Page 31 of The Griffin, the Tiger, and Their House Cat Omega

River

When the alpha called and said that we needed to have a video conference, my stomach dropped. I didn’t want him coming on the screen and saying we needed to join them back at the streak—that we needed to go back. But it was well within his rights to do so, and if he did, then I’d have to make the decision—did I go fully rogue and put that scar on Flora? Or did I cave and return?

It wasn’t only my decision. It was my mates’ too. Whatever I decided impacted them too.

“You look stressed.” Matthew came in, his rounded belly pulling tightly on his T-shirt. It was time for him to start getting some paternity clothes, but he was being a little bit stubborn about that one.

“My alpha wants to have a video call with me.”

“And you think this is a bad thing?” He sat beside me.

“I don’t know what it means.”

“But let me guess—your head is creating all sorts of things that could be, and none of them are good.” Matthew really did know me.

I nodded.

“Do yourself a favor and tell them you want the meeting and pick the earliest time so you don’t worry longer than necessary” He picked up my hand. “And it’s probably nothing, but either way we’ll be here with you. And whatever happens, we’ll work through it.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be all hormonal because of this pregnancy, and the one who can’t think reasonably? That’s such a cliché, I know, but apparently, I am the one who can’t thinkclearly and is hormonal and you are growing a whole person and are clearheaded and awesome.”

“Maybe I just gave the hormonalness to you. Maybe it’s contagious.” He stuck out his tongue.

Gods I loved him so.

I did as he said and messaged Apha to make the arrangements. He agreed to one later that night, after Flora was asleep.

“Hello, Alpha.”

I was happy to see he was alone and his betas weren’t with him. Official business usually included them as well.

“I have some news, and I wanted to check in on you. Which do you want first?”

As if there was a question.

“Obviously, the news. You know me.”

He nodded.

“Your brother-in-law had money. We didn’t realize he had an account he set up for Flora. I’m going to send you all that information. It looks like it’s enough so when she graduates, she can either go to school or get settled in a new place. There’s quite a bit already, and over time, it should grow.”

Her dad had always been a great guy, but I didn’t know he had that much forethought. “Thank you, Alpha. I appreciate that.”

Many streaks and packs would have taken it. Alpha wasn’t an asshole, but I understood how it typically went. There was a reason why he kept it aside—because my brother-in-law had come from a pretty shitty streak himself. He probably feared his new one, my birth streak, would be like that as well. We were lucky, in that it never was.

“Okay. Now for the catching up. How is Flora doing?” His expressions softened.

“She’s great. She’s doing really well in school. She had a part in the play.”

“Like Mary Poppins?” Our streak teacher was all about Mary Poppins and did some version of it pretty much every year.

“No. This one had a dragon. Flora was a rock. And she was the best rock there ever was.”

Alpha didn’t know what to say to that one, so he didn’t say anything, instead nodding and smiling.

“Are your mates there, by chance?”

I nodded.

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