by JJ Anderson
Both babies were breathing well. He moved a few feet away and focused his energy, pulling from the very depths of his soul as he pushed away his human form and changed into a wolf.
The scent of his babies overwhelmed him, and he moved to them, sniffing each child. He filled with pride and joy. He’d done it. He’d delivered two precious babies. They stared up at him, wonder in their gazes as they watched him move his snout from one to the other. He used his wolf senses to check them out. There weren’t any odd smells, nothing weird to indicate they had any issues. The pride his wolf felt grew. He’d really done it. Those two beautiful babies had grown inside him.
The squeak of a door opening made his head whip up. The sound of Ruari’s call was followed by David. He gave out a short, high-pitched yip. Then pounding feet drew closer. The door was shoved open and instinct ruled. He moved to stand over his babies, prepared to defend them if needed. There was no need.
“I wasn’t here for the birth?” David whined.
“Oh my, Ronan,” Ruari said as he stepped into the room. “They are beautiful.”
Happiness filled his soul. He smiled a wolfish grin and moved, giving David room to wash his hands before he bent. David stared at the babies then glanced up, meeting Ronan’s gaze.
Ronan shifted to his human form, the pain less than it had been before the shift. He would heal fast now. His body had already expelled the afterbirth, and the shift had begun the process of getting his muscles and skin to return to what it had been before the pregnancy.
David moved closer and hugged him. His emotions grew and it all seemed so unreal. Ruari wrapped one of the babies in a soft blanket and picked her up.
“This is amazing. Ronan, you made the best babies.”
His happiness grew. “Thank you.”
David grabbed a robe and held it so Ronan could wrap up in the warmth and comfort. “So two girls?” David chuckled, his smile stretching so wide Ronan couldn’t help but smile too.
“Looks like it,” Ronan said, pride filling his voice. “Two beautiful girls.”
Ruari helped David clean the babies and diaper them. His heart was so full of love he thought it might burst. After the babies were dressed, his mate and brother carried them into the den where he could sit on the couch and figure out how to nurse.
His fingers itched to get his hands on them. David handed over the baby he was holding first. It took three tries and some frustration to get the baby to latch on. Once the little bugger was nursing, Ruari sat on his other side and helped Ronan get the second baby latched on.
When the second baby began nursing it was like all their love pulsed through him in one rush of emotions. He gasped.
“You okay?” David asked.
Ronan nodded. “Yeah, it’s just a lot.”
“I’m here to help.”
Ronan chuckled as he stared down at his precious babies. “I’m going to need it.”
Holding his babies was incredible. He’d never imagined life could be like this. He had his world here in this little room. Anything his father had taught him about life hadn’t been real. Life wasn’t abuse and manipulation, life was love and happiness.
One baby stopped nursing and he adjusted, setting her on his lap. Since David had lifted the bottom of the recliner he had a stable place to place her. The second baby stopped nursing and he lowered her as he glanced up, watching David and Ruari laugh about something together.
This was so different than life at his father’s house. Warmth flowed here, and he was happy. His life could have gone in any direction, but taking charge, running from the hell of his father’s house was the best thing he’d ever done. Now he had hope and more than hope, he had love.
Ronan glanced down to his two sleeping babies and smiled. He really did have it all. David came over and took one of the babies, staring in awe at her. When David glanced over, the smile on his face showed his love and happiness. Ronan’s soul filled so full he wanted to get up and dance and scream, to tell the world how lucky he was, but he stayed seated and quiet, letting his babies sleep.
David’s eyes twinkled as he stared at him over the baby in his arms. “You’ve made me the happiest man in all the world.”
“No, you’ve made me the happiest man,” Ronan said.
“Well, I’m thrilled with the two of you,” Ruari pitched in.
David and Ronan laughed, and the babies grunted. They both chuckled and then David leaned in, his lips brushing over Ronan’s.
His life was perfect, his love amazing, and his children only added to his happiness. He really did have the best life. He had it all.
The pain he’d suffered in his father’s house was gone. David had brought freedom to his life he hadn’t known existed. He would make sure his children knew love, because love, more than anything else in the world, brought true happiness.
