Bonnie
Chapter Seventeen
I had sex with my alpha. In the middle of the day.
At first, a wave of shame and regret washed over me, but as Archer’s strong arms tightened around me, all that vanished.
“What was that about, omega?” He turned to face me and brushed some hair from my face. We were sweaty and hot, but all of that had cooled now. Mostly.
“What kind of omega does that…in the middle of the afternoon…with someone she just met?”
“Listen to me.” He sat up and I did the same. He dragged me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me. We were still naked and though I’d never been naked around someone else before, this felt right. “We are mates. Mates, well, they mate. They express love through physical acts and…”
“You love me?” I asked.
“I do. How’s that for early?” He nuzzled his nose into my neck and we laughed. Goddess, it had been so long since I laughed.
“Not so early. But I’m not there yet.”
“That’s okay. Doesn’t change anything for me. Besides, you do have my mark on your shoulder. It’s kind of love. Come on. We have to get dinner on. I’ve worked up quite an appetite today.”
We didn’t shower. I loved Archer’s scent all over me, but I did wonder what everyone else would think.
And mostly I hoped I didn’t have to do the telling.
Archer and I walked into the living room together where Justice was coming out of the office, and Dallas coming in via the front door. The whole thing felt kismet.
Dallas raised his nose and one of his eyebrows while Justice stared. I ducked behind Archer in a move that was purely fear.
“Omega, come here, please. Don’t hide from us.”
Three Mississippis it took before Archer reached for me and coaxed me out. “No one here is going to hurt you or think anything bad about you. Come on, trust us, sweetheart.”
I blew out a breath and walked over to Dallas. He pulled at the neck of my shirt and saw the mark. His hands were warm. “I’m happy for you. For the both of you.”
“You are?”
“I am.” He bent down. His lips grazed the rim of my ear as he whispered, “It also gives me hope for the time when you become mine.”
That made me shudder. Justice came over and kissed the top of my head. “Let’s eat dinner. We have some things to talk about.”
“About what Archer and I…”
“No, omega. Some things about your past. Nothing awful.”
We heated up leftovers for dinner and ate our fill. Once the plates were empty, I shoved mine back. “What things do you want to talk about?”
My body still buzzed with the aftereffects of mating Archer and now with nervousness. What did they want to know about my past?
“Can you tell us about your mom? The woman who raised you?”
I noticed Justice called other women, women and me, female. I’d always thought the word female as clinical but when he called me that, it felt like worship. Devotion.
“Her name is Marie. We never had much money. I’ve never had a last name. She homeschooled me but mostly I read a lot of books. Taught myself math and other things. I wasn’t allowed to play with other kids. There’s not a lot to tell.”
Justice sat up straighter. “The only thing I had to go on was your bike. I got a hunch and I followed it. That bike had a number on it. A serial number of sorts. The bike was made on what I believe are your old pack lands and it’s one of a kind.
Apparently, it was made on a special request, probably from your parents.
We don’t know that, but I’m taking a stab.
We aren’t sure how it got to the shed, but it did.
Maybe Marie got hold of it at some point and thought it would be a memento… ”
“Since she wanted me to find out nothing, I doubt that, but it is what it is. You know what pack I came from?”
He nodded. “We think so. There was a woman there who died about the same time you were born. They reported a baby missing but there were no follow-up reports, probably because it was a shifter baby and more pack business than anything else.”
“No records of Marie?” I asked.
“No, but that’s common for omegas. I took the liberty of contacting the hospital that your mother was brought to after she died. They have records. Maybe they can give us more information, but that’s not something I can do alone or on the computer. You would have to be there.”
Dallas spoke before I could. Thank goodness because I was still processing. “Bonnie, that’s only if you want to pursue this. If you don’t care to know or aren’t ready for that yet, then that’s fine. There’s no rush.”
“Archer said I needed to visit a doctor anyway. An omega one. Make sure everything is okay because of the pills I’ve been taking and…I’ve never been to a doctor.”
Dallas and Archer shared a look. “I think that would be best. Archer was right. We want you healthy and well.”
“Cake will help you think.”
Archer brought us all cake and some tea. I only got through one bite before I’d made my decision. “I’d like to go, whenever it’s convenient. I need to know where I came from and about my mother. Archer said the dentist too?”
“Then we’ll bring you tomorrow.” Justice got on his computer at the table, contacting the person he knew there. “She’s available in the morning.”
A streak of jealousy flashed through me. Justice eyed me across the table. “She’s a contact from the hospital. Nothing more. I have never even met her in person, female. Calm yourself. There is no one for me but you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Justice chuckled, and I felt like that was rare. “Boosted my ego a little bit.”
The rest of the night, we watched a movie together and, of course, Archer made me eat lots of snacks.
When we decided to go to bed, I asked Archer to sleep with me. I never wanted to sleep alone again.
But, as I lay in his arms, I wished I was surrounded by all of them. All three of my mates.