Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
VIOLET
“ W e’re getting lunch together, right?” Faedra pushes through the throng of other students until she’s in front of me, her question managing to cut over the din of the crowd. She messes with her earrings, her diploma holder tucked under one arm.
I nod and grab her hand, doing my best to work toward the far entrance since it isn’t as busy.
Crowds are not my happy place, and today is definitely not the exception. One good thing about Faedra being so suppressed is the people don’t seem to bother her, and she helps cut a path through the gathering groups of families seeking out graduates.
Faedra pulls out her phone and sends a text.
“I left my phone with Jasper,” I admit as she tucks it away in her dress’s pocket. She nods.
“Logan said to meet them at the east entrance. They said it’s not as crowded and there’s a nice spot for photos. Mom’s adamant we get some done.”
Not surprising. I try to look around the arena for any sign of my dads, but there’s too many people taller than me to see much more than five feet in any given direction. Damn me for choosing sensible shoes instead of heels that would have given me a few extra inches.
Faedra’s strides get longer the closer to the doors we get, her fingers picking away the ends of her hair in her nervous tick. I’m not much better. By the time we make it back out into the California sun, I’m ready to peel my skin off of me and hide in a damn corner.
“Fuck me, I hate crowds,” I mutter. “You’d think they’d have some option for Omegas given how many were fucking there.”
Faedra nods and shakes out her hands before running her fingers through her hair. “I guess we could have waited until everyone dissipated a bit.”
We look at each other, a moment of shared understanding extending between us, and then laugh, leaning into each other.
“Could you imagine the look on your mom’s face if we just sat there?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “The only reason why yours didn’t come extract us is because she decided there was something more important going on.”
I scrunch my nose and push her playfully.
“Hey! Too far, Fae.” I keep my voice light so she knows I’m joking. “I haven’t once mentioned how awkward your brother has been all weekend. No way are you allowed to bring up Mom.”
She grabs my hand. “You okay?” she asks, all levity gone.
I breathe carefully through my nose before nodding. “My dads are here somewhere, so that helps.”
“Faedra Rose!” Elizabeth’s call cuts over the white noise of the people.
Faedra and I turn together, our hands still interlaced. Elizabeth stands at the front of an impressive group, all things considered. I’d forgotten just how many are involved when you factor in matched packs. Jasper and Rylan stand just off to the side with Faedra’s Alphas, Rylan murmuring in Jasper’s ear, his arms around Jasper’s waist. Elizabeth and Jay step up to Faedra, hugging her again.
Just behind them, a flash of familiar gray hair has my heart in my fucking throat, and I blink quickly to keep tears from forming in my eyes.
Papa’s grinning, his hand intertwined with Father’s, as Dad makes a joke of some kind, low enough I can’t hear it, though all three of them laugh. The moment Father catches my gaze, he drops Papa’s hand and closes the space between us, sweeping me into his arms.
“There she is!” he says, the smile clear in his voice even though I can’t see it. “So sorry we ran too late to see you beforehand. Today has been a mess.”
It’s the meanest I’ve ever heard my father be, even when Mom has been absolutely awful.
“All right, stop hogging her,” Papa says, his deep voice a balm to my soul.
Father sighs as he sets me back on my feet, holding my elbows until he knows I’m steady. Papa doesn’t lift me up, simply wrapping me into his arms and kissing the crown of my head. I close my eyes, focusing on the way his cologne mixes with his scent, letting it calm me like it has since I was first adjusting to being Omega.
“How are you holding up?” he whispers, keeping his voice low enough that only Dad and Father can hear him.
“Somewhere in the middle, I think.” I shrug and hold him tighter for a heartbeat before forcing myself to let go.
Dad’s eyes are worried, his lean frame held stiff, his hands shoved in his pockets as he takes me in.
“You’re all right?” he asks in his soft-spoken way, cupping my cheek in his careful hold.
