Chapter Six

Wiping tears from the sweet farewell, Haravin sat in one of the comfortable seats while her companions sat next to each other. That was it. She was on her way to the Wonder Islands. At the back of the cabin there was a woman who was heading to a place called Blackridge Island. It would be a ferry from Wonder to her destination.

Haravin got up and wobbled to the seat where the woman was watching a video on a tablet. "Hello."

The woman looked up from the depths of her hood. "Hello."

"You are a member of the book club?"

"Yes. You?"

Haravin nodded. "Yes."

The woman paused her video. "Those are your matches?"

"Yes. How can you tell?"

"They both look incredibly concerned."

"Oh. Is your match on the island?"

"No. My brother is. He's on a research team. Some days, you just want a hug from someone familiar."

"Oh. How will you get home?"

"Well, I will take a ferry back to Wonder then another one to Emerald. From there, I can get a commercial flight." She smiled.

"Oh, well, you seem to have a plan."

"I usually have a plan. And then an alpha knocks me into the ocean, and I get waves on my back, and then I am on a charter flight out to the islands so that I can see some family and get some rest."

"You can't rest?"

"Not unless I can hear the ocean. It sucks." She tapped the headphones around her neck.

"What is your name?"

"Nerina. You can call me Nina." She smiled.

"I'm Haravin. I am going to be somewhere on Wonder if you want to have lunch or something before you leave."

"Any nickname?"

Haravin grimaced. "Harvey. I am not really a fan."

"How about Hara?"

She hadn't ever had anyone give her a non-annoying nickname, so she nodded. "That sounds good."

"You are here for a permanent relocation?"

"Yes."

"There are two of us on Emerald. Well, two that I am aware of."

"Really?"

"Sure. Ven is part of the alpha and omega ruling family on Emerald. Eliana is there as well. Have you met them?"

Haravin was smiling. "I have. And you say there are ferries?"

"Yes. Helicopters if you are in a hurry."

"Wow. Somehow, I had an image of me standing on a pile of sand in the middle of nowhere."

Nina smiled. "There are other islands everywhere. The weird thing is that many have different geological makeup, which suggests that they have other world traces. Like chunks of other planets that got wedged in after Pangea spread out."

Hara smiled and wanted to continue, but Kekoa touched her shoulder. "You need to take your meds, Haravin."

"Could you call me Hara?"

"Certainly. Can you call me Kek?"

She beamed and nodded. "Sorry, Nina. I am about to get very sleepy."

"Take all the time you need. I am going to see if I can chase a nap down myself." She pulled her headphones on and keyed something on the tablet.

Hara walked with Kek to where Alohi had the medication in his hand. She took it with some water brought by the air hostess, and then he handed her the second packet. She blinked. "I don't know if I can manage this in the lavatory."

Alohi drew a curtain over the area where he and Kekoa had been sitting. "There you go. Privacy."

"You are in here with me."

"That is true. So, have a seat, and I will help."

She stared as he eased her onto one of the seats, carefully reached under her skirt, and removed her panties. The first rod was a sort of flexible vaginal suppository that omegas used when they got internally abraded.

He coated it with the antibiotic ointment and used one hand to open her and get her a little slick, and then the four inches of medication were inside her, and the treatment was over. She was clenching on it something fierce, and her underwear was slid back in place.

The sedatives were to keep her from fighting it, so she carefully got up and waddled over toward her previous seat.

Alohi sighed. "Get back on that chair and get some sleep. You need it."

She frowned. "That's what I am doing."

"I mean the spot you were just in a moment ago so that we can take a nap." He flipped the arms up and made a wide bed, pushing the seats back.

She swayed, and he settled on the bed with his back against the wall, and Kekoa came in. He eased her toward Alohi, and she stumbled before climbing onto the omega and putting her head on his chest.

Kekoa chuckled and lay next to them, pressing his chest to her back and wrapping his arm over them both. The sedative swamped her, and she fell asleep as the middle of the sandwich.

She smelled coffee and heard a slurp next to her ear. She hummed and started to push her way to sitting. Alohi looked different. She blushed and tried to push away from Kek. "Oh. I am sorry."

He smiled slightly and offered her coffee, pressing the cup to her lips. "We are going to be home in an hour."

"Oh. I should wake up then." She sipped at the coffee.

Kekoa nodded. "Good idea."

