Page 211 of Omega's Heart

“Even if all she could do was run circles around the building on Full Moon night, it would still be better than being in prison. And they gave her more space than that,” I reminded him. “And now you have an excuse to turn one of the floors into family apartments, in case she finds a mate.” Minnie’s sentence was also longer than Julius’s—she was probably never leaving Mercy Hills enclave again.

But wow, she and Julius sure looked alike. She was going to have potential mates lined up around the building within a month or two. I was willing to put credits on it.

“At the very least, they could have given her the run of the enclave,” he groused and slouched some more on the bench of our picnic table. Hunter and I had dragged him out for coffee and cookies after we’d gotten Minnie settled in with Julius in the big guest apartment.

“We can work on that. After all, we got her released to Mercy Hills, didn’t we?” I didn’t tell him what Kaden had told me about how that happened. What’s done is done, after all—there wasn’t anything either of us could do about Kaden putting his job at risk. I hoped he’d be able to make it come out okay, or that the senator understood why he’d done it.

I just wished that he’d talked to me beforehand.

Holland gazed out over the playground. I could tell when he’d found his pups. Zane was turning three next month, Lonnie would be one. “It’s been quite the year,” I said casually.

He smiled, but never took his eyes off his two youngest. “It has. A good one, though. Lots of progress.” He glanced over at me. “A new packbrother.” Then down at my belly. “A new nephew.” He raised his eyes to meet mine again. “How are you feeling, anyway? That was a lot of traveling.”

I laughed at him. “I’m fine, really. You’re as bad as Kaden.”

He joined me in my laughter. “All right, I won’t pester you. Call your mate off me, if you could. He’s as anxious as a pup on Christmas Eve.”

“I’ll talk to him. I think he’s more worried because of having those last four packs to visit and he doesn’t want to be away if the baby comes.” I had a couple more days with my mate before he had to leave again, but there was the meeting about the Mutch Trusts in there somewhere as well, so his time here in the enclave still wasn’t his. Or mine.

“We can get Bram to have a look if you want. He might be able to give you a timeline.”

“He can do that?” Bram was a True Omega too, though not as much of one as Bax and Holland and Jason were, I thought. I’d been shocked to discover that Bax and Jason really did have heats twice a year—and secretly grateful not to be one of those omegas myself. Although, now that I had Kaden, having two seasons per year had its attractions. “Would he mind? I know he’s busy.” Bram ran a clinic here in Mercy Hills here now that he was finished with his nursing degree.

“I’m sure he’d be happy to do it.” Holland glanced over at his pups, happily playing with their friends at the daycare. “Why don’t we walk down and see how busy he is?”

“I shouldn’t keep you from your work—” I began, but Holland shook his head.

“I want to think about fun things for a while. Like your baby. Is there anything left that you need?” He held out a hand to help me up. I didn’t really need the help, but Holland was, I think, feeling uncertain about everything right now. I didn’t envy him his job at all.

“We’re pretty stocked up on everything, I think. Mom will be bringing some things with her from White River.”

Holland hooted with laughter. “Not more weed, I hope. Abel still talks about your mating, and Bax still turns beet red.”

“Lysoonka, poor Bax. I should have warned him about my family.” Hunter was off sniffing around the trees, not interested in the pups out on the playground—too young for him, I guessed. He took his time coming when I called but seemed happy enough to join us when we turned onto the road headed for the new section of the enclave.

We strolled along at the pace of two racing snails, obedient to Kaden’s final words to me this morning, which had been, “Don’t overdo it while I’m gone.” I didn’t want to admit it, but he’d been right. I was tired after visiting the packs, even though it had been interesting. So this slow amble was just my speed.

Our pace was made even slower by packmembers spotting a chance to talk to the Mate as we walked. It wasn’t all business—a lot of packmembers just wanted to say hi—but everyone in Mercy Hills knew that the big meeting was coming up soon and they all wanted to put in a good word for whatever pack they had family members in. In the end, I faked some contractions and Holland seized on the lie to move us along without stopping for any more descriptions of how he should be allocating that money.

“It’s not down to me anyway,” he groused as he led me past some houses to the bare field that ran around the inside of the walls. “I’m one of twelve sitting in on this and four of them are humans. We probably won’t end up with any of our first choices.”

“I thought your Jesse said that he wouldn’t give the money out if the omegas didn’t agree to the choice of pack?” I was sure someone had mentioned that, but I hadn’t been paying much attention at the time. That was before Kaden had swept me off my dark and lonely path and brought me into the moonlit clearing of pack and mate.

Holland glanced up at the walls towering over us, the silver shining deadly beautiful in the spring sunshine on top of it. “I’d rather it went anywhere, than not have anyone get their trust. I won’t stand against that.”

I nodded thoughtfully. We were passing behind Jason’s house, quiet and dark. He was likely in one of his gardens, getting ready for another planting of early crops. I thought about Montana Border, about Perseguir and Buffalo Gap. “Are all the omegas invited to this meeting?”

“Were you thinking about coming?”

“I think I might. If that’s okay with you.”

An expression of sheer relief crossed Holland’s face. “The more support we can get to guide the choice, the better. I think, where you’ve been to the packs, you’d be a real help. If you’re feeling up to it.”

I ran a hand over my belly, feeling the tautness of the skin, like I was some sort of fruit ripening in the sunshine. “I’ve still got a few more weeks left.” I chuckled. “Kaden’s going all Salma on me.” At Holland’s enquiring glance, I explained, “He wants to get me a housekeeper for this last little while, and maybe for the first couple of months after the baby is born.” I shook my head. “He’s sweet, but I told him no. I’m not a Salma omega, and he wouldn’t have mated me if I was. I didn’t think he’d like it. It was probably Veronica’s idea, anyway.”

“Is she bothering you? I can have Quin revoke her travel permission if you want.”

I shook my head. “No, she’s fine. I don’t think she bothers me the way she does you, or maybe she’s mellowing now that her last hope for an alpha dynasty has died a sad, omega death.” Okay, that was a little rude of me, but I was tired. And it was true.