“I might’ve been a tad fond of that mark,” he blushed, making me shake with laughter.
One of the babies, the dark-haired one, smacked his lips, then frowned in his sleep. I was happy that they were so different. They would be easy to tell apart.
“Awww, he’s just like you,” Gus cooed. “Grumpy even in his sleep.”
“I’m not grumpy,” I scowled. “I’m serious.”
“Whatever you say, my love.”
Silence stretched out between us as I found myself deep in thought. I hadn’t even thought of names. Everything had been so rushed.
“What should we call the babies?” I swept a lock of hair off the blond one’s forehead, and he blinked his eyes open and drooled. So like his alpha daddy.
“You decide, Little Omega. After all, you did all the hard work. It was all fun on my end.” My big, silly alpha waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and my hole ached.
“Don’t you dare think about breeding me again anytime soon!”
“Of course not, my love.” Gus attempted to look serious, but his face soon cracked into a breathtaking smile. Who was I even kidding? I’d be begging him to fuck me as soon as I had healed.
“Good. What about Ember and Lumi?” I had no idea where the names came from. Perhaps because the babies were light and dark, like night and day, fire and light.
“Ember and Lumi?”
“If you don’t like it, we can call them something else.”
“No, I love it. Ember and Lumi. It’s perfect.” Gus stared at me, all love-drunk. “Like their perfect omega father.”
“Awww,” I cooed, my heart spilling over with happiness at last. “And their wonderful alpha father.”
“Ugh, my head hurts,” Hal groaned from his bed.
Guess family time was over.
Chapter 24
Gus
I woke to something soft suckling on my nose. As I blinked my eyes open, I stared directly into Lumi’s sea-green eyes. Happiness surged through my chest as my heart expanded with love for this small child, who was almost an exact copy of me aside from Seb’s eye color. A mini me. I didn’t know how Seb was able to tell—maybe it was his paternal omega instinct or something—but he’d told me last night just before we’d gone to bed that Lumi was an alpha while Ember was an omega. Somehow I found that fitting. Like it was the universe’s way of making a statement. One of each.
I chuckled to myself as I booped Lumi’s pointy nose with my index finger. He frowned at me, then drooled. I could just imagine the story we would tell our boys one day.
‘Well, your Daddy Gus was out fighting a historical battle with a horde of killer bees when he was snatched by your Daddy Seb’s evil advisors. At first, your Daddy Seb was allgrumpy and high and mighty, right up until he saw your Daddy Gus’ big—’
“What are you smiling at?” Seb’s sleepy voice interrupted my rogue thoughts.
“Lumi, my love.”
“Mmmm.” Seb stretched under the covers, then winced. “I love when you call memy love.” His eyes were nothing but two narrow slits, the skin underneath them red and puffy, and yet, he looked more beautiful than ever, my perfect omega.
“Well, you are. You are my love.” My chest squeezed, the words burning on my tongue. Words my heart had perhaps spoken hundreds of times over the past months when we’d been separated. When I thought I’d lost my Seb forever. Licking my lips, I gazed directly into Seb’s eyes. “I love you, Seb. Like I’ve never loved anyone or anything before.” My gaze dipped to Ember and Lumi lying between us. “Except for our children.”
Seb sucked in a ragged breath, and when I looked back up, I found his green eyes pooling with tears.
“I will do anything to protect you and our children from any harm. I’ll bear any burden to keep the three of you safe. I’ll lay down my life for you a million times. You are my family, my purpose.”
Seb continued to stare at me, as tears trailed down his rosy cheeks with no end in sight. He was biting his bottom lip so hard, I worried he would break the skin. I smiled at him, then reached out my hand and cupped his chin, brushing my thumb along his lips. “Did I leave my king speechless?”
Seb nodded frantically, then whimpered something unintelligible before he buried his face against my neck. The babies squirmed between us, and I adjusted my body a little so I didn’t smother them while still holding Seb tucked against me. “What was that?” I chuckled into his soft hair. Seb sighed, then pressed a shaky kiss against my skin. “You don’t have to say itback.” I meant it. I knew Seb loved me, too. I felt it in every bone in my body. After all, he would change the world for me, for us.
