Jade winced. “I understand.”
A protective feeling flared within me. I didn’t want to see my alpha get scolded anymore. “Jade, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not all right, Alaric,” Jade said, shaking his head. “They’re right. I made a terrible blunder.”
My skin prickled. “By sleeping with me?” I spat, ready to be offended.
“Absolutely not,” Jade snapped, his gaze suddenly burning.
The force of his statement was so visceral that everyone went silent.
Jade cleared his throat. “No, sleeping with you was not a mistake.” He allowed himself a smile. “My critical error was being late. That’s all.”
Aurum and Saffron glanced sneakily at each other.
“Does he mean literally sleeping, or...?” Saffron whispered.
“I dunno, it’s kind of hard to tell,” Aurum whispered back.
“I assume he means sex,” Crimson said at normal volume.
“Dude, be quiet!” Aurum and Saffron hissed simultaneously.
I almost snapped that no, we didn’t have sex—at least, not the penetrative kind they probably assumed—but that was none of their business. Besides, if I thought about it for more than two seconds, I’d get hard again.
Thankfully, Jade responded in my place. “Regardless of what happened, I overslept and caused trouble for all of you. For that, I’m deeply sorry. I will accept whatever punishment you have in store for me.”
I huffed grumpily. I didn’t love seeing Jade act so deferential, but this was clearly an ongoing family issue, so I kept my opinions to myself.
Aurum blew out a sigh. His brother’s apology had diffused his frustration. “Man, now I get why you were so annoyed at us whenweweren’t on time.”
Jade smirked. “It’s bothersome, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea—well, actually, I guess you do.”
“So, what do we do now?” Thystle asked. “All the contestants are waiting out there, and the challenge is already set up.” He glanced at me. “Although since Alaric is here, it’s safe to say you’re not interested in the other contestants, huh, Jade?”
“Your deduction is correct,” Jade confirmed.
I sat up straighter, feeling smug and satisfied. Jade’s disdain for the other omegas felt so damned good.
Crimson rubbed his temples with a sigh so dramatic it could rival mine. “Jade and Alaric are an hour late, so it’s not worth trying to salvage it. We have no choice but to go out there and disperse the contestants with a scripted apology.”
“I’m responsible for ruining the schedule. I should be the one to do it,” Jade insisted.
His brothers exchanged a scheming glance.
“Actually, I think I have a better idea,” Thystle said slyly.
In the halfhour it took me and Jade to get properly dressed, five children manifested in our care.
Unlike earlier this morning, we showed up to the living room on time. There, we were greeted by the adorable faces of three dragonets and two ferret kits. My heart soared when I saw them crawling around on the rug together.
“I see we’ve got a full house,” Jade said warmly. “Where are the omegas?”
“Taking a break from childcare,” Taylor replied, stepping into the living room alongside the other omega fathers. They were all dressed in comfortable clothes and nursing drinks.
Taylor took a sip of coffee and handed a second steaming mug to Matteo.
