“No, it isn’t,” Sasha agreed.
Roan gave her arm a gentle pat then she was climbing behind the wheel of Phillip’s car and starting the engine. She and Tristan were gone in moments.
He hated for her to have such a grisly job as disposing of the bodies. But he would never deny her what she considered her responsibility to the Pack. He too had a responsibility. The first of which was making sure Dane and the twins recovered.
Stepping back toward them, he squat down, noting that Dane and his partners had gotten a little colour back.
“You three going to make it?”
Dane gave him a tired chuckle. “Yeah. Nothing a couple gallons of water and a whole cow won’t fix.”
“And a pig,” Abel added.
“Don’t forget the chickens,” Kane tacked on.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Roan grinned.
“How ‘bout you, cuz? I know learning you have a son was probably a shock.”
“Yeah. You could say that,” he huffed. “But Sasha’s right. My surprise aside, saving my son and the others comes first. Well, after telling Rivera.”
“I think she’ll be okay with it, cuz.” Dane gave him a tired smile. “She’s shown great strength in the face of danger. And she’s smart.”
“Yeah, Roan. You could do worse,” Abel said.
“And have,” Kane added with a snicker.
“Assholes.” Roan shook his head with amusement but sobered quickly. “She’s everything and more I could ever want in a female and a Mate. But, I had thought that my first child would be with her. That we’d share the surprise and joy together, you know?”
“And we will.”
Roan jumped up, seeing his love standing at the top step. He didn’t feel any anger from her. Just love.
“Sweetheart, I…”
She came down the steps and into his arms. “Its okay, Roan. I heard. But I’m not upset. At least, not with you.” She pulled back and gazed up at him. “When we’re finally graced with a child, that child will be our first. Ours, Roan. Nothing’s going to change that. Got it?”
Thinking about it, she was right. That child would be their first. The first of many he hoped.
“I love you.” He grinned.
“I love you, too.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips then stepped back. “Flynn has the trio’s food ready. He said to bring them to the dining room.”
“Sure thing.”
Instead of straining and pulling something, Roan used his power and picked all three up. It was certainly easier to manoeuvre them as well. Once they were in the dining room, Rivera pulled chairs back for the three. Roan placed them gently in their seats then pulled back one for Rivera. The table had already been set. Even a couple extra plates.
“You know, one thing has me puzzled,” she mused, sitting down as Flynn came in with two large platters of steaks and ribs.
“What’s that, sweetheart?” Roan took his own seat, waiting for Flynn to put down the platters.
“Flynn, you are a God,” Dane moaned as he took a rack of ribs and began to eat.
“Yeah. What he said.” Abel nodded in agreement while filling his own plate and chowing down.
Kane said nothing at all. Simply loaded his plate and began to eat.
“Sasha calls me that on occasion.” Flynn smirked.
“Eating here, cuz. Don’t ruin it.”
Flynn laughed, going to the sideboard and getting a large pitcher of water. He then filled their glasses. “Slowly, boys. Hunger is one thing, but dehydration is nothing to screw around with. Take your time. There’s plenty.”
They all nodded, following the doctor’s orders.
“You two could use a little refuelling as well,” Flynn told Roan and Rivera as he filled two extra glasses on the table for them.
“Yeah. I could eat,” Rivera said.
Roan grabbed two plates, putting a large steak on each one for them. He got a satisfied smile from Flynn before he went back to the kitchen. Roan shook his head, setting a plate in front of Rivera and one for himself.
“Like I was saying. I was wondering about something.”
“Sorry, sweetheart.”
She waved a her hand, letting him know it was fine. “How did Phillip get sperm from so many different guys? I mean, it’s not as if he could just go and ask for it.”
Abel wiped his mouth, taking a moment to swallow before answering. “Like everything else Phillip acquired, he stole that too.”
Rivera nodded, continuing to nibble on her food.
“With Ian, getting what was needed was easy.”
