Page 18 of Omega and the Beast

Callista

Adonis’ parents met them on the main road to the castle, rushing along it mid-morning, just as she and Adonis had been rushing to the edge of the territory to find them. She hung back as Adonis ran forward, his arms outstretched, and the three met in the middle of the road in a massive hug.

Callista felt her chest constrict at their pure joy.

She could hear the two Alphas, Adonis and his father, purring — though it was a very different purr from the one Adonis directed at her.

This one brought nothing but platonic happiness bubbling up inside her.

She didn’t want to intrude on the happy reunion, though she was glad she’d been there to pay witness to it.

As Adonis and his parents pulled back, their arms still around each other, she could hear their soft speech. Although she couldn’t make out their words, she had an idea what he was telling them when his parents both suddenly looked at her.

Being the focus of their gazes was more than a little intimidating.

Adonis’ father was an older, greyer version of his son, though Adonis got his chin and his eyes from his mother.

She was close to Callista’s height, only coming up to the males’ shoulders, though her presence was one that couldn’t be ignored, no matter her short stature.

They both smiled as Callista approached, her heart fluttering in her chest.

“Mother, Father, this is Callista. My mate,” Adonis said proudly.

Callista gaped at him. That wasn’t how she’d expected to be introduced!

Though, truthfully, they hadn’t discussed how he would introduce her. They hadn’t discussed what would happen if they met his parents at all. She got the feeling he’d been too afraid to talk about it, in case it didn’t happen. He hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up.

“Does she know she’s your mate?” his mother asked, amused. Turning to her own mate, she added, “He is definitely your son.”

“As if there was ever any question of that,” his father scoffed, wrapping his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Callista. I am Adam and this is Belle.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Callista replied.

She pressed her lips together as Adonis wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a mirror image of his father, and tried not to laugh.

There was something incredibly cute about the mimicry, though she knew better than to say so aloud.

Males such as Adonis took great umbrage at compliments like ‘cute’ for some reason .

As they walked back to the castle, the conversation flowed fast and furious. Callista mostly listened. The reunited family had a lot of catching up to do, and her presence in Adonis’ life was mere days old. Both sides had been stymied and frustrated by the inability to reach each other.

The Alpha and Omega listened to the tale of Father Conal’s demise with relish. They weren’t particularly sorry about the other village leaders, either.

“We think when I killed him, the curse broke, then rebounded and turned all of them into beasts,” Adonis explained.

“From the little I know of magic, that would make sense,” Belle said thoughtfully. “I’ve heard people say that the use of it tends to rebound upon the user threefold.”

“Which was no less than they deserved,” Adam growled. Callista got the feeling his only regret was that he hadn’t been the one to tear Father Conal apart. Unlike Adonis, he’d had no avenue to vent his frustrations.

They returned to the castle amid shouts of joy and welcome and a few hesitant hellos. There were still those who felt guilty about their actions, even though the spell had been cast so they wouldn’t remember their Alpha. Adam and Belle set about putting everyone at ease.

While they were distracted, Callista finally got a chance to confront Adonis.

“Mate?” She narrowed her gaze at him. “You didn’t even ask me!”

“Of course not.” He grinned down at her, clearly unrepentant. “You might have said no.”

She made an exasperated sound. “I wouldn’t have!”

“Good to know.”

He was infuriating. Not that she minded so much when he pulled her in for a kiss. She could practically feel the joy vibrating from him. Everything he’d wanted, everything he’d hoped for had come true. The curse had been broken, the Betas’ memories restored, and his parents had returned to him.

Far be it from her to ruin his day with an argument about technicalities, especially since she had no argument against being his mate.

He was everything she wanted and more. Her body hummed with happiness as their tongues danced, rousing her desire, despite being in a courtyard full of people.

“Hey, you two, break it apart,” Deirdre called. “We don’t need that kind of display where the children can see!”

Callista and Adonis reluctantly obeyed, although Callista stung her tongue out at the other female to show how she felt about it, and Deirdre walked off laughing.

“So, now what?” Callista asked, looking around. “Everything goes back to the way it was?”

“Well, not quite everything,” Adonis said. He curled his arm around her back. “But yes, I think for the most part… things will go back to how they were. I hope you and your father will stay here, though.”

“Of course. I’d already decided I’m moving in.”

“Decided, huh? Without asking?”

“Well, you might have said no,” she said cheekily, then had to run for the castle as her mate chased after her.