Page 22 of Waiting for Fate
One day I’ll wake up next to her, and when that happens, she’ll be stuck with me for life.
The sun is painting the sky in golden shades of orange, yellow, and red as I lounge in the driver’s seat. I’ve always been a morning person. Waking with the sun and enjoying those first rays of light brings me peace.
My phone trills from its spot in the cup holder, my mother’s face smiling up at me. She’s a morning person too, always sitting out on the balcony with a cup of coffee before the day peeks over the horizon.
“Hey Mom,” I greet her with a smile. She’s older now, gray streaking her long brown hair and age weathering her eyes. None of that makes her any less attractive to my two fathers and our other mother. They’re as madly in love with each other in their sixties as they were when they met forty years ago. I hope the love growing between Bea and me can withstand time the way theirs has.
“How’s my favorite son?” Mom’s lips quirk up, her hazel eyes sparkling with amusement.
“I’m your only son,” I remind her.
I’m the oldest of five children and the only boy. It was chaotic in my house growing up, especially once I showed signs of being an alpha. Overprotective and annoying were my little sister’s favorite words to describe me. I may have kicked another kid in the balls for trying to hit on my sister in middle school, but he was an asshole and deserved every second of pain.
My sister didn’t see it that way, but I’m sure she’s grateful I chased all those guys away now that she has a pack of her own.
“How is life on tour? Are rock stars as ostentatious as the media portrays them to be?”
I shake my head. “So far no. These bands seem pretty chill. A little theatrical and dramatic, but that’s par for the course with people who live in the spotlight. How are things at home?”
Our once vibrant, loud childhood home is quiet now since me and my siblings flew the coop. Luckily, their work keeps them busy enough to prevent any late life crisis from occurring.
Mom works as a professor at the local Omega Academy, where my baby sister Sage is enrolled. She teaches omega history and law courses, helping ensure each omega who passes through her lecture hall leaves knowing their rights and how to use the systems in our government to help them.
“Oh, you know how it goes,” Mom says with a happy sigh. “Your fathers are determined to work until their bodies give out, and Mumsy is just trying to keep us all afloat amidst the chaos.”
A chuckle slips out of me, imagining my mother’s exasperated faces when my fathers come from work with sun baked skin and dirt covered clothes. You’d think as the owners of a large, successful roofing business, they would take a step back from manual labor, but they both claim their office is too stuffy after so many years of working outdoors.
“Take them on another vacation,” I suggest. Last fall, she’d dragged them all to an island in the Mediterranean for a month. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my parents look as content and relaxed as I did when they video called me from their hotel that first week.
“A lovely idea is, but you know I won’t leave with Rowan so close to giving birth.” A grin grows on her face at the mention of the older of my two omega sisters. Rowan and her pack are having their second child this year, another little girl, much to my sister’s disappointment. Growing up with mostly girls in the house, she’s been hoping to have a boy of her own. So far, she’s been zero for two, but who knows what her future will hold?
“How is my cranky sister doing? Has she driven her pack crazy yet?” I joke.
A few weeks ago there may have been some seriousness to my question, but after meeting my mate, I can say with certainty there is nothing Bea could do to drive me away from her. She can be as moody and demanding as her instincts desire. I’ll still be at her side and ready to worship her like the goddess she is.
“She’s ready for the baby to be here.”
I listen as Mom updates me on each of my sister’s lives, including letting me know my baby sister has a new pack courting her. I get their names so I can have a friend at the FCDA look into them. Can’t have my sister unknowingly tying herself to a pack of criminals.
Movement in the living area distracts me from our conversation, and my heart soars, hoping Bea is awake. When I catch sight of Lex’s dark blonde hair as he heads out for his morning run, I can’t help feeling disappointed. It’s for the best. She hasn’t accepted she is my mate yet, so introducing her to my mom might be too much.
“What’s got that glint in your eye, Ridley James?” Mom asks, her attention suddenly riveted to the phone screen.
I let my smile grow, a happy sigh filling the air. “I met my mate.”
She claps and dances in her seat, celebrating my good fortune without even knowing my omega’s name. That’s Mom for you. She’s happy when we’re happy.
“Tell me all about them!”
“Her name is Bea. She’s one of the band managers, and the omega I’m assigned to guard.” Mom’s lips dip into a momentary frown, realizing I can’t pursue a bond with Bea until after the DAU releases me from her security detail. “She’s sassy, smart, and a whirlwind of color. You’re going to love her!”
“She sounds wonderful already! How does she feel about your situation?”
I bit my lip, glancing away as I admit I haven’t told her yet.
“She doesn’t feel the pull? Or hasn’t felt the connection?” Mom questions.
“We have a shared pain Fated connection,” I admit with a shake of my head. I don’t have to say anything else. She already understands.
