1 month later: Alex's bad day turned into a horrible one when he returned home after a customer appointment and found Jasmine lounging on his couch. "Out," he said. It had been a long and tiring customer appointment, and if his manipulative bitch of an ex-lover had returned from nowhere and was plotting and scheming once more, he wanted no part of it. "How did you even get in?" Jasmine waved a lazy hand towards a window. Alex was pretty sure he had been shut down when he left. "What a warm welcome," she drawled, raising her eyebrows. "I have missed you too, Alex." "What do you want?" Alex asked bluntly, not in the mood for games of subtlety. Jasmine pouted. "Don't you want to hear the story?" "What story?" Jasmine leaned back elegantly on the sofa. "How I survived all this year's," she said melodiously. "I expect you bribed and bullied some other Alpha into sparing you with the promise that you would disappear from the radar," Alex said flatly. "So no, I don't want to hear the
"Leave him alone!" Alex sounded deadly this time, but she was right; he couldn't risk using his power on her and injuring Ray. There had to be a way to distract her, get her away from Ray, and get her attention on him again. "Jasmine, I will give you what you want. You want me to go with you? You want me to-" Tears filled his eyes as he thought of leaving his family and leaving his happily ever after to go back to his wicked witch. "You want me to abandon them? I will. I'll go with you, but you have to let him go," Alex bargained. "Dad, no!" Ray tried to escape her and run to Alex to stop him, but Jasmine, despite having her full focus on Alex, still had a grip on Ray. "Dad, please don't do this," Ray begged, his distress sending him back into his teary eyes. "I will be okay, Dad, please," Ray promised. Alex stared at him, blinking rapidly. 'It won't hurt me'. He'd said it as a matter of fact, as if it were the most obvious and true thing in the world. Even scared, even while being h
"There's a bath calling my name!" Alex called back, grinning as Ashly shook her head. Ashly looked down at Ray and guided him to the sofa. "How are you doing, Ray?" Her voice was soft and warm. Ray smiled gently and shrugged casually, his eyes so big with worry that he couldn't really bring himself to lie. "I am okay, Mom. I was really scared; her hand hurt me, but Dad saved me. I am not scared anymore," he promised. Ashly kissed his forehead, brushing his hair back out of his face. Ashly looked at Ray, who looked almost shy, but there was a light in his eyes that Ashly didn't think was there before. She framed Ray's face with both hands, smiling softly at her. "We both love you so much," Ashly whispered. Ray's smile widened, and he nodded. "I know." Ashly kissed Ray's head before jumping and reaching behind her, where Rose was standing behind the couch. She squealed as Rose grabbed her and pulled her up onto the sofa. "Nosy sister-in-law," she teased. Rose laughed as Ashly tickle
It was a few hours past midnight, and Alex was in the living room, carrying a crying Ci and trying to get her back to sleep. However, she wanted her 'Mummy', which meant she wanted Ashly. He sighed. Ashly had returned home late, exhausted after performing her work on the shop, and Alex didn't have the heart to wake his wife up. "Shh, sweetheart," he told Cecily softly. "You're going to wake your mama up. She's very tired tonight, so just bear with your dad, okay?" Of course, baby Cecily didn't understand that and continued to wail. Alex sighed. It was late, and he has tried everything he can think of. He tried feeding her, changing her, and playing with her, but she just wouldn't fall back to sleep. "Come on, Cecily. You need to sleep." He was too engrossed in his crying daughter; he didn't notice someone was standing behind him until a pair of small arms were wrapped around his waist. "You should have woken me up," Ashly said, kissing Alex's neck before letting her husband go. "
23-months old "Why aren't you picking up?" Alex muttered under his breath. This was the third time he tried calling Monika within one minute when the first two calls went unanswered. He almost ended the call and tried calling the fourth time when Monika answered. "Finally," Alex cried exasperatedly. "What took you so long?" "I was in the shower," Monika huffed in annoyance. "Why are you calling me anyway?" Shouldn't you be spending time with Ashly and Ci or something?" "That's why I am calling," Alex said. "I am wondering if you knew where Ashly was. I tried calling her cell phone, but it went unanswered." "She left the shop hours ago," Monika told him. "She didn't mention anything about stopping by somewhere." As if she could sense her brother-in-law's worries, she told him in a soft voice, "Don't worry; I am sure Ashly is fine. I will tell Seth to look for her, okay? You just stay put with Cecily." After the call ended, Alex dropped onto the living room couch, surprising himself
Flashback continue:- "You're hard again already." Alex threw another glare at his wife. "It was your fault that we haven't had sex for awhile." Ashly dropped her hands and straightened herself before leaning forward to kiss Alex softly on the mouth. "I am sorry for neglecting you for so long." She moved up to sit next to Alex before undoing her own jeans. Alex looked at her with wide eyes. "Are we really going to do this here?" he asked, before glancing at the James family's house. "Don't worry, mom would be busy preparing dinner, and Adom and Monika would be preoccupied with Rose and Seth, respectively." Alex nodded, still looking in the direction of the house. When he turned back to Ashly, his eyes widened at the sight. Ashly's jeans and underwear were fully off, and the omega was leaning against the car door while preparing herself with her fingers. Alex could feel himself gulping his saliva, seeing Ashly flush her face, panting slightly, as the omega hole swallowed her two fi
