Chase nodded, amazed they understood each other.“That’s a nice dream.”He loved that he cared about his papa’s dreams.
Lucky opened his mouth to say more when a shadow fell across their table.
“Chauncey?”
Lucky
Lucky had never heard anyone call Chase by his full birth name, but it didn’t suit him.
“Hana, what are you doing here?”
The woman, dressed in a dull, corporate brown suit, dismissed Lucky with barely a glance.With her hair cropped short and wearing high heels, she looked every inch the professional woman.Except for the boy holding her hand, who she barely registered.
“Hi, Uncle Chaun!”the boy piped up with a beaming smile.
Chase turned his attention to the boy.“Hey, buddy.”
“Chauncey, what are you doing in the omega section?”
If Chase was the boy’s uncle, that must mean Hana was his elder sister.She was nothing like Chase in style or personality, but Lucky could see the resemblance in their bone structure.
“As you can see, I’m sitting with an omega.”Chase rolled his eyes dramatically and his nephew giggled then snapped his gaze to his mother, looking guilty.
Lucky had a horrible suspicion that the boy expected to be chastised and leaned in to provide a distraction.“Hi.I’m Lucky.”
“That’s a pretty name for a pretty omega.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”Lucky beamed at Chase, who was sufficiently distracted, talking in quiet hisses to his sister.He gestured for the boy to come closer, not surprised he glanced at his mother for permission and carefully slipped his hand free when he realised she wasn’t paying attention.“How old are you?”
“I’ll be five soon,” he announced with pride.“I’m Pip.”
Lucky brushed blond hair from his eyes.Pip looked more like Chase than his sister.Perhaps she dyed her hair or her omega was as blond and blue-eyed as the other Walkers.“You’re tall for five!”
The compliment made Pip beam bright.“What’s that?”
Lucky cocked his head, not sure what he meant.“My hair?”
Pip shook his head and took a cautious step closer.“May I touch you, Omega?”
“You may.”He slid to the edge of the booth where the boy raised a tentative finger to Lucky’s neck in explanation of what he found fascinating.
It was funny how much he took after Chase.
Lucky turned his hand to show the boy more marks on his skin.“These are called Omha Sigils,” he explained, as Pip traced the deep blue marks painted beneath his skin.“They honour the Goddess Omha, who gave all omegas life.”
Pip lifted big, wide eyes to Lucky’s.“They’re pretty.”
A hand clasped onto Pip’s shoulder and urged him away from Lucky.“Don’t get any ideas.Omha’s Sigils are an old-fashioned, outdated concept.”Hana practically pulled Pip in front of her.
“I’m sure that could be said about me for a lot of reasons.”Lucky rested his elbow on the table to place his chin in his hand, unbothered by her criticism.He’d heard worse from far better people whose opinion meant more to him.“To certain people it would be considered old-fashioned and outdated to give omegas the right to govern their own bodies.By the look of you, you believe that children should be seen and not heard.I’m afraid I don’t ascribe to that.”He watched Pip with concern, hating how rigidly he stood next to his mother.“I believe children should be loved, not managed.They’re gifts from Omha, not burdens on my precious time.”
Hana scoffed, which had Pip hunching his shoulders like he’d been caught misbehaving.“If you can’t take Philip for the afternoon, I’ll give him to Mother.”Hana ushered Pip away from their table without even letting him say goodbye.
Chase watched them leave with obvious concern.“That’s my sister.I’ve never seen her act like that with Pip.I’ve never seen him so nervous.”He swallowed and reached into his jeans pocket for his phone.“I should warn my mother.”He sent a text, fingers flying over the screen.
When he was done, setting the phone at the side, within view, Lucky offered a distraction.“Secret ten.I’m an only child, because my papa had four miscarriages before I was born, and I almost didn’t make it three times.”
He became the instant focus of Chase’s attention, though he frowned and shook his head.