She drank the whole cup of sweetened coffee and fought the urge to collapse on him again. He took the cup from her hand and stroked her back until she was lying across him.

"So, when we get home, I have to put through your residency visa."

She was going to look up, but he had his enormous hand on her head. She rubbed her cheek against his chest.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy."

"That is so that you don't tear the healing tissues."

"I know." She lay against him until she felt a little stronger.

"So, I will issue your permanent resident visa, Alohi has arranged some clothes, and when you are ready to learn about your new country, we will be ready to take you for a tour."

"Alohi keeps mentioning a beach. Do you have beaches?"

He chuckled. "We have beaches. The main island is a tourist destination. The mining that we have is on our smallest island."

He rumbled on, but she dozed off again. There was no way she could remain awake with the heat of him under her.

She was being carried. The air was warm, and her passport was checked. She lifted her head, and Kekoa talked softly to the customs officer. There was a congratulations mentioned, and Kekoa chuckled. "Now we are complete."

Hara squirmed and looked up at him. "Where did my friend go?"

"Oh, the other beta? She's on the way to the ferry."

"Oh. Good."

"She had Alohi put her number into your phone."

Haravin smiled. "Good. How did you get my phone open?"

"It's a new one that was waiting for you here. We have a different service here, and I don't want you incurring any odd bills."

"Oh. Thank you. I can walk."

"I am trying to give you a little more healing time." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Where is Alohi?"

"Arranging the luggage. He does not pack light."

She nodded. "Right. That tracks."

He chuckled, and she frowned at the type of platform they were approaching. There was a man at the controls, and Alohi was fussing with the luggage.

"We will take the hovercraft."

She stared. "Aw, cool."

He chuckled. "You like technology?"

"Yeah. I am a sucker for it."

"We design and test it here. We have a heavy iron content in our islands, so it is easy to run magnetically sensitive tech. We just have massive shielding on our phones."

"Oh, so another reason for the new phone."

"Yes, and your old phone is trash."

"Oh, right. Snob."

They got on the transport, the driver powered it up, and then it hummed as it skimmed along a coastal pathway to a village a distance away from wherever they had landed. Kekoa pivoted and showed her. "The vacationers' town is there. Locals live in the sheltered cove. We occasionally get strays, but generally, they stay on their end, and we stay on ours, except for the few who service the visitors."

Alohi chuckled. "Yeah, he means that as well."

"So, it's a sex resort."

Kekoa shrugged. "Not all of it."

Alohi smiled. "Just some of it."

"Please tell me that it isn't where you met."

Alohi wrinkled his nose. "I used to come and visit during certain times of the year. I hired professionals and managed to get through four years of it until I propositioned this fella, and it turned out he wasn't on the menu."

She smiled at Kekoa's smirk. "And then I was. And I had an omega that stumbled from Emerald Island to here and never left."

The wind was whipping past them, and they were already in the village.

Alohi smiled and said, "Kekoa's parents and sister live in the palace. They are very nice."

Hara paused. "Oh. I see."

"You said that like you are bracing for something."

Kekoa looked at her. "You are concerned about my family."

"Yeah, well, families who have omegas tend not to like jumped-up betas who butt into a couple. It's happened a few times. People are protective over their omegas."

Alohi frowned. "Seriously?"

"Yes. Seriously. My friend Nora went through seven shades of hell and nearly lost her baby over being considered unworthy. If I disappear suddenly, I just want you to be aware."

Alohi snorted. "Things will be fine. They are amazing."

"Okay. I am just braced for it to be otherwise."

Kekoa nodded. "We will be watching for it."

"Can you put me down?"

Kekoa shrugged. "No. You are not strong enough."

She exhaled. "That's true."

He walked to the porch that surrounded the huge three-story home, and Alohi was next to him. An older couple and a woman in her early twenties came to greet them. They kissed Alohi, hugged him, and stopped when they looked at Haravin. She whispered, "Put me on my feet so they can hug you."

The young woman raised her brows. "You give the king orders?"

Haravin sighed, and Kekoa carefully set her down. She stepped aside, and his family hugged him. His sister bumped her, and Haravin stumbled back, hissing in pain.

She saw a servant at the back of the entryway and walked up slowly. "Where is the fastest path to the ocean?"

"There is a path down the hill, and it leads to the lagoon."

She nodded and moved slowly out the back and down the hill. There was a greeting ritual from the household, and they weren't going to miss her for a while. She really needed to soak in cool water, and there was only one way to do it.

