Page 12 of His Reluctant Omega

Loving papa, husband, son, brother, and friend

Wilder traced his fingertips over the letters, knowing full well one of those titles was honorary. Jamie had never conceived. The babies attributed to him in stone were those born to Jamie’s alpha and their surrogate, Gray.

He’d never even known those babies.

Wilder braced himself, knowing any other day he wouldn’t be as maudlin. It was the day before the third anniversary of his brother’s passing…andalso the day before the twins were born. Jamie had had mere moments… the briefest of introductions to those two tiny beings he’d desired so desperately… before he’d left the world.

Before Wilder allowed his mawkish thoughts to drive him too deep into despair, he shook his head. There had been so manywhat ifsandwhat could’ve beensover the years, there was no point in rehashing them repeatedly. It did no one any good.

Least of all Jamie.

“I can’t believe it’s been three years since you left us,” he murmured before placing a hand to the smooth surface. The granite was cold against his palm even though the morning was warm. Again he lifted his stare to the blue sky above. Big, fluffy white clouds passed overhead, ignorant to his grief. When he looked back down, he saw his own reflection on the surface of the polished rock and searched his likeness. Each time he looked in the mirror, he examined himself, looking for something of Jamie, something that would remind him of the face that was already fading from his memory.

Appearance-wise, he and Jamie appeared like night and day. Wilder was golden where Jamie had been darker. There’d been little resemblance between them, but shouldn’t there have beensomething—even miniscule—that showed they shared the same blood? A hint of the smile? A sparkle in the eye? Wayward angle to the chin?

Each time, he found nothing.

Of course, he was alpha and Jamie had been an omega—so perhaps that changed things too much. Still, there were no hints of a familial resemblance he’d ever found. Wilder favored their fairer papa, Wynter, whereas Jamie and their brother Vaughn both looked like their darker father, Warden.

“I know it’s been a while since my last visit, and you’ll have to forgive me for that. There’s been a few changes since the last time I was here.” Wilder sat back on his haunches and eyed the gravestone. “Papa convinced Father to retire. Well, that’s not completely true. He’s now Chairman of the Board… but I’ve been named CEO and I’ll be heading up daily operations while he and Papa travel to the southern provinces and beyond. Which is why I’ve been so busy as of late and haven’t stopped by to chat.” Wilder lifted his stare, smiling at the headstone. “Not that a day doesn’t go past when I don’t think of you, big brother.”

He paused again, collecting his thoughts. “Vaughn has taken my old position as Chief Financial Officer and sits by proxy on the board while Father is away.” He took a slow, steady breath before proceeding. “The twins turn three tomorrow, hence my visit a day early again this year. I’ll be at their party in the afternoon to celebrate… which is hard considering it’s also the day you left us.”

Wilder paused, trying to gather himself and avoid the sting of tears coming to the backs of his eyes. He saw his brother’s soft smile in his mind, though the image was growing fainter and fainter by the day. He hated the fact he was losing the pieces of Jamie stored in his memory.

“I’ve kept my promise, just as I said I would.”

According to Jamie, the twins had been his last-ditch effort to save Rohan. Alpha-omega mating bonds ran deep. When one passed, often the other wasn’t far behind. Jamie had been terrified that Rohan would follow him to the grave, so he’d wanted to give his alpha something to live for.

Gray came into their lives, and both Jamie and Rohan fell in love with their surrogate, more so than Jamie had ever expected to. Their surrogate agreed to give them the gift of children, but after Jamie’s death, those babies brought Rohan and Gray closer.

Which of course, was Jamie’s plan all along.

Before his death, Jamie begged Wilder to watch over them. He’d struggled with that request for a multitude of reasons. Namely his denial that his brother would perish, but also the fact that Rohan was Jamie’s mate… not Gray’s. Yet ultimately, he’d made the promise he didn’t imagine he’d have to keep.

Jamie passed minutes after meeting the twins…

Left with his brother’s pleading whisper in his mind, Wilder could not ignore the agreement they’d made.

“The boys are growing like weeds. I haven’t had a chance to see them for a couple of weeks and I’m sure I’ll be surprised by how much they’ve grown in just that short amount of time.” He smiled. “You did a good job choosing your surrogate, by the way. I realize I’ve never said that to you before now, and it’s difficult to admit. For too long, I saw Gray as your replacement.” He paused, the words bitter on his tongue. “But I’ve seen how good he is to those boys… and how good he is for Rohan. I know how much you loved him.”

“AndIloved Jamie, too.”

Wilder glanced over his shoulder toward the softly spoken words behind him. Gray stood near, eyes full of unshed tears. In his arms, Gray held a beautiful bouquet just above his large, pregnant belly. His and Rohan’sfourthchild to come.

Wilder rose to his full height and took a step closer to Gray. He regarded the omega, unsure what to say. How much had the man overheard?

“I’m sorry,” Gray said. “I didn't mean to listen in. I didn’t even realize you were speaking until I got closer… and then I wasn’t able to walk away when I heard what you said.” Gray frowned. “You saw me as a replacement?” He paused, the frown marring his handsome face. “You were the one person who didn’t treat me like one. I always thought…” He paused. A tear slid down Gray’s cheek. “I’ll go.”

Wilder reached out and grasped Gray’s wrist to halt the omega. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”

The omega wouldn’t meet his stare. “Obviously.”

Wilder’s gut clenched. “You can’t think it’s been easy seeing my best friend fall in love with someoneotherthan my brother?” He paused, hating that he was hurting the omega. Gray had done nothing wrong. “Ididthink of you as a replacement. And worried if you’d ever measure up…”

Gray lifted his wide, horrified stare to Wilder’s.

“At first.I thought that at first. Once I saw you with Rohan… and with your children… I then realized you were all that my brother sensed you’d be. You were their saving grace…”

---