Page 15 of The Monster at the End of This Molt (The Monster at the End of His Pregnancy #4)

Chapter Fifteen

Robin

My office would have to wait a day for my return to work. After Lemon arrived and Weld disappeared, I was at a loss for a few moments, but then I felt his location through our bond.

I was relieved to find him inside the fortress, rather than under it. I'd learned my lesson the last time I teleported into the dark tunnels of the grotto. Even using my phone as a flashlight, I'd been lost down there for an hour.

After some prodding, I finally got Weld to share why he'd run away. He thought Lemon had pursued him to The Pavilion. I still didn't fully understand the accusations Weld thought Lemon would throw at him. All I knew was that he'd worked hard to change, and he worried those changes had been for nothing.

He still cared about the court of public opinion, but especially how my parents saw him. I didn't blame him. Together, they were an unstoppable force.

They were also my parents, and they loved me. Through me, they had learned to love Weld over the years, too. Tonight's party was a peace offering, and I was proud of my omega papa for suggesting it. I was also somewhat smug that my siblings' gambling money went toward the silly party favors from Earth.

When Weld left with Galen for his first dragon ride, I was so proud of him for taking a risk. While they were in the air, something happened to our dragon bond. A dam broke, that was the only way I could explain the strange tidal wave of emotions cascading over me at once. They evened out to a steady hum in the back of my mind. I knew Weld was thinking about me.

Earlier, I'd wondered if I should stash the pistachios somewhere Papa wouldn't see them, or smell them, and now I knew Weld wanted me to hide them for later. I sneaked them off the table and slipped them into the tiny cupboard above the sink before Tuft saw me.

"There's the omega of the hour!" Dad grabbed me from behind and squeezed. "Happy housewarming!"

"Thanks!" I turned and gave him a real hug, and then Papa took over, hugging me tight before handing me a reusable grocery bag filled with nonperishable food. It was what they gave every alpha when they first moved into their own cabin.

Weld came inside holding his own bag of groceries. Together, we placed them on the kitchen counter.

Papa grabbed my elbow and led me back to our bedroom, where another present lay on our bed. I recognized the bag from helping our parents pack away our cribs, toys, and mementos from when we were younger. It was the size of a diaper bag, but inside was an inter-dimensional space as large as Odessa's van.

"It's got everything you'll ever need, but if you do need something, all you have to do is ask."

"Ernie and Grover?—"

"Are alphas," Papa said. "This is your gift as our only omega. If they get their omegas pregnant first, these belong to you. You can lend or keep them as you choose."

I couldn't explain why I was crying, but I was. My parents had never made me feel like I was less than for being an omega, but this gift was far more than I'd dreamed. I was the youngest son, after all. I'd expected nothing but the blessing my parents had given me over breakfast when I'd shown them my fresh mating marks.

Papa clutched me to his chest, and I gave in to the tears. "Thank you so much."

He kissed each of my cheeks and leaned up on his tiptoes to kiss my forehead. "Thank you for being an easy kid to raise."

"I heard that!" Clementine stood outside the door with one hand on her cocked hip. "Ernie and Grover just got here. Dad wants to take some family pics."

"Only if Galen takes them," I suggested. "Otherwise, we'll be here for hours."

They'd done a great job of snapping pictures for us on our trip to Iowa when we were little. Grandma and Grandpa were gone now, but the memories from that trip, and the one time they'd visited us here on Ignitas, were still clear in my mind. I don't think they saw Earth quite the same after spending a week watching the sky for dragons.

Galen gladly took Dad's phone from him and made us bunch together in the living room with our backs to the television. They put Weld and me in the middle and forced our family to cram toward us until I swore I couldn't breathe.

"Say mosquito!"

Clementine groaned. "Stop already!"

"Mosquito," the rest of us chanted, and Galen snapped the picture on the "ee" sound like a pro. The picture was perfect. Everyone else was smiling while Clem resembled a renaissance painting of suffering with her eyes rolled to the ceiling.

