Page 29 of An Alpha’s Guide to Finding the One

Rhys sighs in exasperation, but it’s a different sound than he normally lets out around the guys. Almost affectionate. Which would make sense if his mom is as wonderful as all the guys say she is.

There’s masculine murmuring coming from the foyer, but I’m too distracted by the surprisingly tall woman barreling her way into the family room. “My other boys! Oh my heavens, y’all have grown like weeds! Alphas, I tell you. Y’all eat your parents out of house and home as teenagers to support your growth spurts and you just never stop growing.”

Lucky, Wyatt, and even Lawson have formed a sort of protective barrier in front of me, so I can only see Mrs. Rivers by peeking through two very firm biceps. I know the very nanosecond she notices me because her steps slow in front of Law as her hands rise to cover her gaping mouth. The room is silent for several very awkward seconds before she clears her throat, cutting her gaze back to where Rhys stands in the entry. His beefy, tattooed arms are crossed over his chest, but there’s a relaxed smile on his face. “Ma, Pops, Daddy, this is Lainey.” He pauses to wink at me. “Our omega.”

The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop before it explodes.

“What!”

“But when?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Rhys Remington Rivers, you are in so much trouble.”

The last statement, coming from his mother, is what finally breaks the tension. A startled giggle escapes me, which makes the men in front of me laugh, which then in turn sets off everyone else. I nudge Wyatt and Lucky apart so I can sneak through the gap between their bodies and put myself in front of Mrs. Rivers. The moment I do, I catch her vanilla frosting scent and know where Rhys got his sweet scent from. She’s definitely an omega, though I don’t recall ever meeting one so tall. She has to be at least five-foot-nine and has every bit of her son’s coloring in both hair and skin. Though where his eyes are a beautiful blue, hers are a startling green.

I clear my throat, holding out a hand. “Hi, I’m Lainey.”

She knocks my hand away with a scoff but before terror can adequately take hold, she hauls me into her embrace. My body is stiff as a board, but I can’t seem to make myself relax enough to enjoy her motherly affection. I can’t remember the last time my own mom hugged me, if she ever has. I like to assume she wasn’t always a narcissist and terrible mother, but if there were any good years, my memory fails to produce them.

“I cannot tell you how happy I am to meet you, sweet pea. This is the best surprise!” She turns to her son, giving him a dirty look. “I cannot believe you withheld my daughter-in-law from me. If you were any younger I’d be sending you out back with the roosters, boy.”

Rhys’s dads’ chuckle, moving closer to their omega who still has me trapped in the surprisingly strong circle of her arms. The shorter of the two places a tentative hand on my shoulder. “It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Lainey. My name is Bowen, and this is my pack mate, Tyler. Our wife failed to introduce herself, but her name is June.”

June scoffs, rocking me back and forth slowly. “You’ll call me Mama, just like all my babies do.” She pulls back, studying me carefully. “If you’re comfortable with that, of course.”

Rhys groans, stealing me away and into the safety of his broad chest. “Mama, chill. You’re gonna scare her away. We have enough going on without adding suffocation to it.”

She squints, trying to parse out the hidden meaning in her son’s words. I sigh, because apparently none of the alphas are going to be the first to fess up about our current situation. Smiling nervously, I flatten my sweater across my belly, pulling it taut so the ball I’m smuggling in there is perfectly obvious. June gasps loudly, one hand clutching honest-to-god pearls, the other covering her mouth.

Tyler, who until now had been silent, hoots before slapping Rhys on his shoulder. “Well I’ll be! A new daughter and a grand baby all in one day.”

My teeth dig into my bottom lip. “Not quite,” I mutter.

Rhys bands an arm across my body, huge hand splayed on my belly. I can’t see his expression from my position in front of him, but I can hear the smug satisfaction in his voice when he tells his parents, “It’s twins.”

June bursts into tears, throwing her arms around me and her son and rocking us back and forth as much as she can when he’s several inches taller than her. “My baby is having babies! This is the best day of my life.”

Rhys laughs, wrapping his long arms around his mom, squishing me in the process. I have to say, I don’t hate it. “You have twelve children and two bonded mates, Mama.”

She nods, sniffling. “I said what I said.”

Bowen is smiling, but he looks a little more reserved than the other two. It makes me nervous. “Are y’all going to have a DNA test done?”

I feel Rhys stiffen behind me, and even June stills. “We don’t need to,” he says, voice low and more than a little irritated.

“I mean no offense. Honest.” Bowen holds his hands up in a placating gesture. “I only ask because it can be beneficial to know if any health concerns crop up down the line, or if there are questions of legality if you aren’t all bonded.”

Four growls echo through the room, but Rhys’s is the loudest. “That’s enough, Pops. Not that it’s any of your business, but we don’t need a DNA test because the babies are biologically Lucky’s. I don’t need to check with the rest of my pack to know it doesn’t matter. These babies are ours and biology isn’t going to change that.”

I feel something hit my chin and swipe at it only to find tears dripping down my face. I didn’t even realize I was crying, but his words were something I needed to hear desperately. I have been so worried that Wyatt, Lawson, and Rhys felt obligated to be with me because their pack mate is the father of our babies, so to hear him boldly claim them as his, in front of his parents? It alleviates a fear that I have been trying to ignore.

Rhys sees my tears and sighs, swiping them away before turning back to his dad. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get defensive.”

Bowen yanks Rhys into a hug, rocking him back and forth like he’s a child. When they pull apart, Bowen’s eyes are misty. “I was just like that every time your mama was pregnant. No apology necessary. It’s none of my business and even if it was I could have had a helluva lot more tact.”

June sniffs, crossing her arms and glaring at her alpha, who stares at her like a kicked puppy.