by Leta Blake
“I think the omega with twins has the right idea.” Urho sighed. “I can host you at my country home.”
Vale’s eyes went wide. Memories of heats he’d shared with Urho in that quaint house filled his mind. He shook his head. “No, no.”
Understanding instantly, Urho nodded his agreement. “What about the house at Seshwan-By-The-Sea? The one Jason’s parents keep?”
“They’re heading there for their anniversary in a few weeks, and to be dramatic, I’d rather die than be caged in a house with the two of them right now. They’re as bad as Jason, only I don’t adore them.” Vale groaned, explaining more about Miner and Yule’s constant presence.
When he finally drew to a close, Urho laughed uncomfortably. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I know!” Vale threw his hands up again. “I’ve been looking forward to them leaving town just to get a break.”
“Virona is three hours north of here by train.”
Vale raised a brow and stroked his stomach. “And?”
“And Xan is always saying that the house is empty, and Caleb is lonely.”
Vale pondered. “I don’t know if Jason will agree. He barely lets me leave the house to walk to the market or—”
“With this flu going around, I want you to stop that immediately.”
Vale waved off his worry, irritation welling again. “I haven’t been in over a week. I’m going stir crazy here. The garden is dying, and the flowers are going, and I haven’t written a decent poem since I got knocked up. Do babies suck out all your inspiration? Is there scientific evidence of that? Because I could contribute to the studies.”
Jason walked back in, looking shaken. “I burned the mail in the fireplace in the reception room and washed my hands in hot water. Do you think that’s good enough? Should I shower?” He started to turn and leave again. “I can shower!”
“You’re fine.” Urho gestured to the leather wing chair. “Sit down. We need to discuss this flu epidemic and the risk to this pregnancy and Vale.”
Jason sat immediately, eyes like saucers, intent on whatever Urho suggested. There was a time when Jason resented Urho far too much to have ever looked at him like that. Vale thought they’d all three come a very long way.
“I forgot to remake Vale’s tea,” Jason said quietly. “Can this wait until I get that for him?”
“Never mind, darling,” Vale said, his heart fluttering at the sweetness of his alpha’s heart. “I’m past wanting it now.”
“He’s very finicky lately. Is that normal?” Jason asked, looking to Urho for answers.
“Quite normal. Now, please listen. I was just telling Vale about the flu this season. It’s ramping up, becoming an epidemic very quickly. Normally, I’d want to be here, in the thick of it, helping those who contract it. But I’m committed to Vale’s health and dealing with whatever potentials come from this pregnancy. I won’t put him in another doctor’s hands. Which brings me to my suggestion—I think we should all three leave town.”
“And go where?” Jason asked.
“Somewhere the flu hasn’t reached yet. The sea, perhaps,” Urho said. Vale almost laughed at the eagerness in his tone.
“My parents are already going to the cottage,” Jason said, repeating Vale’s comment from earlier. “Vale can barely stand their nightly visits. I don’t think he’d want to be stuck with them in—”
“We can go to Xan’s house in Virona,” Vale interrupted. “He’s invited us, hasn’t he?”
“Well, yes, for the Autumn Nights feasts, but we declined, of course.”
“Don’t you think the offer probably still stands? Even though the feasts are passed?” Vale pushed, already thinking of how nice it would be to give birth by the sea, and how lovely it would be to have an omega friend at hand, too. Someone who wasn’t his pater-in-law.
“I’m sure it does,” Jason agreed. “He’s always complaining that the house is so big and yet his cousin seems to be everywhere at once.”
Vale interrogated Jason about the cousin, curious why Jason hadn’t mentioned him much. Jason had been part of Xan’s life since they were boys.
“He’s a little older than us, but I never liked him.” Jason shrugged. “Aside from that, I’ve had my mind on other things.” His brows drew down. “Seeing Janus would be a negative toward going, but if push came to shove, we could always rent our own little place in Virona if we need to get out of Xan’s hair.”
“I want to be with Caleb,” Vale said, clutching Jason’s hand. “When the time comes, it would be good to have him there.”
