Page 22 of Match (Damselverse #1)

Chapter twenty-two

Aiden

T he sound of muffled voices inside my office gives me pause as I stop outside the door.

It sounds like Dane and Halle, and I roll my eyes.

I’m aware of what happened between those two. How could I not be?

Dane and Penn are my bonded brothers, so of course I know that they’ve both taken a bite out of Halle now.

She is now an official member of our pack twice over, making her my unofficial Omega by default.

If I were to give her my bond, then our pack would be complete. Halle would become the central focus of our pack as me, Dane, and Penn would see to all her needs.

But I still keep her at arm’s length. One of us has to be the sensible one here, and it just so happens that the unfortunate role has fallen onto me.

Great.

Being the sensible one sucks at times, but the matter still remains—Halle has other Alphas. Not bonded Alphas, but she is another pack’s Omega.

That only spells trouble for us, and I have enough on my plate to deal with as it is.

So many cats that need a home. I sigh, running my hand through my unbound hair as I step into my office.

Dane, Halle, and Penn are all waiting for me inside. Sabrina is ecstatic with all the attention she’s getting, nestling her head on Dane’s lap as he gives her ear rubs, but something in Halle’s lap grabs my attention.

“What is it?” I ask, shutting the door.

I hate to admit it, but they’re all glowing—Halle especially. Her freckles somehow seem brighter as she glances at me warily, biting that plump lower lip.

She truly is tempting, and how I manage to have any restraint around her is astounding.

“We found something on our walk around the duck pond this morning,” Dane answers.

So, they all go for walks around the duck pond now. Nice to know.

I move around the desk, trying to avoid getting too close to Halle as I take my seat. “Well, spill it.”

I have a busy day ahead of me, after all. Two cat neuterings and one dog spaying.

Dane peers at Halle. “Show him, Halle.”

The Omega sighs, placing the box onto my desk.

I peer inside at four shiny duck eggs and groan, rubbing between my eyes. “Where is the mother?”

Halle bows her head, and Dane reaches across to pat her shoulder. It’s Penn who answers in his awfully clinical fashion. “A fox got it. The eggs were left unattended, so we acted accordingly.”

And, of course, I am the vet. I would know what to do.

“Well, they need heat,” I reply. “Find a lamp so we can incubate them.”

And then we will have our very own clutch of fluffy yellow ducklings if we’re lucky. Well, yellow and brown, as they look like mallard duck eggs.

Halle’s periwinkle eyes brighten, and my Alpha warms at the sweet sight. So precious. I’m glad they rescued the eggs on time.

The fowl that visits our duck pond is wild, but I still feel a duty of care for all the animals on my property, and that goes for unhatched duck eggs, too.

“Well, let’s get to it,” Dane announces, taking the box of delicate eggs out of Halle’s hand.

I can see they used leaves to cushion them, and I appreciate their foresight.

Dane leads the way out of the office. “Let’s go, gang!”

Gang . One I am not a part of.

The three of them exit the office, leaving me alone with Sabrina. The dog must sense my sadness, as she places her paw on my lap and whines.

I reach across, petting her head. Maybe I am being too stubborn. So what if she already has Alphas. If they’re anything like the pathetic Beta who came to Penn’s bookstore, then they’re no match for me.

No match at all.

Well, I’d best get ready. My first patient should be arriving soon.

***

A week goes by, and the first egg is about to hatch.

Penn reads us all a riveting book about ducks while we await the pivotal moment in my office, telling me what I already know. “Apparently, ducklings will imprint on the first object they see upon hatching. They will follow it as if it’s its very own mother.”

That’s when Dane shoves Halle over the incubation box, wearing a wide grin on his face. “Well, here’s your moment to shine. You were the one who found them after all, Petal. So, you can be the mother duck.”

A nervous expression takes over the Omega’s face. “I don’t know… I don’t think I am ready to be a mother duck just yet.”

Dane laughs. “Nonsense, you will be perfect. Just work on your quacks, and you should be good to go. They will love you, I’m sure. Look!”

