Chapter Eleven

Lya squirmed in the alpha sandwich. Venka was just as muscly as her vision but felt super soft. There was something about being completely warm and safe that was acting on Lya's nervous system.

Venka whispered, "Your friend is in the guesthouse."

Memory swarmed, and Lya nodded.

Noh asked, "What is that about?"

Lya smiled. "Uh, a friend of mine needed a place to stay, and we can't mention her presence to anyone. Please and thank you."

"Who are we keeping the secret from?" Noh stroked her thigh.

"Um, the alphas who are looking for her?" She smiled innocently. "When you see the show on Friday, you will understand why she's sensitive to being hunted right now."

Allor came in with her meds and a glass of juice.

"The visitors came by looking for someone again. They seem fairly convinced she is here on the property." Allor smiled, "Oh, she's a she now."

Venka slid off and put a robe on. "I will deal with them."

Lya started to move. "I am coming, too."

Allor said, "Not until you take your meds."

Lya took the pills, drank the juice, and made a face. Allor looked at her arm. "We are going to have to get a reduction on that cast today."

Noh sat up and nodded. "The swelling is down. I will call the clinic and see if there is someone who can generate another cast after additional x-rays."

"Okay." Lya stood as Venka helped her on with a robe.

Noh pulled on some shorts, and they went to talk to the neighbours.

Lya blinked in recognition when she saw the two men with golden skin, black hair, and dark gold eyes. She fought her giggle.

One of them stared at her, and recognition filled his gaze. "Miss Tonlya."

"Just Lya now. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Nor us you. We are looking for your friend."

"I haven't seen her since the plane ride home."

Noh came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Our omega is in recovery after she was injured before we found her. Who is your primary?"

One of the men sent a text, and when there was an answer, he looked up. "Kaiyun Feng."

Lya cocked her head, and Tamara poked her head around the corner. "Mom! He's on every movie and album that's been out in the last five years. His name is on the show you were on."

Lya blinked and then smiled. "Gentlemen, did he happen to be overseeing the start of the project on the island?"

One of them paused and then nodded. "Yes. She approached him in the airport and he suspects she is carrying. We need to find her."

Lya froze. "Uh, how powerful is Kaiyun Feng?"

"Very."

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Lya had flashbacks to her pregnancy with Tamara and how close she came to dying. The psycho that had started Tamara had been mid-range, but the more power the father had, the more the baby had. The baby took it from the mother if the father wasn't around.

Tamara looked at Lya and blurted out, "She's in the guesthouse. I invited her to sleep there last night."

Lya closed her eyes.

Venka nodded. "Come with me." She beckoned to the visitors.

Lya slumped, and Tamara came to hug her. "I am so sorry, but I had to. Venka and I were going through the picture albums that Grandma kept, and you were in the hospital every week."

Lya sighed. "Yes. I was. I don't regret you, but I do wish you had been able to arrive in some other way."

Tamara held her. "I know."

Noh was still holding on, so it was a little awkward, but then he reached out and hugged them both.

Lya laughed as she realized she was smooshed between her two favourite people. Venka was third, and Allor was fourth.

When the hug ended, Tamara wiped the tears away.

Noh cuddled her, saying, "You are very strong for surviving that."

"I was stubborn. I still am."

He chuckled. "If you end up carrying, one of us will be with you every moment of the day."

"As opposed to the tremendous distance I have between me and other den members now." She chuckled. "Wow. That was a flashback."

Noh rubbed her arms. "It was bad?"

"It was pain and terror. I had tried to put in a growth spurt to give her more room and that had taken nearly everything. She was born, she was healthy, and two weeks later, I recovered enough to hold her for the first time."

Tamara smiled. "Grandma had photos of the pregnancy. I want to go over them with you."

"Oh, boy. I am going to need tissues."

Noh squeezed her hand. "We can make a slide show and celebrate your survival. I believe it would be handy for us to all understand your first experience to make any subsequent deliveries easier."

"Why can't I just lay eggs?" Lya muttered.

Noh chuckled. "Because you are a mammal, and they are serpents. Even a few serpents bear live, but none give milk."

"I thought that milk wasn't good for snakes." She looked up at him slightly sideways.

"I am willing to risk it."

Tamara smiled and wrinkled her nose. She paused. "Do you think Zelle is going to be mad at me?"

Venka and Allor came back in. "She's unconscious. It looks like she passed out making breakfast. Tamara, thanks for blurting that out. Your mother would not have forgiven herself for turning her over to her alpha."

Lya sighed. "I am conflicted on that."

