Page 35 of A Baby for the Beast (Beastverse #3)

"I'm good, but if you want to go change, I understand," I tell him reaching behind me and feeling the soft, sheeny fabric of his shorts.

While I do love my alpha in his fighting clothes, which means a lack of clothing, I do know I'm an omega who just had her baby. I don't need anyone else lusting over my mate while I need him in the nest with me and our babe.

So, in case he tries not to go and change because he wants to be here sooner, I add, "Please go change. I get jealous when the nurses come to check on us."

His purr hiccups, a laugh bubbling in his chest. "I'll change."

I stay right beside our daughter as Lucas leaves the room.

I smile, inhaling deeply, and my eyes go wide when the scent of lemons fills my nose.

I inhale again, lifting my armpit to see if my sense of smell has finally returned.

Lemons and citrus fill my nostrils, and I beam, leaning down to sniff at my daughter.

She smells faintly of citrus, and I purr in satisfaction at her smelling like me.

There's a soft little knock on the door, and as it cracks open, the scent of sweet peppermint fills my nostrils, and my mind screams, "Mine."

I purr some more, thinking Lucas has come back because he's forgotten something. My body, thankfully, doesn't respond because I'm still sore from just pushing out this eight-pound baby.

"Alpha, I swear if I've been missing out–" I stop speaking when Henry steps into the room, my mouth going dry, my eyes turning into saucers.

No, fuck no. I step between Tessie and the door, my whole body starting to shake. How is this my luck? How am I scent matching Henry of all alphas?

I don't want him, and he sure as shit doesn't want me. He hasn't responded to my scent once. Oh, this is some fucking cruel irony if I went through all of this just for my scent match to be Henry of all people.

"Hayley, what's wrong?" Henry steps toward me, Sarah at his side, and I bare my teeth at him.

Okay, my emotions are definitely clouding my judgment because all that does is ensure Henry knows something's wrong.

I inhale again, unable to stop myself, and he catches the action.

His brows tugging together before realization dawns on him, and his eyes go just as wide behind his glasses as his cheeks turn scarlet.

"Get out," I tell him, my voice barely above a whisper.

I can reject him. It'll be easy enough since he's perfectly happy with Sarah, and he's Lucas's brother. What isn't going to be easy is explaining to Lucas that his twin brother is my scent match. What terrible, terrible luck.

"Hayley, it's not me," Henry says, holding his hands up, stepping behind Sarah.

I don't know if the action's meant to make me think he's less of a threat, but it only makes me feel worse about this whole thing. I don't think betas scent match, but it's not like I've ever wanted to be with one.

"Oh," Sarah's eyes go wide, and she steps even more in front of Henry like she's making sure I know he's claimed. She shakes her head, mumbling, "The one time I don't bring spray."

"Yeah, you can blame me in the car," Henry chuckles, stepping back toward the open doorway. He lowers one hand to wrap around Sarah's shoulder and slowly drags her back with him.

A single tear falls from my lower lashes at how I'm going to have to explain this to Lucas.

He's been so wonderful about everything else that I don't want to add even more to his plate.

Oh, you want me even though I was pregnant with your rival's baby, and I didn't scent match you?

What about if my body responds to your twin?

Gee, what a wonderful foundation for a long and healthy relationship.

"Get off of me." Sarah shrugs Henry's hand off her shoulder, stepping closer to me, and I tense.

"I don't want him," I tell her, crowding closer to Tessie, trying to keep her away from any threat.

Sarah would never hurt my daughter, but she probably thinks I'm going to try to seduce her alpha and make him mine since he's my scent match.

She probably hates me now. All of her family is going to hate me, and I'll have to go back to only having my coworkers as friends.

I'm not even sure if I still have that job, because I haven't been back since the drama with Kyle started.

I might lose everyone because of my stupid nose.

"Henry?" Sarah asks, her face screwing up like she's confused. "I know you don't, but I do want to see my little niece. Can I?"

I shake my head immediately, the primal part of my brain saying that I shouldn't let her near my baby, not when she might be trying to get rid of the competition.

The rational part of my brain, which, granted, isn't doing so hot right now, is telling me that she's family and hasn't ever made me feel like she's a danger to me or the baby.

I turn my body, eyes flittering back over to her in a panicky way until she steps up beside me, gasping and cooing, melting at my daughter's sleeping form.

"She's beautiful, Hayley," Sarah tells me, reaching over and squeezing my shoulders. "Do you need to sit? You're probably tired."

"I'm fine."

I stand up straighter, not wanting her to think I can't care for my baby on my own.

Again, it's the part of me that thinks she'll use anything in her power to make it to where I can't have her mate, but it doesn't make any sense in today's day and age.

She's not going to get rid of my baby because I scent matched Henry.

I glance back over at the alpha, and he's still by the door, a soft smile on his lips as he watches Sarah fawn over Tessie. His eyes don't leave her, not even when I stare at him for longer than I should.

Someone in the hall catches his attention, and his eyes flicker gold. " Beta, it's time for us to go. "

"You haven't even seen her yet," Sarah pouts, turning to Romulus. "She's perfect."

" We'll see her another time, " Romulus says, his voice leaving no room for argument when he calls her over again. " Let's go. "

Sarah looks like she wants to argue some more, but she just presses her lips together and follows him out.

She tries to keep her voice hushed when she asks, "Could fucking not have waited like five more minutes?

" but I catch it and it has my cheeks heating up even more with embarrassment at my body wanting this man who obviously has no interest in me, even a little bit.

Not that I want him to, but it's so pathetic when it's not even reciprocated.

" Calm, beta, " Romulus growls, leaning down to nip at her as they leave the room.

