Page 66 of The Alpha: Part Three
Desie looks at me, and Michael puts his hand on her knee. “I did. They helped make The Omega House. They made sure every room was safe.”
The girl on the other end of the call pulls in a sharp breath. “It feels safe. Will you tell them that?”
“I will.”
They end the call and Desie cries again. It feels different this time. She's still sad, but she isn't hopeless. None of us are. Not anymore.
Chapter twenty-seven
Seth
Twenty-five names. That's how many names are on the list Minos sent me. I'm sending it with Desir'ee when she goes with Obi to The Omega House this afternoon. If they're among the omegas from the Northern territory she'll find them. And then we'll get them home as soon as they're ready.
Michael and Ben are going with her. They go over there regularly. The omegas don't really talk to them or approach them, but Elizabet said that their presence is incredibly helpful. She says that the omegas are more at ease after they're there, even if all they do is walk through the halls and leave.
I haven't been there at all. I can't do it. I wanted to help them so much, but I can't keep it together long enough to actually make it in the building. I can sit with Calian in the truck in the parking lot while Desir'ee and the twins go in, but that's as far as I can get. My presence wouldn't do a single thing to help these omegas heal from the trauma they've endured. And being surrounded by that many traumatized omegas would very likely throw me into a cycle of horror that I'd have a hard time pulling myself out of. They shouldn't have to deal with that. It's bad enough that it still happens sometimes and my pack has to deal with it.
I'm getting better, though. I'm so much better than I was. Time and being with people who genuinely care about me is what's helping. Especially once I let go and allowed myself to be cared for.
“That's a long list,” Desir'ee says, coming into the kitchen. She leans over me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and kissing my neck. “Are those the omegas Minos wants us to try to find?”
I nod. “I don't know how many might be at The Omega House. I hope all of them, but I know that's unlikely.”
She switches sides to put a kiss on the other side of my neck, and then my ear. “We'll find them.” She kisses my cheek. “We'll find all of them.”
“I'm sorry I can't go with you.”
She hugs me from behind, rubbing her palms across my chest. “It's okay. I'm glad that you can keep Calian with you. I could take him in with me, but it's so much easier if he's with you. He loves being with his daddy.”
The intense wonder that fills me every single time I think about him and the fact that he's mine pours into me and I take on the same moony smile I always get. I was never going to have kids and now I have the most beautiful son in the entire world. He's so perfect and strong. He still looks just like Ben and Michael, too. Except for the eyes. He has Desir'ee's eyes and I love looking at them.
“I like it when you feel like this,” Desir'ee whispers against my neck. “What are you thinking about?”
“Calian. You. The twins. Us. I'm so happy, Desir'ee. I'm so unbelievably happy. I don't know how to be this happy without smiling like a fool.”
“You're not a fool, Seth. You deserve every bit of happiness.”
I don't know how right she is about that, but I won't give it up. I won't allow anything or anyone to take this from me.
Michael and Ben drag Desir'ee out after two or three thousand goodbye kisses and leave Calian and I to man the house. It's hot. I didn't want to risk him being uncomfortable while we waited in the truck for them to get out. It's so quiet in the house with everyone else gone. I can't even count on Calian to fill up the silence because he's not quite old enough to start making baby sounds and he's not much of a crier.
“What are we going to do with ourselves, little man?”
He looks up at me with those big brown eyes and I melt again. I don't know if this is normal. Do all parents feel so enraptured with their children? They have to. How could they not?
“Let's go out on the porch. We can swing and listen to birds and I'll tell you a story.”
Calian has no complaints and we have a good run of birds and fairy tales before Brandon comes walking into the yard with Iris on his shoulders. She leans and reaches so much that he has to put her down before she falls and she comes running up the few steps onto the porch and climbs up onto the swing with me. She trails a dainty little finger across his cheek and looks up at me with Jasper's face. “I can kiss?”
“You can kiss him right here,” I point to Calian's head, just above his temple. “Thank you for asking.”
She beams up at me and puts the most gentle kiss on Calian's hair.
“Good job, Iris. How in the world did you get to come over without your brother and sister?” I ask her, but the question is for Brandon.
“We came over.” She puts her finger in Calian's hand, grinning when he tightens his fist around it.
Brandon shrugs. “We just needed to come check on him. Dutch is asleep and Zetty is helping Devon in the garage.”
