Page 39 of Roommates' Alpha

I grinned. “Try to explain ‘cousin once removed’ to a toddler.”

He smiled. “Uncle Owen it is.”

“I like the sound of that.” I stood and kissed his forehead again. “I’m proud of you, Bug. And I know you’re going to make a great papa.”

“Thank you.”

“Enjoy some time with your new family.”

“Ok.”

I gave him a small wave, then left the room. As soon as I knew he wouldn’t be able to see me from the door, I leaned against a wall and took a deep breath.

We’d always known that this day would come. Eventually, one of us would be mated, and what we had would have to shift.

Still, there was an ache in my chest.

I took a deep breath, waved to the nurses as I left, and drove home while the sun broke over the horizon, bathing the world in soft light.

The house was quiet as I stepped through the front door. I was going to get a beer, go to my basement, drink my sorrows, then sleep for several hours.

“Welcome home.”

I turned as I closed the fridge to see Crow standing in the arch that led to the kitchen.

“Hey,” I replied. “Thank you.”

He leaned against the wall. “We missed you last night.”

I groaned. “I forgot to call… I’m so sorry.”

He walked over and squeezed my shoulder. “It’s ok. Micah knew where you were. I take it Ryan had his baby?”

I nodded. “Yeah, not long after midnight.”

“Everybody healthy?”

I smiled. “Yeah. His labor wasn’t too bad, and Raphael is adorable.”

“They named the baby Raphael?”

“They had an agreement that whichever alpha the baby looked like most got to name him. Everybody agreed that he looked like Alonzo, so that’s who got the honors.”

“Sounds like they worked out an arrangement that worked for them.”

“Mm-hmm.”

He cocked his head to one side. “So if he only had the baby a few hours ago, what are you doing home already? I would have expected you to stay longer.”

I blew out a long breath, rested my hand on Crow’s upper arm, and steered him into the living room.

I took a seat on the chair, while he curled up on the couch.

“I realized something yesterday. I was taking up a space that should now belong to his mates.” I ran a hand over my hair. “He wanted to be with me during his labor, not them. I know it’s because I’ve always been there for him, but I can’t let it go on any longer. It’s not healthy for either of us. His mates were waiting for him to seek comfort with them, and there’s only so long they can watch him come to me before it hurts them.”

“What about you?”

I gave him a weak smile. “It’s time for me to move on too. I’ve been so focused on him for so long that I wonder if I set my own life aside. Until the four of you moved in, my world was work, and Ryan. I rarely dated, and made sure I was available whenever he needed me. It was so ingrained that even when he mated, I kept that space open for him.”