by Aria Grace
A second later, Pearl starts crying, awakened from her nap by the commotion.
"I've got her," Sadie assures me, patting my shoulder and heading up to the nursery.
I turn to greet my alpha as he slinks up the front porch steps with a look of uncertainty in his eyes.
"What was that all about?" I ask hesitantly.
"He's mad at me," Reynard says, hanging outside the door and avoiding my gaze.
"What happened?" It's rare for Reynard to be this withdrawn about anything. I rarely have to pry stuff out of him.
"I stopped by his practice a little early today." Reynard creeps through the front door and drops heavily into one of the chairs in the living room. "He's actually really good, Flynn. Amazingly good. Like, future Olympian level of ability."
There's a tone of pride in Reynard's voice that makes my heart swell. I close the front door and move to join him in the living room. "So, why's he mad?"
"Because..." Reynard's voice trails off, and he looks me in the eye. "He's too good. Several of the other kids on the swim team have started bullying him. They leave notes in his locker, threatening him. They corner him, intimidate him, harass him. They've hit him a few times, stolen his shoes...the list goes on..."
My jaw drops and words fail me. My son is being bullied. What's worse is that I didn't even suspect anything was wrong. Kit and I have always had a strong relationship. My heart breaks into a million tiny pieces at the thought of anyone hurting him. What kind of parent am I? I've been running around all day buying craft supplies I don't even need while my kid's life is a living hell.
"He's angry at me because he didn't want me to tell you about it." Reynard swallows hard and reaches for me and taking my hands in his. "He told me you're happier than you've ever been and the last thing he wants is for you to worry about him. Plus, he really likes swimming, and he doesn't want you to take him off the team."
"He...he asked you not to tell me?" My throat is tight as I try to bite back the frustration and pain I'm feeling.
Reynard presses his lips into a thin line. "He told me I need to be cool about this and not tell you because he knows I care about you and this would hurt you. I told him there's nothing he could say that would convince me to keep this a secret. His safety matters more than anything else. That’s when he started getting really angry and telling me I wasn't being cool at all. It...it was kind of intense."
I clear my throat and squeeze Reynard's hand. "Thank you. You did the right thing. I...I think we should talk to him together."
Reynard looks at me uncertainly. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure." I rise from my seat. "You're not just my alpha, Rey. You're in Kit's life as a parent figure, too. This involves you as much as it does me."
Reynard looks nervous, but he follows me upstairs anyway.
I knock on Kit's bedroom door, but there's no immediate answer.
"Kit, we're coming in," I announce as I push the door open. He's curled up on his bed, hiding beneath his blankets. He doesn't look back at me as I advance into the room.
"Why didn't you tell us you were being bullied?" I ask as gently as I can. "We could've done something to stop it sooner."
Kit slowly rolls over and then frowns when he sees Reynard behind me.
"You don't need to worry about me," Kit says, sitting up. "I'm fine."
Reynard flinches slightly beneath my gaze when I glance at him. This is hard for him. I can see it on his face. He's terrified that he's destroying his relationship with Kit.
"That's not what you told me in the car," Reynard says after a moment. "Please, we just want to help."
"This is going to be like karate all over again," Kit says, rolling his eyes and looking away from us both. "Dad's going to be so worried about me getting hurt that he’ll pull me out of practice and I won't get to be on the team anymore. Then every day at school, I'll see those same kids and they're going to mock me even worse. I'm good at swimming, I like swimming, I can handle the bullies. Just don't pull me out."
I sit up a little straighter and my jaw goes slack. Karate was several years ago but the wound is obviously still fresh. Kit got a concussion because one of the other kids in his class took things too far. I pulled him out for a few weeks to make sure he had recovered thoroughly from his injury, but by that point, he’d already missed a bunch of classes and it was too late to get him back in for that season. I offered to put him back in for the next session, but he said it didn't matter to him anymore.
