by H Q Kingsley
I was drugged, and floating and Omar’s worried face was causing me more pain than anything else.
“This isn’t so bad,” I said, reaching out to stroke Omar’s cheek, liking the bristle of his beard against my fingers. “I could do this again.”
Omar’s face changed as he blinked down at me. “Are you saying you want more kids?”
I lazily shrugged. “I say we keep trying until I get a girl.”
Omar chuckled and for a moment he looked light and filled with joy until the worry returned. “Let’s just get the first one out, huh?” He leaned to kiss my forehead and I closed my eyes and nodded.
“Good call,” I said, druggily waving my finger.
“Alright, Your Majesty.” Dr. Candorn gave me a thumbs up. “It’s time. Give me a big push!”
I took a deep breath and did as he said, following his instructions when he told me to breathe and push again, and in a matter of seconds, it was all over and the room erupted in movement. Too much movement for my heavy-lidded eyes to follow. Suddenly, I felt exhausted, more exhausted than I’d ever felt in my life.
“I’m just...I’m just going to close my eyes for just a second,” I said, the effort to speak only making me more tired.
“Okay, Peanut.” Omar stroked my hair. “You did so good. Take a break. Rest. I’ll be right here.”
And with the promise, I drifted off to sleep.
I shot up in bed and was hit with a wave of pain. My body ached in ways it never had before.
“Hey, easy.” Omar’s hands were on me in an instant.
“Where is he?” I asked, suddenly panicking. “How could I have gone to sleep? He needs me.” Two seconds in and I was already failing as a father.
Omar rubbed small circles on my back. “Breathe,” he said. “He’s in surgery. There’s nothing you could have done to help anyone but sleep to be strong for him...for me.”
I finally really looked at Omar for the first time since our child was born, and I could see how exhausted he looked.
I forced myself to calm down. “Are you okay?” I asked him.
His jaw tensed. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he said, his voice faltering.
I reached out for him, pulling him into the bed with me.
“You know, it’s okay if you’re not. You’re always so strong for me, Daddy. But...this...you don’t have to be strong for this.”
Omar’s eyes glistened, and he stared at me for a long moment before his shoulders heaved as he leaned into me.
I held onto him as tightly as I could, letting him cry into me for the first time ever. For the very first time I was the one holding him up, and it somehow weirdly made me feel better, stronger. Suddenly, I really believed that our little boy was a fighter.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” I promised him, and for the first time, I truly believed it.
23
Omar
I held Zyke in my lap as we sat in our corner chair by our son in his incubator. He was so small and fragile, all we both wanted was to hold him. We still hadn’t been able to and it was ripping me apart.
Zyke had been a rock for me. It was something I’d never wanted him to have to do, but I was falling to pieces. I loved our son so much already. I hadn’t carried him, but goddamn if he wasn’t a part of me from the moment I knew of his existence.
Zyke’s phone buzzed, and he looked down at it and climbed to his feet.
“Where are you going?” I asked him, hating how needy I sounded, how much I was leaning on him.
“I made a few calls to have something delivered for you. I’m just going down to get it,” he said, walking over to kiss me.
“For me?” My brows furrowed. “You just had our baby four days ago. Shouldn’t I be getting you something?”
Zyke smiled. “Oh, you will. You’ll get me tons of pretty things when we’re out of here.”
A small half-smile pulled at my lips. I honestly had no idea how I’d survived so long without him.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, giving me one last kiss before going out the door.
I sighed as I looked at our son. He was wired up and connected to machines, but he was still so beautiful and perfect. I felt like I could just watch him all day long, and so far, most of the days he’d been alive, that was exactly what I’d done.
“I’m going to teach you so much, little guy,” I told him, pressing my finger to the glass of his encasement.
“Well, leave something for his grandpa to teach him.”
My head swiveled to the door and my mouth fell open.
“Dad?” I blinked, wondering if I’d missed so much sleep I was starting to hallucinate.
“You just going to sit there?” My father opened his arms. “It’s been two years. How about a fucking hug?”
I climbed to my feet, still not sure if this was real or not.
I went to him, and the second he embraced me, I knew he was really there.
“How are you here?” I asked.
“My son had a baby,” he said. “Where else would I be?”
I pressed my lips together, trying to swallow down the tightness in my throat as my eyes filled with tears.
I leaned into him. “I’m really glad you’re here, dad,” I said, letting him hold me there.
I could hear him sniff, and it took everything in me to keep it together.
“Of course I’m here,” he said, holding me tighter.
We stood there like that for a long moment, pulling apart when someone stepped into the room.
I wiped at my cheeks with the back of my sleeve before turning to face Zyke who stood in the doorway with a grin.
“You did this?” I asked him, gesturing at my father who ran his fingers under his eyes.
Zyke nodded. “I love you. And you needed this.”
“Thank you,” I said. I moved for him, but he stepped back and I cocked my head in confusion.
“That wasn’t your gift though.”
“Oh?” I lifted an eyebrow.
Zyke stepped to the side and my breath caught when someone stepped up behind him.
