Chapter 26 – Zale
Chapter Twenty-Six
Zale
O nce Shiloh’s parents leave, it’s like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He turns to me with a small smile and I can feel the love and gratitude filtering down the bond. Holding out my hand, he takes it, linking our fingers before stepping towards me and into a kiss.
Kissing Shiloh is addictive. He tastes like toffee apples, sunshine and happy memories. Now that we’re bonded, I can recognize his pheromones more clearly, but they’re still muted. I made a mental note to talk to him about that later, because if we were going to be having a baby, I wanted him to have the best healthcare.
“Wow, that was quite enough excitement for one day.” Bell gets to their feet with a big stretch and a yawn. “I’m so proud of you, Shilly.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“I’m just glad you told the big bad bitch to stuff it.” They raise a brow at Shiloh, giving him a cheeky grin. “It was long overdue.”
As if something has just dawned on them, they start doing a little happy dance right in the middle of the lounge. “And now, we can celebrate your birthday however you want to! Yay!”
I’ve noticed that they don't touch Shiloh, and I think that’s because they now know that Shiloh is an omega. Thinking about it, and the way they’ve always been affectionate with Shiloh, I wonder if they’ve known all along or at least suspected. Omegas are, stereotypically, very dependent creatures, who like to be around other omegas for comfort.
Now that we’re out of the mating phase and the Claiming has been completed, I start looking around for my phone. I should probably let my housemates know that I’m alive. Exhausted. And I think my dick might be broken. But alive. I should also let the college know about the new development, since they took this kind of thing very seriously. We’d also need to think about what our future might look like, especially in the next nine months or so.
Walking back into Shiloh’s room, I’m hit with the combined smell of us and groan when I glance down and see my cock is already at half-mast.
Okay, so not broken. Good to know.
Shiloh enters the room after me, sees my dick tenting in my sweatpants and quickly darts into the bathroom, yelling out behind him. “Nope. No siree. My ass can't take any more sex for a month, at least.”
He slams the bathroom door shut as if he’s terrified I might pounce, but I can feel his amusement trickling down the bond.
“A month?” I say through the door sweetly.
“Well, a few weeks?” He cracks open the door, watching me through the gap for a few moments. “Fine. You’re cute. A week.”
Chuckling, I snatch up my phone from on top of his dresser and start scrolling through. I can hear the water come on in the bathroom, and I smile to myself as he gets under the water and starts singing songs from musicals to himself.
A vibration brings my attention back to the screen and I see six missed calls from my papa. I guess I should probably call my parents back and let them know about my new Mate. I hesitate, trying to find an excuse to put off this phone call, but I keep coming up blank.
Suddenly the door to the bathroom swings open and Shiloh stands there, dripping wet with only a towel around his waist.
“What’s the matter?” he asks, approaching me slowly before cupping my face and looking into my eyes. “I could feel tension radiating down the bond. It felt horrible.”
“Do you think we’ll ever get used to that?” I smile wryly, trying to avoid his question, but he just stares at me with imploring eyes. Rubbing my face, I sigh. “Do you want to come for dinner with me and my parents tomorrow?”
“Your parents?” He tilts his head, considering my words for a moment. I don’t feel any reluctance coming from him, more like curiosity.
Leaning back on the bed, I flick through their various messages. “I was supposed to meet them yesterday, but obviously that didn’t happen and now they’re panicking because they haven’t heard from me.”
Clambering on top of the sheets next to me, Shiloh lays his damp head down on my shoulder, shower obviously forgotten. “I mean, technically we’re kind of married, so I should probably meet my future in-laws.”
How did that manage to sound strange and oddly right at the same time?“I want to warn you that they can be a little much, but it mostly comes from a good place.” Clicking my tongue, I exhale and rub my face. “I’m an only child, and they desperately wanted more but it just wasn’t possible for them, so they can be a little…overbearing.”
Shiloh says nothing, but I can feel that trickle of amusement again. It feels almost like someone tickling your brain very lightly. “Zale, are you trying to warn me about them or are you warning me to be nice to them?”
Smiling, I place a soft kiss on the top of his head. “A little bit of both, I think.”
“ I s that what you’re wearing to dinner?” I look over at my Mate as he checks out his reflection in the bedroom mirror with a hum of approval.
I was so used to seeing him in baggy oversized clothing, I had always just assumed that was his preference. I should’ve realized it was just another part of his armor.
“Why don’t you like it?”
Chuckling, I pull my jeans on. Dinner was normally a more formal affair, but I was feeling rebellious. “I feel like my parents might have an opinion on it.”
Might was being gentle.
They definitely would. My papa might even gasp and swoon, given how prone to dramatics he could be.
Tying up half of his hair in a messy bun, he teases a few stands down around his face. He looks hot as fuck and I am here for it. “Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one but the only ones I care about are mine, and yours.”
Standing, I move behind him and wrap my arms around his waist, placing a kiss against his neck. “I feel like this dinner is going to be very entertaining. And very stressful.”
He winks at me in the reflection.
Tonight, he’s wearing a cut off black crop top that’s emblazoned with ‘Baby’ in bold pink letters. He’s paired it with some black jeans that have holes in the knees and a gold belly chain.
“Be honest, baby, what inspired the wardrobe change?” I gently scrape my teeth over the mating mark on his neck. He’s been serious about the no sex for a week rule so far (it was only day two), but exchanging hand jobs this morning didn’t count. Nor did the lunchtime blowjobs apparently. “Are you nervous?”
