Page 62

Chapter Forty

Niall

N iall woke up the next morning before the boys. His first thought was of Teal. He slipped out of the office and headed upstairs to check on him, grateful to Jax for insisting he get some sleep.

In the upstairs hallway, Niall saw Ronan and Sorcha standing in the doorway to the guest room, wrapped in each other’s arms. They smiled, angling their heads to signal for him to look in the bedroom.

The sight that greeted Niall made his heart stutter, his senses flooded with what seemed like every emotion. Satisfaction, relief, happiness, peace. And heat. So much heat.

Jax and Teal lay twined together on the bed.

They had kicked the sheets down until only their feet remained covered, exposing a tantalizing amount of skin.

Jax played big spoon, his top leg slotted between the omega’s thighs.

His tanned, colorfully-inked frame was a protective shield for Teal’s pale body.

One of Jax’s arms circled under Teal’s neck, providing a pillow.

His other hand twined tightly with Teal’s on the mattress.

Niall had never seen his boyfriend look so…

pliant. He knew Jax had been worried about Teal, but the expression on Jax’s face as he comforted the big omega in his sleep was pure bliss.

The two men breathed with the same cadence, Teal releasing sleepy little sighs that caused Jax to grunt lightly and pull him closer.

Ronan placed a hand on Niall’s back. “Beautiful sight, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Niall whispered.

“Almost a shame to wake them,” Sorcha concurred.

“Let’s not,” Ronan said. “We can get the boys going.”

“Absolutely,” Niall agreed. “Teal looks well taken care of.” With a soft snick , he closed the door.

***

After breakfast, Jax and Ronan went outside with the boys to get some exercise while Niall cleaned up the dishes. His body went rigid when he heard a knock at the door, instantly on alert.

The pro-alpha forces had been subdued since Teal’s attack, attempted homicide clearly a bridge too far for most people.

The family had declined Teal’s bosses’ offer of guards because of their desire to maintain privacy for their situation.

They were comfortable with that decision, especially considering the duplex’s high-tech security system.

Still, Niall tip-toed to the front door with caution before looking out the peephole.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Dayson Bannon on the other side.

“Hello, Niall,” Dayson said as the door swung open. “I hope I’m not intruding. I just wanted to stop by and check in on Teal and also deliver a letter.”

“Letter?” Niall asked, taking the envelope Dayson held out to him.

“It’s from Brinn, an omega who works at Fontaine’s and considers Teal to be a friend. He’s horrified at what happened, blames himself, and wanted to write Teal a letter of apology.”

“He gave it to you?”

“I think he was afraid to give it to Ronan, and of course he doesn’t know anyone else connected to Teal. He handed it to me a few days ago in the hospital waiting room, but I figured I’d wait until Teal woke up to pass it on. I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s fine. I’ve heard Teal talk about Brinn. He wouldn’t want the guy blaming himself.”

“I imagine you’re right,” Dayson said. He glanced toward the stairs. “Is it too soon for visitors?”

“No. I’m sure Teal would love to see you. He’s just asleep right now. You’re welcome to wait until he wakes up.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Niall turned his head from side to side, confirming they were still alone. “In fact, if you have a minute, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Dayson cheek ticked at Niall’s hint of drama. “Okay.”

Niall stuck out his bottom lip and blew a breath upward, tousling the hair on his forehead. “Well, you’re a scientist, right? You study human biology?”

“Among other things, but yes.”

“And you know about…” Niall darted his eyes around again, lowering his voice. “Ronan and Teal…and Sorcha.”

Dayson’s answering grunt sounded suspiciously like someone trying to cover up a laugh.

But he spoke in a clear tone. “Let me put you out of your misery, Niall. Yes, I know about the three of them. I know Sorcha and Teal can scent one another in a way unusual between omegas, even omega/omega couples. And just so there are no misunderstandings between us—” He gave Niall a pointed look and Niall understood that Dayson had surmised how close he and Jax were to the other three men.

