31. Wyatt
“Okay but what if she walks by on her way to Ink at the house, at practice, during a game.
He was a miserable dick for days all because he didn’t think before opening his mouth, and we all learned his lesson with him.
Needless to say, when the pregnant omega wants a cinnamon roll, she’s damn well getting one.
Lainey refuses to leave the car when we arrive at the bakery so I run in and grab two rolls, bringing them back to the car with forks, napkins, and two decaf iced coffees because what else are you going to drink with a sweet treat? “Wanna go sit somewhere? I know it’s still pretty cold but?—”
“I need to be outside if that’s okay. I always get really hot when I’m anxious.” Her voice is raspy as she says this but her eyes are dry.
“Whatever you need, honey.”
I drive us to a quiet park a few minutes outside of town.
There’s no play equipment, just a quiet open space with several large trees that provide shade in the summer and cover from snow and rain in the winter.
There’s a bit of snow on the ground now from a freak late season snowstorm, but the temperature is sitting well above freezing and I have a thick blanket in the back of we need it.
It’s getting dark out now so there shouldn’t be anyone else around, meaning I’ll have my omega all to myself for the first time in weeks.
Once she’s settled and warm on the waterproof blanket, I lean back against the tree and pull her until she’s nestled between my legs with her back against my chest. She softens into me with a sigh as all the tension falls off her shoulders.
Her hair is down, so I take the opportunity to run my fingers through the silky strands. “Wanna talk about it?”
Her sigh is loud in the quiet night air. “Not really. But I know I need to tell you.”
I wait patiently, not wanting to rush her.
The last thing I want to do is push before she’s ready to talk and have her shut down completely.
Now that I can see her and know she’s physically safe, I have a feeling the pain she’s in is more emotional than anything else, and I understand why she called me and not one of the others.
I love my pack mates more than anything, but they aren’t the most gentle bunch.
Me thinking I was a beta as long as I was allowed me to maintain some of the more softer aspects of the beta designation even after I presented as an alpha, which I’m incredibly grateful for in situations like these.
“My mom texted me today,” she whispers.
My jaw drops. The last I heard she wasn’t in contact with her mom. “Here,” she thrusts her phone into my hand. I didn’t even notice her getting it out, but then I’m too distracted by the sheer rage clouding my vision to care.
Laura Ryan
Ran into an old friend today. Why did I have to find out through her my only daughter is PREGNANT!
I cannot believe how fucking stupid you are Magdalene. You had one chance to go to school and find an alpha or pack to take care of you and you screw it all up by getting pregnant your first semester? I knew I was raising an omega, but I didn’t realize I was raising a slut.
Do you know who the father is? Have you filed for child support? Or did you find some poor sap to take you in and help you with medical care?
I assumed you could handle being on your own at nineteen years old, but clearly I was wrong. You’ll come to Florida and we’ll set you up with one of Jeremy’s friends. And you won’t be bringing the brat with you.
“What. The. Fuck. Has she always been like this?” I try to keep the anger out of my voice, but it’s fucking hard. I don’t know this woman, but I hate her. And I don’t hate anyone. Not even my parents, who chose alcohol and a good time over their own son more times than I can count.
Lainey nods, her eyes getting misty again.
“It started after my bio dad met his scent match.” I hiss a sharp breath through my teeth, and she nods.
“I was eight, and she was an omega. You know how it goes. He couldn’t resist the pull, and my mom is a beta, so she couldn’t have kept his instincts in check forever.
He tried to get my mom to let Amy into the home, to make us an official pack with my other dad and half-brother, but she lost it.
Started calling him names and throwing stuff.
She broke a lamp and one of the pieces cut him.
He left that day, and I haven’t seen him since.
At the time I thought it was because he didn’t want me, but now I’m wondering if she kept him away.
I’m not sure I want to know.” She sighs heavily, sinking back into my hold.
I take a deep breath, inhaling her scent, and force myself to purr.
It’s hard with the anger still coursing through me, but Lainey needs this right now.
“After that, it started small. She’d yell at me for not keeping my room spotless, or any time I cried for my dad.
Then later, after I presented, she would make little comments about my designation.
How I was stinking up the house with my scent, and how my instincts were ridiculous and I would never make it on my own because omegas are inherently weak and pathetic. ”
I’m practically shaking, and I can feel the guys’ worry through our pack bond. Because we aren’t all bound by an omega we can only feel extreme emotions from each other, and the riot in my chest definitely qualifies as extreme. “Did she ever hit you?”
Her shoulders go up, tension dropping right back into place. “Not… really. She’d throw things near me. And she slapped me once when I was a teenager for having an attitude. But mostly it was verbal. Her words hit harder than her hands ever could.”
I cross my arms over her chest, laying my hands on her belly and letting the twins’ movements settle my alpha.
He’s letting out a war cry in my mind, demanding retribution for the pain this woman caused our omega.
“She’s not getting anywhere near you,” I growl fiercely.
I would sooner jump in front of a moving car than allow that woman access to my girl.
“We need to go home. Tell the others. I know you didn’t want to deal with their reactions, but this is too big to keep to ourselves, honey. ”
“I know. But telling you first helped me work through it in my own head. You let me get it out. Will you help me tell them?”
“Anything you need, Lainey. Always.”
She gets a contemplative look on her face before breaking out into a shy smile. “Then can I ask for one more thing?”
A grin back, assuming she’s going to ask for another pastry or something else she has decided she’s craving.
“Will you bond with me?”