Page 109 of Omega's Flight

Raleigh nodded and reached for Cas's hand again. "Let's get it over with."

C H A P T E R 7 8

Q uin moved my chair over next to his, just to one side of the camera on his laptop. He picked up the phone and glanced over at me. "You're sure you're ready?"

No. Yes. I rubbed my hands down my thighs and reached for Cas, just out of range of the camera. "Let's do it."

He didn't argue, or check with me over and over again, just reached for the keypad and tapped in the number. "I can't believe I have this one memorized," he grumbled, and Holland gave a small laugh and laid his cheek against Quin's hair.

Cas squeezed my hand and I smiled back at him, but my mind was caught up with trying to figure out how to present this idea to Degan. I wanted to yell at him, make him come here as a punishment of sorts, but there was the pups to consider. Cas would have felt guilt for taking the pups away from Mercy Hills; I wasn't certain that Degan understood enough about what Mercy Hills really was to see what he'd be taking away from them if he dragged them back to Jackson-Jellystone.

Quin set the phone down and turned to me. "He's sent for Degan, we have a few minutes. Do you know what you want to say?"

I thought I did.

Please let this work.

We sat silently in the room while the tension built around us. Holland's hands worked rhythmically on Quin's shoulders and the strange thought occurred to me that it was more about Holland's unease than concern for any tension on Quin's part.

Then again, I was known to throw myself into looking after the comfort of everyone around me when I didn't know how to fix a problem for someone else. Holland had been raised as omega as I had—we probably had the same instincts.

The computer chimed, like a telephone ringing from underwater. Quin checked with me, then accepted the call. "Good morning, Jackson-Jellystone."

"Good morning, Mercy Hills. I have Raleigh's mate here."

"And I have Raleigh."

Was it my imagination, or was there a subtle subtext to their greeting? Cas had rolled his eyes up toward the ceiling, so I guessed yes.

Degan's head leaned into the camera's field of view. He didn't quite know where to look on the screen and it felt weird not being able to make eye contact with him. "Raleigh?" he said.

His voice brought back memories—good ones and bad. "Hello, Degan," I said and was proud of how my voice didn't shake.

"Raleigh, really, did you need to do this? Just come home and we'll forget it ever happened."

My free hand went to my belly and Cas squeezed my other one. "I'm not sure I can ever forget that, Degan."

His expression changed, becoming mulish. "If you'd done your work instead of sleeping—"

Roland broke into what I was certain was going to turn into one of Degan's lectures. "We did say that we were going to start fresh here, Degan. There's no need to nose over old ground." He turned his gaze toward me. "Raleigh, I understand that you're upset about what happened. I'm not going to say that it was appropriate, but I'd like to ask you consider that alphas are under different stresses than omegas. And while he recognizes that he shouldn't have taken that out on you, he isn't entirely to blame for that situation. An omega's job is to care for their mate and their pups and in this, you let Degan down."

I felt the thrum of Cas's power against one side of me, Quin's against the other. Not pushing, not even really distracting, but a sure sign that the things Roland was saying were not things they were thinking. "I agree with Alpha Jackson-Jellystone about moving on from the past," I said as evenly as I could, given how thoroughly frustrated I already was with both Degan and my former Alpha.

"Then come home, Raleigh," Degan coaxed. "I've been working on the house—I got some new windows so no more drafts. And I brought you this." He held up a chain, gleaming gold in the sunshine coming in the window just over his shoulder.

A few years ago I would have been over the moon at the gesture; now, it left me entirely unmoved. "Degan, the pups are settled here now. They have friends, they like their school. Henry can write his name and a dozen different words now. Ann hasn't come home once with stories about being pushed down or tripped or picked on. Even Pip's behavior has improved." Okay, that was maybe a stretch, but her pranks were more light-hearted now, missing that core of meanness I'd noticed developing back in Jackson-Jellystone.

"An alpha's family belongs with the alpha," Degan growled.

"Then come here and see what it is that you want to take away from them," I challenged him. I watched him start to bristle, and bit my lip in frustration at myself. I knew I'd screw this up.

Quin saved me. "If your Alpha will permit it, why not come here for a while and make your decision with all the information? You know what Jackson-Jellystone has to offer. Why not see what Mercy Hills has to offer?"

"I won't have you seducing away my pack, Mercy Hills!" Roland was in a rage now, while—to my great relief—Degan looked thoughtful.

"The pups have been away from him for almost six months," Quin said reasonably. "Let them get reacquainted. It will ease the transition, no matter what decision is finally arrived at."

"Alpha," Degan said in a strange tone of voice. "I'd like to talk to you about this before we decide. If it pleases you."