This is what it means to be loved completely.
And as I lie there in the middle of them, safe and warm and so full of love I can barely breathe, I know without a doubt that this is exactly where I was always meant to be.
Forever.
Thirty-Six
ANYA
Five Months Later
Ishift my massive belly, trying to find a comfortable position on the living room couch. At eight months pregnant, nothing feels comfortable anymore. My back aches, my ankles are swollen, and this tiny human inside me thinks my ribs are his personal jungle gym. Rex sprawls beside me, his hand resting protectively on the curve of my stomach, while Lorenzo flips through channels on the giant flat-screen.
“Wait, go back,” I say, waving a hand. “I want to see the weather.”
Lorenzo clicks back to the local news, where the weather forecaster is standing in front of a map showing a massive storm system churning offshore.
“There’s a significant change in the storm’s trajectory,” he’s saying, his pointer circling a patch of angry red. “Tropical Storm Veronica, which we previously expected to pass north of Wolf Isle, has shifted course and is now projected to make landfall directly on the island within the next twelve hours.”
Lorenzo’s eyes are fixed on the screen, his jaw tight. “How fast is it moving?”
“Sixty miles an hour,” Rex reads from the scrolling update. “Sustained winds of eighty-five miles per hour.”
I press my palm against the side of my stomach where the baby is kicking harder than usual. “He’s been so active all morning. Like he’s trying to tell me something.”
Lorenzo’s eyes flick to mine sharply, but he says nothing. I watch his throat work as he swallows.
The sound of heavy footsteps in the hall makes us all turn. Ryker strides in, phone pressed to his ear, already barking orders.
“I don’t care what you have to do,” he’s saying, his voice low and dangerous. “Get those guests to the mainland on the last ferry. Yes, I’m aware of the forecast. Yes, I know it’s not ideal. Just do it.”
“Ryker looks stressed,” I whisper.
“He’s responsible for all the guests on the island,” says Rex, rubbing my back now.
Ryker turns to me, covering the receiver with his palm, his dark eyes finding mine immediately. “The helicopter’s on standby. If your labor starts during the storm, they’ll fly you to the mainland hospital.”
I roll my eyes, shifting again to ease the pressure on my spine. “I’m not due for another month. The baby’s fine. Stop worrying.”
Ryker just stares at me, his expression blank. He doesn’t say a word, but somehow I feel the weight of his concern pressing down on my shoulders.
“You’re our omega. I’ll always worry,” he says, leaning down to kiss me on the lips. I kiss him back and he’s back on the phone barking orders at his staff.
The front door bangs open, and Marcus appears, his arms loaded with enough supplies to outlast a really long winter.Carrying boxes of granola bars, packages of batteries, flashlights, and first aid kits— he’s been preparing for three days, ever since the first reports of the storm.
“Marcus,” I say, my eyebrows raised. “Is that... is that a hundred bottles of water?”
He drops his haul on the dining table with a grunt, then crosses to where I sit. His kiss lands on my forehead, gentle despite his size.
“I’d rather be ridiculous than unprepared,” he says, voice soft. His big hand rests briefly on the swell of our child. “How’s my little wolf today?”
“Kicking,” I reply, smiling despite my annoyance. “Trying to break my ribs, I think.”
The front door opens again, and Alaric steps in, shaking water from his dark blond hair. He stops the moment he sees me, those intense blue eyes narrowing in that focused stare like he’s reading my emotions.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asks quietly, still standing in the doorway.
“Yes,” I say, but my voice catches on the word. I press my palm against my stomach again, where a strange tightness has been building for the past hour.