“Yeah. Phillip was blackmailing the guy.” Kane snorted.
“I assumed as much,” Roan replied. “What with their history and the fact that there are five Montgomery lads, it wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.”
“But why does he have only one son? I’d think with his ego, he’d have wanted an army of them,” Rivera quipped.
“Well, surprisingly enough, after the human woman he fell in love with died giving birth to his son, he didn’t want another,” Abel told them.
“That is surprising,” Roan agreed. “With his skewed ethics and single mindedness, I wouldn’t have thought the man capable of such an emotion.”
Phillip seemed so cold and calculating, him falling in love was a miracle.
“So its true that the women who gave birth, died?” Rivera asked softly.
Dane let out a deep sigh. “All the details are on the flash drive. But from what I can understand, as the virus grew in the babe, it began to spread to the mother. And with her body focused on the new life, it wasn’t able to fight off or integrate the virus. By the time they came to term, most were too weak to give birth.” He paused, light eyes a little haunted. “A few even died before they could deliver.”
“How horrible,” She cried.
“The triplet’s were one such case. One of Boone’s. And the brother you have upstairs, Rivera.”
She nodded, the sadness coming from her easy to read. “You think we should tell him, Roan?”
He shook his head. “He has enough to deal with right now, sweetheart. If he wants to know more about his birth, we’ll tell him. But it can wait until he’s better acclimated.”
“Yeah. You’re right,” She agreed. “His whole world just went ass up. No use adding to it if we don’t need to.” She pushed her plate away, done eating as she sipped her water.
Roan took her hand and kissed the knuckles. She gave him a sweet smile.
“Also, Roan. About this government contract Phillip had,” Dane added. “A good bit of the money Phillip held in his accounts came from them. If they can’t find Phillip, they’ll try with the money. We need to close all those accounts and cover his tracks. Totally make his existence vanish.”
Roan leaned back in his seat, also done with his meal, Rivera’s hand still in his. “Yes. His association with any human government agency is a danger. And that kind of money will have them searching high and low for him.” He gave Dane a pointed gaze. “Use any means necessary to make sure Phillip St. Paul never was. Go back to his lab. Destroy what the fire didn’t. You’ll also need to get the addy’s of all his residences. I’ll give Steven and Mikeal a call; have them send in a crew to clean those places out. We’ll give his parents a few personal belongings if they want. But the rest will be destroyed. I won’t let his stupidity put this Pack in jeopardy.”
“It helps that he’d been using several aliases. That includes using one when he dealt with the owners of the contract,” Abel said. “A good hacker can figure that out if he digs deep enough though. There’s also the money. With the accounts frozen, that lowers the odds of it being traced. Unfortunately, that won’t last long. Those accounts need to be closed and all footprints of them wiped out within the next twenty four hours.”
“That should give us some time to put the wheels in motion.” He stood, taking Rivera’s hand and bringing her up with him. “For now though, rest is what we all ne
ed most. The next couple days are going to be busy. I want everyone fresh and clear minded.”
“We’ll finish here and help Flynn clean up, then hit the rack,” Dane told him.
“You three okay under your own steam?” Roan could see they were looking better, their movements weren’t as sluggish.
“The protein and water helped,” Abel answered. “Don’t expect any dance moves, but walking isn’t a problem now.”
“And don’t expect an early rise, either,” Kane added. “We’ll be out for at least ten hours. The food and water gave us a boost, but its only temporary. Sleep is the only thing that will heal this.”
Roan nodded. “Find your beds as soon as you can then. I’ll call a meeting when you three are able to join us. Whatever plans we do make, need to be done and quickly.”
The three agreed, saying their goodnights. Roan and Rivera returned them then left, heading up to their room. Once there, they both stripped and climbed into bed. Roan pulled Rivera close, burying his nose in her neck.
“Rivera.”
Now that he had her in his arms and safe, he began to shake.
