Page 17 of Riley Goes Home

“Yes.” I appeared by Riley’s side, and her eyes whipped around to meet mine. “I mean no. Yes.” I frowned and shook my head.

“So, which is it, Ryan?” Nikki asked with a little giggle.

“Riley is our mate.” My arm went around my girl’s shoulders and it felt like I couldn’t take a full breath until her body was pressed against mine. “She carries our children.”

“Oh my god, so it is true?” Nikki’s look of shock was to be expected, but the hope that quickly followed. Yeah, that wasn’t so welcome. I’d seen it in the eyes of all the girls at school until the three omegas revealed themselves. Being mated to us elevated you instantly in the town hierarchy, and while we’d grown used to it, we didn’t want Riley to. “You're the mother of the new alphas.” As she reached out for Riley’s stomach, I stepped forward, knowing how much my mate hated being randomly touched by near strangers. “Maybe?—”

“Mummy!”

A little girl with brown hair pulled back by a satin bow threw herself at Nikki’s legs and the woman let out a theatrical oof in response.

“Well, hello to you, Missy Moo.” Nikki picked up her daughter and then put her on her hip. “This is my daughter, Belinda,” she explained. “Belle, this is Ryan, one of the Vanguard alphas?—”

“Taylor.” I felt like I was clinging to something that was slipping from my fingers as I said our last name. “Taylor alphas.”

Nikki blinked for a second but rallied fast.

“This is Ryan Taylor, and this is my old friend, Riley.”

“Inside Out!” Belinda exclaimed and suddenly we were all chuckling. We’d watched that Disney movie about human emotions so many times with our younger clients.

“That’s right.” Riley had these moments where she just seemed to soften, and she did that right now, smiling up at the little girl as she stepped closer. “Though I’m not as cool as Riley in the movie. I just do boring science stuff.”

“You stuck with that?” Nikki seemed somehow surprised by that, and I couldn’t work out why. Riley was always single-minded about pursuing a career in medicine. “Even after the alphas found you.”

“I had to.” Riley shrugged. “When they turned up, I discovered I was a latent and had to find a solution that didn’t involve going through an aborted shift every full moon.” She shook her head. “I discovered a whole lot about what it means to be an alpha or an omega as a result.”

“Baby!” Belinda cried, reaching forward to touch Riley’s belly, and this time my mate didn’t stiffen. She just chuckled, but it was Nikki’s reaction that caught my eye. Her focus sharpened exponentially, the much weaker scent of a beta taking on an avaricious tang.

“That’s right, sweetheart, babies. Riley is going to give birth to five healthy alpha babies soon, and one day they’ll find their fated mate.”

That was true of every alpha, but it was the way Nikki said that which had my hackles raising. Slow, in a sing-song kind of tone one might use with children, but it was more than that. We’d been forced to study Macbeth at school, and if you told me Nikki was trying out to play one of the witches, I’d have believed you.

“Maybe you’ll grow up to be their omega one day.”

Parents talked about their kids becoming teachers or doctors or firemen all the time, but none of those roles sent a cold shiver running through me, because it was only now that I realised what a mistake coming back here was. Cheryl’s bullshit, the Williams’ packs’ posturing, it was all part of a bigger problem.

Coming back here meant we were shoved right back into pack politics.

I looked around and saw that many of the older ladies had my dads pinned, speaking with some animation as they glancedback at us. Cheryl and the Williams pack had arrived, as was their right as ruling pack, but they watched the proceedings with a wary eye. Keith Williams and his brothers knew that he held his role not because they’d beat us in a dominance fight, but because we stepped down.

And in theory, we could step back up at any time.

I’d grown up being watched by the whole town, knew what it was like to always be in the public eye, but Riley didn’t. Her father was well respected as one of the dads’ enforcers, but no more than that. She was afforded the luxury of growing up as just another town member.

Until now.

“Oh…”

A little gasp had every muscle in my body locking down. I didn’t care what Nikki, the town, anyone was doing right now, only Riley.

“Riles…?” I sounded like a boy, not a man, and I felt like one as I curled my body around hers. Her hand slapped down on her stomach as her breath came in sharp pants. “Riles…?”Birth. Pool. Protect mate.Instincts I never knew I had tore through me, unable to be ignored. “Baby…?”

Her face fitted perfectly in my hands, fear plain in her gaze as she stared up at me.

“Ry— Ah!”

“Oh, it looks like someone or someones are coming early.”

---