Chapter 16

Snow

M y mind must be playing tricks on me, right? There is no way Regina is here. I'm dreaming. This is all just a dream.

"Snow?" Regina's voice comes out as a relieved whisper, eyes widening in disbelief. "You're awake."

"Am I?" I blink my eyes faster, trying to clear the fog from my mind. "What happened? Where am I? Are you really here?"

A smile takes over my face when the fog clears, and I'm able to get a good look at her.

"Yes." She laughs out a sob. "I'm really here. Fucking hell, Snow, you scared the shit out of me."

"Out of all of us," Dallas' husky voice sounds from nearby. I look around to find all of my guys standing around the bed, each with their own matching expressions of worry.

"What happened?" I ask, rubbing my eyes as I try to sit up. "My head feels awful." I groan as the world spins.

"Lay down," Regina insists.

I listen, laying back against the pillows. "You're here." I'm unable to keep the pure joy off my face. "I missed you." Tears well in my eyes.

"I missed you too." She hugs me, and I cling to her like I'm afraid this really is all a dream, and when I wake up, she'll be gone.

"How did you get here?"

"I was going mad without any news on how you were. So, while the palace was busy getting ready for some party, I snuck out through the tunnels." She sighs, tucking some of her wild brown hair behind her ear. "Only, I got lost at the split in the path and ended up near your father's study. When I finally got the door to open, I cracked it just enough to hear what was going on. I overheard your father and that Max guy talking. He told your father he'd taken care of you, gotten rid of the problem, and that he was now free to continue ruling without any threat of you taking the throne." She swallows hard, shaking her head. "When I heard him, it was like I was the one dying. Everything hurt. My chest, my heart, my fucking soul."

She leans forward and cups my face gently, eyes welling with tears. "There was a part of me that refused to believe it. I needed to see you myself, with my own two eyes. So I went back to the magic mirror. I demanded it show me you. And it did." She laughs in disbelief. "It showed me you, here in this bed. I heard them say you were sleeping, not dead, and I felt so relieved. I went into the village and saw Mrs. Bark. She told me how to find you. And here I am."

"You're actually here." Tears fill my eyes as I cover her hands with my own. She's here. After weeks, she's back with me, safe and away from my father.

My father who really did try to have me killed.

"So the King did this?" Dallas asks with an angry growl. "Of course he did."

"Do you want to tell us how the hell this happened?" Gabe snarls, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were told to stay put. To not go into town without one of us. You did just that and look where it got you. Drugged, cursed, spelled—whatever the fuck that was. It was stupid, Snow. Very fucking stupid."

His words hurt, but I refuse to shrink away. I stare back, determined to hold his gaze with angry tears.

"Gabe!" Brady barks, surprising me. He's never one to raise his voice, but right now, I can tell he's pissed at his brother. "Just moments ago, we had no idea if she was ever going to wake up. I know you were scared, we all were. But lashing out at her because you don't know how to handle your feelings isn't the way to go."

"Look at you go, baby bro." Henry grins. "You tell him."

"Fuck off," Gabe snaps at Henry.

"Enough!" Dallas shouts, making the whole room go quiet.

"I know what I did was wrong," I speak up. "I made a poor choice, and it could have gotten me killed. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset anyone. I just needed more information on what's going on." I look at Regina. "On how you were. If you were okay."

"I was fine." She smiles at me, taking my hand. "Just worried sick about you, going out of my mind not knowing."

"So we got to suffer because you chose her?" Gabe waves his hand towards Regina. "Real fucking nice."

My brows furrow. "I don't understand. I'm sorry I upset you—worried you. I just... I didn't think I meant that much...."

Brady sits forward. "You don't think you meant much—anything—to us? Really?"

"Not really. I mean, yes, something. Clearly, we're friends. I care about all of you deeply. But we just met. I... I didn't know you cared like that," I whisper. I feel like I'm missing something—something important.

"Stupid girl. Stupid, stupid," Gabe grumbles, storming out of the room.

"Hey, asshole. How about you fuck off!" Regina shouts before looking at the rest of the guys. "What's your issue? Are all of you that much of a raging asshole? She almost died, and that fucker is being the biggest dick known to man." She turns to look at me. "You've been living with these guys? For real?"