“I didn’t know you felt so strongly for Caleb.” Jason kissed Vale’s knuckles.
“Omega brooding instinct,” Urho offered in his gentle, doctor-knows-all tone. “They take solace in the presence of other omegas during their time. It’s instinctual.”
Vale gazed at Urho pointedly. “Or perhaps societal. And stop talking about me like I’m not here. Regardless, if Xan and Caleb will have us, then yes, I’m willing to go.”
“You’re coming, too?” Jason asked Urho.
“I made a promise to you both that I’d deliver this baby, and I will. So, if Xan will have me—”
Jason laughed. “Oh, he’ll have you. This way and that.”
Urho’s cheeks grew darker. “Yes, well, then I’ll be going, too.”
“I think we just cinched our invite,” Jason stage whispered in Vale’s ear, eyes dancing.
Vale laughed, his restless, irritable mood lifting, if only momentarily. He’d give birth by the sea with the wind and the waves in the background, and with an omega friend by his side. Jason would loosen up there, away from the daily grind of work and taking care of Vale. And Vale would relax away from his in-laws. Urho would be with Xan, and this thing between them, whatever it was, would stand a chance.
Yes, this was a positively delicious idea.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“What a terrible idea!” Father cried, his knuckles turning white around his fork and knife.
Pater, for his part, simply looked down at his plate.
Jason hated the sadness that slumped his shoulders, but he also knew he had to protect Vale and their child, more than he needed to protect his parents’ feelings. “It’s decided,” he said firmly.
“But your pater wanted to be there when—”
Jason shook his head. “I realize that, but Vale and I have made up our minds to visit Xan and Caleb.”
“There’s room at Seshwan—” Father started, but Pater put his hand on his arm and silenced him.
“We understand,” Pater said softly. “If Vale wants to be in Virona, he should be in Virona.”
“We can also go to Virona,” Father said.
“No,” Jason interjected. “This is…we need…look, Pater, Father, the thing is—”
“You stay at Seshwan-by-the-Sea until the worst of the flu has passed,” Vale interrupted. “Traveling to and fro between cities, and back and forth between Xan’s house and town, will only increase the risk of exposure.”
Pater flashed Father a hard look, and Jason wasn’t surprised when his father stayed silent in the face of it. “If you wanted us to leave you be,” Pater said, “all you had to do was ask.”
Vale stilled, his fork hovering over his plate. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Pater shrugged. “Darling, what don’t I understand about overbearing in-laws? If only Yule’s had lived long enough to meet you. I’m sure we’ve been a bit much.”
Father worked his mouth like he might protest, but then he didn’t, choosing to swallow half of his glass of wine instead.
“We’ve been excited. Too excited, I’m sure.”
“No,” Vale said, and if the paleness of his cheek was any indication, he was feeling pretty guilty at the moment. “Not too excited.”
“Father, Pater,” Jason interceded. “We love you both, and we’re happy that you’re excited. We want you to be excited. Right now, Vale and I need some time alone—”
> “In a house full of people in Virona,” Father muttered.
“—alone in the way and place that we choose. Vale needs a place where he can relax and be taken care of, well away from the virus. I believe Xan’s house in Virona is the perfect place for that. There are beta servants to handle his every need and Urho will be staying there with us.”
“When I was pregnant with you,” Miner said, plucking up his wine glass and taking a sip of the ruby red liquid. “I dreamed of giving birth at Seshwan-by-the-Sea, but Yule’s pater wouldn’t hear of it. And the medical services weren’t very good in that area, and I was, of course, high risk…” He smiled, and though his eyes remained slightly hurt and sad, Jason thought he genuinely meant what he said next. “I wish you the birth of your dreams, in the place you are most comfortable, with Jason by your side.” He lifted his glass for a toast, and even Yule lifted his, too.
After dinner, Jason stood with a glass of bourbon by the big windows in the study, looking out at the shadowy, moonlit garden. He made mental plans about what team of beta workers to hire and what instructions to give them in order to be willing to leave his beloved space in someone else’s hands.
