Chapter Ten

Orla sat between her mates as Iro’s family and Ligo’s sat staring at her. It had been forty-eight hours since her heat.

Iro was amused as his mother spent more time glaring at Avenar than beaming at Orla. The first thing Avenar had said about Orla had not been complimentary. It had been something about her looking exhausted and worn out over such a little thing. Breelin had told Avenar what being with two alphas after losing a large amount of blood volume was like in graphic detail.

Iro’s father smiled behind his hand, and Avenar’s husband looked skyward. Iro’s alpha sister sat with her fingers in her ears, whistling softly.

Breelin smiled. “So, Orla, you had a heat?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Avenar muttered, “Betas don’t have heats.”

Breelin asked, “What was the first sign, Ligo?”

“She stopped insulting me and started flirting with my tentacles, and then, she flipped me to my back and got on top of me with hot skin and blown pupils.” Ligo smiled. “Iro examined her and confirmed that it was what we thought it was, and then, things started, and Shon had a feast ready for us after that.”

Shon chuckled and set out the first tray of beverages. To Orla’s amazement, Shon smacked Avenar’s hand as she reached for the smoothie that Shon had been creating for Orla. The only thing it didn’t have was a chunk of steak. Everything else her body needed was in there.

Shon set the drink in front of Orla and patted her head. “She was so pale after her heat. She needs feeding up.”

A familiar voice called out. “Are we late for the family meeting?”

Aeryn walked in with Sohar and Loken.

Orla waved over to the three empty chairs. “Hey, Aeryn, what did Sohar’s mom say when she met you?”

“Oh, thank god. He won’t crush you.” Aeryn chuckled. “Loken’s mom just squealed and hugged me for a while. We have appointments to get our nails and facials done.”

Orla smiled. “I have a boy-mom and hospital administrators.”

“Ouch on the boy-mom.”

Ligo asked, “What’s a boy-mom?”

“Ah, it is a mother who is obsessed with her son; no woman is good enough, and no female issue is worth considering if it inconveniences the precious son. She is allowed ailments to get attention from her son but will distract him from any milestones that involve her bonded daughter, including active labour.”

Ligo’s father, Osca, blinked. “That was my mother. Avenar hated her.”

Avenar blinked. “I loved her.”

“Liar. She pulled at me at every opportunity, and I had to fight to stay free of her. I was there when Ligo was born, and my mother wanted me to be at a dinner party on one of the Emerald Islands.”

Avenar paused. “She did?”

“She did, and I defied her. If you are going to try this, we are moving to another entire island. Whenever our grandchild shows up, whether it is Ligo’s or Iro’s, I will be out in the waiting room, getting food and snacks and waiting my turn to hold the little one. I will be a proud grandfather, and nothing you can think of is going to poison me against Orla or the next generation.”

Everybody just froze, and then, Loken started a slow clap. “Well said, Osca.”

Avenar’s face crumpled, and she started sobbing. Orla looked at her and said, “Stop.”

Avenar froze, and her face cleared.

Orla asked, “Why do you have an issue with me?”

Avenar spoke softly. “Not you. Any woman who takes attention from me. I have my son and my husband, and you will never be a wife. You have two mates, and you aren’t even an omega.”

Ligo murmured, “Orla, are you doing that?”

“I can force truth.” She sipped at her smoothie. “I don’t like to, but I thought it was best to do it with witnesses.”

Ligo sighed. She turned to him and beckoned to him. She whispered in his ear, and he grinned.

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Aeryn came forward and handed her four items. “He took the grape jelly off these, but they will work.”

Sohar said, “They are from a fourteenth-century Spanish galleon.”

Orla stood and backed up so they were both facing her. “Iro, will you be my delta to have and to hold until I wear you out?”

He laughed and then sobered with a soft look. “Orla, I will.”

She slid a wide band on his finger.

She heard a gasp from Avenar and continued. “Ligo, will you be my alpha to have and to hold until I wear you out or cut your tentacles off?”

He grinned. “Even beyond that, Orla. I will.”

She pushed the ring on his finger, it snugged up around his digit, and she smiled. She pressed one ring into each of their hands.

Iro grinned. “Orla, will you put up with my fussing and unannounced temperature checks for as long as we both shall live?”

“Yes. I will.”

The ring slid onto her finger and snugged into place. He kissed her ring finger.

Ligo smiled. “Orla, will you put up with my snarky temper, my mother, and a future that I will make as smooth for you as I can? Oh, and the tentacles. Will you put up with the tentacles?”

