Page 33 of An Alpha's Commitment

My insides felt all bubbly, like someone had shaken a can of soda and popped the lid and the bubbles were starting to escape. It started slowly and began to build. This was the lightest I’d felt in a long time. It seemed like all my dreams could come true. Yes, I already (now) had the most marvelous life. I had a magnificent alpha who loved me and I shared him with the mischievous and playful omega who had befriended me and with whom I was also in love. I didn’t doubt my place here, but they’d been a couple before I came along, and with no formal tie to bind us, I was afraid to be the third wheel, the one that would be jettisoned if things fell apart. By seeking to bind me to him this way, Talius was showing me that wasn’t the case.

“How will he do it?” Irian asked the question that I wasn’t willing to ask.

“I’ll let Darius know we’re going ahead with it and he’ll come here with his mage to perform the ritual. He’s gone over the basic details with me, but they’ll tell us more later." Talius turned to me. "Basically, Xeres will set up a location where he can weave his spell. While he’s performing the spell, you submit and I bite you over your other mating gland.”

“That’s all?” Irian’s eyebrows nearly hit the roof.

“Well, I don’t think it’s easy. I know for a fact Xeres has never done this spell before. He had to hunt through some old spell books to find it.”

“What if it goes wrong?” I asked, unable to keep the tremor from my voice.

“We turn into pumpkins,” Talius quipped. Then he laid a reassuring hand on my arm. “You don’t need to worry. Xeres may be young but he’s apparently a very talented and serious mage. He wouldn’t try this unless he was absolutely certain he could do it.”

“He is pretty smart. If anyone can do it, it would be him,” admitted Irian.

“And would it… what about the mind bond that you guys have… would it create one of those?”

“I don’t know. I asked about that but Xeres didn’t know either.We’ll just have to wait and find out.”

Irian caught my attention. His eyes were bright. He looked as hopeful as I felt.

Chapter 16

TALIUS

It was at my weekly meeting with Johnson, the beta who was my second-in-command, that I broached the subject of myupcoming attempt to mate Isca.

"...and it was only when we started using the high-pressure pump we hired from McLeavens that we finally got the water flowing." Johnson was detailing the problems he'd had sorting out a blocked water pipe from one of the dams. The water fed the troughs in some of the paddocks containing livestock, and was also used to irrigate some of the small crop paddocks. A blockage was a serious problem and needed to be resolved quickly.

"Did you work out what was blocking it?" I asked.

"Nah. Maybe the pipes were floating too low in the dam and mud got in. There's also a lot of algae in that dam, so it's possible some of that stuff got stuck in there. I'll get one of the guys to clean off the surface and I'll check how the pipe sits myself. I'm not sure we'll find out exactly what caused it."

"Take Agelius with you when you go... I think it would be worthwhile training him as your backup. He's bright and he's settled in well with the pack. Although he's an alpha, I have a feeling he won't be leaving us anytime soon. He was without a pack for so long, I think he'll want to stay here for a while. If you're agreeable, I'll talk to him about it."

Johnson nodded. "I like that idea. This place is a lot to manage when you aren't here, and you need to take a break from time to time, and I mean something more than a few days off to take care of your mate... sorry, I should say mates."

A sly grin crept over the beta's face. "Gotta say, you must have some stamina, Talius. Not everyone could keep two omegas happy."

"Yeah, well, about that. I wanted to talk to you about where I went last week." I hesitated. Although it was a private matter, matings affected the pack as a whole, and especially so in this case where what I was intending to do could be considered, if not exactly taboo - since no-one thought it could even be done - then wrong. Mating another alpha's mate? And a Pack Alpha's mate at that. Some might be understanding, if they knew a little of Isca's history, but even if the pack were accepting, if word got out there could be serious ramifications for the pack itself. They needed to know.

Johnson's kind brown eyes settled on mine, his face implacable. He liked Isca, I knew, and I didn't think he'd judge me for this, but you never knew. Sometimes you thought you knew someone, and then you found they had little triggers you would never have guessed. I figured I was about to find out.

"I..."A tap on the doorframe interrupted me before I could get any further, but when I looked up there was no-one there. Giggles sounded from out in the hallway. Light, bubbling sounds in two different pitches. Both of them, then. What were they up to?

Johnson and I exchanged a look. I shrugged. I didn't know what was going on.

The soft, happy sounds continued outside the office but no omegas came into sight. I sighed.

"Come in, you two. We know you're up to something!"

The giggling stopped. There was some shuffling. Scratch! Followed by the sputter of something flaring to life.

Then Irian and Isca stepped around the doorframe and into the room carrying a tray between them. In the middle of the tray, flames danced on the little colored sticks stuck into what smelled like cake.

Two sweet omega voices burst into song. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!..."

I didn't often blush, but I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. This display was sweet and a little embarrassing. To be honest, I'd forgotten it was my birthday. Once I'd passed 22, with all my key dates met, a birthday held no significance for me, so I rarely remembered it. Birthdays, other than the important ones for passing the different stages of majority, were more of a human thing. Irian never forgot though. And now Isca. It gave them an excuse to indulge their hobby of baking and Johnson and I would happily benefit.

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