“You’d know if I was nervous.”
True. We were still navigating how the bond worked, but I could feel his emotions as clearly as I could my own.
“I just think that if we are pregnant, and about to embark on the whole parenthood journey, my body will never look as good as it does right now.” He spins around and kisses me, tasting like everything I’d ever wanted. “I spent so long worrying about what people would say, but I’m done with that.”
My Mate had always hidden in the shadows, clinging to the walls like a faded flower and now he was finally in his element. He was right, he may only have a few months to enjoy his new found confidence the way he wanted. Who was I to stop him?
I just hoped he could handle my parents.
An hour later, I’m no longer worried about Shiloh. My father is absolutely charmed by him, and Shiloh has him eating out of the palm of his hand. My papa seems more hesitant, particularly since Shiloh wasn’t joking about the crop top.
He was currently sitting in my parents' favorite bistro with his lithe frame on display for anyone who wanted to look, earning himself more than a fair share of sideways glances. They could look, but they’d never be allowed to touch because the fiery man with the big green eyes was mine.
As we finish our meal, my father coughs awkwardly. “After our phone call this weekend, we realized that perhaps, we still have some work to do as your parents.”
“We’ve been seeing our counsellor recently, darling. Dr. Chambers has been helping us work on our parenting style.” My papa surprises me by saying as he delicately wipes the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “We didn’t tell you before, because it didn’t seem important. But that phone call made us understand that we need to work on communicating better with you.”
My father nods, and down our bond I can feel Shiloh sending me warm feelings of encouragement and hope. “We appreciate that you felt like you needed support and reached out to us. It made us both so happy that you needed us.”
Pouring my Mate a glass of water, my papa offers a small smile. “We know that we’re always a little hard on you. All we ever wanted was the best for you.”
“You always seemed so ambivalent, and so we tried to push you into choosing a direction and making a decision. We realize now that it was too soon.” My father avoids my gaze, unused to talking about feelings, but is clearly trying to make an effort to contribute to the conversation. “You were too young and we should have just let you make up your mind on your own when the time came.”
I nod, and just like Shiloh with his parents, I feel myself relaxing, shedding some of the weight that had hung around my neck.
“We love you, and that will never change, Zale.” My eyes sting as I blink away tears, not realizing how much I needed to hear that.
Hiding his snuffling behind the menu, my father orders dessert.
Clearly finished with the uncomfortable topics, my papa turns to us both with a wide smile. “Darling, we’re happy you found your Fated Mate. You already know how rare that is but do you understand how many people will be jealous of you? You’ll be the envy of everyone back home.”
My papa never liked Millie, even though they’d only met once by accident when we’d run into each other at a spa one weekend a few months ago. I’d wondered why they were so accepting of my bond with Shiloh, but it wasn’t until my papa mentioned the jealousy back home that it clicked into place.
My bond gave them bragging rights, and our potential baby gave them a legacy. He wasn’t just any old omega from a prestigious family, he was all of that and my Fated Mate.
I open my mouth to say something, but Shiloh takes my hand under the table and gives it a gentle squeeze. I’m bathed in love and patience down the bond, soothing the ache inside that demands I stand up to my parents.
Shiloh was right. They were trying, and it was going to take time.
“We want to support you and be there for your family as it grows. I know some excellent birthing classes all recommended by some of the lovely omegas at my tennis club. Perhaps once you’ve had the baby, you could join me?” My papa looks over Shiloh as if he secretly hopes Shiloh will refuse. Could you imagine Shiloh playing tennis at the club with all the arrogant omegas?
Shiloh nods and smiles serenely. “Oh, thank you. But I don’t play tennis and I plan to work once the baby arrives.”
My papa, not really listening or hearing him, continues. “I’ve also compiled a list of things you need and a list of vitamins you should take. Do you think it’s too early to be buying baby cloth—I’m sorry, what did you say?”
There’s silence at the table. My father reaches for his glass of wine and polishes it off in one gulp.
“I’ll be working, so Zale is going to stay home with the baby for a while.”
We’d talked about how we wanted the next year to look while we laid in bed last night and realized how fortunate we were to come from wealthy families. Shiloh didn’t need to work, but he wanted to. I didn’t want to work for Blackwood Tech, at least not in the role my parents offered and with my trust fund more than enough to support us, I could stay home with our baby while I figured out my next steps.
Well, I already had them roughly mapped out thanks to Shiloh, but now it was time to lay the groundwork.
“What about Blackwood Tech?” Father sputters, dark eyes wide with panic.
I pour him another glass of wine, even though he’s already had the two my papa normally allowed. “My family comes first, but once things are more settled, I’ll revisit joining the company.”
My papa stares between Shiloh and me. “Revisit…”
He says the word as if it’s something dirty he’s picked up off the street.
“And if I decide to join Blackwood Tech, I’d like to train to become the Director of the Social Corporate Responsibility Department. I believe Blackwood Tech could be doing more to give back to communities.”
“We don’t have a Social Corporate Responsibility Department.”
“Yet.”
My father, finally catching on, chuckles as he leans over and pats me on the back.
“We really appreciate your excitement and we can’t wait to make lots of great family memories with you.” Shiloh says graciously, taking my papa’s hand in hers. “This is the start of a new chapter in our lives, and we want you to be a part of it. But, make no mistakes, from now on out, this story is ours.”