Page 9 of The Alpha: Part Three
He ends the call and drags his hand down his face. “I'm glad he didn't know. I don't want to worry about him more than I already do.”
All I can do is nod. I don't trust Elijah Lopez. He can be the most altruistic motherfucker on the planet for the rest of his life, but I'll always be weary of him. What I do know is that we need to figure out where this attack came from and who ordered it before Desie's next heat...which is soon.
“Hey, Desie.”
“Hey, Ben,” she smiles.
“How longexactlyuntil you go into heat again?”
“About five weeks,” Michael answers. “Why?”
“No reason,” I say. “Just wondering if we can figure all this shit out and fix it before then.”
Seth rubs his face again. I don't know how he does that without flipping up his eyepatch.
“How much longer does Talia have before the baby comes?” Michael asks.
“Four weeks,” Desie answers. “Stop rubbing your face, Seth. It's going to be alright. My brothers will help keep watch. And Minos will support us if we need it.”
Seth looks at me, and I look at Ben.
Fuck.
Chapter six
Seth
Minos wants to meet with me. With us. All of us.
The plan is to meet at Talia's place this week. She's due any second and whatever needs to happen apparently needs to be discussed before she goes into labor. I think it's in poor taste to impose upon an omega this far along in her pregnancy, but Talia says it's alright as long as Minos and his pack, if they come with him, stay in the front room. My pack will arrive before Minos and will provide an additional physical buffer between him and Talia and her children. It isn't that any of us think Minos is a bad guy. It's that she's about to have a baby and he has no business being in her home, temporary as it may be. It's in poor taste.
It's getting easier to say things likemy pack. It's been so long since I've said those words, and even when I said them before they weren't right. Jay and Derek were technically my pack, but it never felt right. Desir'ee and the twins feel right. They feel perfect. I never thought I'd have this after everything I've done. I don't deserve them, but I'll do whatever I need to do to keep them.
And she wants to have kids with me. She really does. Ten or twelve, depending on the conversation. Michael and Ben want us to all have kids. They want little red-haired kids with freckles as much as they want their own biological children. I didn't think I'd ever,everhave kids. I'm terrified. Completely and utterly terrified.
We stop for more roadside flowers on the way. Michael isn't a jackass and I don't fall down the hill this time. We end up with more greenery than actual blooms but Desir'ee says it's perfect. Talia puts them in a jar as soon as Ben hands them to her, inviting him to take advantage of the cookies on the counter.
I didn't see Talia at the end of her pregnancy with the triplets. Looking at her now, I'm kind of glad. I'm already anxious about her with one, I'd be a nervous fucking wreck if I was around for the triplets. And they're not even my kids. If I’m this worried over a baby that isn’t mine, I don’t think I’ll make it through one of Desir’ee’s pregnancies, much less twelve of them.
“What are you thinking about?” Desir'ee wraps her arms around my waist from behind and presses against me.
“Is Talia alright?”
“She's exactly how she should be right now. Why?”
“I was just asking.”
“You were just worrying.” She spins me around to look at her. “Talia is just fine, Seth. She's perfect. This meeting isn't ideal for her pregnancy, but she's got a plan in case she starts feeling like she needs to step away. She's not really worried about Minos, and she knows we're here as an additional support and line of protection. We'll do everything we can to get this meeting over with so we can all get out of her space. Everything's going to be alright.” She reaches up to cup my cheek and I lean into the touch.
“Thank you.”
“And you can tell me what else you're worrying about when we get home.”
Home. I haven't had a real home that was mine since I was a kid. The compound I moved to with Jay and Derek was exactly that. A compound. Cold. Functional. Not a home. The house with Desir'ee and the twins is a home, though; and now it's mine.
“They're here,” Reid announces and takes up his position beside the chair Talia is perched on the edge of. The stairs that lead to the upper rooms are right behind her chair. If anything happens or she needs to leave, Reid is going to get her upstairs and Alex and Trent will block the way. Everyone else is scattered around the room in such a way that will keep Minos and his pack near the front door. He'll understand that it's a precaution and not a slight.
Minos only has his omega with him and it immediately eases some of the tension in the room.