Noh hugged her gently. "Do you think you would have run from us if you could have?"

She smiled. "Oh, yeah. Me and Tamara would have moved. Fast."

"Why? I am so very agreeable."

"I have been in the clutches of an alpha before, and it wasn't great."

"How is your current experience?"

"Not bad. I will feel better when I am not restricted." She smiled. "And when Tamara isn't staring at me like I just grew a second head."

"Uh, Mom. Your eyes just changed."

Noh turned her head and looked at her eyes. "Very pretty."

His serpentine gaze was shining, and his pupils flexed. She saw her own eyes in his, and there was something weird with them. "Oh, boy."

Noh bent to kiss her neck. He straightened and said, "We should take a shower and get dressed. Allor is getting us a doctor to get you a new cast. I would prefer an x-ray, but he can make a new cast here if necessary."

Lya blinked. "What?"

"He has 3D printers and is willing to use them." He chuckled.

"Great. Food and shower? Shower and food?"

"We can't do both at the same time, so we will feed you and then shower."

She smiled and looked down. "Where did this robe come from? It isn't one of mine."

Venka chuckled. "It's one of mine. Your wardrobe is sorely lacking. We will fix that, and I know just the people if my family gives you any problems. I think they will fit your vibe well." Her shoulders shook as they walked toward the kitchen. "I told my brothers and half-brothers about your interaction with Olyna, and they all want to shake your hand. The one that slapped her for disrespecting your child."

Lya blinked. "Oh, I had forgotten about that. Oops."

Tamara laughed and skipped ahead to where Allor had three waffle irons going.

Lya got the first waffle, and Tamara got the second. The strawberries and whipped cream were shared between the two of them, and they laughed when Allor pulled out a backup supply.

It was a fun breakfast, and when they were done, Noh swept her off for a leisurely shower that was careful but involved a lot of touching. He got all the spots she couldn't reach and quite a few she could.

She was wrapped in a towel, and her hair was towelled dry and brushed.

She shuffled out of what was her personal bathroom, and Venka was dressed and picking through her clothing.

"How did you even leave the house?" Venka muttered.

"I worked at a garage until my arm was broken. I have a child to maintain. I don't have money for clothing I will trash."

"Really? Even your underwear makes me wince." Venka sighed.

"I will give you that one, but do you have any idea how fast young alphas grow?"

Venka paused. "Okay. I see your point. Don't fight me on getting you pretty things. Okay?"

Lya cocked her head and looked at Noh. He smiled and shrugged. "Fine. You guys can get me any pretty or shiny things you like. I hope you have a good repair guy because I am hard on clothes and a nightmare for jewellery."

Venka smirked. "I will take that chance."

Noh nodded. "As will I. If it breaks, we will fix or replace it."

Lya looked at him. "And you won't be mad?"

He laughed. "We won't be mad."

Allor came in and said, "I have gotten in touch with the clinic. They are waiting for us."

Venka said, "Nope. None of this. Come with me, Lya."

Lya shrugged and followed her alpha down the hallway. Venka went straight to the closet and held up a series of clothes against her, finding another wrap dress. "We are going to sort out the underwear today."

Noh came in and had some pretty, silky underwear dangling from his fingertips. "This magic is difficult for me, but here. I renovated some of your existing clothing."

She looked at it and smiled. "Thanks. Tamara told you this is my comfy set."

He nodded. "See you downstairs when you are dressed."

Lya chuckled and slipped on the panties under the robe before sliding the top of the robe down and putting the bra on. She couldn't do it up, so Venka did it for her.

She was tucked into the dress, and it was wrapped snugly around her. She looked at her alpha and smiled. "Do you have shoes?"

Venka asked, "How big are your feet?"

"Size ten."

"Damn. Do you have boots?"

"Yes, of course. You know that."

Venka chuckled. "The one well-populated part of your wardrobe."

"They rarely go out of style and are sturdy."

"Back to your room then." Venka held her hand, and they walked back to look for boots and socks.

Once she was in a pair that didn't make Venka wince, they headed downstairs with her phone in the pocket of the dress.

She was in a car with Tamara, Noh, and Venka. Allor drove himself.

Noh chuckled as they followed Allor. "It seems we need a larger vehicle."

Lya smiled and remembered something. "I don't remember hearing the men who came looking for Zelle?"

Venka sighed. "They flew off with her. Huge black wings."

Lya nodded. "I knew they would be birdy."

Noh asked, "How?"

"She said his hair felt like feathers." She shrugged. "I was going to shave my head, but my mother begged me not to, so you can thank her memory if you like it."

