Page 92 of Tides of Fate

Jay is immobilized, his nose in the air and a dazed look on his face, which Leo—thankfully—heads off at the pass.

Staring at another alpha’s pregnant mate is a surefire way to cause an immediate negative reaction—especially if Logan is even half as protective as Jay.

Logan has puffed himself up, standing bigger and broader so that he can shield his omega behind him.

It’s probably best if they get on with it if they don’t want an unintentional showdown.

“Thanks for coming, guys. Sorry to pull you away from home, Arlo.”

He leads them into the kitchen, where Leo has dragged Jay, and they areonce again watching the footage from the break-in.

“No problem. Show me what you’ve got,” Logan says.

The five of them watch the intruders come in and out of the Rhodes’s residence until Jay has had enough, walking away to drop onto the couch with a growl.

“Okay. Well. As I’m sure you’ve realized, those aren’t amateurs. I’d say ex-military ops of some kind, right? What do you think, babe? More than your run-of-the-mill guy off the street.”

Arlo runs the footage back and then offers, “Indeed. I’d say special forces. It’s the boots. Also, they had the codes for sure,” the omega confirms.

It’s just as Gideon thought.

“I’m going to walk the perimeter and take a look around, if that’s okay. Give me twenty. Arlo, maybe you could check out the tech setup?”

When Logan disappears out the front door and appears a few minutes later through the windows of the sliding doors at the side of the house, Arlo starts removing his pack’s “walking nest,” piling clothes haphazardly on the back of the kitchen stool.

“I am so over this, Logan Frost. This is fucking ridiculous. I am never doing this again. Sorry, bean, but your dad is driving me nuts,” Arlo mutters to himself…or maybe to his unborn baby.

It’s as if the normally restrained man has forgotten the three others are even in the room, and when he gets down to his black sweats and T-shirt, he finally stops his monologue.

Nonplussed, he runs his hands through his hair and over his enormous belly.

“Okay, Leo, show me the tech.”

He doesn’t acknowledge the three of them staring like idiots again.

It’s not like Gideon hasn’t seen things and done even more, but this is one of the happiest. It doesn’t take much effort for his mind to wander to their omega in the same incredibly rotund state—maybe even more so since Nix is tiny, whereas Arlo is much taller and less…androgynous.

His wolf happily generates a visual: Nix looks soft, round, and flushed with pleasure at carrying Gideon’s baby.

His stomach swoops at the thought, just like it had when they’d told Nix about omegas being able to bear children—the feeling hot and heavy in his groin. But seeing daydream-Nix so visibly pregnant also spikes his anxiety, and he can’t quite put a finger onwhy.

Leo is startled at being addressed, but he rallies like the saint he is—better prepared than either of his alphas.

“Sure. There are monitors in the pantry, but the hub is in here.”

Their voices fade away as they walk into the library.

Once there’s no longer a distraction, Jay pulls him down onto the couch beside him.

“We’re on it now, Gid. We’ll get it fixed up and…” Jay soothes, and it’s probably as much for himself as for Gideon.

“It’s not the fixing that has me worried. It’s the why. Nix is in court in less than forty-eight hours, and this cannot be a coincidence. I can’t believe I fucked the system up this badly. They could have waltzed in here, tranq’d him, and we would never know where he’d gone.”

The guilt is crushing, and Gideon’s stomach is still roiling at the close call—no matter that he never throws up.Ever. This was too close for comfort.

Logan arrives back through the sliding doors before Jay can respond, but his alpha grabs Gideon by the back of the neck and kisses him soundly. There’s awe will talklaterlook in his eye, but there’s also understanding. It helps settle him even more.

The security specialist is spitting out so much tech-speak that Gideon has no way to follow. He catches the last bit, though.

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