When I nod, I realize I’m not even really lying. This morning was awkward as fuck but not completely terrible. He blows out a breath and grabs my hand, kissing the back of it before taking a step back, removing himself from the bulk of our small crowd. I frown, trying to figure out what has him concerned, when an arm snakes around my waist and pulls me against a hard chest. Bergamot surrounds me despite the open air.
“Shit, sorry,” I mutter, twisting so that I can see both Rylan and my fathers.
Dad’s gaze grows sharp as he takes in someone other than Rylan. His jaw clenches, a muscle in his cheek feathering, and my stomach tightens.
I should have warned him at least about Jasper. Papa sucks in a harsh breath, and Father’s growl rumbles through the crowd. Rylan tenses, his own growl starting, his grasp on my elbow firm as he pulls me closer to him.
Fuck. My. Life.
“Father, please,” I whisper, turning away from Rylan completely. “Don’t make a scene here.”
“At least I understand why your mother has been fighting it so much,” Dad says, his voice now cold and slicing.
Papa nods. “First time in a long time that she was actually right.”
Father stands beside Papa, their shoulders brushing, his scowl the most menacing of the three.
It’s Dad that says something, though. “I’ll happily put in my own complaint with the Council to speed things up.”
I pull away from Rylan, moving until I’m within easy reach of all three of my dads. Rylan’s growl fades away. I glance over my shoulder. Jasper’s whispering into Rylan’s ear, his body carefully neutral and his gaze on the ground, like he knows how volatile my dads are right now.
Softness wells in me.
“I know reassignment isn’t glamorous,” Papa says, his hand warm on my cheek, forcing my attention back to him. “But there’s no reason for you to settle for something like this.”
“I don’t want reassignment,” I whisper. His eyes narrow, the look nearly identical to one I give all the time. I might take my coloring from my mom, but my features are all my dad. “Not right now, at least.”
Father leans closer, blocking Rylan’s view of me in one subtle twist of his shoulders. “You have nothing to lose by leaving, darling. Not like us.”
My chest clenches. Me. They would lose their kids if they left. Not really anymore since we’re all adults, but when we were younger… I swallow the lump in my throat.
“I need you to trust me.” My voice trembles, a wealth of emotion carried in the plea.
Dad is silent, his breathing deep and controlled, his gaze calculating. After a long minute, he nods.
“What’s changed?” Papa’s question is quiet but warm. He runs his hand down my arm, circling my wrist.
“We figured out what went wrong,” I say, trying to decide if I want to add fuel to their fire while Mom’s not even here to justify herself. Jasper’s face when he realized I’d never gotten the necklace has rage boiling in my stomach. Dad raises one eyebrow in silent question.
“Mom.”
All three of them freeze.
“All right, darling. Let’s meet them.” Papa squeezes my wrist and then drops his hold.
I wave Rylan over. His gaze is hard though his body is relaxed. “Rylan, these are my dads.” I point to Father first. “This is Phillip.”
Rylan shakes his hand while wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side.
I point to Papa. “This is Kurt.” I point to Dad last since Rylan probably recognizes him already. “This is Johnathan.”
Jasper keeps a step behind, his hand on the small of Rylan’s back as I look over at him. Before any of my dads break the silence, Elizabeth calls me over.
“Violet, you too, sweetheart. Let’s get some photos of you both. And then we’ll get some with your dads and your pack.”
I duck out of Rylan’s hold, adjusting my cap and diploma holder. Leaving Jasper alone with my dads so soon after finding solid ground between us isn’t a good idea, but I do my best to stay focused on all the pictures. The guys take it in better stride than I expect, and by the time Elizabeth is ushering my dads into the photo along with Rylan and Jasper, the tension is nearly gone, only a lingering stiffness in Dad’s shoulders.
“Thank you,” I murmur as Faedra convinces her mom to relent and we start heading toward the various parking lots.
“Love you,” my dads say in unison.