Page 138 of Red River

"True Mates’ births are 100% safe," I said, beaming.

Dad sighed with deep satisfaction. "That’s yet another thing I’ll never get tired of appreciating…"

"Your family really tipped the scales of fate in your favor," Archer admitted.

"I even know who did it," Dad added with a wink.

"Uh!" I grunted, placing a hand on my back.

"Maybe it's time to sit down," he suggested with a gentle smile.

"Alright, perhaps this is a good moment. I'll let you talk me into it—" I started, but right at that moment, there was a quiet knock at the door.

Dad got up and opened it just a crack, peeking outside. Standing there was his namesake—little Lake.

"What’s up, sweetheart?"

Lake lifted his big green eyes to him and said, "I’d like to sit with my dad for a bit…"

Dad glanced back at me, and I nodded. My little son stepped inside, taking in the room with curious eyes.

I was already in the nest, still wrapped in my robe.

"Is the baby here yet?"

The baby didn’t have a name yet because the boys still couldn’t agree on one. The debates and arguments were ongoing. Some of them were pretty hilarious, like Spider-Man or Matterhorn.

"Not yet, Lake, but it won’t be long now!"

"Can I watch?"

Dad shot me an amused look.

"Uhhh," I hesitated, "maybe don’t, like, watch too closely, but you can hang out and soak up the vibe. Just sit over there by the window—there’s a comfy chair," I grinned, a little embarrassed.

Lake curled up in the chair, hugging his knees, while my dad walked over to him with a smile.

"Are you really interested in this kind of thing? My boys ran out of the room when I was giving birth…"

"I'm interested! I’m gonna have babies one day too," Lake announced confidently.

Dad had gotten to know Lake’s interesting personality well over the past few months—he was practically living with us—so he just chuckled softly.

"You know, when I was a kid, I knew I was an omega too," he remarked.

Lake nodded solemnly. "People say that’s silly, that you can’t just know…"

"Well, sometimes you can’t," I chimed in. "Look at how wrong Igor was when he insisted Van would be a beta!"

For the past nine months, Van—who was now thirteen and a half—had been going through some serious changes. He had shot up in height, his frame shifting into that classic alpha build—broad shoulders, narrow hips. Even Van himself had been surprised, almost in shock. And Igor had to come to terms with the fact that there was another alpha in the house he'd have to learn to balance with. But they were actually doing pretty well—especially since Van was really into martial arts, just like Aiden. Aiden, by the way, had suddenly decided he was going to be an alpha too, despite everyone telling him to slow his roll.

But Lake? Lake had never wavered—he insisted he was an omega, and he stuck to that belief like glue.

"A lot of people do have a gut feeling about it," I admitted. "I did too, from the start. And Archer did as well. But it’s good to stay open-minded, just in case. Uncle Sam was sure he’d be a beta, and, well—he wasn’t."

"I know what I am," Lake said, pursing his lips. "That’s why I wanna watch… if it’s okay, of course," he added quickly, glancing cautiously at his granddad.

My dad studied him with a small smile. He had long since noticed that Lake was the type of kid who had strong opinions and never hesitated to share them.

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