“Hey,” Chase said, giving me an awkward wave. “I got your letter.”
I stared at him, open-mouthed, just trying to find the words.
“We’ll give you guys a minute,” Zyke said, waving my father out of the room with him.
“So,” Chase started taking a step toward me. “I met your king,” he said with a grin. “Fucking hypocrite.
I chuckled and stepped forward to nudge him. “Fuck you.”
Chase laughed. “I’m just saying. At least Milo was never crowned.”
I rolled my eyes but breathed a little easier. It was so natural to fall back into rhythm with him, and it felt good. “I missed you,” I said.
“I missed you, too.” Chase smiled and let out a breath as he turned to look at my son. “And this guy. Gods, what a cutie. Takes after his other dad, obviously.”
I laughed. “Did you come all the way here just to tease me?”
Chase looked up at me and his smile lessened. “I came because I have four two-year-olds at home.” He met my eyes. “If it were me in your shoes right now...I would need you by my side.”
I nodded, forcing myself to blink away the tears threatening to fall. “Thanks,” I said tightly. “Chase, I’m sorry. I should—”
Chase shook his head. “You didn’t know.” He gave me a soft smile. “Now you do. And I’m so happy for you.”
Chase pulled up a seat and sat down, gesturing for me to join him back in my chair.
“Can we come back in now?” Zyke poked his head back into the room, and I waved him inside, patting my lap for him to take a seat.
“Thank you, Peanut,” I whispered to him.
“You’re welcome, Daddy,” Zyke said, his face flushing when he realized what he’d done. “I-I mean, general. Omar.” He cleared his throat, his whole face turning a deep red.
Chase cocked an eyebrow but waved his hands. “Hey, I don’t judge
.”
My father shook his head. “Actually, there’s a lot I’d just rather not know.”
We all laughed, and for the first time in days, I felt light.
“So, what’s his name?” My father asked.
I looked at Zyke.
“We haven’t decided yet,” I said.
“Sorry, I kind of already stole Omar,” Chase said. “And he’s barely two and he’s already a little shit, so the name is pretty fitting.”
I chuckled. “Don’t you have a kingdom to run?” I teased. “When are you leaving again?”
“Very soon. I’ve got four kids that have figured out how to manipulate Milo already. They may take the whole country down if I stay too long.”
“How do you do that?” Zyke asked, his eyes wide with awe as he looked at Chase. I could almost feel the inner fanboy in him going crazy. “Raise kids, run a democracy, and still make time to be here for a friend.” He let out a breathy sigh. “You’re amazing.”
I pulled him tighter into my lap. “And you’re taken, remember?” I teased him as he swooned over Chase.
Zyke giggled, blushing as he leaned into me.
Chase smiled as he watched us for a second before he met Zyke’s eyes. “You have my number now. How about you call me whenever you need me.”
Zyke smiled so wide, I felt myself getting a little jealous.
“I’d really like that,” he said. He could obviously feel the ridiculous flood of jealousy in me because he tilted his head up to kiss me.
Chase shrugged. “I could use more people on my side. The Alliance of the Seven Kingdoms has completely cut me out. I can’t imagine they’ll be offering you any support, either, considering some of your new policies.”
Zyke nodded. “Yeah, their opinion of me has never been all that kind, anyway.”
“Good,” Chase said. “The only people they like are terrible.”
Zyke smiled. “Well, then I’m happy to be on their shit list.”
Chase smiled back at him. “I think we’re going to be great friends, Your Majesty.”
“I really hope so, Mr. President.”
Epilogue
“...And it’s a slow process, but trust me, letting the people vote for each state leader is going to go a long way.”
I finished scribbling down my notes from Chase’s weekly video call. He was so smart, and he had the advantage of having ruled for two years more than me, which made him a phenomenal mentor. As he liked to say, since he’d already made all of the mistakes, he didn’t mind if I learned from them.
“Thanks, Chase,” I said, his name still sounding weird in my mouth. He was a president and I was on a first name basis with him. How crazy was that?
“Feeding time,” Omar walked in with Teddy crying in his arms.
The two of them were heart melting together. You could barely see Teddy cradled in his father’s giant arms.
I nodded. “That’s my cue,” I told Chase. “I’ll pass you off to the general.”
I moved from in front of the video call screen to take Teddy from Omar’s arms, pulling my shirt down to begin his feeding.
Omar watched with intrigue for a moment before he plopped down in front of the screen.
“What’s up?” he asked, and I cocked my head. The two of them had a weird dynamic. They were rude to each other more often than not, which just seemed to be how they liked to communicate. It was such a stark contrast from the way either one of them talked to me. Omar coddled me, and Chase had taken me on like a little brother, but in a much better way than my actual brothers had.
“I’m wondering when you plan to give me back my doctor. It’s been a month. You haven’t figured your shit out yet?” Chase asked.
I chuckled. He had a point. I hadn’t realized just how long Barnes had been living with us, but it was just so easy to have him around. If he was any show of how good a father Omar was going to be, I was one lucky lion.
“Hey, you can have him,” Omar said. “I love my dad, but you know how he is. He likes to hover.”