David met his gaze, and Ronan warmed.
“I love you,” he whispered to David.
A satisfied smile crossed David’s lips. “And I love you.”
Their babies grunted, and he sighed. Yes, he had it all, and the love from David had made everything better.
The End
If you plan to continue with this series, there’s an epilogue…but I suggest you stop here if you don’t like cliffhangers and don’t plan to continue.
Thank you for reading Omega at Risk by JJ Anderson. For more in this series, read Omega in Danger.
Epilogue
Ruari flew home two weeks after Ronan gave birth. His nieces were cute but loud. He wasn’t ready for a baby yet. Spending two weeks with Emma and Holly had been too much.
Besides, he loved Arizona. It wasn’t anything like Virginia where he’d grown up. The colors were amazing, and he found inspiration everywhere. His art class was going well, and he loved painting and drawing all day. He also loved getting into the mechanics of art. He could spend hours studying artists and their work.
Before moving out here, he’d arranged a room in a cottage at the back of a house which at one point had been a garage. It wasn’t perfect, and he imagined it would be hot once summer hit, but Sedona was exactly where he needed to be.
The sun had painted the sky with pinks and purples and a few oranges as it set. He didn’t have time to grab his supplies so he snapped a photo of nature’s display, knowing the camera wouldn’t pick up the way the pink and orange mixed, creating an amazing color he couldn’t describe.
Ruari turned and froze. Three red roses sat on his doorstep. Two were dead, having been there for a while, and one was fresher. Who had placed these flowers at his door?
Roses were supposed to be special, they were given to make the other person feel good, but this wasn’t good. His stomach tightened. Was someone watching him?
He turned and stared at his surroundings, trying to decipher if anything was amiss. Nothing looked out of the ordinary or scary. The next time he ran into the landlord, he would ask if someone else had lived here, maybe someone who would get roses. Perhaps the previous tenant had a lover, and they didn’t know that person had moved on.
Ruari picked up the roses, sniffing the newest one and smiled to himself. He would paint something, maybe a scene of a woman leaving roses for her lover who was afraid to leave the house or a man who had been trying to catch the eye of a woman.
Inside his place, a thin coating of dust had settled on the dresser, and the air smelled a little stale. Ruari turned on the fan and opened a window before unpacking and sorting his clothes. Luckily, he’d been able to use the washer and dryer at Ronan’s place so his clothes, other than what he wore on the plane were clean.
After a shower, he heated a meal he’d stored in the freezer before leaving and sat at the table, his mind on Ronan and David and the girls. He wanted to paint them. He would miss them, but he loved being on his own. Before Ronan had run, his father had ruled every aspect of his life. Ruari loved the freedom of living alone. He didn’t want to answer to others and out here, he was free to be himself.
/> He pulled out his tablet and was watching a story on the news when he glanced up and spied a red rose on the floor directly under the window he’d opened earlier. His heart quickened, and his breath caught. The rose was fresh, the petals velvety. He glanced up to the window, fear holding him still. Was the person who’d dropped the rose watching?
After he gulped down a breath, he jumped up and ran to the window, slamming it closed and locking it. He pulled the string, dropping the blinds.
His hands shook and sweat beaded on his forehead as he moved from window to window, checking the locks and closing the blinds. Who was watching and why were they watching him? Was the rose a mistake? How could it be? Someone had reached into his home, dropping a fresh rose to the floor. He stared at the rose, fearing it more than he feared the occasional desert rattler he’d run into.
Whoever was watching him, knew he was home. Ronan and David weren’t here to protect him. He picked up his phone, thinking of calling them, but they had the babies and were busy. No, he wouldn’t disturb them. He could handle this on his own. If only he could keep from freaking out. Tomorrow, he’d watch for the person, seeing if they delivered another unwanted rose.
Read Omega in Danger to find out how Ruari saves himself and finds love.
Acknowledgments
Thank you so much Kris for helping me get everything right in this book. Thank you for reading. I appreciate each and every one of you.
Thank you Rebecca Hamilton for all you have taught me. Taking your class was amazing. I learned so much.