Page 20 of Untamed Omega (One Wild Alpha #2)

Sam

Boredom was no longer a problem. Despite my new position as facilitator with the escapees who’d made their way or were brought to us, I’d still had plenty of time on my hands until the moment my mate placed our son in my arms.

He was such a little thing with a red face and waving arms, and I was instantly madly in love. What I didn’t know was that this tiny boy, the one we named Cody and whose nursery was fully decorated and ready to go, who latched on and chest fed like a world champion, did not intend to sleep…ever.

Every time I thought he was down for a while and I’d be able to follow the common wisdom of resting when the baby did, his eyes flew open and he wanted to eat or play or have a new diaper or just generally fuss.

After about a week, not only I but Markus were running on fumes. We were sitting on the sofa with Cody, passing him back and forth like a hot potato. He was adorable and sweet and wide awake.

“We could put him down,” I said, “and see if he’ll fall asleep.”

“We tried that an hour ago,” Markus replied, “and he just cried.”

“Right.” We’d tried everything we could think of, but this child not only didn’t sleep, he didn’t want to be put down. Some of the other parents said to let him cry, but it broke our hearts to hear him be sad.

But if things didn’t change, Cody was going to be an orphan with parents who died from sleep deprivation.

“Anyone home?” Kellan called from the door between the clinic and our quarters. He was carrying a cloth bag. “Like you new parents get to go anywhere.”

“Nice.” I passed Cody to Markus and stood up. “Did you come to point and laugh?”

“Would I do that?” Kellan tsked. “It wasn’t so long ago that I was in your position. Elise was the sweetest most adorable baby, but sometimes she was so fussy, I nearly tore my hair out. Or Locke’s.”

“You tore out your mate’s hair?” I found the idea shocking yet a little funny.

“No, I said nearly. But what I did do in the end was get a baby wrap. Elise loved it.”

“A wrap? Are those safe?”

He pulled a long strip of fabric woven in rainbow stripes from his bag. “They are if you know what you’re doing. And I have a degree in baby wearing.”

“If he won’t let us put him down, why do you think he’ll be okay wrapped up in that?” I asked, blinking burning eyes. “I think we just need to try to stay awake for the next five years.”

“And then we’ll get a break until he’s a teenager,” Markus murmured. “Then we have to stop sleeping again.”

“That’s right.” I nodded with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. “There’s a nap in there somewhere.”

“Stand up.” Kellan pulled me to my feet. “And I’ll show you how it works.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a lifelike baby doll. “We’ll use little Judy here.”

And so began an hour of practice, first with the toy until I built my confidence enough to try with Cody. I fitted the fussy baby into a fold of cloth and followed our friend’s instructions. I wrapped around and under, creating a hammock-like support for the newborn and his floppy head.

“See?” Kellan stepped back and admired his work. “What do you think?”

Markus walked around me clockwise then counterclockwise. “I think the baby is asleep.”

I wanted to hug Kellan, but I was wearing my son on the front of me and he was out cold. I didn’t dare do anything that might wake him.

Instead, I sat back down on the sofa and watched Kellan pull out another wrap and give lessons to my mate. Their low laughter was musical, and my eyes gradually drifted closed. I was resting while the baby did, as all the experts advised.

From that day forward, we had a strong tool in our baby-raising arsenal.

Of course we were able to put him down more and more as he grew, but the intimacy of wearing him in the beautiful wrap never palled.

We took turns, and when Markus started seeing patients again, I wrapped Cody and wore him while I worked with the sleuth hierarchy, such as it was, to be prepared for new escapees.

And to find a way to shut those white coats down for good.

I might never know who helped me find my way out of the labs, but I owed them hugely. No longer a captive in a cave, an unwilling research subject, I was now a mate and father, a member of a sleuth who helped others as their primary function in life.

Fate smiled on us, and I would always be grateful.