Page 40 of Bound By Pain
Dad nods, takes a sip of his drink, and leans back in his chair. “You doing alright now that she’s been found?”
“Yep. There are still bumps in the road to navigate, but her other mates will be there to help.”
Mom dances in her seat, clasping her hands together. “You’re part of a pack now? Tell us about them all! I can’t wait to meet them!”
Dad grabs her chair and scoots it closer to his side. One of his arms drops around her shoulders, taking some of the wind out of her sails.
“Only when you are ready, of course!”
Smiling, I stare down into my tea. “After we’ve figured things out, I’m sure they would love that. As of right now, it’s me and another Alpha, Ridley. She has three other mates, but their situations are complicated.”
“You’ll make it work. Omega’s always find a way to bring their mates together.” Mom beams up at Dad, who grunts in response.
I’ve heard the story of how she met him and my other dads a hundred times already. They were rivals on opposing Academy soccer teams, and she was covering their match for the school newspaper. Their meeting may have been Fate, but they weren’t keen to agree after they realized who would be in the pack with them.
Mom wore them down one date at a time, then she ambushed them with a surprise pack date at a local laser tag venue. She kicked all of their asses, making them team up to defeat her.
To this day, whenever my dads get into a disagreement with each other, she drags them out to play. It’s cute the way they’re wrapped around her finger.
“Where are the others, anyway?”
Mom rolls her eyes. “They got conned into a work lunch. Apparently, being retired doesn’t actually mean escaping that place.”
Pops and my old man ran a local accounting firm. A career they retired from last year, according to what I saw on my sister’s social media posts.
“It’s a retirement event for their secretary, May,” Dad reminds her, laughing when she scowls harder.
“I’m sorry.” My abrupt apology sobers them both. “I should have reached out sooner, it’s just-”
“No apologies, son. You did what was best for you. If space was what you needed to hold yourself together, then we are glad you got it.”
Mom agrees, taking my hands in hers. “We will always be here, Orion, whether you come back tomorrow or a year from now. As long as you are healthy and happy, that’s all that matters to us.”
We chat for a while longer before the urge to return to Bea grows too strong. I hug Mom goodbye, relishing her light peony scent that takes me back to bedtime stories and childhood snuggles.
“Oh, son? Your mother and I may be patient, but your sister is not. When she hears you were here… well, just be prepared.” He chuckles and gives me a one-armed hug before he heads back inside.
I stare up at the late afternoon sky, hoping Fate grants me a small break before I have to deal with my younger sister again. She’s going to go overboard when she hears I have another Fate-matched mate.
I hope Bea is ready. Our family is about to grow exponentially.
CHAPTER 20
My Omega is upset.Partially because of her parents’ visit this morning, but also because the scent of her other mates is fading from her nest. I’ve watched her arrange and rearrange her blankets and borrowed clothes for half an hour now, and Bea’s frustration continues to grow.
While I cannot do much to ease her parent’s worry, I can help with her scent problem. Grabbing my phone, I sneakily snap a photo of her sour, frazzled expression. Creating a group chat is easy enough now that I have Shiloh and Creed’s numbers.
Ridley:
Send scent-marked clothes.
Orion: I will stop by Shiloh’s apartment on my way back.
Shiloh: Please give me my key back.
Ridley: You’re going to deny Bea your scent? Ballsy.
Shiloh… No.