She made it the forty feet from the house to the water, turned to gold, and walked into the water until she was twenty feet deep and watching fish going by.

She had made it to her new home, and now, she just had to find out how to navigate it. It would take as long as it takes.

* * * *

Kekoa sat next to Alohi at dinner, and he smiled at his sister. "How did Haravin enjoy the tour?"

She paused. "What tour?"

"You said you would show her around." He frowned. "You hugged me and said that you would take care of her."

Kira shrugged and smiled. "I did. She's gone, right? Now it is just family."

Kekoa froze. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you didn't need a beta from the mainland; you have Alohi."

Alohi blinked. "She fucking called it."

Kekoa's father frowned. "I don't understand."

His mother said, "I mean, betas are fun, but they aren't for keeping."

Kekoa looked around. She wasn't marked, so he couldn't track her.

Alohi put a hand on his arm. "Stop panicking. She isn't going to put herself in danger. She wants to rest and be quiet. Where would you go if you didn't want to be too far from the house?"

Kekoa nodded and bolted out the back door and down the pathway to the lagoon. There was no sign until he got next to the edge of the water, where deep feminine footprints were in the sand. He transformed and walked into the water, looking left and right to find her. He sighed in relief, letting a stream of bubbles rise. A glint of gold sitting on the edge of a rocky outcropping showed Haravin looking at the bright fish with her gemstone eyes.

He walked up to her, and she grimaced and mouthed Sorry.

He held his hand out to her, and she took it, floating gently to the floor of the lagoon as he walked them up and out. His family was waiting for them, and Alohi rushed up to hug Haravin when she appeared.

His family's collective mouths were open at Haravin's appearance. He pulled her in front of him and wrapped his metal arms around hers.

Alohi translated. "This is Haravin. She is ours. She was meant to be ours. As you can see, she and Kekoa have a lot in common, but we have to go slow as she is recovering from a procedure that I don't want to go into."

Haravin reached out and touched his arm, nodding.

He shrugged. "Right." He explained in blunt terms what had been done to her and how recently it had been discovered. "So, that is why she was being carried. She got a treatment on the plane."

Haravin spoke slowly. "So, sister of Kekoa, the next time you try to knock me over, you will be pushing against this, and I will push back."

Kekoa tensed and held her close. She had been right. Family gathered around to defend Alohi against an interloper.

She tapped his arm and looked up at him. When he relaxed, she turned soft and pink. "So, I missed dinner?"

Alohi hugged her. "I didn't know what to think when he went walking into the water."

She shrugged. "I couldn't have done it in the house. I would have dropped through the floor."

Kekoa returned to flesh and hugged her. "You scared me."

"I just wanted to go somewhere safe as I thought things through."

"That was pretty fucking safe."

She beamed at him. "Thank you."

He leaned in and brushed his mouth against the hickey that Alohi had left behind. She shivered in his arms, and her scent returned rapidly.

He inhaled deeply, and the scent of the water mixed with the bright scent of fruit made him smile. She was home. Her scent settled his soul in a way that Alohi hadn't been able to. He was love and affection, but he wasn't what Kekoa needed. She was serenity and calm. She had looked perfectly comfortable in the lagoon, her sundress flowing around her. He doubted that she knew it was transparent.

Alohi met his gaze and grinned. "Well, treasure, we have to get you dressed. This cotton is transparent."

"Oh. Damn."

She moved her hands to cover her breasts and her groin. "So, I am going to need to know where I am going."

Alohi took her hand. "Come on. Kek, let her go. I will see what we can find for her to wear. After that, we can introduce her to the food."

Kekoa watched his tiny pack make their way up the hill, hand in hand. He looked at his sister. "So, you tried to push her over?"

She tangled her fingers together. "I didn't want you upsetting Alohi."

"He's cuddling with her at every opportunity. There is genuine affection there. Alohi is what will tie us together." He smiled. "And if you ever raise any part of you against her, I will walk you to the middle of the lagoon underwater and see how long you last."

She cringed. "Got it. I'm sorry. I just think you and Alohi are so good together."

"And with Haravin, we will be better yet. She gives both of us someone to fuss over." He smirked. "Watching Alo fuss over her is fascinating. He wants her when she's strong or when she's weak." He laughed. "And definitely when she's wet."

