Page 62 of The Omega Project

Even before she throws herself into his arms, I know she’s his mum. With her dark hair, vivid black eyes, and aura of calm, she’s a tiny version of Creed, who she gazes at like he’s the best creation in the universe.

I want that.

I don’t know if it’s delayed shock, but I think I mumble the words aloud, which is why the small woman turns in my direction and pulls me into a fierce hug. “Emily. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

I hug her back, my eyes seeking Creed’s. “Thank you. It’s lovely to meet you, too.”

“My mum, Sally,” he clarifies for me, his eyes a soft apology. “I would’ve brought you around sooner…”

“No apologies, Tyler,” Sally says with a whiff of command. She’s definitely an alpha, but it’s more her energy than herdominance that gives it away. “You’re all very busy, I know. Ah, Finn, sweetie. It’s so good to see you looking so happy.”

To my surprise, she pulls Finn into an embrace next, and he seems to melt under her affection, bending a little so he can brush her cheek with a kiss. “Sorry for coming over so late, Sally.”

“You know you’re always welcome. Are you staying or are you just here for Tyler’s baby albums?”

“Mum,” Creed whines, shaking his head. “I thought we talked about sharing classified information.”

“Oh, nonsense. Everyone who loves you will forgive me for those bowl-on-the-head haircuts, you’ll see.”

I snort a laugh as she stands on her tiptoes to pinch his cheek, then ushers us inside, hands flying as she catches the guys up on her latest home improvements. It seems that the Creed house is in a constant state of change, with each room we pass through boasting a project of some kind. There are rolls of wallpaper in the hallway, half-sanded floorboards in the lounge, and tins of paint stacked in the corner of the kitchen. Sally manoeuvres her way around all these obstacles with familiar ease. I feel exhausted just looking at all the work to be done, and Creed winces as we take a seat at the country kitchen table. “Mum, I told you we’d come over and help you paint.”

“I’m in no rush,” she says with an airy wave of her hand. “I just saw the perfect colour on sale at the hardware store and had to grab it.”

She’s barely sat down before she’s popping up again, her hand extended in my direction. “Would you like to see Tyler’s room?”

“Mum…”

There’s the echo of adolescence in his whine and I bite my lip, linking my arm through Sally’s. “I would love to see that so much. Especially if there are any of those bowl haircuts to look at.”

“Wonderful. And there are always embarrassing photos on display in this house.” Her dark eyes twinkle as we both snigger, but then she waves another airy hand at the guys. “Finn, why don’t you get the vanilla slice out of the fridge while Tyler puts the kettle on?”

Effectively dismissed, Sally leads me up a half-carpeted staircase, stopping on each step so I can study the framed pictures mounted on the wall. They progress Creed’s life from infancy to adulthood, usually with a ball on his hip and a stern look in his eyes. There’s definitely a couple of amateur haircuts in the mix, but mostly I just see the love and care radiating from each picture. When Sally pauses at the top of the stairs, she brushes a fond finger over a beanpole Creed standing in his mud-splattered football gear between two tall, attractive men. “That’s Bill and Kane, my mates. Kane was a nurse, but he passed from cancer when Creed was eleven, and Bill was a casualty of war. Training exercise they say, but Finn told me it was a mission in Afghanistan.”

The pain in her pretty face burrows straight into my chest and I clutch her hand in sympathy. “My sister…” I clear my throat and try again. “My sister lost one of her mates like that. We grew up in an army family, too.”

“Then you know,” she says softly, her gaze dipping to the bonding marks on my neck. “Why men like my boys love you so hard and hold you so tight.”

I can’t find the voice to comment, and she ushers me into a room at the end of the landing. It has a big bay window looking out onto the palm trees, a study desk with an old-model computer, games console, and a neat twin bed with bookshelves on both sides. They’re packed full of well-thumbed books and sparkling trophies, and I cross the room for a closer look. “Wow. Football, rugby, hockey, tennis… Is there any sport he didn’t play as a kid?”

“Cricket,” his mum laughs. “He hated all the standing around. But he loved everything else, and he was offered a rugby scholarship to uni before he joined the army.”

I can hear the tinge of regret in her voice and wonder if she tried to talk him out of military life. I know that Dee will struggle if Jacob wants to join up when he’s older. “That must have been a hard decision to make.”

“Well, Tyler has always known his mind. All those journals?” She points to a row of books amongst the paperbacks. “He planned out every day and then ticked off his list every night. It used to worry me, how seriously he took everything, but it reassures me now. Because if being in a pack with you and Finn is what he wants, then I know it’s exactly what he needs.”

I feel tears prickle the back of my eyes, and she ushers me over to sit on Creed’s bed. The room is spotlessly clean, and unlike the rest of the house, seems to have been untouched since Creed moved out. But I can still smell a whiff of something in the sheets – not so much alpha musk as smoky vanilla, which immediately reminds me of Soren.

“What you said about them loving me hard, I hope you know it goes both ways.” I watch her eyes soften as I pick up a family photo on his bedside table. “I grew up hearing a lot about duty and honour, but they’re the ones who’ve shown me what true loyalty is.”

She pats my hand, blinking away tears of her own. “That’s all a mother wants to hear.” She glances at my bonding marks again, and I feel a pang of regret that I’m not wearing Creed’s yet.Something we need to remedy.Not that she seems to mind as she gives me a sweet smile. “Why don’t you sit for a bit, and I’ll send the boys up with the drinks?”

I don’t have to wait long, Creed coming in first with a tray of hot chocolate and Finn bringing up the rear with a plate of vanilla slice. As they pass me a cup and set the rest on thebedside table, I offer Creed a soft smile. “Your mum is great, and I love your room. Hopefully Jacob will have something like this in their next place.”

I don’t just mean the room, either, because Dee told me that she confronted mum about the allowance she’s been hiding and was told that it was her “hard-earned nest egg.” After everything my sister has done to feed her and keep a roof over her head, my mum’s callousness makes my blood boil.

“I always wanted a room like this,” Finn muses as he runs a finger over the keyboard on the desk. “A locked door, my own computer, and a set of helicopter sheets.”

“Footballs,” Creed corrects him, flipping back the comforter to display the pattern.

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