10
Kyle
Kyle spentmost of the night in tears. All his anxieties and fears had come true, like a living nightmare. Worst of all, the hurtful words didn’t just come from strangers - they came from his mate’s parents. His eventual in-laws.
Thinking about it made Kyle want to start crying all over again. Fortunately, he was all cried out for now. His throat and sinuses ached, and his eyes were rimmed with red and bloodshot.
He was too tired and depressed to return to his own apartment that night, so he stayed snuggled close to Stark as his sweet alpha tried to nurse him back to happiness. He put on Kyle’s favourite shows and brought him snacks and a blanket while the omega sat pitifully in a ball of stress.
Now Stark lay passed out next to him in bed. Kyle felt guilty - his mate had been so tired but was dedicated to taking care of him. It finally took its toll somewhere in the early hours of the morning and Stark fell asleep. Kyle tried to do the same, but only managed to get a few fitful hours here and there before he finally gave up.
He brought a hand to his forehead and groaned. His whole body ached as if he had run a marathon. He wanted to sink into the bed and never get up. He gazed over at Stark, whose lips were parted gently as he breathed in and out. A few strands of hair stuck out at messy angles and Kyle gingerly reached down to clear them from his forehead.
Maybe it was the hormones making him so crazy, but as his fingertips brushed Stark’s skin, Kyle burst into tears again.
Stark’s eyes fluttered open and he instantly sat up. “Kyle, what’s wrong?” he asked. He stroked Kyle’s cheek, ready to brush away the tears.
But Kyle shook his head. “It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay, but I’ll be fine.” He let out a shaky exhale. “Everything’s just… a lot. Right now.”
“I know,” Stark said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Kyle said. He cracked a small smile at his mate. “Besides, you’re the only thing getting me through this right now. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Stark smiled back. “You wouldn’t have your big sexy alpha getting up to make breakfast for you.”
As he spoke he rolled out of bed and started for the kitchen. “What would you like this morning, sweetie? Pancakes? Waffles?”
Kyle almost shivered every time Stark referred to him with a pet name. He loved how cute his mate was, even though he was a huge powerful shifter.
“Um,” Kyle said, then shyly asked, “Can I have both?”
“Of course,” Stark said. “Coming right up. Pancakes and waffles for party of two.”
“Party of - “ Kyle paused, then gasped.My baby!He brought his hands gingerly to his tummy. “How could I have forgotten about you?” he murmured.That’s right… it’s not just Stark and I anymore. We’re a family now, all three of us.
“You’re the one who wants all the sugary sweets, aren’t you?” Kyle asked the baby playfully. “I should have known.”
As Stark created a lavish breakfast in the kitchen, Kyle was among his thoughts once again. Thinking about his baby alleviated some of the stress hangover from the night before. He smiled. The baby wasn’t even born yet and already they were creating joy in Stark and Kyle’s lives.
The image of Stark’s mother flashed in his mind. Kyle hated the way her eyes had gone cold and almost fearful when he mentioned he had lived in the omega breeding facility. He didn’t understand why it was such a big deal to her. Anxiety shot through his veins again. Was it just Miranda, or was it a common thought among the pack that omegas from the breeding facility were undesirable?
He glanced down at his hands, turning them over. He remembered when he had a plastic identification tag on his wrist that he wasn’t allowed to remove. Sometimes Kyle felt the phantom sensation of it scratching against his skin, even though it wasn’t really there anymore.
His shoulders sagged as he recalled the facility’s cold corridors and thin, watery fluorescent lights; the horrible food and the tiny windows. Kyle shuddered. It was like a prison.
“And here you go,” Stark said cheerily, placing the plates in front of Kyle. Strawberries and blueberries were stacks on top of the waffle, while the pancakes were glazed with a layer of whipped butter and drizzled with syrup.
“Wow,” Kyle said, genuinely surprised. “It looks like something you’d get in a restaurant.”
His stomach growled.
Stark chuckled. “I’m happy to hear that. I used to do a lot of cooking before I joined the royal guard, actually. Turns out I’ve kind of missed it.”
“Maybe when you get time off from work when the baby comes you can be our main chef,” Kyle said. “Since I can’t cook anything besides toast.”
Stark grinned from ear to ear. “As long as you don’t mind taste testing my concoctions.”
They ate while watching a kid’s cartoon that Stark flicked on. Kyle figured he would have to get used to the loud voices and bright colors of early morning cartoons when the baby came.
