Page 84 of Dream Mates (Into The Parallel Omegaverse #2)

“It’s Mom’s fault.” Hale made a face. “I don’t know why she’s so upset. You’re an adult, it’s not like you’d come live with us.”

I’m sure she hoped I had inherited those illegal genetics, and then she’d be rid of me and whatever problems I represented. But I wasn’t about to say that.

“I’m glad Dad finally found you, and…” For a moment Hale looked anxious. “He really wants to get to know you. For all the mistakes he made when he was younger, Dad really tries to be a good guy. Also, Harry’s made him a whole lot better.”

“That’s nice to know. I’d like to see him when he comes to Rockland. Maybe I can show him my work,” I replied.

Hale laughed. “Oh, you should. If Creed gets the job, you should absolutely hire Mercy and Dare as interns. Might be good for them to get away for the summer.”

“That’s a thought.” Maybe Mercy and Riley could go to skate smash camp together. I still felt awful at the idea of their pack fighting so badly the older ones got the little ones out of the house.

“Come build a sandcastle with us,” Riley yelled, waving me over.

“If you’ll excuse me.” I turned.

“Grace?” Hale’s voice went rough. “What happened?”

Right, I wasn’t wearing my cover up, so the scars on my back were on display. The woman your mother gave me to did this. But I couldn’t bring myself to say it. It wasn’t his fault.

“It was a long time ago.” I squeezed Wes’ hand then went over to the girls. “Mercy, Tru, we just ordered lunch, do you want something?”

They told me what they wanted and what to get for Hale, and I went inside the cabana to place the order.

Wes’ arms wrapped around me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I should try to get to know my siblings. I just feel awful that everyone is fighting.” I finished entering the order on the wall-mounted order tablet.

“Not your fault, Grace. That pack sounds like it has issues.” Wes kissed my neck.

“Do packs get divorced?” I frowned, leaning into him. Through the doorway I saw Hale playing flying disc with Jett and Evan. Would the other kids resent me if I was the reason their family broke apart?

“Sometimes. It all depends on how it’s formed and who’s bonded to whom,” Wes said.

“My dad just picked us up and left. Given what you told me, the professor probably has legal grounds to un-bond Adriana. They might kick her out, or he could just take the younger ones and move with whatever mates he wants to stay with.”

“It’s all so much.” Closing my eyes, I sighed. The cabana still smelled like sex and anxiousness shot through me.

Wes nuzzled my neck. “Stop. No seriously, Grace. Whatever you, Jett, and Evan got up to in here is fine, as long as it made you all happy.”

I rested my head against his bare chest as I tried to quell the urge to push him down on the chaise lounge. “My hormones are raging. I was seriously thirsting for Bren this morning.”

His hands tangled in my hair. “You’ve been through a lot, and your hormones want to be comforted with dick.

It’s normal. You just bonded Spence, too.

Also, I think we all thirst for Bren sometimes.

And, you, Princess Peaches,” he pressed his lips to the top of my head, “are a people pleaser who seeks attention as approval.”

Frowning, I looked up at him. “What do you mean I seek approval?”

“That’s not a bad thing, Grace,” he soothed. “But yeah, you sort of do.”

“I like it when people like me. Wait, you thirst for Bren?” Amusement tinged my voice.

He grinned. “Sometimes. There was a point where Bren and I tried to see if me, him, Jett, and Evan could be a thing together. It didn’t work, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy myself with him sometimes.”

“The idea of you two fucking is going to live rent free in my head.” My pussy clenched at the thought. Yeah, if we didn’t have guests…

Wes kissed me long and deep, his hand squeezing my ass. “Maybe after lunch you can get a headache, and I’ll take you back to the villa and take care of you.”

“That’s a thought.” I kissed him back, my arms wrapping around him. Yeah, I’d still like a knot or seven.

Brennan entered the cabana, unfazed by us making out. Brennan and Wes fucking? For the love of baby Jesus, who was the top? Maybe they arm wrestled for it.

“Grace, are you all right?” Brennan asked. “I’ll make them leave if you don’t want them here. Hale is… a lot.”

“It’s fine–and I didn’t invite them. I did let Creed know we were going to the beach, but that was because his friend wanted me to come to some sort of science brunch and I didn’t want to be social,” I told him.

Brennan squeezed my shoulder. “I believe you. And even if you did, I understand wanting to get to know your siblings.”

My phone buzzed on the table next to my abandoned fruity drink and e-reader.

Extracting myself from Wes’ arms, I expected it to be the professor looking for his children.

Instead, it was filled with threatening texts from a number I didn’t recognize.

But given they were all variations of How dare you break up my family? I could figure it was probably Adriana.

“What’s wrong?” Wes took the phone from me and read over them and showed Brennan. “I’m on it.”

“Stay with one of us at all times,” Brennan said. “If we need to, we’ll get a protection order to keep her from you.”

I gulped. “Right, because she’s confronted me before, she’ll do it again.”

“You’re safe with us.” Brennan ruffled my hair.