By the time Galen took a few more candid shots, and Dad distributed the photos to everyone, the suns had fully set, and the snack table had been mostly devoured.

"We're heading out," Tuft said while Axel rounded up their children.

"We should be on our way, too." Coz popped his head in the door.

"I didn't know you were here!" I charged him and pulled him into a hug.

"Happy housewarming, kid." He kissed my cheek and ruffled my hair, even though I was as tall as he was. "The boys were cranky when they got home from school, and now they're starting to shed scales all over your back yard."

"Ooh. This molt is a hard one." From what I'd learned in my child psychology classes, it most closely resembled hitting puberty, with the mood swings and body changes. "I'll be back at work starting tomorrow, if you need to schedule time."

Coz frowned in Weld's direction and then turned back to me. "Is everything all right?"

"It's fantastic. Now get your kids home so they can sleep!"

He laughed. "Will do, Doc."

Ugh. I hated when my parents' friends, or anyone really, called me Doc. It was better than shrink, but not by much.

The night progressed, and more friends and family said their farewells. Ernie made some excuse about making up the couch for Lemon. I pulled my new friend aside on his way out the door. "No one will care if you share his bed tonight."

"What about your parents?" he asked.

"We're all adults. If anything, they'll be thrilled."

Lemon grinned. "Is the couch really that uncomfortable, or were you joking?"

"It's bad, I promise."

His cheeks flushed pink, and I swore his stripes looked a little darker than they had before. "Thanks for the advice."

"That's what friends are for!"

"Friends." His smile showed most of his teeth. "You're my first."

"Get ready. You'll have tons of friends here. Ernie is friends with everyone."

It was true. Ernie could get along with anyone who wasn't too offended by his sex jokes, and kobolds tolerated them better than the humans I'd met.

Finally, it was only the two of us and my parents.

"Did you see Clementine leave?" Dad asked Papa.

"Shit, no. Do you think …" Papa whipped out his phone.

"We need to go," Dad shrugged apologetically. "Sorry to drop this on you and run, but I was hoping you'd come back to my classroom."

Weld blinked. "Me?"

"I would never make it as a teacher," I teased. "Too many kids talking at once makes me queasy."

"Me?" Weld repeated.

"We made a great team," Dad said. "I still get visits from those kids. They’re so grateful for our skits and can’t stop talking about how much we improved their anger management skills."

I had a few letters from those same students in the folder Weld still had to read through.

"I … yeah. I'll stop by tomorrow to see where you are."

Weld tried to stick out his hand for a shake, but Dad hugged him instead. "You're part of the family now, Dumbass."

Weld laughed at Dad's old nickname for him. "Fine … " Weld looked pained. "Nope. I'm fucked no matter what I call you." He shook his head. "Fine, Lark, you win."

We followed him onto the porch. Papa was halfway across the yard, still texting furiously on his phone. In a flash, they both vanished, and a light flipped on inside their house. No one screamed, so I took that as a good sign.

"We should get to bed." Weld tucked me under his arm. "We both have big days back at work tomorrow."

* * *

It wasn't as hard as I expected to fit into my old routine. Yes, my life had completely changed in the last two weeks. My office, comfy chair, and tablet spelled with note-taking dictation grounded me firmly in my new normal. I scheduled my meetings during the school day while Weld was in class, and afterward, we walked home together.

Most of my repeat clients were the first generation after the re-emergence, like me. Yes, it was weird to have clients close to my own age or a little younger, but our parents still said things like, "That's not how I was raised," and "Earth kids would teach you a thing or two."

Like me, the other kids had gone to Earth for their post-secondary education and returned disillusioned and angry.

"Their ways are not better!" a client shouted at the end of a grueling session. "If I meet my fated mate at the dragon reunion, he'd better agree!"

He immediately clapped his hands to his mouth and then held them up in supplication. "I mean … he?—"

"When you meet your fated mate, you'll find a way to work together to raise your children the way you both want."