"Kit, sweetie, you don't have to keep things from me. If you want to keep swimming, then we'll figure out a way to make it happen. But please, don't keep secrets from me. I don't want you to get hurt." I take a deep breath and try to keep myself calm. "For karate... Well, I thought you didn't want to do it anymore after you got hurt. Or maybe I just assumed that because I was worried you'd get hurt again."
Kit shakes his head slowly. "If you step in and rescue me, it's just going to make everything worse," he says with a frown. "They're going to tease me even more. They'll call me a daddy's boy and a crybaby. I don't want to deal with that again."
I fight the urge to pull him into a protective hug. He was keeping all this from me this entire time? They'd been making fun of him ever since I pulled him out of karate? And he'd just been enduring it. I bite my lip and try to figure out what to say.
"I can come to your practices from now on," Reynard announces. "Freddie's parents are there all the time, so he won't be able to tease you about that. Now that I've seen you swim, I wanna be there to cheer you on every time you're in the water."
Kit looks at him skeptically.
"It won't stop him from talking crap, but you'll have someone on your side at least," Reynard continues.
"And when school starts up again?" I ask, still cautious about how to proceed. It's not like Reynard can protect him every moment of the day.
"Well, he said he likes karate..." Reynard's voice trails off.
Kit's eyes light up before I can reply. From the hope glowing on his face, it’s obvious he wants to go back to karate classes. I'm certain now that I was just hearing what I wanted to hear when he said he wasn't interested before.
"The answer to his bullies isn't to teach him how to beat them up." I frown even though I know it's pointless to argue. But I want them both to know my stance on the topic.
"No," Reynard agrees. "But it's certainly going to make them think twice about pissing him off. Besides, it's not a crime to know how to defend yourself." Reynard looks pointedly at Kit. "If you start doing karate again, you've got to promise you're not going to use it unless you absolutely have to."
Kit's eyes are shining with excitement. "I promise," he swears, sitting bolt upright.
"Also..." Reynard's voice loses a little of its confidence and he glances sidelong at me before continuing. "I need you to promise you'll never ask me to lie to your dad again. I want you to be able to come to me when you've got something serious to talk about, but you also need to understand that your dad and I are a team. We're trying to raise you and your sister together, and I can't keep secrets from him."
Kit takes a deep breath and purses his lips. "I'm sorry," he says after a moment. "I just...I know how hard things have been. Dad's been raising me by himself for so long. Now he's got you and he’s so happy. I didn't want to mess that up, but I shouldn't have asked you to lie to him."
I feel like a load has been lifted off my shoulders. Crisis resolved. I think.
I'm going to be second-guessing myself for a while and worrying like crazy. There are only two more months of summer before school starts back up again. That's going to be an absolute nightmare.
Reynard takes my hand and gently tugs me back toward the bedroom door.
"One last thing, Kit," I blurt before leaving the room. "Please, please, please, don't be afraid to tell us if you're struggling with anything. I know I've overreacted in the past, and I'm sorry for that. But, now that Reynard's here, I promise we'll try to find actua
l solutions to your problems. You've just got to trust us."
Kit nods his head slowly. "I know, Dad. I will."
51
Reynard
Later that night, I drop exhaustedly onto our bed and breathe a heavy sigh.
"Rough day?" Flynn asks with a chuckle as he crawls onto the bed beside me. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just had a crash course in parenting."
I shake my head and stare up at the ceiling. "For a while now, I've been trying to figure out where the line is. Was I supposed to step up and take on a parental role in Kit's life? Do I even have a right to that? It's not like I'm asking him to start calling me 'Dad' or anything. I just...I didn't want to get in between what you two have. It's a special bond and... I wasn't really sure if there was any room for me there."
I shift my gaze toward Flynn who looks a little saddened by my words.