Wes did something to my phone. “Okay, it’s blocked. I’ll run the number later, but I’m guessing this is one of the professor’s alphas?”

“Adriana probably.” My phone rang. Before I could see who it was, Wes answered it on speaker.

“Hello?” His voice was rough and demanding.

“Oh, hello. This is Nate Thorne. I’m calling for Grace. Spencer, is that you?” the professor said over the phone.

“No, this is Wes. You’re on speaker. Grace is right here,” Wes said, frowning.

“Hi, Professor. Mercy, Tru, and Hale are here at the beach with me and my pack. We’re going to have lunch soon. Do you need me to send them back to you after we eat?” I asked.

“They’re with you?” His voice filled with hope. “I saw that they were at the beach. That makes sense. Tru is curious and she kept asking Creed and Verity about you last night.”

“Well, it will be fun to spend the afternoon with them.” I hope. I peeked through the doorway again. “Mercy and Riley seem to be getting along well.”

“Good. Um, Creed said something yesterday that puzzled me. He said that you were disowned by those who raised you for getting a PhD in math?” he asked.

“Um, yeah. She wanted me to be a kindergarten teacher and when I decided to enter a PhD in math instead of moving home after undergrad, she cut me off. When I found out she’d died, I hadn’t spoken to her in years because of it.” I leaned into Wes. Brennan hadn’t left.

“Oh. That strikes me as strange, because Rosalind was at community college getting her certificate in book keeping. She was good at math. Both sisters were very smart. I had no idea music was related to math until Thora showed me. Though Rosalind primarily used her math skills for card counting and safe breaking. But still…” The professor’s voice drifted off.

“Huh.” I nodded.

Well, that solved the mystery of Rosalind’s major. And the mystery of why she hadn’t wanted me to get a PhD.

“I… I’m sorry to have caused fighting in your family, Professor.”

“It’s not your fault, Grace. I was calling because I wanted to share a bit of information I learned.

Apparently, when you were dropped off with Adriana, Thora wasn’t gone yet.

She was imprisoned and questioned for a crime that ultimately Rosalind and one of their brothers helped commit.

Based on that, I guess she’d called wanting me to keep you because the police were after her.

How it went from that to her being executed for an illegal designation, I…

I don’t know. I never knew that. There are so many gaps.

I’m sorry. If I’d only been home when you were brought to us. ” His voice broke.

“It’s okay, Professor.” My head rested on Wes’ shoulder.

“Professor, it’s Wes. Where’s Adriana? She’s been sending threatening messages to Grace,” Wes added.

“Shit. I’m sorry. Save them in case you need them.

Zain and Pip threw her out. She’s probably sleeping in her office.

I… I don’t know if things can be saved between us–and this is not your fault.

Obviously, I didn’t know her as well as I thought,” he sighed.

“But then things have been fraying between us ever since, never mind, you don’t need to know about my relationship problems. Anyhow, enjoy the beach. ” He ended the call.

Wes took my phone. “I’m saving the texts. What he said was a good idea.”

Riley came in. “Um, sandcastle?”

“Yeah, coming. The professor called. I’m coming now.” I gave Wes a kiss then went back outside to join in the sandcastle making.

They’d already gotten to work. There was a small pile of shells, rocks, and sticks, and several buckets had been filled with water. An assortment of sand toys were all laid out.

“Hi.” Tru grinned. “Creed says you’re a math scientist and you work for an important company. Verity says that you fell in love with your scent match when you were little. That’s so romantic.”

“It sort of is. I dreamed of him, too,” I told her, as I took a shovel.

“Which one is he?” Mercy asked as she started to make a big mound of sand.

“Wes,” I nodded, as Wes and Brennan came out of the cabana, and I started to dig a moat.

Mercy nodded. “Cute, if you like clean-cut guys next door. He plays rugby? He looks like he plays rugby or lacrosse.”

“He played rugby in high school. Bren, too.” I nodded toward Brennan.

Spencer came over to us and quietly started helping, moving his leg so he touched mine, which was comforting.

“I like math science. One day I am going to prove Garamoci’s Theory of Everything,” Tru told me, helping me dig.

Mercy rolled her eyes. “How do you even know what that is? You’re five. For once, I’d like to live in a normal house where we don’t have nights where we only speak another language, and everyone’s not something that ends in –tist.”

“I like the idea of language nights,” Spencer said quietly.

“That could be fun.” I turned to Mercy. “What do you want to do? Skate smash, right?”

“Yeah, I want to play for the Capitol Crushers. Or any team really, but they’re my favorite. When I retire, I’m going to teach history and coach skate smash at a high school,” she told me. “Science and math are fine, but I like history better.”

“History can be interesting.” Wow. So, she had a plan–and a pretty decent one. Creed made it seem like she had none. Maybe they just didn’t listen.

“Capitol Crushers? Respect,” Riley nodded, as she poured some water on the sand pile in the middle of the moat. “I like the Rockland Raiders. Tell me more about this travel league you’re in, because that sounds like a lot of fun.”