Pater sat with Vale on the sofa with his hands on Vale’s stomach. Every once in a while, a subdued exclamation rose up. Evidently the baby was kicking very hard. A good sign, Urho said. Painful, Vale usually claimed. Warm affection filled Jason’s chest as he turned back to the scene in the room.
His father stood by the fire, his drink on the mantle and a fond smile on his face as he watched Pater and Vale together. As for Vale, he was incredibly tolerant, almost sweet, to Pater now that they’d broken his heart with their announcement. His sweet omega might be cranky lately, but he was loving, and Jason was grateful to him for letting Pater touch and feel, exclaim and love.
Because Pater did love them both—all—passionately, and so did Father.
Jason stepped across the brick floor to join his father by the fire. “You understand, don’t you?” he asked quietly, hoping only his father heard him.
“Of course, I do.”
“It’s what he needs.”
Father nodded, picked up his glass, and took a swallow. “Don’t worry. We aren’t angry. The hurt will pass. It’s natural. You’re making your own family. It needs to be on your terms. Your way.”
“I love you. We both love you,” Jason assured him.
“Of course, you do.” He sighed and tilted his head back, gazing up at the ceiling for a moment, before he brought his chin down again and gazed at the omegas on the sofa. “I wish I’d had your balls when I was your age. I wish I’d told my pater and father to back off. It pains me to think he didn’t get the birth he wanted with you. I had hope that there would be another but…” He shook his head. “I never should have assumed. This is your precious one and only chance, Jason. We know that. Make it what he needs. Give him the birth of his dreams.”
Jason scoffed. “From what I understand, the birth itself is hideously painful. I doubt there will be anything dreamy about it.”
“No, but the end of his pregnancy will be special. Cherish it.”
“I’ll try.”
“Don’t let your fear swallow your joy.”
Then, before Jason could reply, Father broke away and went to the sofa. “Move aside,” he said to Pater. “I’d like to feel him once more tonight, if you don’t mind, Vale?”
“Please do,” Vale said, letting Father take Pater’s place next to him. Pater lingered, his hands going to Father’s shoulders and slipping into his hair. Vale took Pater’s hand and placed it against the side of his stomach. “Just wait. It sometimes takes a—well, not this time.”
Father grinned. “That was a healthy kick.”
“He’s strong. Urho says he’s growing well.”
Father murmured softly, “We’ll be excited to meet him. Don’t linger too long in Virona after he comes.”
“But don’t return before the flu is past us,” Pater warned.
“We won’t,” Jason said to both of them. “We’ll be safe, but we can’t wait for you to meet him either.”
“We love you,” Vale said, his cheeks over his dark beard flushing. “You’ll be wonderful grandparents.”
The night ended earlier than usual, and Pater clung to Vale with an extra-long hug before slipping on his coat and following Father into the night.
“That went better than I expected,” Jason said, wrapping his arms around Vale as they watched from the front porch. His parents got into their car where they had parked it by the sidewalk, and the engine turned over.
“Yes, but I still feel like an absolute asshole,” Vale said. “Depriving them of this.”
“No,” Jason said. “This is what we needed to do. Come on. Let’s feed Zephyr, and then up to bed. I need to massage your feet. Your ankles look swollen.”
PART THREE
Sea Birth
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Vale appreciated the hired driver’s attempt to avoid the potholes on the ride from the train station to Xan’s house by the seaside. But given the extra amount of time it seemed to take, he wasn’t certain he wasn’t going to get carsick before their journey’s end.
Zephyr hissed in the carrier at their feet, and Jason was tense with eagerness to see his friend. Urho…well, Urho was tense with eagerness, too. Vale could only hope that whatever had finally ignited between his best friend and Jason’s could be tended into a steady flame, and not explode into a disaster.
The baby had taken to performing gymnastics, using Vale’s organs to kick off into contortions, and Vale was weary beyond the telling of it. Still Urho guaranteed him that the baby, once born, would be so cute that Vale would forget his irritation with it now. He believed it was true, but it didn’t make a kick to the kidney feel any better.
