Page 63

Noah choked out an apology, but Zack simply held out his arms and Noah scrambled onto the bed and practically threw himself at him. “It’s okay,” Zack soothed. “You had no choice. If it had been Riley or one of my mates I’d have done exactly the same thing.” Noah sniffed. “I get you need us to leave. I’m gonna get a job—”

The low growl from Alex was audible and Mo did his best not to smile. Noah turned to stare at him in shock. Alex tried to cough to cover it up.

Zack smiled. “Okay, this is what’s going to happen. You are officially part of our family, and we have a very big family.”

“And growing,” Alex remarked, raising a cheeky eyebrow at Zack.

Zack shook his head, but didn’t hide his smile. “You and Jacob are staying right here for as long as you need to, and you won’t have time for a job between school and chores—which you’ll get an allowance for—because we will expect you to take it in turn to look after the younger kids. That’s how it works around here. We’re a big family.”

Noah nodded eagerly then let Zack go as Mo said he needed rest, but at the door he turned back and grinned. “I can’t wait.”

Zack lay back and groaned. Mo was on the bed in an instant. “Baby, what is it? Are you okay? Should I fetch Riley?” Victor snorted because he saw right through him.

“No,” Zack gasped, “There’s only one thing that will cure me.”

Mo caught on right away. “A sponge bath?”

“Mmm,” Zack murmured approvingly. “How about we start with a cuddle and go from there?”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Zackdidn’tknowhowhe felt. He supposed he was shocked, but he was having trouble believing everything that had happened, or maybe he was just having trouble believing he was an omega. Not that he didn’t love kids. He adored Mattie and couldn’t wait until he and the others got home. He just…he didn’t know. In his head, he still felt like he should be an alpha, and even though he was ecstatic about the baby, somehow he still felt less. Like he’d let both Victor and Mo down. Victor had left him at the house to protect Mo and he’d failed. What if they both got sick of him? What if they just felt guilty he’d gotten hurt?

He was staring out the window when Victor walked in with a tray. "I brought lunch," he announced, setting it down on the bedside table. "You’re still not eating enough."

Zack nodded, forcing a smile he didn't quite feel. "Thanks."

Victor's eyes narrowed, studying Zack's face with the intensity that always made Zack feel like his mate could see straight through him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Zack said automatically, then sighed when Victor gave him a look that clearly said he wasn't buying it. "I just... I'm processing."

Victor sat on the edge of the bed, taking Zack's hand in his. "Talk to me."

Zack stared at their joined hands, struggling to put his jumbled thoughts into words. "I always thought I knew who I was," he finally said. "A bear shifter. Strong. Protective. And now I find out I'm..." he trailed off.

"A strong omega?" Victor finished gently.

Zack looked at him, nonplussed, swallowing hard. "It feels like everything I believed about myself was wrong."

"Zack," Victor said, his voice unusually soft, "being an omega doesn't change who you are. You're still the same person—still strong, still protective. Look at how hard you fought to keep our baby safe."

"But I failed," Zack whispered, the words he'd been holding back finally breaking free. "You left me to protect Mo, and I couldn't even protect myself. What kind of mate does that make me?"

Victor's eyes flashed, not with anger but with fierce protectiveness. "It makes you a mate who was drugged and outnumbered by people who specifically targeted you because of how special you are." His grip on Zack's hand tightened. "No one could have fought them off alone."

Zack looked away, unable to meet Victor's intense gaze. "What if...what if this changes things between us? What if being an omega makes me..."

"Makes you what?" Victor prompted when Zack trailed off.

"Less," Zack admitted in a whisper. "Less than what you and Mo need."

Victor made a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh. He shifted position, moving to cup Zack's face between his palms, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"Listen to me," Victor said, his voice low and fierce. "There is nothing—nothing—about you that could ever make you less in my eyes or Mo's. You being an omega doesn't diminish your strength or your worth. If anything, it makes you even more remarkable."

Tears pricked at the corners of Zack's eyes. "But I'm supposed to be the protector, not the one who needs protecting."

"We protect each other," Victor said firmly. "That's what being mates means. Sometimes you'll be the one doing the protecting, sometimes it will be me or Mo.” He fell silent but kept his eyes on Zack. “When Mama and Cecily died, don’t you think I felt the same thing? Helpless? If I hadn’t gotten caught by the gamma doing unsanctioned hunting, I would have been at home to protect them. They would still be alive.”