He loved me, and I loved him.
He was my mate.
My alpha.
We’d decided the night before to bite the bullet and take a trip to tell Derek. Zion hadn’t insisted he go with me. I asked him to come along, knowing I would need the moral support and his nearness to help me. Plus, now that we were officially mated, it seemed appropriate.
We took my car, but I handed the keys to Zion, letting him drive. His brother would watch my shop again while Zion’s friend who filled in for him would take care of things at the charcuterie shop.
As soon as we passed the Thanks forVisiting Oliver Creek and Please Come Again sign, my stomach clenched with nervousness. I hadn’t planned on seeing Derek again for the rest of my life, but Fate had other plans for me. Zion told me that morning that he thought Fate wanted me to have some closure so I could fully move on.
My alpha wasn’t just care and coziness—he was the rock I needed, full of wisdom and patience.
“Have you thought about names for the baby?” he asked, taking my hand in his. Zion had keen instincts and knew my shifts in mood. He paid attention, and I only hoped I could reciprocate his love. I mean, I loved him, but I was scared. Derek hadn’t deserved me, but I had a long way to go before I would feel like I deserved Zion.
“No. Have you?” I asked, knowing the answer.
He blushed. “Maybe.”
“Go on.”
Along the drive, we talked about names for the baby. He had some excellent ideas, both unique and cute. We pulled over at another food truck along the highway, and he bought me lunch, an enormous Philly cheesesteak sandwich and sweet potato fries. Every once in a while, he would move his hand to my belly and rub a circle or two on it as if to make sure the baby was included in his affections.
He would be an amazing father and, even though I pushed away the idea, my hedgehog wanted hoglets that were biologically Zion’s. He wanted a big family and hadn’t hidden the fact but also said that it was my body and my choice as to how many more we would have, if any, after this one was born.
My nerves had actually calmed until the GPS announced we had arrived at our destination. I hadn’t even been paying attention. Good thing my mate insisted on putting it on GPS, his reasoning being that I might fall asleep during the trip.
“Here we are,” he said and looked up at the tall, modern home I once shared with a monster. He took off his seat belt and turned to me. “You can do this.” He waited for my confirmation that I heard him. “Do you want me to come with you?”
I nodded as everything inside my body tensed and knotted. “Yes.”
“Let’s get this damned thing over with.”
He came over and opened the door for me and let me out, and we crossed the street. He held my hand as we walked up the stairs and knocked on the door for me.
I barely held in a gasp when another omega opened the door. He had already moved on and, if I wasn’t mistaken, the otherwise-gaunt omega had a bit of a belly. “Can I help you?” the wolf asked.
“I came to speak to Derek,” I said.
“Derek, company.” My ex came to the door and with a sneer, looked me up and down. “What are you doing here?” He turned his attention to Zion. “And who the fuck is this?”
I gathered all my bravery. “I came to tell you that I’m carrying your baby.” There. Truth was out. I deflated a bit, speaking it out loud.
“Is that right? And what? You think I want anything to do with it? You came here for money or something?” He leaned over and kissed the other man’s head. “As you can see, I’ve moved on and we are expecting our first baby already. He’s six months along.”
Six months. Further along than me. As I suspected, his gym time was less about weight lifting and more about other forms of exercise. Hell, he probably didn’t even have a gym membership.
“I didn’t come for your money,” I answered. “I thought it was right to let you know about your baby.”
He huffed out a laugh and whispered something in the other omega’s ear. The man disappeared into the back of the house. No doubt Derek would give his version of the facts later.
Lies. All the man did was tell lies. Whatever means necessary to keep up his facade of perfection.
“I’ll ask again. Who is this?” Derek tried to stand up straighter, but he had nothing on Zion’s height.
“My name is Zion. I’m Cicek’s fated mate.”
Derek laughed. “Fated. Fucking stupid notion if you ask me. If all you wanted was to come here and announce your big news, then you can leave.”
“Formally renounce your claim as the father of this child so that we never have to have contact with you again,” Zion demanded. A shiver rolled down my spine, hearing this side of him. He was an alpha, after all, and a bear like his would end Derek’s little hedgehog in an instant. One bite would be the last this world saw of the asshole.
Derek’s eyes widened, but then he rolled his shoulders and sighed. “You two are a pair, that’s for sure. Fine. I, Derek Mathers, hedgehog shifter and alpha, renounce any rights, responsibilities, and claims on the child conceived with Cicek, hedgehog shifter and former omega of mine. I want nothing to do with the baby and will never contact any of you three in the future. Happy now?”
“Very,” Zion said and grabbed my hand.
The door slammed behind us as we walked back across the street. “Shit!” I exclaimed. “We should’ve got it in writing.”
“Don’t have to,” Zion answered, opening my door and crouching next to me. He held up his phone. “I recorded the entire thing.” Unlike human rules, shifters did not need to ask permission to record for it to be valid in a shifter hearing, should one ever happen.
I grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss. Today and the rocking horse and everything else he did. He taught me what mating was supposed to be.
An exchange in love.
Loving, caring, supporting, always being there for each other.
Filling the other one up, not tearing them down.
“I have something else to tell you, and I’m worried about what you will think,” he said.
“Let’s get out of here and then tell me.”
Whatever Zion had done had come from his heart. He had healed me in so many ways. He might not ever realize how he’d mended me, but he had. His love had changed me forever.
“I put an offer on a house. There’s not a lot of houses in Oliver Creek that come up for sale, and I had to act quickly. My brother called me to tell me. I had planned on showing it to you after all this was over. If you don’t like it, we can always rent it out or resell it.”
I sighed and looked over at him. He was driving but kept glancing over to gauge my reaction. My alpha’s generosity didn’t come in flashy gifts or expensive things. It came in the form of food and concern and buying things that would build our future.
How in the world could I be anything but grateful.
“I can’t wait to see it.”