“Shh. I’m here, Roan.” Her arms came around his neck, hugging him tight.
After everything they had been through, that was the closest he’d come to truly losing her. One wrong move with that death filled capsule…
“Rivera. Need you. Need you so much.”
She didn’t say a word. Just moved under him and wrapped her legs around his middle.
He slid into her wet core with one thrust, her warm body welcoming him home. Their love making wasn’t frenzied, it wasn’t hurried. It was a slow build up, their bodies moving slowly against each other.
“I love you, Roan LeGuer.”
That was all it took to send him crashing into orgasm. Her cry of completion soon followed.
With her snug in his arms, he kissed her languidly, savouring the unique flavour that was his True Mate. “I love you, too, Rivera LeGuer.”
She lay her head on his chest and sighed. In moments, her even breathing let him know she was sound asleep.
“With everything I am.”
It wasn’t long before he too, succumbed to sleep. Her warmth and scent wrapped around him, following him into velvet blackness.
Epilogue
“I can’t believe it took nearly two weeks to find all fifteen of those young men,” Rivera grumbled as Roan held her to his side on the front porch of the house. They would soon be building their own close by.
“Not all were in college, sweetheart,” he soothed.
Roan didn’t exactly like how long it had taken either. But at least the fiasco with Phillip had been taken care of. They still had feelers out should anyone be looking for him. So far, all was quiet. He prayed it stayed that way. As for his son and the others, it wouldn’t be long until they were all safe.
“Dane’s crew the last to head out?” Isaiah asked as he joined them.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “He’s leaving some last minute instructions with the twins.”
They all looked to where Dane was standing near a black Rover. Cole was in the passenger seat wearing a frown. Tristan was in the back. He didn’t look happy either. Cole’s was different. He was leaving Joel for a few days.
“Did you call your father?” Roan turned to the young man.
“He wasn’t happy about my dropping out of college. But he knew I hadn’t decided on a major yet.” He shrugged. “It sucks I can’t tell him the truth either.”
“Better a secret than never seeing him again, Isaiah.”
Roan had agreed that Isaiah could keep in touch with his adopted father under the condition he never know what Isaiah was. It was a small price to pay considering Isaiah would outlive the man by centuries. This way, he at least got to see him.
“I know.” Isaiah sighed. “And after mom died, I’m all he has now.”
“It’ll be fine, little brother,” Rivera soothed. “Besides, now that you know what your power is, you need training. Can’t very well go around your dad like you are now.”
Isaiah laughed at that causing Roan to give him a scathing glare. It only caused him to laugh harder.
“Freezing my feet to the kitchen floor was not funny.”
“It was an accident, hon. You know he didn’t mean it.”
Roan wasn’t so sure. The boy was too smart by half.
“Hmph.”
“Anyway,” she drawled. “You’ll keep in touch while you’re away to train. I want to know how you’re doing,” she told him.
Calming his mirth, he nodded. “Don’t worry, big sis. I will.”
“Good.”
Done with his talk, Dane and the twins walked up to the bottom of the porch.
“You ready?” Roan asked.
“Yep. The twins here,” He point a thumb at them. “Will stay on this end, tracking us and sending us any info we need. The other teams will also send them updated reports daily to let you know how the search is going.”
“I want you to thank the other Omega’s again for me, Dane,” Rivera said. “Without their help and skills, we’d be lost.”
Dane’s cheeks pinkened. “I will, Rivera. And you’re welcome.”
“Isaiah’s escort to the training camp will be here tomorrow, Roan,” Abel said.
“I thought he wasn’t coming until next week,” Isaiah replied with surprise.
“After the kitchen incident,” Kane snickered. “Balthazar and Rob thought it best to have you under a more, ah, secure roof.”
“Just great,” Isaiah groaned.
“Don’t sweat it, Isaiah.” Abel chuckled. “We’ve all been where you’re at. You’ll get the hang of your powers in no time.”