When Alex arrived at the library, his heart dropped when he saw Ashly. His wife was seated on an armchair near the fireplace, her hands around her curved stomach. Ashly was looking down at her belly, so Alex couldn't see his wife's face, but he could hear the sniffle coming from Ashly. He knew that part of it was Ashly hormones, but he also knew that something else was troubling his wife. He quickly went to Ashly, making his presence known in the process. It was never good to startle a pregnant person after all. Ashly quickly wiped her eyes, trying to destroy all telltale signs that he was crying just a minute ago. She even gave Alex a small smile, although it didn't reach her eyes. Alex sighed and said, "Ashly." He placed a soft kiss on Ashly's head, saying, "You don't have to act so strong around me. And didn't I tell you before? Keeping secrets from your husband is unfair." Ashly gave a simple "Hm" as a reply. Alex dropped to his knees in front of Ashly and pulled up the baggy s
Alex looked up from his book when Ashly joined him on the couch in the living room. Naked Chef was playing on the television, but it was just background noise while Alex read. "Is Shine asleep?" Ashly had been with Shine in their bedroom for almost an hour, trying to put the baby Omega to bed. "Yes, he is, finally." Ashly straddled Alex, took the book from Alex's hand, and placed it on the small table next to the couch. "Hi," she grinned before kissing Alex on the lips and threading her fingers through Alex's hair. Alex moaned and wrapped his arms around Ashly's waist, deepening the kiss. After he was kissed thoroughly and both were out of breath, they pulled apart. "Hi," Alex replied, slowly catching his breath. "Well, isn't this lovely?" Ashly smirked before she leaned down to capture Alex's lips again. Then, she murmured against the Alpha, "I miss you." She began kissing Alex's jaw, then trailing kisses along his jawline to his neck. "It's been so long since we've been intimate,"
By the time Ray arrived at the Downtown, the tavern owned by his 22-year-old childhood friend, Alvin, it was only a quarter to seven. It was still so early; there were only two patrons there, sitting at the bar. Henna was their bartender. RK, another friend of theirs who also worked with RK, was setting up the stage. It was jazz night. Alvin was at the bar, cleaning some of the glassware. Ray went to the bar and sat in front of Alvin. The older man took one look at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Well, you look like shit." "I feel like shit too." "What happened?" "Milly pregnant." "Ah," Alvin said, now understanding Ray's troubles. "You knew she was pregnant, didn't you?" There was no accusation in his voice, just resignation. Alvin nodded. "Of course I did. I think everyone who knew Milly knew. This town is not really a big town. People gossip." He took a bottle of beer from the shelf behind him and pushed it in front of Magnus. "Here, have some. It's on the house." "Thanks
In his room, Ray changed and sat on his bed. His phone lay in front of him, and he stared at it. He didn't want to admit it earlier, but he knew Jane was right. But it had only been a few months, and everything was still raw. He loved Milly, and he still does. He had been in a few relationships before Milly, but he never loved someone like he loves the omega. It wasn't just some Alpha lust. And he knew Milly hadn't moved on either. After Milly broke up with him, Ray spent weeks stalking Milly through F******k and I*******m since the latter wouldn't answer his calls, not that Milly updated much. In fact, Milly's F******k relationship status was still "in a relationship". That gave Ray hope, and he continued to stalk Milly's social media updates until Jane, Jack, and Tommy held an intervention. He wasn't allowed to obsessively refresh Milly's I*******m account or F******k page in the hopes that Milly would post something regarding the two of them. Once he stopped stalking Milly on soci
Both of them got up on their feet, and Milly threw away the pregnancy test and cup in the rubbish bin under the sink before washing her hands. She followed Mai to the kitchen, and Mai told her to help herself with any drinks she wanted. She took a soda for the Mai and was about to look for something for herself when the smell of cheese hit her nose. She was hit by a bout of nausea and quickly excused herself and made her way to the bathroom in the hallway between the dining room/family living room and the second living room, where they entertain guests. By the time Milly returned, Mai had set everything up in the family room. On the coffee table, there was a bowl of popcorn, a plate of crackers, and a pot of tea. The cheesy nachos Mai made earlier were nowhere in sight. "How do you feel about the Marvel movie marathon?" Mai asked as she held out three DVDs. "I just bought a collection of Marvel movies." "Sure." Milly wasn't that interested in Marvel, but she knew quite a bit because