“It’s not far now,” Jason said, putting his hand on Vale’s stomach, and kissing his cheek. “Should I open the window?”
“Yes.”
The sea air poured into the carriage with a salty wildness that gave Vale the shivers. He took deep, fortifying breaths, finding it settled his stomach and cooled his hot skin. “That’s better,” he murmured, wiping a hand over his beard. “Not much farther now?”
“Just a few more miles,” the beta driver said, pointing ahead toward the sea cliffs. “The Lofton House is just that’a’way. What are you’uns doin’ up at the big house?”
Urho pleasantly explained that the flu epidemic had taken off in the city beyond their willingness to risk exposure, and so they’d packed for a few months stay and trundled off together to their friends’ home in Virona.
“Ah, yes, we’re still blessedly free of the cursed sickness,” the driver said. “So, are you gonna vacation the whole time then? Must be nice.”
“No,” Urho explained. “I’m a doctor, and Jason here is a scientist.”
Jason scoffed and explained that he’d had to give up his work in the labs for the duration of the stay. But his work for his father’s company could, sadly, be done from afar, and so he would still be occupied with it for several hours a day.
“Idleness is wolf-god’s enemy,” the driver said and rolled down his window to spit out. “Good thinkin’ stayin’ busy-like.”
Vale didn’t know that he agreed. He didn’t want Jason working too much. It kept him from fulfilling Vale’s every whim. Not that Vale wanted him unoccupied, per se. That would lead to nothing but indulgence in copious amounts of sex, and as horny as the pregnancy made Vale, it also made him irritable, too. He was well and truly sick of being fisted. Blow jobs? Great. Nipple play? Fantastic. Rimming? Please. But he wanted Jason’s hand away from his asshole for the foreseeable future.
Yet, Urho refused to alter his prescription of a daily fist, and, in the heat of the moment, Vale never could resist that beautiful feeling of fullness, resorting to begging for it even. But for some reason, it left him annoyed later. It was too much and never quite enough. And he tended to get snappish afterward.
>
So maybe it was best if Jason worked at least part of the day.
Vale was sick to death of his own fickle company—one minute he wanted nothing more than to nap, the next he had to walk. One moment he wanted tea, and the next, he didn’t. He craved fish, and then couldn’t stomach it. He was cranky and anxious but didn’t want Jason to share even a shred of his fear. Vale wished he could escape his head. He didn’t know how Jason wasn’t sick of being around him, as well.
“That must be it,” Jason said, pointing at a large, red-roofed house as they bounced over a big pothole in the road.
The beta driver cursed and apologized. “The roads get rough in the spring rains, and no one’s paid to fix ’em,” he said.
The jolt made Vale’s hips ache, and the scar tissue inside tightened like a rubber band. He hissed under his breath. Jason and Urho were annoyingly solicitous, and he bantered with them both briefly about the baby’s chances of being adorable. High, Urho assured him. Jason simply nuzzled his neck and left Vale an annoyed puddle of goo.
Their destination, Lofton, loomed ahead and the chaos of their arrival was perhaps not as great as it could have been, but chaotic all the same. Xan and Jason greeted each other like pups, roughhousing in the yard like they were back at Mont Nessadare. And the electrical, lust-filled charge between Urho and Xan when they met again after months apart was enough to make Vale’s omega glands swell with slick.
Caleb was a sight for sore eyes. Warm and knowing, he greeted Vale just the way he needed to be greeted—with affection and offers of food. Xan’s omega was a calming balm, all blond and white and giving off a creamy glow that calmed Vale’s nerves on sight. Urho claimed their immediate bond was due to a brooding instinct, claiming omegas are always drawn to one another for support during pregnancy, but Vale knew it was so much more than that.
Only another omega could ever understand what he now faced. No matter how much an alpha tried, he could not comprehend what it was to be subsumed by his body’s demands. Omegas shared a commonality of surrender. During heat and pregnancy, they learned how little control they truly had over nature, and how little their egos mattered when it came to wolf-god’s push for reproduction. That was something an alpha never understood, not even after the uncontrollable rush of an Érosgápe bonding.