Page 4 of A Baby for the Beast (Beastverse #3)

Kyle is still behind us, but his trainer is talking to him. Remus can feel his stare on our back as we urge our omega down the corridor toward the other side, where Phil is probably pacing the locker-lined hall of the second locker room, waiting for Jace to return with me.

Our anger and urge to fight are gone as soon as our omega gets her hands on us.

Sure, it's a single touch of her fingertips to our forearm, but it's enough that Remus never wants her to let us go.

He reaches out for her hand when it drops to her side, bringing her fingers back to our arm and clasping her fingers closed around it.

" Name, omega? " he asks, his voice like gravel.

It earns us a rueful look from the sweet little thing beside us and a snort of laughter from Jace, who bears witness to what happens when an alpha is run by his urge to fight more than his urge to procreate.

We haven't had experience flirting or even interacting with omegas because we didn't want any of them to get the wrong idea.

Now we aren't sure how to make our omega think the right idea.

"Hayley," our omega says, shaking her head as she smiles. "And you, alpha?"

Remus puffs his chest out a little at being called alpha. I have to internally roll my eyes, and don't even blame Jace for making a gagging sound on our other side.

" Remus and you'll meet Lucas some other time, " Remus tells her. I'm surprised he even thought of bringing me up with how focused he is on wanting her all to himself.

She has to like us both. They both do.

As he talks to me, his eyes wander down to the swell of her abdomen, his ugly-sounding purr starting up again as if to tell her how much he likes seeing her pregnant.

It's something we won't be able to do to her, but Remus has a breeding kink apparently.

A newfound breeding kink that's only for the little omega we've finally found.

We're sterilized, and have been since a year after Remus showed up in my mind. I love him to death, and he's a great beast, but there are plenty of beasts who suck. Example number one is the alpha still growling up a storm behind us.

It's not like Remus or I ever thought we'd have a family outside of our brother and his mate and the whole family she brings with her, one that has accepted us as one of them easily.

But now we've found our omega, and she's carrying young, and we can't help but feel as though this is what we've always wanted.

" Tell me about the bus, " Remus says, ignoring me and my pondering about how much Hayley could be good for us because, as far as he's concerned, it's already a done deal that she'll accept us, move in with us, and be our omega from now until the end of time.

"There is no bus, but I was trying to think of something that would get your mind off wanting to kill Kyle because as much as I'd love to see that douche get what's coming to him, I figured it was probably better if you did it on live television so I can record it and watch it any time I get sad about having to wake up in the middle of the night on my own because Tessie needs to be fed. "

Remus jumps from the fact that our omega lied to us about a bus of all things to the fact that she was looking out for us, to her thinking she's going to be raising her child on her own, to her having a daughter, trying to figure out which thing he wants to broach the topic of first. And, of course, because he's a beast, even though he's smart for one, it doesn't keep him from being good with words.

" I'll be there to help feed her, " he says as casually as telling her his favorite color. When she gives him an incredulous look, he attempts to purr louder.

"I appreciate your interest in me, but my track record, as you can see, hasn't been the best with beasts," Hayley says, rubbing her hand over her abdomen in soft circles.

"I'm not saying no to going out or…" she lets her voice trail off and flicks a look over to Jace, who's purposefully pretending to be interested in the fire evacuation map on the wall to give us the illusion of privacy.

"What I mean to say is I can't do anything serious right now.

I have my daughter to think about, and starting a brand new relationship right now isn't a good idea. "

Remus listens to what she says, nods when appropriate, and when she finishes, he asks, " You didn't scent match me? "

"What?" Her eyes go wide, confirming the terrifying truth.

We might think she is our future, our mate, everything we've ever wanted, but she does not feel the same.

She was just looking at us in the ring the same way any woman might admire us.

"No, my nose is all kinds of messed up from the pregnancy. Why? Did you scent me?"

"He did," Jace pipes up, breaking the illusion of him not paying attention. "Before he tries to tell you he didn't to try to save face. He scented you seven months ago, and he scented you earlier. Been down bad, too."

" Jace. "

Remus growls in the boy's direction, and Vilkas comes to take control of their body as they submit. He needs to stop letting Vilkas out any time he's challenged. Some alphas will think it's an invitation to fight. I'll have to tell my brother to talk to him about it.

"How did you scent me seven months ago? I didn't even…" Hayley's eyes go wide, understanding dawning on her. "That fucker used my heat for his fight."