She chuckled. “I have grown fond of them, so yes, I will. All of it. Are any of our kids both of your kids? Will you find me if I end up in a powerless zodiac again?”

He slid the ring onto her finger with a smile. “Absolutely, and the heavens help anyone who touches you again.”

She blushed. “I am good at defending myself.”

“Yes, but you should not have to exercise your skills.”

He lifted her hand and kissed the two stacked rings. “So, what else is necessary?”

“Sign the paperwork that Aeryn brought. It gets filed, and for the islands, that is all that is necessary. It goes to the archives on Emerald, and it’s official.”

The three-way hug was applauded, and they kissed, and then, handfuls of flower petals rained over them. She laughed and smiled up at Ligo and Iro.

Osca said, “I am going to move your mother to the retirement resort on Lefgar. I think she will be happier there with the gossip set.”

Avenar gasped. “No. I promise. I will be fine with the marriage. I swear.”

“You will have one more insult to Orla, and then, you are going to be spending your days pampered and gossiping. No family. No grandchildren. So, be good. Appreciate what fate has delivered to us, and let’s have a celebration.”

She nodded and took a deep breath. “Do I really sound like your mother?”

Osca sighed. “Yes.”

“She was a bitch to me.”

“Yes. I stopped her, and I will stop you. Just so we are clear. You are not carrying this to the next generation,” Osca murmured in his wife’s ear.

Ligo hugged Orla. “Finish your smoothie.”

She chuckled, and Iro handed her the smoothie. “Drink up. After this, we are having a barbecue.”

“Wait, is that what Shon and some of her relatives have been sneaking around since dawn?”

“Correct.” Iro laughed. “Having the meet-the-parents moment is always fun.” He looked to Breelin and his sister, focusing on Avenar. “Well, usually.”

Figures were walking up the path on the ocean side, and when Orla identified the short white hair and silvery eyes, she sprinted past everyone and ran for the woman in the flowing cotton dress and wide-sleeved shirt.

Orla ran past Serin and sobbed, “Belle!”

Belle caught her and rocked back on her heels. “Hey, Orla. So, the giant squid, huh? Island gossip is unbelievable.”

Orla felt that Belle was thin but strong, just as she had always been. “How are you feeling? Are you good now?”

“I am good. Rang the bell. I was in the islands recuperating when Serin mentioned that you were having a little celebration. I am up for a party.”

“Oh, my god. This is the best present ever. Thanks, Serin!”

Serin helped Belle up the hill. “Come on. She needs to sit. She’s cancer-free but still not as sturdy as she used to be.”

Belle looked behind her. “Looks like you have more guests arriving. You might want to help the short one up the hill.”

Orla felt her eyes go wide and saw the boat pulling up and being tied. When the female figure stepped onto the dock, Orla gasped, but when the small figure jumped onto her and was carried toward the steps in the hill, Orla bolted down the path, and Jane grinned as they met. “Hello, Orla.”

The hug was tremendous, the little voice squeaking, “Anorra!” He had golden hair, bright grey eyes, and a mask of darker skin around his eyes. It was like he was wearing a tanned mask.

Jane laughed. “Congratulations. We are here for a party, so if we get to a flat surface, you can watch how fast he can run now.”

Orla put an arm around her and helped her up the steps with her excited, wiggly burden. The moment they got to the top, Jane put her son down, whispered to him, and he darted toward the men gathered around the food prep.

Jane snorted. “He always seeks out the guys.”

Orla grinned, and they went to sit with Belle. Terro ran around like a little loon, and as he prodded at the alphas for attention, they looked at him with surprise and turned shocked gazes toward Jane.

Jane muttered, “Huh. I think they have figured out something I have been wondering about.”

Orla blinked. “Oh, so his dad has a distinguishing feature.”

“Well, it would explain the birthmark around the eyes.”

Terro barrelled toward them, and Orla caught him up. “Come on. I want to introduce you to your new uncles properly. There are a lot of them.”

She laughed and took Terro to meet the others.

When she introduced him to Ligo and Iro, they stared at him. He stared back and then looked away as if they weren’t what he was looking for.

“Weird. This is Terro. He’s Jane’s son. So, what do you see when you look at him.”

“Someone we know.” Iro looked at the toddler. “Hey, little guy.”

Terro looked at him and then stuck his arms out in demand.

Iro took him and said, “Terro, is it? Come on, let’s meet your new Uncle Sohar. He’s going to like that cute mask around your eyes.”

Orla watched him take Terro to meet the others and smiled as the alphas shook his little hand and greeted him respectfully.

Ligo said, “We are going to have to call his father.”

“You know who it is?”

