel unwelcome and like she had to prove something.
Fuck, I screamed at the girl about earning her keep. Yeah, I’m an asshole.
“You’re a beautiful girl, oh my.” My mom smiles so big I know her heart is about to burst. “And you! Come here and hug your momma.”
She’s embracing me before the words are even out of her mouth. She’s an affectionate person, always has been. That’s probably why it’s so easy for me to distance myself from the softness. I always had it in my home, but I clearly took it for granted.
“Come on, come on! Let’s go in.”
I glance to my left and find Jesse hugging his own mother and dads.
Even if I’m angry with him right now, I can’t stop checking on my pack mates, and I don’t want to take Veda to our home.
Not that this will mean anything, but my mother’s hands are back on her, and they are halfway to the path leading to my parents’ cabin.
“Jacinta, I’m taking the girl first,” Mom says to Jesse’s mom, good-naturedly.
“There’s no stopping you, Anne. I know it.”
Jacinta laughs and shakes her head, already moving to the other side where her cabin is. Jesse nods at me, letting me know he doesn’t mind that Veda is following us.
I need to have a conversation about that kiss, but this is not the time. I can’t make this situation worse than it already is. Derrick joins me with a pat on my back, and I swing my gaze away from Jesse to my brother.
“They were kissing?” His eyebrows raised. “I heard Marshall whispering.”
The fucking news will spread like wildfire. My face must have shown everything I’m feeling, making Derrick chuckle and squeeze my shoulder in solidarity.
“Everything will be okay, Brother.”
There’s nothing I want more than to be okay, but as time rushes past, it demands the truth to be revealed. It’s not my fault that Veda doesn’t know who she is, but it feels like my responsibility.
As we enter my parents’ cabin, I’m overwhelmed with nostalgia. Everything always looks the same. The same smells, the same pictures on the wall. It soothes me a little, and my shoulders drop for the first time today.
“Son!” Dad doesn’t wait before his arms are around me.
He’s always been the tallest of the pack.
Now we’re the same height. He chuckles when we hug, and I feel bad that I don’t go back home as much as I should.
He steps back and goes for Derrick, as Pop comes in and hugs me.
Pop’s smile is a knife to my heart because it always reminds me of Derrick’s.
Before the accident, it used to be like this.
Free. Though, since Veda arrived, I’ve been seeing it more and more. I hate to notice how much happier my brother is around her.
Last, Pa comes in. He’s quiet like me, eyes scanning from me to Veda and Derrick. He was the hardest one to lie to when I was younger. Pa doesn’t miss a thing, and of course nothing has changed. I can almost see the gears turning inside his head.
“Hey there, son. Long time, no see.”
“Sorry, Pa. Ranch is hard work.”
“It sure is.” His eyes shine, leaving his true meaning in the air.
My stomach flips, and I disguise my unease with a cough. I’m forty-one years old, and I still wince under my father’s stare. He moves thankfully to Derrick, and I let my little brother deal with that stare on his own.
“Now, who do we have here?” Dad says, taking in Veda.
“This is Veda Darling,” Derrick introduces.
“Why, son, when you go find yourself a darlin’, you go all in.” Pop chuckles, extending his hand to Veda. “It’s an absolute honor to meet you, ma’am. It's been a long time since we laid our eyes on an Omega.”
“It’s a goddamn miracle.” Pa nods.
Veda looks around with nothing but confusion shining on her pretty face. “I’m sorry? I don’t-I don’t know what you mean. Omega?”
Oh fuck.
Veda’s question moves inside the room, leaving every parent shocked in its wake. This is not how I imagined telling her. Though I have no right to say a word, I didn’t plan this at all, and that knowledge eats me alive.
“Mom,” Derrick says quickly, his eyes full of meaning when he takes Mom in. “Don’t you want to show Veda around the township? So much to see.”
Mom jumps into action. She’s the opposite of her mate. Her smile opens wide, and she’s quickly beside Veda, taking her arm into hers.
“Oh yes, Veda. I’d love to show you around! I’m sure many people are excited to meet you!”
“She just arrived, Mom. There’s time,” I say, hoping she connects the dots and understands what is happening here. We don’t need people interrogating Veda about something she doesn’t know.
Mom takes Veda’s arm and flees through the door, talking up a storm while Veda watches me over her shoulder, a bunch of demands on that gaze, but I can’t keep up with that right now. I have a room full of dads watching me like hawks.
“Now, son, you'd better start talking.”