Page 134 of Red River

From this distance, I couldn’t make out details, but the ceremony was in full swing. Rain was exchanging vows with his husband-to-be.

My heart pounded wildly, like a tiny, terrified bird trapped in my chest.

"I can’t see! I can’t see!" Lake whined, bouncing on his toes, clearly hoping Archer would lift him up.

But I pressed a finger to my lips. "Shush now, you. Be patient. This isn’t our moment—it’s Rain’s. Let’s not interrupt."

We moved carefully along the edge of the crowd.

I scanned it with curiosity, and quickly recognized some of my parents’ old friends and spotted my uncle Timothy’s family. Also, my cousin Hunter stood with a tall blond omega plastered to his side, and there were two more people next to them that I didn’t recognize—one very tall, handsome alpha and a short, beautiful omega with long black curls. That alpha could be my other cousin, Nathaniel, but I wasn’t sure. He was only three the last time I saw him.

After a few seconds, I also spotted my uncle Van. He was here with his husband and their four sons—none of whom I’d met before, though he’d mentioned them in emails.

Near one of Van’s kids, I noticed a tiny omega—shorter even than me—with dark blue hair and strange, high-tech glasses. Even from a distance, something about him looked oddly familiar—some public figure, perhaps? But I was too anxious to focus on it.

Archer, however, who was also scanning the crowd, suddenly murmured, "Wow. No way. It’s Gabriel! I can’t believe it. I need to talk to him later."

During the last few months, I finally learned that Archer not only knew my brother Skye from college but also my second cousin Gabriel, Van’s son. I was pretty surprised, but also… not.

Fate was obviously pushing Archer toward my family in every way possible. I knew Archer and Gabriel had a fallout after my unfortunate cousin got involved in some criminal activity. He seemed good now, and the presence of the tiny omega at his side hinted at a lot of changes in his life as well.

Then, after another moment of attentively observing the guests, Archer let out a soft chuckle.

"Oh wow, and there’s Skye—and his… peculiar beta. Do you see his tattoos? Quite avant-garde. He’s got a newborn in a baby sling on his chest. It must be Silver. Gotta congratulate them—"

But I wasn’t stopping for anyone. I pushed forward relentlessly, scanning the crowd, having only one goal in my mind.

To find my parents.

And finally, I saw them.

Right in the front row, close to the stage.

Some of my other brothers were also there with their partners, though from this distance, I had a hard time telling who was who. The crowd was thick, making it difficult to take everything in.

But I was focused only on two specific people.

And then, I spotted the thick, pale blond braid of my dad.

My breath caught in my chest. My heart pounded even harder.

"There he is," I whispered, gripping Archer’s sleeve tightly.

Since Archer was taller, he had an even better view.

"Yeah," he murmured. "I see him too. Your father’s right next to him. Looks like they’re sitting near Kay’s family. From what Skye told me, Kay has a kid from his previous marriage. I think that’s them sitting there together."

"I’m so nervous, Archer," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Most of them don’t even know me."

"Well, when you left, some of your younger brothers were just kids."

"Yeah… Sun wasn’t even born yet. Skye was barely three. Storm was four and a half. Rain wasn’t even six yet. Do you think they’ll even recognize me?"

"I think they will. They’ve seen pictures of you, for sure. And your older brothers definitely remember you."

"But, God… they’ve changed so much. When I left, they were close to Igor, Van, and Aiden’s age. I’m a stranger here!"

"Don’t overthink it now. You came here to make amends with your dad, right? Just take it one step at a time before you move forward."

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