The Alpha points at the incubation box.

A tiny black bill pokes through the crack in the egg, and soon the sound of chirping fills the office.

And we have our very first duckling.

It takes a few hours, but we all wait with bated breath as the others soon follow. I check each one upon hatching, declaring them all healthy ducklings, and I would be lying to myself if I didn’t think they were the cutest things I’d ever seen.

All brown and yellow fluff and so freaking small.

Halle is over the moon with them as she smiles up at Dane. “I’m a mother duck!”

Dane chuckles. “You sure are!”

The Alpha places several in her arms, and I just hope she knows what she’s doing. These are real babies that need a lot of care and attention.

But I will help her every step of the way. As a vet, it’s my duty to ensure the ducklings get all the care they need.

So, I guess that makes me the daddy duck, then.

***

Just as I’m locking up my office that evening, I find Halle reading the ducklings a bedtime story.

I smile. It’s the Ugly Duckling , and pretty fitting.

She stops when she senses me, flipping the book shut. “Aiden.”

I step closer to check on the ducklings. They’re huddled close, getting ready to tuck in for the night as we keep them warm.

They have food and water, so they should be good for the night.

I will ensure they make it to adulthood. Within a few weeks, they’ll be swimming in the duck pond.

“Why don’t you go to bed?” I suggest. “I will take it from here.”

The Omega nips her lower lip, and I wish she would refrain. It makes her far too tempting, and I have to hold my Alpha back.

Besides, not in front of the ducklings. I don’t want to scar them.

“All right,” she steps away from the box, handing me the book, but a few ducklings cheep for her.

Damn. They really did imprint on her. They truly do believe her to be their mother now.

So, it looks like she’s camping down in my office for a while. At least until the ducklings are grown.

So, I find her my futon, grabbing her some comfortable pillows. As I go to leave, fetching Penn and Dane, she stops me.

“Aiden, wait…” she says.

I stop at the door, meeting her eyes. They shine brightly with a million apologies, and I swallow. “Yes?”

She sighs. “I’m sorry I lied about my pack. I…just didn’t want you to know in case…”

Her voice trails off, but I finish her sentence. “In case we kicked you out? Halle, we never would have done that.”

The Omega nods, and a tear slips from her eye. Maybe I should call Dane or Penn. She needs one of her Alphas right now. But as I turn to leave again, she stops me.

“Aiden, it’s fine. You can stay. This is your office, after all. I’m the one intruding.”

She’s not serious, is she? She could never be an intruder.

I look at the incubation box. “How about we both stay the night. We can take shifts to feed the ducklings.”

She nods. “I would like that.”

In the end, I sleep in my office chair while she takes the futon, but we don’t sleep. She asks me questions. “When did you decide to become a vet?”

I think on it for a moment. “When I was fifteen. I just always loved animals.”

I did. I grew up on a farm, so taking care of animals just always came second nature to me.

Halle nods her head on the pillow of her futon. “I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”

Despite how exhausted I am, I smile. “Well, you still have time to figure it out.”

Halle falls silent, and just as I think she has fallen asleep, she speaks. “Thanks, Aiden, for letting me stay.”

Whether she means tonight or in general, I can’t tell. But she soon falls asleep.

The ducklings settle the moment she does, and it seems they really do depend on her. When the Omega is comfortable, they are.

Imprinting in ducks is very similar to the bonds between Alphas and Omegas. I study the Omega as she sleeps on the futon.

Ah, I can’t deny it.

I have fallen for Halle, too, and just maybe I will give her my bite one day. It would definitely keep her nasty old pack away.

I pull out the new ominous note they sent us.

Do these Alphas know anything about grammar?

“Ur time is up assholes. Give us R Omega, or we make you suffer.”

I would like to see them try. Because Halle is truly mine. I won’t deny it anymore.

I just hope she will have me. I’ve pretty much messed up any chance I had with her, but there’s still time to make up for that.

My Alpha can only hope.