"I thought you might be struggling with that," he admits. "Which is why I was being so adamant about doing something big for Father's Day. I want to prove to you that you do belong and that there's plenty of room for you. But...I went a little overboard with my planning. Then, this afternoon, with Kit, I realized I was never going to prove it to you. It’s something you’ll have to learn for yourself."
"I think, maybe I'm starting to understand a little." I give Flynn a slight smile. "Honestly, for a minute there, I was terrified he would hate me forever."
"Oh, there may be times when he actually says that." Flynn chuckles . "I remember the first time he said it to me. It cut me so deeply. But...kids say things they don't mean. And even if they do mean them, you've got to be the parent and hold your ground. It's not always a fun place to be."
"He's actually said he hates you?" I look at Flynn in surprise. "You guys have the perfect relationship."
"He's a good kid and I love him to bits, but even good kids have bad days. I don't even remember what we were arguing about exactly. Something dumb. Bedtime, I think." Flynn shrugs. "That was just the first time. We've had loads of fights over the years. You've got it easy. He's practically grown up now. Most of his temper tantrums are out of the way. There might be a few more on the horizon, but they won't compare to the early days." He chuckles. "But don’t you worry. I’m sure Pearl will give you plenty of tantrums to make up for those you’ve missed."
My face blanches, and I look at Flynn in disbelief. "No, she won't. She can't."
"She can and she will." He assures me. "It's part of their growing up process. They will scream and swear they hate you at least once in their life."
I'm suddenly terrified of the day when my precious baby girl starts talking. Every new word she learns will increase her potential to wound me.
"But, with Kit, as long as I stayed calm and didn't get into a yelling match with him, he'd get over it pretty quickly," Flynn continues. "I just didn't realize he was keeping so much stuff from me. I feel like I let him down in a really big way."
I gently tug Flynn into my arms. “You didn’t.”
He curls against my chest and inhales deeply. "I think I forced him to grow up too fast," Flynn says with a soft sob. "He shouldn't have had to go through all that."
I squeeze my omega gently and nuzzle my face against his hair. "You did the best you could. And you raised a kid who understands that."
"But..."
"Shhhh." I gently press a finger to his lips. "Kit doesn't blame you for anything that's happened to him. He's just a kid who wants to do the things he loves and avoid any more bullies. If we can give him that, I think he'll be okay."
Flynn nods slowly before grinning at me through his tears. "When did you suddenly become so wise in the ways of parenting?"
"I've had a lot of examples of what not to do." I chuckle. "You can thank my dad for that."
"Well, your Highness, I think your performance today deserves a special reward." Flynn grins from ear to ear as he sits up straight. "You were absolutely the star of the show today."
I bite my lip in anticipation as Flynn straddles my hips and pulls his shirt over his head.
My gaze flits toward the bedroom door. I honestly can't remember if I locked it or not. I really don't want to interrupt the mood, but the last thing we need is for Kit to walk in on us. It's almost happened a few times in the past, and I don't want to push my luck.
"Don't worry," Flynn purrs in my ear as he leans across my chest. "I locked it when I came in."
My breath catches in my throat at his words. His lips find mine and I open my mouth to him eagerly. The heat of his kiss fills me with need. It's been hard to steal moments alone together lately. It feels like we're always heading in opposite directions. That and the rest of the family are all asleep in their beds just down the hall from us.
"Shhhh." He reaches between us and gives my hardening cock a squeeze through my pants.
I clench my jaw to stifle my moan of pleasure, curling my toes and biting my lip as anticipation rolls through me. All it would take is one stray gasp of delight to spoil an evening of fun.
"You're such a tease," I chastise playfully as I reach up and help him out of his shirt. He casts it aside and grins down at me. Our lips meet again as he grinds against me. The feel of his dick rubbing against mine sends shivers down my spine.
"Do you like that?" he whispers. "Because there's more where that came from."
I sit up abruptly and wrap my arms around him, pulling him down onto the bed beside me. As soon as he's down, I sit up and begin unfastening his pants. I want him naked…now.