I smiled. It was true. Barnes was a very ‘hands on’ grandfather, but frankly, I appreciated it. I felt like I had a thousand tasks to do a day and having Barnes around lifted some of the load, and I’d never had a positive father figure around. I was soaking it up where Omar was taking it for granted.
Omar tried to lower his voice. “I literally walked in on him milking Zyke the other day. Like a cow, just,” he mimicked squeezing his own nipples. “I’ve seen some shit, man, but that...that’s going to haunt me.”
“I can hear you,” I shouted at him from the hallway. and I heard him snicker.
“Hey, I’ve got quadruplets. Your father’s milked me on more than one occasion.”
Omar’s face scrunched in disapproval.
“You don’t get it cause you’ve never had a baby, but it helps,” Chase said with a shrug, and I nodded as I walked back into the room.
“Exactly,” I agreed.
Omar frowned. “So, you two are ganging up on me now?”
“Yeah.”
“Yep, pretty much,” Chase echoed me.
A figure appeared in the background of Chase’s call, and I immediately recognized his mate Milo.
“Hey, guys,” Milo said distantly without ever really looking at the camera.
He leaned in and visibly bit at Chase’s neck. “Hey, the kids are asleep,” he whispered. “And my dick is hard as hell.”
Chase’s eyes flashed as a smile pulled at his lips. “I guess we should do something about that,” he whispered back, and I cleared my throat feeling like maybe they’d forgotten we were there.
“Oh, hey. I’ve got to go,” Chase said, his eyes going wide. “Love you guys. Talk to you later,” he quickly said before the line hung up.
Omar turned to me, cooing at Teddy who settled in my arms after filling his belly.
“Hey,” Omar said softly as he climbed to his feet and leaned in to kiss me. “So, they may have had the right idea.”
I arched my brow. “And what idea is that?”
“We give this little guy to his grandpa for a while,” he said, placing a soft kiss to the top of Teddy’s head. “And then, you and I take care of this.” He pushed his hips into me so that I could feel the erection growing in his pants.
I stared up at him, taking him completely in. He was so gorgeous and perfect. And he’d given me the most gorgeous and perfect family.
“I love you,” I said softly.
“I love you, too, Peanut.” He grinned at me. “So...how about my hard cock?”
I laughed and arched on my toes to kiss him.
“Yeah, okay.” I said, licking the taste of him off my lips. “Meet me in the bedroom and we’ll figure something out.”
The Royal Alphas Series
Book Order:
Bend the Knee
Guard the Crown
Polish the Throne (Coming June, 2020)
Excerpt of Bend the Knee
“This has gone on for long enough!” My father slammed his palms against the wooden table. His voice cracked across the otherwise silent room like a whip.
He knew exactly how to hold the attention of an audience. He was tall and sharp, and he knew how to use every bit of it to draw eyes to him.
I straightened my back, envying him a little. He knew how to be commanding. It flowed from him like water, but for me, it was a process. Oftentimes, I had to remind myself of my posture. I had to fix my body to the position of power instead of throwing it off in waves like he did, and that pissed me off. With both him and myself.
My father paced in front of the table like a caged beast.
It wasn’t the best description for a man of his status, a king, an Alpha, the leader and commander of all that was before us, but it would have to do. He was restless, all energy with nowhere to go, and it was riling up the others as they sat and watched.
The other kings and their heirs were silent, watching and waiting.
Of course, the
y had the benefit of being a bit removed from the situation, calling in for this roundtable meeting. Their images projected around the table in the meeting room by a complicated piece of technology that let my father hold court among his fellow kings whenever he felt like summoning them.
“It is chaos,” my father continued, smacking a fist into his open palm. “Protesting, demonstrations, destruction of property. Hidden messages, sedition.” He said the last like it was a truly poisonous word, and his audience murmured their agreement.
“How did this happen?” one of them asked, and I glanced over to see Dimon, Prince of Lleone and the only son to King Leon IV.
The prince was covered in his usual lacy-styled ensemble, showing off a delicate sort of glamour that had quickly become popular in the Kingdom of Lleone, partly due to the prince himself. His face was always painted with colors and glitter, and his outfits always clung to his body tightly enough to make out every single inch of it, and today was no exception. The lacy number he sported barely covered anything, and he might as well have been naked on the screen.
His image was lounging, at odds with the dimensions of the chair, like he was draped over some pretty piece of furniture in his own estate.
He had that same smug expression on his face that he always did as he stared down at his long, painted fingernails, clicking them together as if he couldn’t be bothered to even give my father his gaze.
He had a sharp tongue and a brazen attitude for a prince. King Leon, only having produced one heir, gave him way too much leeway; from allowing him to change his name to allowing him to speak during council sessions for kings.
“Surely, you rule your territory with as much of an iron fist as the rest of us, no?” Dimon continued. “How is it that you have these rebels in your midst, and you did not stamp them out before their fire grew?”
My father narrowed his eyes on the prince. Even from across the room, I could feel his anger brewing. And from the stern faces around the table, it was obvious, so did everyone else… everyone, but Dimon.