I let out a shaky breath, trying to compose myself before someone else comes in. I wipe at the tears that, thankfully, haven't fallen after the first tear, but that's all I have time for as another figure steps into the room, terrible purr already going.

Sweet peppermint fills the air in the room still, a reminder that I need to just come out with it and tell Lucas I've scent matched his brother. I can't even meet Lucas's eyes as I open my mouth, nothing but a choked sob coming out.

" What did he do? " Remus asks, arms wrapping around me. " Tell me what Henry did and I will make him pay. "

I shake my head, allowing him to pull me flush against him.

I nuzzle into his shirt, inhaling deeply to figure out what he smells like.

Maybe I scent matched him, too, but the only thing I can smell, the only thing my body is responding to, is the scent of sweet peppermints.

I let out another sob because I can't even smell Remus and Lucas underneath Henry's distinct scent.

" Hayley, what did he do? " Remus sounds like he wants to be snapping and snarling, but his busted purr still stays around me, surrounding me just as tightly and as comforting as his arms.

"I like the way he smells," I choke out, holding onto Lucas as hard as I can because I don't want him to leave as soon as I tell him.

I need him to stay for long enough that I can explain to him that I don't need a scent match. I chose him when I let him bite me. I would pick him over any scent match any time. He is all that I want. He is the only alpha I need in my life.

Remus doesn't respond to me. Instead, his purr falters, Lucas's laugh filling the air instead. I'm so caught off guard by the reaction that my sobbing stops just long enough for me to feel indignant, and it's me who's pushing away from him.

"No, you don't, omega." Lucas laughs harder, his arms banding around tight enough that all I can do is struggle in his hold and slap at his shoulders.

"You're staying right here. Right where you belong.

Smell me again. These are all clothes from our apartment.

They were with Henry for maybe twenty minutes, and unless he was wiping them on his balls, his scent wouldn't stick to them that strongly. "

I pause my fighting long enough to do as Lucas asks, and I still only smell the same scent I did when Henry came into the room. I whine, looking up at Lucas like he's betrayed me, but there's nothing but mirth and amusement in his eyes.

"This isn't funny for me," I tell him, swallowing hard because my mouth is watering to taste the scent cloying at the insides of my lungs. I don't understand why it feels like Henry's scent is lingering in here for so long when he wasn't even trying to mark his territory.

"It's only funny to me because I know identical twins smell the same," Lucas tells me, a hand tangling in my hair as he draws my face to the crook of his neck, right where my bite is.

His scent gland is there, and I inhale, making sure he's not playing some cruel trick on me, and he's not lying.

The peppermint is so strong it burns my nose a little, but my mouth knows what it needs to do.

My tongue flicks out to taste him. The flavor of him explodes in my mouth and causes me to moan in ecstasy.

"You smell the same," I say, a little breathless with this information.

"We do," Lucas chuckles, tightening his grip on the back of my head and pulling me to him so my lips are back on his scent gland. "But you're never going to be close enough to know that ever, ever again."

I try to answer him, but my mouth is busy getting my fill of my mate's taste. I want to go back home right now and fix the nest, sniffing it and placing all the best pieces in the best spots.

I lap at Lucas's throat twice more before a soft cry pulls us away from one another. I scramble over to Tessie almost as quickly as Lucas, but he beats me by a hair, lowering himself close to our daughter, whispering to her and checking to make sure she's okay.

I stare at him, unable to believe just how lucky I am. Not only because I scent matched him, but for everything else too. This is my mate, my alpha, and because he wants to be, the father of my daughter.

"I was serious about not going near Henry," Lucas tells me, tilting his head so he can look up at me but not have to leave being close to Tessie.

"What about family dinners?" I ask, a tease returning to my voice now that I know everything is going to work out.

"We're never going again," Lucas says, daring me to argue with him.

Tessie reaches up with one of her tiny hands, stopping our conversation while we both stare in amazement at her for a moment, until I break the moment.

"I should tell Henry we're not going because you think I won't be able to control myself and might seduce him."

Remus is out in an instant, standing to his full height and cupping my face between his hands as his growl rumbles around us. " Play this game with me in six weeks when I can give you the knot you so desperately need if you're being this bratty. "

I bite my lower lip and pop it. "What if I want to be a brat for six weeks?"

Remus closes his eyes, his forehead resting on mine, his breath brushing over me in warm waves. When he opens his eyes, they're blazing golden, and he's softly shaking his head. " I'm yours to torture, omega, but I'll get back at you. "

"I know you will," I tell him, wrapping my arms around the back of his neck and pulling him in close for a kiss.

We kiss until we're breathless, and then we stare in wonder at the beautiful little girl who gets to be the center of our world. Lucas wraps his arm around me, and we don't move until the rest of the family comes back to see our sweet little girl.

They all coo and fawn over her, because of course they do. She's the first baby in a family filled with people who all love being close to one another. If anything, my daughter is going to be spoiled rotten until Janie has her baby, and then that one will be just as spoiled.

I sit in the hospital bed, trying to ignore the pain between my legs and enjoy having everyone around.

I cry, because of course I do, and when it happens, four alphas start purring, and there would've been a fifth, I'm sure, but Jace went to the vending machine to get a snack.

I sniffle and wipe my nose, appreciating that Lucas asks everyone to leave so we can have some more time with our daughter and rest. Really, I want to cry and be grateful for all of these people who love us without feeling like I'm bringing down the mood.

"I can't wait to spend my life with you," Lucas says, pressing his lips to my temple and covering me up with blankets as I close my eyes.

I tell myself it will be for just a second, but I'm gone in less than a few heartbeats, feeling safe and comforted by my alpha's shitty purr and the knowledge that he won't let anything happen to me or Tessie. He's here, for as long as I want him, and I don't ever want to give him up.