“Yeah. I am going to head inside and make a call. I will see you soon.” He leaned over to kiss her and smiled. “It will be fine.”

She nodded, and he walked inside, going to get his phone. She watched him through the window as he made a call, and he spoke for a moment before he came outside and took Terro, carrying him to Jane. He focused on them and asked, “Does she look familiar?”

There was a pause, and Orla heard, “ I thought I dreamed her. ”

Jane cuddled Terro and said, “Nope. Though you are the stuff of flashbacks.”

Ligo turned the phone, and Jane blinked. “Yeah, that’s what I remembered, but I was pretty sure you weren’t real.”

“The same here. I can’t make it back to the islands today. How long are you there?”

Jane smiled. “I can probably find a place to stay for a night or two. He’s been looking for you in every face, so it will be nice for him to meet you.”

Serin said, “You can help me break my house in. It was amazing how panel walls and floors came together.”

“Right, so she’s in the town of the main island of the Wonder chain.” Jane smiled. “Not too far from the palace. Ask for Serin’s place.”

Serin chuckled. “Yay. Houseguests!”

“I will be there tomorrow.”

There was another voice that came through the phone. “ Hey, Jane! We are almost done here. We just have to finalize some prototypes, and they will be ready for testing. Then, I can send him off to you. ”

Jane blinked. “Oh, hey, Violet. Are you over on the big island of Blackridge?”

The voice from behind the man on the screen said, “ Yeah. One tiny invisible facility later. Thanks for that, Jane. ”

Jane chuckled, and Terro was still staring at the man’s face in the screen. He was reaching out for it and beamed. “Dah!”

The voice muttered, “ Fuck it, sorry, Violet .”

There was a dark swirl of energy at the shoreline, and then, a man in dark clothing was sprinting up the hill.

Jane kept her excited and squirming son in her arms while the man who fathered him made his way toward them. She went to meet him.

Everyone watched, and Orla took Ligo’s hand.

The blond hair, silver eyes, and pigmented mask were set in bronze skin instead of Terro’s lightly tanned complexion. Terro was excited and babbling, so Jane offered him, and the stranger took him over. “Oh, wow.”

Orla watched, and the trio had the focus of every eye.

Jane said, “Let’s go inside. We can talk.”

Jane turned and headed for Ligo’s house with a slight nod to him.

Ligo nodded, and the trio disappeared into the house. He exhaled. “Wow. We thought he was delusional when he got back after that trip. He dove into his work, and that was it. He didn’t come up for weeks; we just knew he thought he saw magic, but we didn’t know what it meant.”

Orla sighed. “You know now. What is he?”

“Ocean vortex. She is?”

“Seawitch.”

“Right. Good match.”

She inhaled the scent of increasingly tempting food. “Wow. This is turning into quite the party.”

He lifted her hand and kissed the palm. “Of course it is. Betas have weddings, and we are working on designing a pack bond ritual for these islands. Something special for folks who want to have their vows said in a peaceful, natural, and energy-filled environment.”

“Oh, nice. I guess we should have waited.”

Iro walked up, having been listening in. “I think that it was peaceful, natural, and had plenty of good energy. And now, we are having a celebration with friends and family.”

Orla smiled. “Yeah. I guess you are right.” She beamed at Ligo and Iro and said, “It was perfect.”

She squeaked at the sandwich hug, and they laughed. Soon, they were joined by the excited Terro and Jane.

Jane smiled. “He’s gone back to his meeting, and we will talk tomorrow. For now, each of us knows that we weren’t a figment of overstressed hormones. He also thinks that Terro is the most stunning child ever to walk the earth, so I am all in favour of that.”

Orla laughed.

“Well, I am going to put Terro down for a nap, and then, you can finish your hug, and we can chat.” Jane smiled. She took her drooping son into the house.

Orla settled against her mates and watched Jane take care of her son. “Wow. So, he was out here. That explains a lot.”

“The mask is a dead giveaway,” Iro murmured.

Orla chucked, and she could see Serin talking to Avenar, and the expression on the older woman’s face was horror and despair. Whatever Serin was telling her seemed to be getting through to her.

Orla asked, “So, when do we eat?”

Aeryn and her mates came out of the jungle with arms loaded with flowers. They sat and laughed with each other while they made garlands, and Avenar came and sat with them, helping them weave crowns and columns of flowers.

Ligo murmured in surprise, “That’s encouraging.”

Orla felt a lightening of worry as it regarded Avenar. She wouldn’t let her guard down, but she was broadcasting less crazy than she had been earlier.

Eventually, the hug broke, and they separated with Orla hanging out with Aeryn and Serin, and Avenar came by when Jane came out to have a seat.