Ray laughed before removing his robe and boxers. Then, he continued his meditation on Milly's jaw while his hands started playing with Milly's boobs. He trailed kisses down to Milly's neck, nibbling on it, biting it, and marking Milly while pinching and twisting the reddened verginia with his fingers until she became a complete mess. When he trailed kisses down to Milly's chest, he replaced his fingers with his tongue on one of Milly's boobs. His free hand, on the other hand, moved down to Milly Verginia. It was already wet once more. Milly whimpered when Ray gave his attention to her other boob, circling the hardened nub with his tongue. She whimpered, "Please, Ray. Enough foreplay. I want to feel you inside me." Ray straightened up and shook his head. "No, you deserve the best, love. And because it's your first time, I am going to make sure you feel thoroughly loved." He dove down again and trailed kisses down Milly's torso. His tongue dipped into Milly's belly button before he rea
On any other day, Milly would have been amused by the deer-in-the-headlights look on her boyfriend's face. However, today was not like any other day, so she walked into Ray's bedroom without a laugh, with a frown on her face instead of a smile. "Milly, hey," Ray greeted his girlfriend. He quickly sat up on his bed, his legs crossed. "Why are you here?" Milly had her hands crossed over her chest. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question, Ray? You said you had practice today. The funny thing is, Shine told me practice was cancelled." Shit, Ray thought. He forgot that Milly was friends with Shine too, and she always talked to him and Cecily on the phone. The excuse he gave Milly when the final class ended was the first thing that came into his mind before he all but ran out of the classroom. "Sorry?" he said, although it came out more like a question. Milly sighed and climbed onto the bed. "Why are you avoiding me?" Ray forced out a smile. "Who said I was?" "We've been together for
"There's no threat here. I'm just trying to show you that my brother and I are more useful to you alive than dead." Eliott seemed to take in his words for a moment before talking again. The more he considered Ray's proposal, the less focus he put on keeping hold of his brother. If he lost control and became totally distracted, maybe he wouldn't be able to keep Shine under control. Maybe he could free his brother and get Shine to fight alongside him. Apart, they were nothing more than trained wolves with no real fighting experience or skill, but at the bare edge of their full potential. Together, though, they might be enough. They might even be unstoppable. It was a long shot and probably a stupid idea. It was also the only idea he had, so Ray would make it work. "Even if I believed you, how can I know they won't kill me as soon as they find us?" "You must know a defense technique that is strong enough to prevent that." Ray shrugs, trying to appear casual. "Also, my parents value o
The first time Ray ever met Shine, he came back when he heard about his Omega brother. When Ray entered their home, he saw Shine, who was just a mess of pale skin and fancy pajamas on his dad's lap. At the time, of course, he didn't think about being an Omega big brother. Ray was just scared and confused about how he was going to take care of his omega brother. Everyone around him was talking and smiling, and he didn't understand. Nothing made much sense at all. Ray knows the meaning of Omega in this world, but society still doesn't accept it. His own mother is a big example. When Cecily was born, Ray was relieved; she was born as an Alpha, but now... His dad snapped him out of his daydreaming and smiled at him as he came to offer his hug, then offered him a look at the boy in his arms. Even though Shine was already 3 months old back then, he still loves Ray and Cecily's scent. Maybe it'll make him safe, and Ray will make sure to protect him all his life. Seven Years Later: Ray f
Alex and Ashly didn’t write their own vows this time. This time, they just repeated whatever the fake prince told them to, and they swapped the same rings they already had on. Alex even pressed the button on his bouquet to make it sing the wedding march. It was very tacky and nothing fancy. But their friends were there—their family. It was perfect. Monika was tearing up in the front row, with Rose soothing her from the side and smiling at Ashly like she was proud of her. Adom and Seth gave them a thumbs up, throwing confetti over them when they walked down the aisle afterwards. It was a spur-of-the-moment, I-dare-you-to-do-it decision on their part, but Ashly thinks that it doesn’t matter. Because if Alex is really happy with them, he wouldn’t say no to anything. “I thought it was lovely. Priest even sang a few lines from ‘Can’t help falling in love with you’.” Monika comments when they sit on a bridge, looking over the Vegas lights. Her legs dangle over the edge, and she’s hol
They sit in the huge living room, complete with a flat-screen TV that takes up a whole wall and a fountain in the middle of the room. Ashly just knows that Shine would've loved that fountain. "So, we need—Monika, where'd you get that?" Alex eyes Ashly's sister, who's sipping a new cocktail, this time a mai tai. "There was a bar downstairs, duh." She waves the yellow drink at them, lounging on the armchair. She looked stunning as ever in her black glittering dress and black stilettos. "Are you sure you don't want to slow down? What even is that?" Seth asks and comes closer to sniff at the cocktail. "Mai tai. I never mix alcohols, and today is a rum kind of day." Monika responds, ignoring the first part and giving Seth a sip. "That's actually good." "I thought men only drank brown liquids." Adom teases, and Seth flips him off. "People," Alex gets their attention effortlessly, his ringed fingers catching the light from the great chandelier on the ceiling, his voice commanding. "Th