4. Seymour

Chapter 4

Seymour

I ran into the house to grab what we'd need. Or at least what I guessed we would need. This was my first baby-delivery packing and my knowledge was gleaned mostly from movies, which were hardly reality. Or maybe they were. I had no idea. All I did know was that I couldn't even count how many of them had the alphas boiling water as if they were getting ready to make a huge-ass pasta dinner, and there was no way that was helpful.

Gideon followed behind me as Dante stayed with Kai. As he stepped into the kitchen, I saw his features clearly for the first time. Instantly, I had recognized how attractive he was, but now that I could see him fully, he was stunning. If it had been any other time or place, I'd have been leaning in and shooting my shot. But we didn't have time for that now, even if he was amenable; it wasn't time to talk about their relationship dynamic. We had an omega to tend to.

"I'm thinking blankets and pillows?" He wouldn't want to be on the grass, but I wasn't sure if that was enough.

"And towels."

"Right." My first stop was the linen closet. My cousin had a love of all things cozy and warm, and there were plenty of blankets to choose from. I ended up grabbing four in different thicknesses, along with a bunch of towels.

The possibility that I was going overboard was very real, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. I put them in a clean laundry basket and grabbed pillows from each of the spare bedrooms, tossing them in as well. It was already pretty full, but light.

"Tell me how to help," Gideon asked.

"Oh, sorry, I was..." forgetting that this wasn't a solo project and taking over. "Kitchen. Food."

My central focus had been on making him comfortable, and I nearly forgot about the food. The kitchen was hardly what anyone would call fully stocked, but there was enough there that we could keep him satisfied. Wait. Were omegas even supposed to eat while in labor? I didn't even know. He would, though. Kai was the type of guy to have looked into that ahead of time.

And it was weird that I knew that about him—that I knew so much about him, really. But did I? Kai on the screen and Kai in reality were hardly the same person. It was a television show. It was going to be a challenge for me to keep that in perspective, but I was going to do my best. Kai deserved that from me.

"Why doesn't this place feel like yours?" Gideon placed a box of cereal on the counter.

It took me a minute to figure out what he meant.

"Oh, because it's not mine." Which was embarrassing to admit. I was an alpha. Basically couch surfing at my cousin's house wasn't the best sign of success. Normally it was no big deal, but with these men, I wanted them to think the best of me.

"It's my cousin's. I'm just house-sitting while they try to sell it."

"Ahh." Which was the most non-committal response ever, but I refused to think too hard on it.

"If you look in the cupboard over there, there's a bunch of crackers. I'll grab some jugs of water."

"He's gonna want protein." Gideon was already digging through the cabinet.

"There should be some jerky in there too."

A couple of minutes later we were ready to go, two overflowing laundry baskets of food and supplies. We weren't going particularly far, and if need be, one of us could run and get more. That was far from ideal, though. I was glad we probably overdid it.

Kai, on the other hand, rolled his eyes as he took in the overflowing baskets. "Is there going to be room for me in the vehicle too?"

"Oh, we were just gonna strap you to the top," Dante teased and was rewarded with some serious side-eye.

"Where are we going again?" Dante directed his question at me.

"It's where I like to go and fly." I always thought of it as my place. I could be free to take to the skies, but also, I could see so much of the area while sitting on the grass. It was a place both my beast and I enjoyed.

All three pairs of eyes turned and looked straight at me.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you could probably sense me… I'm… um, dragon, hi."

Kai had told me about their animals, but I had sensed them immediately when they arrived, so it was more of a nicety than anything else. It was one of the things my dragon was pretty good at, and from the looks of things, their bear and wolf were not.

They nodded and didn't say anything else, Kai's next contraction choosing then to make its appearance.

Once it subsided, we put the supplies in the back, helped Kai get into the vehicle, and drove the short distance. As the car came to a stop, Kai went into a contraction that was harder than the past ones. At least his reaction was more visceral, and I guessed that was why.

I hated seeing him in such agony. I was wise enough to know that it was only going to get worse, but I very much did not like it.

Gideon and I set up the blankets and pillows the best we could and put the basket of food beside it. It was hardly a fancy birthing experience, but it felt safe and welcoming in its own way, and my dragon approved.

"Those lights down there," Kai pointed. "That's the hospital?"

"Yeah, that's the hospital.

"I thought this was perfect because not only was it a place with privacy, but you could see where medical help was if needed. Worst-case scenario, I could... you know, fly him there."

Kai shook his head. "No. Two feet on the ground."

Noted.

"Okay. No flying." I was hoping that one day he would trust me enough to let me take him flying. But, fair enough. No one wanted their first flight to be out of necessity, especially not a necessity that revolved around childbirth.