Chapter 9

He snickered more to himself than to the alphas. “Almost as insane as my alpha dad. Between my alpha and omega dads, I’m coddled to within an inch of my life. Even now as an adult, they will still call me once every two days to make sure I’m eating right. My omega Dad can’t stop emailing me all these simple and healthy recipes because he’s worried that I can’t cook, and I’ll starve myself to death.”

Mason scrunched up his face in confusion. “But you can cook, right? I remember you telling Kian and me about it the first night we met.”

“Duh! Of course. Omega Dad is a worrywart.”

Kian snickered. “He cares a lot about you.”

“I know, but it gets too much sometimes.”

Mason inhaled deeply before speaking up. “I don’t have any siblings either, but my parents are the opposite of yours. I have an alpha dad, an alpha mom, and an omega dad. I’m aware that all three of them love me very much, but they allow me to do whatever I like. I think it’s mostly because I’m an alpha, so they aren’t as worried about me. I only have to call them once a month to inform them that I’m still alive and kicking.”

Blake rolled his eyes. “You’re damn lucky. What about you, Kee?”

“An only child, as well. I have two alpha dads and an omega mom. Their personalities are somewhere in the middle between your parents and Mason’s. I usually call them once or twice a week.”

Blake beamed at Kian. “That’s nice, too. I love my parents, but I’m being smothered with too much affection.”

The three remained on the bench until they finished the food and drinks. Then, they threw away the packaging before going on several rides. Blake insisted on taking several photographs of them on his smartphone as they were having so much fun. He noticed how some alphas stared and postured at him, displaying their alpha status when he, Kian, and Mason were walking past or were standing too near to them.

He was aware how those alphas were wary of him because he was built like an alpha. It was an automatic reaction on their parts. An alpha’s territorial nature grew worse when he or she has an omega nearby. However, he noted their astonished expressions when they realized he was an omega. In the past, he would be self-conscious. It was a painful reminder of how undesirable he was as an omega mate.

This time around, things were different. He had an alpha on either side of him. He didn’t feel as alone anymore. He actually might have a chance of becoming a mated omega soon. As independent as he was, he couldn’t deny his omega biology. He wanted to have a loving mate or two and also kids of his own someday. Naturally, it would be even better if he had at least one alpha mate to help him through his monthly heat.

As wonderful as betas were, they wouldn’t be able to satiate his heats the way an alpha could. Omegas were more than capable to go through life without any alphas. It wasn’t impossible, but each heat would be difficult to get through. He wished there were suppressants that could prevent heats from coming altogether, but they hadn’t been invented yet. The ones on the market only reduced a portion of the symptoms.

He was engrossed in his thoughts, so he was taken aback when he felt the warmth of the alphas’ hands holding onto his own on both sides. They each gave him a tentative smile, so he beamed at them to indicate he was all right with what they did. He had plenty of fun at the carnival for the next few hours. His favorite moments came nearly toward the end of their outing when the alphas wrapped their arms around his waist and led him toward the exit and all the way out to the parking lot. It was one of the most memorable dates he ever had, and he would treasure the memory for the rest of his life. 6

A few days after their fun carnival date, Mason and Kian paid a visit to Blake’s apartment for the first time. They were both nervous as they knocked on the door that Tuesday evening and waited for Blake to answer.

“Do you think he’s going to like it?” Mason whispered, doing his best to suppress his nervousness.

Kian faced Mason before shrugging uncertainly. “I don’t know. I hope so.”

“Oh, shit,” Mason hissed under his breath. “What if he hates it? What if he thinks it’s the stupidest idea ever? You know what? Stay right here. I’ll return it to the car.”

Kian reached out and grabbed Mason’s hand. “Don’t do that. I think it’s going to be fine.”

Mason narrowed his eyes at Kian. “You don’t sound confident about it.”

“I’m fucking anxious about Blake’s reaction, okay?” Kian snapped.