"They've been nothing but kind and welcoming to me since I've arrived," I assure her.

"Even him?" She raises a brow.

I sigh and scrub at my face. "He has his moments."

"We need to talk," Dallas interjects, addressing the guys before turning to me. "There's something we need to tell you." I can't read his emotions. Is this good? Is this bad? Are they going to kick me out for causing them trouble? Am I too much work?

"Hey," his voice lowers as if he can sense my spiraling. "It's nothing bad. At least not for us." He chuckles softly. "But it's about time, you know."

"Know what?" I whisper, worry clawing at my chest.

"Come with me, my princess." Henry grins before scooping me up. "I'll carry you to the couch. It's too cramped in here."

His scent settles over me, and I relax in his arms. As he carries me out of the room, I look around to make sure Regina's following.

"Don't worry, princess. I'm not leaving your side anytime soon." She smirks up at me, appearing at Henry's side. Her smile settles my soul. All the worry I've been consumed by since the moment I left the palace is gone. She's here. She's safe.

I'M GAPING AT ALL OF them right now. Lips parted, eyes wide, and a loss for words.

Mates. Omega. Heats.

I'm in shock.

"That's it. We broke her," Henry sighs.

"Shut up," Sullivan mutters.

"She's okay," Sterling says. "Right, Snow?"

"I'm... I'm... I–it's a lot to take in." I blink rapidly, the words still processing inside my mind.

"Let me get this straight," Regina says, sitting next to me on the couch. "You're saying she's your mate. Like all six of you? What does that mean?"

"It means that our souls are connected. That the gods fated us together. It's an unbreakable bond. It's a lot more powerful for us than it is for Snow because we're full lycan," Dallas answers.

"Is that why I've been having these feelings?" I ask, rubbing at my chest.

"You've been feeling something for us?" Henry asks with sparkling excitement in his eyes.

"Yes." I nod, a blush creeping over my cheeks. If we're telling our truths, it's only fair I tell mine. "I like you. All of you." I look around them. "I feel safe when I'm around you. Something inside me lets me know everything will be okay. That this is where I'm supposed to be, who I'm supposed to be with. It's something I can't explain."

My heart skips a beat when I see a smile spread on each of their faces. All but Gabe, who just sits there like the grumpy bum he is.

"So, I'm an omega?"

Another thing I'm having trouble processing. I know what an omega is, but the only thing I know about them is they're found in shifters and monsters. It's not a human thing. Is it?

"Yes," Gabe grunts.

"How is that possible? I'm a human?"

"You are. But you're not," Sterling says.

"It means that you must have lycan or some sort of shifter in your bloodline," Sullivan adds.

"Wow," I whisper, blinking down at my lap. My head is throbbing. "This is so much to take in at once.

"We can go into more detail tomorrow or another day about what it means to be an omega," Dallas insists. "You've been through a lot. You should rest."

"I've been asleep for hours; I've slept enough."

"Ah, not hours, babe," Henry corrects, rubbing the back of his head.

"What do you mean? How long was I sleeping?"

"Days," Brady whispers.

"What?!" I jump to my feet. Bad idea because a rush of dizziness hits me hard, and I groan, swaying on my feet. Everyone moves at once to help me.

"What does this mean?" I ask, looking between the six of them.

"What does what mean?" Gabe asks.

"Me being your mates," I whisper, hating the uncertainty in my voice. "What does it mean for you? For us?"

"It means we want you, Snow," Gabe growls. "We all do."

"By want me, you mean..."

Henry grins. "Let's put it in human terms. We want to date you, marry you, spend the rest of our lives with you."

"We want to fuck you, put babies in you, and treat you like the princess you are," Sullivan adds.

"Yeah, that too." Henry nods eagerly.

My eyes go so wide, I think they're about to pop out of my head. "Really?"

"Yup." Sterling nods.

I bite my lower lip, pure joy filling my body. They want me.

"Wait." I narrow my eyes. "Do you only want me because of this mate thing?"

"No you, stubborn woman." Gabe frowns. "We want you for you. The mate thing is just a bonus."