Remus purrs, or tries to, at her disdain for the man we both hate. Good, if nothing else, we can begin our relationship on the foundation of mutual distaste for a terrible human being. That sounds like a sturdy starting point for a long and healthy relationship.

"Okay, okay, this is fine. It's just an alpha scent matching me while I'm pregnant with another man's baby. Fine, perfectly fine." Hayley talks to herself as she releases Remus's arm, much to his displeasure, and starts pacing the hallway.

Kyle has made his way to the ring for his fight or is back in his locker room. Either way, he's not in the hall to watch my omega start to have a minor panic attack.

" It's fine, " Remus says, stepping closer to her to feel her proximity again, to touch her if she doesn't want to touch him right now. We've just learned he's extremely clingy when it comes to his omega. I never would've guessed. " Everything will be fine. "

His purr still sounds like shit, but he's trying to comfort her, and she seems to appreciate it, though she doesn't melt into us like we've seen some of our friends' mates do to them.

"You said your car was in the West lot?" Jace asks, knowing something about our omega that we don't, and it makes Remus bristle a little.

Hayley looks confused for a moment and then nods.

"Right through these doors, but it's dark, so we should walk her out."

Remus grumbles that he should be allowed to walk the pretty omega out to her car on his own, but he understands Jace's need to watch out for her, too.

He and his beast are pack-driven. It won't be long before he's searching for a pack.

It's not a common grouping anymore, but some alphas still feel the urge to pack up, and I've never seen it stronger than in Jace.

He'll be caring for Hayley as much as I do if I don't interfere.

The air is still warm outside, and the wind is a nice contrast. The parking lot is mostly empty since everyone here for the fights is here for the main event between Kyle and some other alpha's beast. Once the fight ends, the parking lot will slowly fill with people trying to leave.

"This is me," Hayley says when she guides us to a black sedan. Remus gives it a once-over as though we know anything about cars or how safe or unsafe this one is. When he finishes, he turns to face Hayley, giving her an appreciative nod. "So…"

Ask her for her number, or if she wants to see you again, or anything.

Got it. Got it.

" Give me your phone, " Remus demands, a bit of bark in his voice making it clear it's a command and not a question.

"Dude, no," Jace says, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, he's never asked a woman for her number before. Ignore his bad manners."

Remus grits his teeth, but the apprehension on Hayley's face at him demanding her phone slowly eases into a soft expression of admiration.

Jace didn't need to tell her we've never done this before.

He could've just said we're bad at it. Our omega doesn't need to know we have no idea what we're doing. The idea might turn her off.

"I can give you his number if you want to contact him," Jace says, and Remus doesn't so much as sniff at him because our omega's scent, which was tainted with the acrid smell of apprehension and slight fear, is back to its sweet, robust citrusy scent.

Hayley gives him a small smile as she pulls out her phone, enters new contact info, and then hands the phone to Jace, eyeing us to make sure Remus isn't about to get upset that Jace is the one doing all of this.

Remus quirks a brow up at her, crossing his arms over his chest as if telling her he can behave just fine.

"Now, if she wants to go out with you, she can call or text or whatever," Jace says, returning her phone.

" What if you don't call? " Remus asks, and even I wince at how desperate that sounds.

Hayley gives him a sweet smile, pressing a hand against his chest as she leans into him enough to have him rumble again. "I said I didn't scent you. It doesn't mean I'm not interested in, well, seeing how things go."

" So you will call me? " Remus asks, not caring how desperate he is for this omega. Hayley laughs, tapping his pec before turning and sliding into the driver's seat of her car.

"I'll call you Remus, at least once." She closes the door with another little wink, closing off her scent from us and leaving us with just the reminder of her as she drives away.

"Dude, that was so fucking rough," Jace says, doubling over as he laughs at Remus and me.

"Language," Remus growls, though there's no heat in it. "Let's get back inside. Phil's probably losing his mind."

"You lost your mind." Jace laughs harder. "I know you've never liked women or anyone really, but that was so bad. I'm going to have to tell everyone at family dinner. They won't believe just how bad it was."

Remus grumbles under his breath because it's what Jace wants him to do.

He's not embarrassed by our lack of skills.

Well, he's embarrassed at how bad our purr is, but he'll be practicing that every night until we get it right.

No, Jace and the family can think whatever they want.

Everyone can think whatever they want, so long as Hayley is ours in the end, nobody else's thoughts about us or her or us together matter at all.