Page 57 of The Alpha: Part Two
I look into his dark eyes and smile. "They did. But they were never really my pack. Not completely. It fucked me up when the twisted, ugly bond I had with them severed, but they weren’t good alphas, Ben. That is putting it mildly, they weren’t even men with the things they did. I don't miss them. Or mourn them."
"We could never do something like that to you," Michael snarls. "We will never let anyone hurt you like that ever again."
I lean forward to touch his shoulder. "I know, Michael. You and Ben are good alphas. Desir'ee is perfect. And together, we will make a great pack. I'll take care of you, and you'll take care of me. That's what real packs do, right?"
"Yes," Desir'ee says, giving me a smile that I need like oxygen. "Come get into bed with us. We need sleep."
She and Michael lift the blankets up and I crawl in between them. I don't know if this is how other packs sleep, but falling asleep with the sounds and scents of my pack surrounding me is the most perfect thing in the world. Even if Michael snores into the back of my head all night.
Chapter thirty
Desie
Waking up in bed with all three of them is my favorite. I fell asleep between Ben and Seth, and I woke up between Seth and Michael. Ben was spooning Seth pretty hard, but we're not going to talk about that when the sun is shining. I stretch my arms above my head and arch my back, then scramble and crawl over the men in my bed. All three of them take up so much room that I'm not entirely sure how we all fit.
"Where are you going?" Michael purrs against my neck after he snatches me back under the blankets.
"The kitchen," I whisper. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
He kisses my shoulder and reluctantly lets me up. "Don't be long. I wasn't finished with you."
I don't know how long I'm about to be. I'm calling Talia. I woke up several times in the night worrying about her going into labor. I grab my phone from the nightstand and tiptoe down the hall. It's well into mid-morning, with three toddlers underfoot, Talia is sure to be awake.
She answers on the second ring, sounding very much like she may actually have been sleeping.
"I'm so sorry! Did I wake you up? I thought—"
"No," she laughs. "It's alright. I was just resting. Is everything alright? Did you drink the tea I sent?"
"Yes. Thank you for that. I think we were all a little shell-shocked last night. Are you alright?"
I listen to the sound of rustling fabric on her end as she answers. "I'm good. Just tired. The last stretch of the pregnancy, and all. Nathan and Reid have the babies outside to give me a chance to lay down and rest for a little bit. But you called me for a reason."
I clear my throat. "I did. Please don't take this the wrong way, I would never tell you how to live your life. But you can't have the baby at the hospital."
"I didn't intend to."
Oh. This is going to be an easier conversation than I thought. Every omega has a different idea of how they want their labor and delivery to go. Some want a hospital birth, and some want home births. We are trained to provide support in either location. I'm just glad she isn't determined to be in a hospital since she won't be able to have her baby in her own home back east.
"Do you have an idea of how you'd like it to go?" I ask. "You only have a few more weeks left, right?"
"Yes," she hums. "I'm having the baby here as I didn't think traveling while this pregnant would be ideal so doing it twice to return home is out of the question. Why the phone call, though? Why shouldn't I have the baby at the hospital? I'd go to your hospital. I'm hoping you'll be there, anyway. And while we're on the subject, would you mind coming by so we can call Obi? He'd like to meet you since you're my first choice for birth attendant in this territory."
"It isn't safe," I blurt.
"What isn't safe?" she asks, alarm sharpening her tone.
"The rogues. The hospital is crawling with them. They were watching me. I don't know who, I just know that there are rogues in every department. On every floor."
There's silence for a moment on her side, then she sighs. "And I'll just bet a baby or two have gone missing."
"Mothers, too," I answer. "And siblings. I know your pack will protect you, and mine will too, but I'd also like to ask my brother's pack to be there. You're high profile and on everyone's radar now. Plus, you've had multiples. Then there's Jasper. Amber is pregnant, but she's not due for a couple of months. She could be another support inside and Mateo and the rest of them could stand guard."
"I would need to meet them first, but I think that's a good idea," she says. I listen as she calls for Corso and catches him up on our conversation.
"Yes," he agrees, and I can almost hear him nodding. "I think that would be good. I look forward to meeting Desir'ee's brothers. How is Seth's pack this morning?"
"You're on speaker," Talia says. "I'd like to know, too. Devon gave us the impression that the interrogation was… a lot."