He sighed. "That's what I'm afraid of. My dad is a traditional omega, and he raised me to be a traditional omega."

"That's your homework for next time," I said. "What does it mean to be a traditional omega?"

He frowned. "Well, it means …"

"Make a list, and we'll discuss it next time."

Inspiration struck, and a beautiful smile spread across his face. "Thank you! I'll bring you that list."

"See you next week!" I called after him, but he was already halfway down the hall.

I read over the notes my magical dictation system had taken and added a few of my own while it was still fresh in my mind. Then, I jotted a quick note for the next homework assignment. Once he had a list of what a traditional omega should be, I wanted him to dissect it and tell me how each trait made him feel.

A quick knock on the door was all the warning I had before it opened and Weld slipped inside. He shut the door, plastered himself against the wall, and turned off the overhead light.

"What are you doing?"

He hissed at me. "Keep your voice down! He'll hear you."

"Oh Weld!" A familiar high and clear voice echoed in the long hall outside my door.

"Why are you hiding from Tuft?"

"He wants us to play volleyball! Won't take no for an answer!"

I stifled a laugh at the look of anguish on his face. "I fucking love volleyball."

"Traitor!"

The door swung open. Tuft didn't bother with the light. He used his phone as a flashlight, though it illuminated his bright gold highlights and white teeth more than anything else. "It's adult league night at the ballpark! Are you up for some volleyball?"

"I'm in," I said. "My mate …"

Weld flipped the light back on and sank against the wall. "Fine. I'll play. But don't expect me to be any good. I haven't played volleyball since high school gym."

"You're on my team," Tuft said. "You don't have to be good. All you have to do is stay out of my way."

He flashed another smile at us and sauntered back out, leaving the door open.

"What the fuck does he mean?"

"His intramural team won last year's tournament."

"He and Axel, and four other people, won a tournament?"

I nodded. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Weld's lips curved into a wistful grin. "Not at all. I'll be proud to be on his team."

"I'm pretty sure he already has six people, so we'll be alternates."

"What? He doesn't even need us?"

"We'll get to play, and we'll keep their main players hydrated."

Weld huffed a sigh. "I get it. This is my reintroduction to society or some bullshit." His bottom lip jutted out. He looked adorable, but I wouldn't tell my grumpy alpha that.

"I'm finished here." I slipped my tablet into my desk drawer and locked it with a spell. "Let's stop in the cafeteria on the way. We need game fuel."

"Game fuel?" Weld looked at me like I'd grown a second head or sprouted a new tail.

Game fuel was high carb fare. Tuber fries, veggie burgers, and plenty of snack cakes and desserts lined the buffet table. "Don't eat too much, or you'll be sick as a dog out there."

Weld bumped his buffet tray against mine. "Okay, Dad."

My face burned. Fuck. I didn't like that, did I? Our kids were supposed to call me Dad, not my fated mate.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry." Weld scooted past me in line, grabbed a gelatin salad, and sat at an empty table without another word.

I grabbed a piece of cheesecake for me and a chocolate mousse for him before taking the spot across from him. "Why are you sorry?"

"You would make an excellent dad, Robin. We both know it. I'm an asshole for keeping you from it."

"You are not an asshole."

Two kobolds I didn't recognize with a clutch of five between them walked past, both glaring at us like we were both degenerates for swearing in a public place.

"I am."

"Then you're my asshole." I shrugged. "What are you going to do about it?"

He grinned. "I'm going to kick that volleyball's ass."

I chuckled at his silly attempt at a joke. "I don't think it works that way."

High on our dessert carb rush, we teleported home to change and then walked to the beautiful dragon pavilion that gave our home its new name. Axel had designed the beautiful scrollwork on the wooden platforms.

"It's breathtaking," Weld said, though he was staring at me.

"What?"

"I can feel your love for this place through our bond. I liked it before, but now … spectacular."

"Stop. You'll make me blush."

He pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. "You're gorgeous when you blush."