The men brought out snacks and beverages, and they waited for the sun to go down. Torches were lit, and Orla, Ligo, and Iro were draped in flowers, and the feast got started.

Terro came out and sat with his mom while she fed him, and he leaned against her as the music played.

Orla grinned when the dancing started. The guys took turns dancing and shouting. Terro ran up to be next to them and started dancing as well. Jane smiled, and Orla asked, “You aren’t worried about him getting squished?”

“No. Watch.”

Sohar stepped a little too close to Terro, and a force field flared up around him. Terro bumped onto his diapered butt, rolled out from under the feet, got in front, lined up with the guys again, and started dancing with them.

Orla put a hand over her mouth. “He is just too cute.”

“He is.” Jane sighed. “He has asked to see the videos.”

“Oh, the diary you kept in case you found him again?”

“Yeah. He said his biggest regret was that he missed being there for everything.”

“That and not talking to you the next morning.”

Jane blushed. “That was partially my fault. When I woke up with him next to me, I said it was a dream, and I wanted to be back in my room, and I was. Right down to my clothing and lanyard. In a hotel across the city.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“Yeah. As soon as I woke up, I panicked, and I was out of there, literally. From there, I had no idea how to find him. I couldn’t remember details, and eventually, he faded into a dream until I found out I was pregnant. Then, I looked everywhere, casually, and focused on keeping myself healthy. Luna and Nora helped with that.”

Orla smiled. “I wonder if they will commute all the way to the islands.”

“You have your alpha and your delta; you are fine.” Jane smiled. “Your future is bright.”

Serin came and nudged them. “Time for the ladies to dance. Let’s go.”

They took up the dance floor, and Aeryn took point. They could get away with not being as graceful, but the audience was no less appreciative. Belle smiled and watched from the comfortable seating that had been arranged for her.

Jane was cheered on by Terro, and he ran up to dance with her. She scooped him up and carried him on her hip.

Orla smiled at the sudden feeling of home and companionship. This is what weddings were supposed to feel like and rarely were. This was a celebration.

The night turned into tales of Orla as a child, Ligo’s adventures, and Iro’s instinctive comforting of patients in waiting rooms, as well as his skills at tracking creatures through the jungle.

Orla chuckled. “Noted.”

Iro kissed her cheek. “You aren’t one to hide in the shrubs.”

“No. I tend to punch my way out of things.”

Ligo nodded. “And we are grateful for it.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. “I just wish I knew where that seventh guy was.”

Iro shrugged and looked to Loken. “Do you know where he was?”

“He might have been in the jungle past the town. Might have been crunchy. Who can really tell these things?” Loken smiled with an innocent expression as he offered Aeryn some more shredded pork.

Aeryn opened her mouth and shrugged. “Might have been tripped by wind and water. Who can really tell with these things?”

Sohar chuckled. “Might have happened while we stopped to shop for a bonding gift.”

Orla smiled. “That guy’s disappearance is gift enough.”

Ligo chuckled. “Don’t say that. We can get some cursed gemstones from Sohar if we play our cards right.”

Sohar laughed. “I was doing that anyway, minus the curse.”

They chuckled. The casual mention of a murdered kidnapper eased under teasing and laughter.

Orla sat and watched the moon rise. She glanced at her sister. “The pathway home is a twisted one, but we got there in the end.”

Aeryn grinned. “We did. It was weird, don’t get me wrong, but we got there.”

Orla leaned over, and Aeryn took her hand with a squeeze. Serin lowered her phone and sighed. “Perfect ending to Aeryn’s video.”

Aeryn chuckled. “I forgot about that.”

Jane walked over and kissed Orla’s cheek with a sleeping Terro on her hip. “Call me soon. When you have had time to breathe.”

“Take care of my little dude.”

“Of course. That’s my job.”

Serin grinned. “Come on, Jane. We need to get the little man into bed. Belle as well.”

Belle laughed and accepted help to her feet and nodded to the others. “Congratulations, and it was a wonderful party.”

Everyone waved farewell, and she and Serin headed down to the dock, where the boat was waiting for them.

Orla sighed and smiled as the boat pulled away from the dock. Iro looked and stared. “No one is driving that boat.”

She smiled. “Don’t be silly. Jane is.”

Iro looked at her and smiled. “Of course. Jane is.”

A firework-like sparkle shot into the air, and tiny bits of glittery light slowly settled on the water and disappeared.

They sat together until the last of the guests left, and it was just their triad heading for a nice, restful sleep. Eventually. It was a celebration, after all.