A direct line into my thoughts and feelings?Pass.
Pass as fuck, actually.
But… a baby wasn't a bond. It didn't sound like the worst thing, at least. Kids could be cute. And if things didn't work out with the pack, we could just draw up a custody agreement. Go our separate ways.
More of a surprise than my overall positive, if not a little apprehensive, thoughts about children, was Cameo. I had a hard time believing that the germophobic alpha was interested in being a dad, given how messy kids could be. At the same time… I could see it for him. Cameo was a pretty traditional guy despite his unusual hobbies and B-horror-movie-villain personality. It was easier than I thought it'd be to picture him with a round-cheeked little devil bouncing on his knee.
Easy to see it for all of them, honestly,especiallyIndi. They'd be a phenomenal parent, given how understanding and thoughtful they were. And who was I to stand in their way if that's what they wanted?
“You're sure you're serious about this? Having a baby, without a bonded omega?”
“What, you think I lack maternal instinct?” Cameo asked, the offense clear in his tone.
Yes!
“Obviously not,” Marcus said. “I just want to make sure it's what we really want. It's a really long and arduous process to get a surrogate… and expensive.”
Cameo sighed. “Money isn't the issue, but I am hoping we can find someone outside of the system. I’m not against the mother being involved, if she wanted to be… but picking some woman out of a catalogue to be the mother of our children gives me the same gross vibes as scent cards.”
Something in his voice prickled at my mind, but I couldn't quite place it. Less than a hunch, but more than nothing. Cameo wasn’t always the most forward with his feelings, reducing his life into a series of wants and dislikes, but?—
Marcus’ loud laugh interrupted my half-baked thought. “That's going to be a challenge. Most omegas aren't looking to offer up their body for a baby they aren't keeping. It doesn't matter how much money you offer them.”
“Everyone has a price, Marcus,” the other alpha admonished. “Besides, I'm sure it will work in our favor. Cazzo, I thought selling the company would mean no more stupid ass-kissing meetings. But it seems like they've doubled instead. I'd better get going.”
“Oh no, is someone afraid of a little work?” Marcus teased, seeming to let the topic drop for now.
I was honestly surprised to hear something so light-hearted from him. Marcus wasn't really someone who teased or was playful at all.
Or, you know,felt joy.
But maybe that was only towards me.
Of the three alphas, he'd always been the most difficult. Like every time we took a step forward, we somehow ended up three steps back just as fast… A phenomenon that was as much my fault as it was his.
At this point, I was pretty sure he didn't like me, and that made the entire situation more complicated. If I couldn't gel with the whole pack, how was I supposed to stick with them?
I'd never been an easy person to get along with. Prickly, overemotional, and too stubborn were just a few of my parents' favorite digs over the years. As far as they were concerned, I didn't exemplify anything an omega should be: obedient, subservient, agreeable… Fucking dull if you asked me.
Where was the fun in playing doormat to a bunch of alphaholes for the rest of my life?
The only one who used to understand me was my brother, Mason, but then everything happened… and as much as he pretended that it was okay, Iknewthat it was hard for him. The strain on our relationship was obvious, and I’d felt pretty alone ever since.
That was, until I met Indigo.
Maybe that’s why I was considering this crazy idea, I just… didn’t think I could bear to lose them. And if a baby would make them happy? I was at least willing to consider it, as long as it meant we could continue our relationship at a pace we were comfortable with.
“Chiudi il becco!” Cameo snapped, though I swear I could hear the grim smile in the alpha's tone. “I'll see you later.”
His footsteps came towards where I was waiting at the top of the stairs, and I shrank back against the dark wainscoting and wallpaper, in an attempt to avoid detection. Luckily, he didn't even glance my way as he bypassed the stairs and headed towards his office at the front of the house.
I was about to head back to my nest, now that the conversation—or maybe I should call itanargument—was over. Irritation settling into anger that they'd been discussing me like I didn't live here, like I wasn't a part of this pack too.
“I know you're there,” Marcus called once Cameo's door snapped shut, his voice drifting up to where I hid just steps from the landing.
I froze, not even daring to breathe.
He couldn't be talking to me, right? Indigo had totally covered that stair squeak, and?—