He let out a gusty sigh. “I hope so.”
“Balthazar and Rob have been training Omega’s for centuries, Isaiah,” Roan said. “You can trust them to guide you and teach you all you need to know.”
Isaiah gave him a small smile. “Thanks, Roan.”
“You’ll be an asset to the Squad, Isaiah.” He pat the boys shoulder. “But don’t push. You have plenty of time.”
He stood straighter and nodded.
“Good.” Roan then turned to Dane. “And you be careful. I don’t want to have to explain to mother why her favourite cousin was being reckless.”
Dane held up his hands. “I’ll be good. Promise.”
“And thank you for going after Rynn yourself. There’s no one I trust more to bring him home.”
“As if I’d let any of the others get him.” He snorted. “Rynn’s family and the Alpha’s son. Makes it my responsibility. Enough said.”
Roan just shook his head and grinned as Dane turned on his heel and went to the Rover. After climbing behind the wheel, he started it up.
“Bring him home safe, Dane,” Rivera called out. “He has two little brothers to meet.” She rubbed a hand over her still flat stomach.
Dane saluted then sped off.
“We’re gone too, Roan,” Abel announced. “We’ve got some more equipment to install and a few more programs to run.”
“And the team that left to retrieve the first of Rivera’s brothers is due to report in a couple hours,” Kane added.
“Do what you need, boys,” Roan told them. “Call me if you need to.”
They both nodded then walked into the house.
“I guess I need to finish packing since my ride will be here sooner than I thought.” Isaiah grimaced.
“I’ll be up in a minute to help,” Rivera said. “I picked you up a few things to take with you.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Rivera.”
“Its what big sisters do.” She smiled. “Besides, even this time of year, the Scottish Highlands are chilly. You need the right clothes other than tees and jeans.”
“I have a couple hoodies, too,” he grumbled.
Rivera gave him a gimlet eyes that Roan was sure she had learned from his mother. And it worked.
“Alright. Fine,”
he huffed as he walked back into the house. “Bossy female.”
“I heard that,” she called out.
Retreating footsteps was the only response.
She giggled. “He must have been a handful as a child.”
“As I’m sure ours will be.” He pulled her close, cradling their unborn sons in his hands.
“I hope so, my love. I hope so.”
They shared a tender kiss, basking in the love they had finally found as Zephyr raced across the pasture. His joyful whinny echoed the happiness they both felt.
* * * *
“Sir, we’ve discovered that Doctor Steven Peters is an alias. Who he really is, we are unable to discover at this time.”
Colonel Tiberius Hanover mulled over the news from his Lieutenant. It wasn’t good. And the reports they had received from the fine doctor were even less so.
“His lab?”
“Burned. Not a trace was left,” The Lieutenant answered. “The residence on file turned out to be a wooded lot and his associates have disappeared. None of the DNA samples we have from him match the name he gave us or any known male.”
Tiberius hated to be made a fool of. He hated it more than being stolen from.
“And the money?”
“Gone, sir. We were able to track it to an account in the Cayman’s but before we could seize it, the account was closed. Whoever closed it out left no footprints for us to follow.”
Turning in his chair, Tiberius looked out his office window.
At forty two, he didn’t get to be a full bird Colonel by sitting on his ass. Oh, no. Hard work and good instincts got him where he was. And there was something more to the doctor’s mysterious vanishing act. Tiberius’ gut was screaming it.
“Get Wilson and Murdoch on this,” he ordered. “I don’t care who they have to go through or what they have to do. I want everything they can find on Doctor Peters.”
“And if they can’t, sir?”
Tiberius turned back toward his Lieutenant, glaring at him with his one good eye. “Then you better make sure they do, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir.” He saluted then left.
Swivelling back around, Tiberius gazed out his window again. Oh, yes. There was something not right about the good doctor’s abrupt disappearance and Tiberius was going to find out what it was. At any cost.
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