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Epilogue One

Ronan

SIX MONTHS LATER

R onan walked into the bedroom carrying one-month-old Zander in his arms. He and Teal had been at the hospital for the past week and it seemed as though their son had doubled in size since then.

“Where is Sorcha?” Teal asked from the bed.

“He fell asleep on the couch.”

“Ah, well, don’t wake him. I’ve just missed him so much. As well as the world’s teensiest, sweetest little omega. Give him here.” Teal held out his arms greedily and Ronan placed Zander in them.

Teal kissed the baby’s head.

Niall and Jax sat on either side of Teal. They’d removed their shirts and were doing skin-to-skin contact with the family’s week-old beta twins.

When Teal found out twenty weeks into his pregnancy that he was carrying twins—one of them had been “shy” at first and doctors hadn’t initially detected a heartbeat—he’d been stunned.

He jokingly told Ronan that Kino had willed it into existence when he’d wistfully hoped for their family to be even more different than it already was.

While it wasn’t uncommon for omegas to birth five or more babies during their lifetimes, two sets of twins for one omega was unheard of.

A week ago, when Teal gave birth, word of the feat got out, re-igniting interest in their family.

Ronan laughed that they’d only enjoyed six blissful months out of the public eye before being thrust back into the spotlight.

Ah, well. He imagined it would die down soon, as it had before.

Honestly, after such a fraught pregnancy for Teal, not to mention an excruciating two-day birthing process, Ronan couldn’t help thinking that Jay and Nino deserved to be the most famous betas in the world.

His twins were gorgeous, as was Zander. He could hardly believe he’d welcomed three new sons in the span of a month.

Now that they were finally home from the hospital, everyone could meet the twins properly.

When Ronan and Teal had requested that the twins’ other fathers be permitted in the birthing suite, the high-risk specialist declared that five fathers was “not a thing” and that the hospital already had enough problems dealing with the “three-ring circus” of having their family as patients.

His attitude reminded Ronan how lucky they’d gotten with Dr. Kinzinger after Teal’s poisoning.

After the long birthing process, with the twins in intensive care, the specialist had been clear that no other visitors were permitted.

Ronan and Teal decided it wasn’t a battle worth fighting. The alpha stayed with Teal in the hospital while Niall and Jax remained at home with Sorcha, helping to care for Zander and the older boys.

“I’ve missed this little guy so much,” Teal said, pressing his finger into Zander’s palm, which the newborn grabbed. “It’s been hard being separated this past week. From all of you.” He kissed Niall and then Jax as they held the twins close.

“It has been hard,” Niall said, gazing down at Nino’s sleeping form. “The way the hospital denied Teal’s request to have us there reminded me we still have a ways to go with omega rights.”

“I had the same thought when we took Zayne to kindergarten,” Jax said, holding Jay close. “He shouldn’t have had to wait. Omegas should be able to go to preschool.”

“Are you trying to make me feel guilty?” Teal asked, only half-joking.

“Of course not, love,” Jax was quick to reassure him. “I’m happy you’re taking time off to be a daddy. No one in this house wants you to go back to all that stress you had with Schulman and Carson. It’s just hard not to want things for our children.”

“I understand,” Teal said, somewhat melancholy, before he suddenly flinched.

“What’s wrong?” Ronan asked.

“Nothing.” A huge grin broke out on Teal’s face. He adjusted his elbow so Ronan could see Zander better. “It’s just…ah…the baby…he’s feeding.”

Ronan peered down at the itty-bitty omega who had slipped out of Sorcha after less than two hours of labor, and who, despite his delicate size, had announced his presence to the world with a robust howl.

A shock of white-blond hair covered his head, already an inch long, and his fists kneaded Teal’s smooth pecs mightily as he latched onto a nipple with ease.

Sorcha and Teal had agreed that they would both chest-feed all three boys once Teal’s milk came in.

Before he’d gone into labor, Teal spent a lot of time with Sorcha as he fed Zander, making sure the newborn omega could smell him and hopefully associate him with feeding too.

Their family was in new territory, making the rules as they went along.

Still, Teal hadn’t expected it to be so easy.

He looked down at Zander as Zander sucked voraciously from his right nipple, grateful he was a heavy producer so there would be no shortage of milk for the twins, and smiled at the tiny babe who looked so much like his darling Sorcha.

“That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” Sorcha declared from the doorway. “I can’t believe no one woke me up when you got back.”

Sorcha walked to the bed and inserted himself in between Teal and Jax. Glancing at Jax, he said, “Please introduce me to my new beta sons before I hurt you.”

Jax and Niall chuckled, reluctantly relinquishing Nino and Jay, placing them in Sorcha’s arms.

Sorcha held the beta twins to his bare chest, cooing at them and giving them butterfly kisses on their cheeks as they slept. “Hello, my sweet ones,” he whispered, tears gathering in his eyes. “I’m your Daddy Sorcha. I’m going to love you so much until the day I die.”

Jax and Niall stood to give the omegas and the babies more space on the bed. Ronan put his arms around the beta men as the three of them admired the sight of Teal and Sorcha with their newest additions.

“When they wake, I’ll try chest-feeding the twins,” Sorcha said to Teal.

“Good idea. Jay’s been cluster-feeding like crazy, so I doubt it will be an issue.” Teal turned to the others. “I think you can ask Dayson and Mikel to bring the boys back. I want to introduce them to their new brothers.”

“On it,” Niall said, pulling out his phone.

Ronan tightened his arm around Jax, and they shared a hot look. Jax bit his lip as Ronan slid his hand down to grope Jax’s firm backside.

Jax had finally given Ronan his ass two months ago. The big beta had approached the moment quietly, cautiously, reaching out to Ronan in the dark of night with a hushed, “I want you, alpha.”

The other men had simply watched as Ronan labored worshipfully above Jax, giving their partners the space to establish this new bond.

It had been one of the most sexually satisfying experiences of Ronan’s life, feeling Jax’s solid frame beneath him, running his fingers over Jax’s ink, understanding the trust this signified between them.

Jax had cried out Ronan’s name when he came, making Ronan’s inner alpha sing.

Ronan was often struck by how deeply he’d fallen for the broody beta, how much he’d needed someone like Jax in his life.

His chest constricted every time he thought of the reverent way Jax had cradled Zander for the first time after his birth.

Jax had never been around a newborn before, let alone held one.

Now Jax was an old hand, always the first to offer to get up in the night when Zander fussed. He also spent a lot of time with the older boys, making sure they didn’t feel left out. Ronan knew he’d be an excellent father to the new twins as well, teaching them to be well-rounded betas.

“I don’t mean to sound like an alphahole,” Ronan mused, “but watching my gorgeous omegas cuddling my newborns while I hold my sexy betas in my arms is sort of doing it for me.”

Jax chortled. “I can’t believe I ever thought monogamy was the only way to go.”

“You’re pretty far from that guy,” Niall laughed, slapping Jax on the butt next to Ronan’s hand.

“Thank stars for that,” Sorcha said boldly. “Cheers to being pretty darn far from monogamy.”

“Cheers to our pack,” Niall agreed, laughing at the frown he knew Teal would make because the omega still hated that word.

“Cheers to us,” Ronan said. “And to whatever comes next.”