Scarlett spotted someone and yelled out, “Get over here and look at this.”
A handful of omegas in comfortable athleisure emerged from stage right, coming to crowd around where we sat. I assumed they were coworkers, since no other classes had been listed here that I could find. They gushed over Madison’s photos.
“Do you think you could do something for us here?” Farrah asked. “The omega break room is in need of a serious refresher.I could ask the big boss what we have for a budget and you could go to town.”
Madison was practically vibrating in my arms. “That would be amazing!”
She collected Farrah and Scarlett’s contact information and made a plan to meet up later to discuss once Farrah had gotten approval from the boss.
When we left there, Madison had a bounce in her step, even if she did cling hard to my arm. She glanced curiously at me when I didn’t take the turn to go home. “Where are we going?”
“Omega clinic to make sure your dizziness is nothing to worry about. I already let the others know.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah, that’s fair.”
She let me take her hand while we drove, and I carried her into the clinic. They took her back almost immediately, where a lovely doctor checked her over and chatted about the pregnancy. The doctor didn’t seem concerned, which let me be chill enough to support Madison.
“Since this is your first appointment after a positive pregnancy test, we can do some quick bloodwork to confirm, and if that’s positive as well, we can take you to the back for an ultrasound if you’d like.”
“You mean we could see the baby today?” Madison grabbed onto my arm. “Nathan, we could see the baby!”
“Indeed we could, but let’s make sure the pack is here for that, too.” I kissed her, then helped her off the exam table so we could follow the doctor to where a nurse took a blood sample. Since it would be an hour until the results, I took my omega across the street for a smoothie while we waited. I kept the others informed while she snuggled on my lap. Jude was the first to arrive, diving in to kiss Madison, then me, settling at my side and sliding her onto his own lap.
The beta and omega bond wasn’t quite as debilitating in the early days as it was with alphas, which was a relief to everyone. Having each other close was still a necessity, but they could manage an hour or two apart without extraordinary steps being taken.
“You guys really don’t have to worry,” Madison insisted. “I feel better already.”
Leo and Alve stumbled through the doors within a few minutes of Jude, everyone doting on our omega. She thrived under the attention. Her cheeks glowed as she sipped her smoothie and did her best to snuggle into all four of us at once.
The buzz of her phone had all of us on high alert.
“Hello?” She nodded, offering a murmured sound of agreement. “Okay, we’ll be there in a minute. Thank you.”
“Doctor’s office?” Leo asked.
“Yep. Test results are in.”
Alve helped her to her feet, draping his arms around her shoulders. “It’s okay to be nervous, treasure, but we’re all here for you.”
The five of us crossed the street to the clinic, one of the nurses leading us through the rabbit warren of hallways to an empty secondary waiting room. Madison disappeared into a room with the doctor, leaving us in the quiet alcove, lined up on chairs in anticipation of her return.
Nerves rippled through the pack. Even without the bond, I could tell that much. Alve looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack, so I pulled him directly onto my lap, getting my purr going until his shoulders dropped down from his ears.
“Deep breaths for me.”
Alve complied, letting his cheek rest on my head, his grip on my arm slowly easing.
An omega in scrubs peeked out the door. “You can all come in now.”
Relief poured through me. I nudged Alve to his feet, and kept my hand in his as we joined Madison. She lay on an exam table, dressed in a medical gown, a mile-wide smile on her face. “Baby confirmed. And the doctor said the dizziness was most likely just low blood sugar based on the test, so I have to snack more often, stay hydrated, and not skip any meals.”
I bent to kiss her, indulging in the sweetness of her mouth, before relinquishing her for the rest of the pack to get in there. After a moment, the lights were turned low and the ultrasound tech reached below the blanket draped over Madison’s legs. I unfortunately knew what was under there from my pregnancy research. Whoever had designed the transvaginal ultrasound wand had to be a bit of a sadist.
Our omega squirmed uncomfortably, but the pinch of her brow was replaced by a look of awe when the heartbeat echoed over the speakers.
Holy shit.
I stared at the screen, seeing the little bean shape that would eventually become a whole person we’d raise into adulthood. Elation and surreality clapped together in a sonic boom that shook my foundations.