“I appreciate you making this easy. I think it’s difficult to talk about because I’m still adjusting to things myself. It’s all happened so fast.”

“Of course. But was there a question in there, Niall?”

Niall leaned heavily against the closed door, thumbs hanging from his belt loops.

“I guess I’m just wondering if the evolution of my feelings is more than just being open to multiple partners.

Until Jax, I never considered a serious relationship of any kind.

I was in one with Ronan and Teal, even if all three of us were too dumb to realize it.

” Niall fixed his stare on Dayson, confirming that none of this was new information for the omega before continuing.

“I assumed I was polyamorous. But the way I feel about not just Jax, but Ronan, Teal, and Sorcha, it’s something different.

When it was just me and Ronan and Teal, it felt good.

Natural. It was all lust and attraction and faith in each other.

When I met Jax, it was pure love. I’d never wanted to give myself to anyone so fully.

Sorcha was the little omega next door. He’d always piqued my interest, and I’d always thought he was attractive. But everything is different now.”

Dayson leaned in closer, attentive. “What’s changed?”

“It’s like, ever since the five of us started spending more time together, especially since Sorcha’s heat, it’s something more than attraction.

It’s like a physical need, a craving, to be near them.

The way I want to kill anyone who threatens them, or the kids.

It feels like more than… I can’t explain it, it just feels like more . ”

Dayson exhaled a long breath. “You’re asking me because, what? You want to know if there could be some biological reason for what you’re feeling? Or you just want me to tell you it’s okay?”

“Um…both? Either?”

“Okay. Because I have some thoughts, if you want to hear.”

“Yes, please.”

“I can’t say for sure, of course, but I think what you might be feeling is pack.”

“I’m sorry, what? ‘Pack?’”

“This is the modern world, Niall. Humankind has come a long way. The words we use in relationships—monogamy, polyamory, same-gender pairings, etc.—are all great ways to define what happens nowadays. Those simple words probably described what went on with you and Ronan and Teal. But then you met Jax, and all of you made a deeper connection to Sorcha, and Sorcha had his heat, and the McGinn children were threatened, and Teal began his very stressful tribunal.” Dayson paused.

“Based on what you’re describing, and what Teal told me earlier about how he can smell Sorcha, my guess would be that the five of you are pack.

It might not have happened without the right set of circumstances, but as I just listed, you all have been through an extraordinary few months.

Whether it was destiny, or whether those events solidified you five as pack, I couldn’t say, but my guess is that’s what’s happening. ”

“Pack? Like we’re animals?”

“Not exactly. Like I said, we live in the modern world. But there was a time when it was quite natural for people to live in larger families, with multiple men heading households of different genders. Scientists disagree on how this changed, how we decided what was acceptable versus what was wrong, but along the way, societal tolerance for having multiple partners diminished. And over time, the biological imperative for pack lost strength. But I am a scientist who believes it is still inside us.”

Niall frowned. “The word ‘pack’ doesn’t sit entirely right with me. It still sounds like we’re animals, like we’re somehow more primal or barbaric than people who want only one partner.”

“That’s your internalized prejudice at work. Like I said, society has conditioned us to believe in certain norms. If you don’t like the word ‘pack,’ then don’t use it. The correct word is probably ‘family,’ anyway.”

“Yes. That’s what it feels like. It feels like the five of us and the boys are family.”

“Good. Then as a scientist, but more as your friend, my advice is to be brave. Take nothing for granted. If Teal taught us anything this week, it’s that health and happiness are not guaranteed. If you love your men, then love them.”

Niall nodded. “Thanks, Dayson.”

“No problem.” The omega man smiled. “And if you need any more evidence that the world is sometimes a fucked-up, topsy-turvy place, you can find it in the fact that I’m halfway in love with Teal’s co-worker Mikel.”

“Mikel the alphahole?”

“ Reformed alphahole. Don’t forget, even when change is fast, sometimes leaning into it just as quickly leads to the greatest rewards.”

Niall recalled how he felt seeing Jax and Teal wrapped up together in bed. He could have watched forever. Or crawled in.