Page 159 of Omega's Heart

Kaden settled the baby into the crook of his arm and leaned back on the couch. Quin took the seat beside him, absent-mindedly folding the toddler’s clothing while he supervised the little boy’s awkward shift.

This will be our pup someday. The realization made another wave of roll over him and every horror story he’d ever heard loomed up out of the dust of his memory to chill his skin and sicken his stomach. He watched as the fur flowed up out of Zane’s skin, the stretching and twisting of his body. He felt it when Quin reached out with his own alpha power and nudged the little wolf when he got stuck, helping him over the most difficult parts. And he felt the sudden uncertainty creep back into his own gut about whether he had half a fucking clue what he was going to do when faced with his own offspring.

“He still has trouble every once in a while,” Quin explained as the pup stood on four shaky legs and shook himself. Quin grabbed the bunny and waved it at Zane, who caught it in his little puppy teeth and growled, shaking his head back and forth.

“How did you deal? With this? After?” The words tumbled out of Kaden’s mouth like soldiers on leave.

“Being a sire?” Quin shrugged, then turned to look Kaden over with more than his usual care. “You having second thoughts?”

Kaden shook his head. “No. Just…thought I was ready.”

“You’re never ready,” Quin told him in a voice as dry as the desert. “Wouldn’t go back and undo it for the world though.” He turned his attention back to Zane, growling gently at his son as they fought over the bunny. “I leaned on Holland a lot at first, but it gets easier. We lean on each other now.” He gave a gentle snort. “We’re thinking about another one.”

“Really? Four not enough for you?”

Quin shrugged. “Not right away. Maybe next year. He’s very pretty pregnant.” Quin winked at him. “But to answer the question you didn’t ask, I think you’ll be fine. You just didn’t get the practice I did when you guys were growing up.”

Maybe he was right. “Can I ask… Will you keep an eye on him, when I can’t be here? In case anything goes wrong?” I’m terrified to lose him.

“We’re pack. You’re my brother. You don’t even need to ask.” Quin squeezed Kaden’s shoulder and shook him gently. “It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. And the place is polluted with our family—if he needs anything, he’ll probably be stumbling over multiples of it by the end of the day. You know Holland and Bax. Raleigh’s the same, except he’s tied down keeping Cas in line.”

Kaden snorted. “That’s a full-time job on its own.”

“Oh, like you weren’t a pain in my ass,” Quin said and went back to teasing his pup.

The door to the apartment opened and Hunter bounded in, followed closely by Holland with two laundry bags dangling from his hands. Kaden peered behind him, but he couldn’t see Felix.

“Your mate’s gone home,” Holland said with a wicked smile. “Get out.”

“Hunter?”

“Of course we’ll watch Hunter for a while. You two go celebrate.” Holland’s expression was filled with mischief, like he knew something that Kaden didn’t know.

“Bye, Kaden,” Quin said, picking up on whatever it was that Holland knew in some sort of weird mate telepathy. He waved casually, then got down on the floor to growl some more at his pup.

Kaden touched him on the shoulder in passing, a silent thank you, and nodded to Holland, who nodded back before starting to unpack the laundry.

As the door swung shut behind him, he heard Quin say, “I still need another hour in the office tonight,” and Holland’s calm reply, “That’s okay. Maybe I’ll join you.” And Quin laughing, which he still didn’t hear often enough.

C H A P T E R 8 6

T he living room was empty when he got home. “Felix?” he called. “In here,” came the reply, echoing out from the bedroom.

He walked through the door and stopped dead. Felix lounged against the headboard, a novel set face-down on the bed beside him. He was wearing his mating tunic, the red one.

Only the tunic.

His legs stretched out along the bed, one bent at the knee to tease Kaden with a hint of shadow and almost seen flesh beneath the drape of the fabric. The scarlet of the tunic glowed like a sunset in the woods against the deep green of the duvet. And Felix shone like the sun.

“What took you so long?” Felix asked through a smile.

“It wouldn’t be polite to just bolt out the door. Think of my dignity as an alpha.” Kaden began to unbutton his shirt.

Felix chuckled. “No one here to see you be undignified now.” He crooked a finger at Kaden and Kaden went, no more able to resist that call than he ever was when Felix beckoned. “Come celebrate with me,” Felix breathed as Kaden got to the bed. He reached out to undo Kaden’s belt, sliding the zipper down and easing Kaden’s pants down over his hips.

Kaden let his shirt fall to the floor and climbed onto the mattress while Felix removed the rest of Kaden’s clothing. He kissed his mate on the cheek, the neck, his shoulder—wherever he could reach as they twisted about each other, getting his shoes off, removing the leg.

The silky fabric of the tunic slithered over Felix’s body, showing Kaden tantalizing glimpses of warm skin, brushing teasingly against his own in a way that made him want to growl with desire.