His parents looked at each other and were slightly embarrassed. They were betas who had raised him and his sister. His designation had come as a surprise, and the food expenses had been extreme, but now, he allowed them to live with him at the royal residence after he had been elected king of the Wonder Islands.

Kira was interested in dating now that she had finished her first year of college. Kekoa sighed and headed up to the palace with his family. If Kira were interested in betas, Haravin would be an excellent wingman. Woman. Whatever.

Alohi was broadcasting arousal and excitement, along with amusement. It seemed he hadn't been able to wait to hand over the gift bag they had chosen for her.

He really wanted to pass his family and join them to see the shy blush cross Haravin's face. "Excuse me. We will join you for the meal in a few minutes."

He passed his family and headed for his quarters, where his omega's amusement meant an interesting face on his beta.

* * * *

Haravin looked at the huge box of dildos that went from slender to that has to be a hospital visit.

Alohi laughed. "Your face. Oh, Kekoa should be... oh, here he is."

Haravin tried to close the box, but one of the dildos had rolled, and the box was wedged open. She whined in frustration, and Kekoa plucked it out of her hands.

He opened it and examined it. Her face was on fire.

"Alohi picked it up at the shop. I didn't have a chance to see it, but it turns out that it is the same kind of configuration that Olivia used to recover from her situation. So, we will use these with you until you can take either one of us without discomfort."

"Oh. Um. Okay."

He rolled the rogue dildo back into its fitted spot and closed the toy box. He set it on the edge of the bed and looked at Alohi. "Did you get the lube?"

The omega lifted the bag high. "Of course."

"You ordered clothing for her?"

"It's in my drawer."

Kekoa smiled. "In that case, I believe we should get dressed for this heat and a long, slow meal."

She blinked. "It's late."

"Are you hungry?" He asked as he stripped out of his mainland clothing.

Her mouth started watering as she noted that there were no tan lines. Anywhere.

Alohi came by with some fabric in his hands. "Take off your dress, and I will help you get this on. And close your mouth. It isn't just your dress leaving a puddle."

She closed her mouth with a snap and mechanically moved her dress up and over her head, then she shucked out of her underwear and looked at Alohi. "What goes where?"

Kekoa reached around Alohi and closed his jaw with a light tap. He took the fabric and beckoned to Haravin. "I am going to kneel for this."

She nodded and tracked her gaze over him while Alohi stared at her. The fabric was wrapped twice around her breasts before the tail came over her shoulder and was knotted between her breasts, offering support. The skirt wrapped around one and a half times before being cinched at the top of her hips.

"My navel feels weird. Even my dance costumes covered it." She bit her lip. "I had no idea it could register a breeze."

Kekoa stroked her belly. "Well, you do have amazing abs. You were not wrong about that."

He skimmed his fingertips across her navel, and she inhaled sharply. He chuckled and got to his feet. "Just one more thing." He reached for her braid and unravelled it. "There. Lovely."

Alohi was fastening the wrap at his hips. There were two inches between the fabric and his knees. There were four inches between Kekoa's wrap and his knees.

"Well, now, I believe we are all ready to face my family and have dinner in the entryway."

Alohi took her hand and led her. "From now on, you will lead, I am second, and then Kekoa is last."

"Oh. Protocol."

"Yes. And you look amazing in that outfit and definitely need to be seen."

"It's just his family."

"Now your family."

Haravin shrugged and walked in front of them, making her way back to the entryway where they had arrived. She kept her head high and her smile neutrally pleasant. This was just another performance.

When she walked into the entryway, she noticed that the skirts of Kekoa's mother and sister were higher. Hm. She walked along the table where there were cushions, and she moved to a distant one before Alohi grabbed her and led her back to sit on Kekoa's right side.

Alohi nodded to her, and she sat. He sat next and then Kekoa. Servers from the household came and brought the meal for them, and light spilled outside.

When the first person from the village came up to congratulate Kekoa on his return to the island, a few mentioned his new acquisition. Haravin didn't care. She was hungry, so she ate, following Alohi's table manners as well as she could.

Haravin was full and had only touched about a quarter of the meal. Kekoa looked at her. "Go with Alohi and take your medication."

"Aw, dang it."

Alohi gracefully got to his feet, and she clambered up far less nicely. He took her hand and led her off through the palace. Two more days of the medication and she would be done. At least there didn't have to be any more suppositories.