Page 20 of Riley Goes Home

“Tell me what you want, Red.” She held up her phone. “You said you wanted this recorded.”

“Jesus, Candy!” Fen snapped, but I held up a shaking hand.

“We…” Panting, more panting, until the contraction eased off. “We only have one chance at this.” I let out a helpless laugh and then tensed as the pain returned. “We’ll…. learn something…. about the process… Won’t get this chance again.”

“A scientist to the very end.” Gideon appeared by the pool and nodded. “I’m going to restrict access to the pool, make sure you have privacy. You’ll have a team on standby to deal with any complications…” My face screwed up at that word, my mates instantly hissed at him. “You’re in safe hands, Riley. Just focus on bringing your beautiful children into the world.”

An omega can’t resist a direct order. I nodded and then fell back against my mates’ chests.

Chapter 13

Colt

Anger was not what I expected to feel at the birth of my own children, and yet here I was, furious. At Mum for pulling her usual bullshit, even as I warned her not to. At the dads for enabling her. At the whole damn town, sniffing around Riley’s stomach, as if the golden ticket to running the town lay within. Most of all, though, I was mad at myself. I took a step forward, then another, reaching for Riley’s legs as my brothers helped her get into position. Her hands went around Haze and Ryan’s necks so she was suspended in almost a squatting position. I hadn’t stopped her from going on this drive. I hadn’t kept her here, where she was safe. Where people cared about what she wanted and made that happen. She was never going to get that in Bordertown.

But maybe Riley needed to work that out for herself.

“Coooolt…”

Her voice was part scream, part howl, so I surged forward.

“Here, baby.”

We’d stripped her down, and for just this once, I couldn’t focus on the fact other people got to see my mate’s naked formas she laboured. Riley was beautiful, strong, and I told her that in a low voice, over and over, as it happened.

We’d watched videos, attended antenatal classes, and schooled ourselves on what to expect as much as possible, but nothing prepared me for this. To watch her tendons pop, her arms shake as she gripped my brother’s hands. Her stomach was drum tight, and as if played upon it, I heard a steady beat. Thud, thud, thud… It wasn’t Riley’s heart beat that drew me closer. That was going a mile a minute. No, it was his. Head first, I watched him crown, feeling a pang for the pain Riley must be in, but I couldn’t dwell on that because he came bursting out. My arm shot out in time to grab my son the minute he whooshed out into the water, and then I was pulling him close.

My son.

My fucking son was in my arms and I watched his little arms quiver like he was the most precious thing in the world. Maybe because he was. His eyes blinked owlishly as he looked blindly around him.

“Buddy…”

He was cradled against my chest when he answered me with a lusty wail, the sound ringing out through the entire room.

“Hey… Hey…”

In the dark of night, I admit part of me was scared I wouldn’t know what to do, that I’d screw things up somehow. What if my sons were forced to leave us and never look back due to who their fated mate was? None of those worries could exist in the same space as my son. I pressed him into me, starting to sway, making the same soothing sounds Riley’s heart made as he grew, and that’s when he melted into me. Little grunting noises and snuffles followed, but even they eased off.

“OK, he is not allowed to be that stinking cute.” I looked up sharply, a snarl on my lips, only to find Candy there. She waspart of our extended pack, my wolf had decided, especially when she stared at us with tears in her eyes. “Like I’ve never wanted a crotch goblin at all, but I don’t think I’d yeet him into the sun.” She sniffed. “I don’t think I’d yeet him at all.”

I didn’t want to let him go ever. He was my child, and I knew then I would do anything, absolutely anything to protect him, but some small part of me knew I’d never need to do that with Candy. Maybe explain away some of her more inappropriate comments, but still. I forced my arms to unlock and then held him out.

“Did you want a cuddle?”

“Doesn’t Riley…?”

My mate would enjoy lots and lots of skin to skin contact with our children, but right now she was actively labouring, her face bright red as she screamed and then Blake was surging forward, catching our next son. A shock of dark hair, a shocked look, and then he was curled in close, the big guy making clear just how goofy I looked when our first child was born, because he was the same.

“Um…” Candy held my son out with stiff arms as he began to squall. “Pretty sure he wants you right now.”

He did. As soon as he was back in my arms, he quietened, and that led to us clustering closer as Riley laboured.

“You’ve got this, babe,” Haze said, gripping her hand.

“You’re doing amazing.”

“So strong.”

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