Page 1 of Bite of Spice

One

TERRENCE

“Did you buy the turkey, Alpha?” I squealed as I checked the fridge for the umpteenth time, licking my lips, imagining the juice crackling and popping over the browning skin. Another glance around the counters showed me that it was defrosting in the sink. Thanksgiving wasn’t just the best holiday. It was myfavoriteholiday, the one day when all of our chosen family came through and shared food. The warm feelings that came with a full house couldn’t be matched—grandma from the café, a few of our ranger buddies from school, and a couple of the neighbors. Itwas also going to be our first Thanksgiving with Kieran, our very pregnant Omega who was weeks, maybe even days away from bringing our beautiful boys into the world.

He had let his hair and beard fully grow out and I joked that he was our very own caveman, although I never let Kieran hear me calling him that. Compared to when we met him, he had become this freer version of himself and I loved it. Kieran was also fucking adorable with all of his groaning and the way he kept stomping around the house and hoisting Joel over his shoulder to disappear into his nest for cuddles.

We warned Kieran about carrying anything over fifty pounds but he didn’t even listen to Isaias when it came to things like that. Not that I minded watching Joel squeal like a girl as he was lifted off the ground mid-conversation and hauled into another room. Half the time, it wasn’t even for sex. The doctor had said that with some Omega pregnancies, the Omega would gravitate toward the father. If we had any doubts that our twin boys were Joel’s, we didn’t now.

Eight months with Kieran had been the best thing to happen to our pack. I hadn’t seen my Alpha or Beta smile as much as they had since the incident with Austin and I felt at ease coming home and curling up with my mates. Knowing that there would be two bundles of joy to nurture in the coming months just made me more eager to grow with my men.

Between studying for this new degree and figuring out where I belonged, everything was perfect.

Almost.

Isaias and I still hadn’t returned to the dynamic we used to have. My safe word came up way more often than I remembered and I still couldn’t open Isaias’ closet full of the toys I used to love. He unearthed one now and then, teasing me until I cried for mercy but it was all fun and play. We never went farther than that.

Brushing off that heavy thought, I returned to the chaos of papers strewn across the kitchen island. Finals were just around the corner and while I knew I’d ace every test, I couldn’t help but deep dive into the material, learning the ins and outs of social work, children, and everything else I could get my hands on. It took me a moment to realize that Isaias hadn’t spoken since I asked my question. “Alpha?”

Looking up, I caught him sitting at the kitchen table wearing a tight smile, worry etched into his expression. My hackles went up as my gaze dipped down to take in my attire, one of his shirts and a pair of boxers. There was nothing wrong or odd with what I was wearing, was there? I sniffed an armpit. No, I didn’t stink. In fact, I smelled like the most fucking delicious peach pie after Kieran fucked himself on my knot a few hours ago.

“Alpha?”

“How’s Kieran?”

My nose scrunched up as I tried to read my Alpha’s emotions. “Fine, I guess? Irritable but most pregnant omegas are. Joel’s with him now.” Isaias’ gaze darted down the hallway toward the nest and then back at me before it clicked. While the pregnancy itself had been smooth so far, Kieran’s rocky emotions had become much harder to navigate in the past few months. It made sense, what with an Omega who had grown up not being able to trust anyone. We hadn’t even planned for children in the weeks that we came to love each other. It was a difficult change for Kieran to suddenly not only need to ask for help but be unable to do things on his own.

I couldn’t even imagine what my Alpha was feeling, how he tried to accommodate an Omega who refused to ask for anything. Kieran’s pissy moods were ones I liked to avoid, although I had found an easy way to calm him with strange concoctions in the kitchen. It was only after a few bites or sips that I could get our Omega to open up.

With Isaias, though, he was used to being able to read and understand us. Healwaysknew what I needed before I even asked. Our Omega, however, was a blank slate. Isaias was still learning and it almost seemed as if he felt a little lost in the process. I wondered if he had felt the same way when we first met.

“We’ll get there, Isaias. It just takes him a little more time to ask for what he wants.”

My Alpha grunted as I walked around the counter toward him. He reached for me and stuffed me into his lap before speaking again. “Something’s bothering him.”

My shoulders fell as I snuggled into his chest, not wanting to address the true elephant in the room. Sure, we hadn’t planned on children but it wasn’tjustthe fact that Kieran had gotten pregnant. It was his mindset at the time. He had rescued himself from a brother-like figure, an abuser, and the nightmare from his past. He knew we loved him and we knew he loved us right back. However, going through that horrifying ordeal and then falling into our little slice of life?

Kieran was dealing with far more than he let on. Our Omega was like a brick wall, though, whenever we approached the subject. The doctors mentioned that we should hold off as long as possible before bringing it up again, saying that the stress could harm our unborn children.

However, seeing the lingering pain in Kieran’s eyes as he tried to smile hurt me and so it seemed, it was hurting my Alpha too.

It took me a few minutes to find the right words. “He hasn’t said a word about it. He doesn’t want to. Let’s just be glad Michael is still in jail.”

Tension hung between us because we both knew that Michael wouldn’t remain there. The rules against attacking an Omega were lax at best and while there was sufficient evidence ofkidnapping and assault, Kieran had been an unmated Omega at the time regardless of Isaias’ claim.

It frustrated me just thinking about it.

We sat there in silence for several moments, my Alpha brushing his nose along my temple as he began drawing little circles on my back, lulling me to sleep. I hadn’t even known I was this tired until Isaias chuckled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Let’s go to bed, sweetheart. We can figure things out in the morning.”

“I still have some studying to do.”

“And it’s nearly midnight.” Isaias pushed me to my feet, his eyes darkening as he followed, his height looming over me. A shiver of pleasure ran down my spine, the thought of fighting back dying on my tongue when his lips turned up in a playful snarl. I hadn’t seen this version of my Alpha in a while, the dominant beast of a man who loved to take what I desperately needed to give. Isaias pinched my chin and dragged me closer, running his thumb along my bottom lip. “I’m well aware of the pot of coffee you downed a few hours ago but tomorrow’s Thanksgiving and I’m going to need your help to make it the best one we’ve had yet.”

“I’m not tired,” I pushed, trying to hold back my smile. Kieran hadn’t seen this version of Isaias, maybe because it wasn’t something our Omega craved, but I had missed it.

“Ren.” There was no room for argument in his words and yet, I pushed again.

“What? I’m not! And I found this really-”

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