"Oh," I whisper, cheeks warming.

"I'm going to give you all some time together." Regina gets up from the couch and heads toward the door.

Pure panic and terror hit me like a brick. "Wait!" I shout, rushing over to her. "Please don't leave. Please, please stay." My breathing starts to become erratic as a panic attack sets in.

"Hey. Shhh. Hey, breathe. It's okay. I'm not leaving. I just wanted to give you some space," Regina explains, pulling me into her arms.

I wrap mine around her, clinging to her like she's a life raft. "I don't want space. Not from you. Never from you."

We stand there holding onto each other. I don't want to let go, I can't. If she leaves my sight, I don't think I'll be able to take it. Not right now, not after everything that's happened.

"I want them. All of them. I can't deny my feelings. It feels right, meant to be." I pull back to look into Regina's conflicted eyes. "But I want you too."

Surprise flashes in her eyes. "You do?"

I nod. "I do. I love you, Regina. Maybe it's too soon, maybe it's wrong and selfish of me. But I love you. The months we spent together in the palace were the best times of my life. Being with you, I felt seen. I felt like I had a reason to wake up every day. A reason to laugh and smile. You became my person. And being without you these few weeks, it's been hell. No matter what I did to try and keep busy, it was never enough to keep me from aching for you while the guys came up with a plan that would bring you back to me."

"I love you too." She laughs, tears filling her eyes. "I've been going out of my damn mind not knowing if you were okay. I don't think I'd be able to go on if you died, Snow. Because you're my person, too. You're my best friend. You're my light in the sea of darkness. My reason to keep fighting."

She cups my face in her hands, and I whimper as she kisses me. Everything inside me warms. Her lips are soft and addicting. I want more of her touch, of her taste. The kiss is over too soon when she pulls back.

My eyes flutter open, my body humming in delight as I sway towards her. "Wow."

"Yeah, wow," Henry mutters. "How do we follow that?"

I laugh. Deep and loud.

She grins at me, then winks.

"I want you," I start, taking Regina's hand in mine before looking at the guys. "And I want you. Please don't ask me to choose. Because I can't. I just can't."

They all share a look, and a silent conversation takes over the six of them before Dallas looks back to me and nods.

"We would never try to break mates apart," he says. "If she is what you want, then we will learn to adjust."

"What do you mean, mates?" Regina asks. "What does that have to do with me and her?"

"She really doesn't know, does she?" Gabe laughs, shaking his head.

"Know what, asshole?" Regina snaps. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here."

Gabe cocks a brow. "You reek of a witch girl."

"A witch?" Regina shakes her head. "I'm not a witch. I'm human."

"Oh, you're a witch. You might not know it, but we do," Gabe insists.

"A witch?" Regina whispers to herself. I can see her mind working, trying to put the pieces together. Then I can see when it clicks. "My grandmother." She looks up at me. "She was always a little odd. Whenever we went over, she had all these witchy things around her house. I didn't know they were real, though."

"If monsters are real, why would you think witches are not?" Gabe asks.

"I don't fucking know," Regina snarks.

"If you don't behave, I'm going to make you leave," Dallas warns Gabe.

"Oh, daddy's mad." Henry chuckles.

"Shut up," Gabe growls. "You're such a child."

"And you're such a grumpy old man. Want me to get you a cane so you can yell at kids to get off your land?"

"We live in the middle of nowhere. No kids are around here." Gabe glares at him.

I bite my lips together, trying not to laugh. This, something as small as their banter and bickering, is something I enjoy seeing every day.

It might have only been a few weeks, but this has become my home. They have become my home.

Now it's complete with Regina at my side.

She wants me—loves me.

My eyes find her already watching me. "Hi," I whisper with a nervous laugh.

"Hi, baby." She smiles, pulling me back into her arms.

"I'm so glad you're here." Darn eyes won't stop leaking.

"There's nowhere I'd rather be than here with you. I'm not sure how we're going to bring your father down, but I'm going to be at your side while we do it."

"I love you," I tell her as she puts her forehead to mine. We close our eyes, feeling the moment while the others bicker behind us.

"I love you, princess."

And for right now, in this very moment, no matter how small it may be, everything is right in my world.