It takes me seconds to finish freeing him of his clothes so his gorgeous body is laid bare before me. As he lies there, completely exposed, he blushes beneath my gaze. "Don't stare so much."
"Sorry." I only half-mean it. "I just can't help being stunned by how beautiful you are. Every time I see you, it's like the first time all over again. I enjoy every inch of your body."
"Well, then, at least get naked with me," he urges.
He doesn't have to ask twice. My clothes are on the floor moments later.
"Look at you." He shivers when he catches sight of my erection. I'm already as hard as I can possibly be and precome is oozing slowly down the slit. "Someone's eager."
"Can you blame me? I've got this absolutely mouthwatering omega in my bed after all." I reach down to give his cock a gentle tug.
Flynn writhes on the bed in pleasure while silently begging me to continue.
I kneel between his legs and press my cock against his. As I take both of our dicks in my hand, he reaches down and adds his grip. We squeeze our cocks together, stroking them with a slow and agonizing pace. The heat of his cock against mine makes my balls tighten in ecstasy. I can already feel the pressure beginning to build. This omega of mine has a way of driving me toward release at a dizzying pace.
It's a point of pride for me to resist. I'll not have it be said that I have a hair trigger. Especially when I haven't gotten my omega off yet. But damn, it would be so easy for me to just let loose right here.
Steeling myself for the long haul, I gently slide my cock out of Flynn's grip. He whimpers in disappointment at first but is quickly silenced when I press against his asshole.
"Ready?" I ask him, even though I can see the slick coating his thighs.
"Rey, please..." He nods. "Yes, just put it in already."
I love the way he says my name when he's flushed and horny. It sends a thrill through me that satisfies my primal alpha brain. Knowing I can make my omega beg for me with just a simple touch is almost as satisfying as sex itself.
Almost.
I inhale sharply as I press my dick into his tight little hole. It takes all my willpower to keep from moaning throatily. Flynn's fists are curled into the blankets and his back is arching off the bed. I've grown used to his silent tells, and I'm proud I've sent so much pleasure through him with such a simple action.
As soon as his breathing steadies, I start to thrust. My cock slides into his slick hole with a satisfying rhythm. Flynn grabs a nearby pill
ow, biting it to silence his normal gasps and moans of pleasure. His hands grip the sheets, his eyes flutter closed, and he bucks his hips to meet my thrusts.
I catch myself giving in to desire. My pace picks up as the pressure in my cock continues to build. I want to come so badly. To fill him with my seed and link us together with my knot. I need to release inside of him. Even if he's not in heat, even if I've already claimed him multiple times, the primal need to mark my omega is overpowering.
"Oh fuck," Flynn gasps, his voice barely above a whisper. He reaches down and fists his cock with one hand. His strokes are short and fast. He's close to release. So close that's he's about to burst.
"Come for me, baby," I whisper, leaning over him as I drive my cock as deeply as possible. I know where his sweet spot is, and I'm hitting it with every thrust.
Flynn wordlessly writhes beneath me, pumping his dick with frenzy. All at once, he gasps as come bursts forth. Ribbons of white shoot across his chest.
My cock slides into him one final time as I finally let down my guard. My seed rockets out of me, filling him completely as my knot swells between us. We're locked together, alpha and omega. Bound for eternity, as it should be.
I take several deep breaths, willing my heartbeat to steady as I stare down at the sweat covered omega beneath me.
He glances toward the clock on the nightstand and grins. "Happy Father's Day, Rey."
I look up and see what he means. It's just after midnight. "Happy Father's Day, Flynn," I echo. "You know, this is the kind of holiday tradition I can support."
"I thought you might like it," he teases.
52
Flynn
I fall asleep in Reynard's arms almost as soon as we're finished having sex. It's been a long time since I've let myself pass out naked with him. I'm always terrified I'll have to get up in a hurry to go look after Pearl or that I'll oversleep my alarm and be in a rush in the morning.