Tamara smiled. "Can I shave my head?"

"Not until you are fifteen. If you still want to then, we can discuss it. And don't think that going around me to the alphas will work."

Tamara smirked. "Why not? You belong to them. You do what they say."

Lya looked at her. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Tamara looked at her and was suddenly unsure. "Yeah, I mean, you are their omega, right? You belong to the pack, or den in our case."

"Yeah, I knew you would push, but this is low. You can't even wait until I am healthy? That is pathetic. I thought I raised you better than that."

Venka looked at Tamara with disappointment. "I thought better of you, Tamara. That was highly disrespectful to your mother."

"But the boys said that because Iris isn't a registered omega, she can get married and be financially independent, and my mother can't because she's a registered omega. She has to go where alphas go. That is what the lady from the centre said as well."

Lya turned her head toward the window, and tears started tracking down her cheeks. She knew this was going to happen. Tamara was an alpha, and a weak omega in the family was an embarrassment to her. She was only good as a toy for other alphas. A stupid trick of biology had created her condition, and now she gained contempt from her own flesh and blood.

When they arrived at the clinic, she unbuckled and waited. Venka opened the door for her, and fury filled her when she saw her face.

Venka held her close and murmured, "It's new to both of you, and I am so sorry."

Tamara said, "The internet says that omegas cry for attention."

Lya wiped her cheeks and faced her daughter. "It is good to know that I am no longer a person to you overnight. Alphas are brutal bullies who leave devastation and despair in their wake. They hurt the innocent and maul children just because they are bigger. I hope you are proud to be growing into one."

Tamara withdrew, and she got teary as well.

Noh said calmly, "She simply did to you what you just did to her. You forgot her fight, her survival, her struggle, and quoted the internet. The omegas they are speaking about are cultured, cultivated, and trained. Your mother fought like hell to keep you in your neighbourhood, with your friends in your school. She chose a job that disguised her scent under grease, oil, and gasoline. Did you forget what was important overnight?"

"But it's true, right? She can't own anything."

"That's true, but she can be a partner, and she can get dividends. She can make a boutique and have others deal with the shop. She can do whatever she likes with her life, and the den will back her. Lady Olyna's pack owns dozens of shops. Lady Fen owns half the restaurants and three full-service spas in town. Packs support their own, and that includes the omega. Your mom isn't our burden; she is our core. I wish you luck in finding an omega or even a beta who suits you so well."

Allor smiled. "Do you know how hard it is to find any female who likes snakes? Just think about that."

Tamara reached for Lya, but Lya stepped back. "I have to attend the appointment my den has set up for me. Please excuse me, alpha."

She turned and looked at Venka before solemnly winking. Venka's eyes widened, and she held out her hand. Lya put her hand on Venka's, and they walked toward the clinic.

The doctor was a female alpha who looked aghast at the medical records. "You were conscious the whole time?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Poor bunny. Well, I have your x-rays, and you appear to be healing really well. Another two weeks, and you will be completely healed."

Lya bit her lip. "The arm was rebroken and set yesterday."

"Oh. Oh. You are one of those groups. Well, in that case, come back Wednesday to check your healing. Your delta has made arrangements to have your arm scanned and a new fitted cast. Are there any other issues?"

Lya looked at the group in the exam room and sighed, "Can I have a moment with the doctor privately?"

Noh said, "I am staying."

Venka and Allor ushered Tamara out.

The doctor looked at her pleasantly. "What is it?"

"Well, my daughter was conceived in a particularly violent manner, and I just need to make sure that it looks like I can possibly have kids again."

The doctor blinked. "That was your daughter?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"How old is she?"

"Nearly thirteen."

"And you?"

"Twenty-eight in just over a week."

"Oh. Oh. The father?"

"An Elite."

"Damn. Well, I can take a look. Have you had sex since delivering?"

"Yes, but I kept things to beta males or females when I felt the urge."

"Heat."

"Yes."

"Underwear off, hop up."

She toed off her boots and got into the appropriate position with her underwear in her hand. The doc wheeled an ultrasound unit into place and applied a plastic sleeve to the probe. The gel came next, along with the scooting and dropping of knees.

Noh held her hand as the probe went in, and the doctor kept chatting about things looking good. "Looks like there was no lasting damage."

"This will sound weird, but check the perineum, please?"

A soft laugh and a solid thumb press. "All good. You tore?"

"Right to the rectum. I was unconscious for two weeks, and then I met my baby."

"Your attacker?"

"The Stronghold destroyed him according to their records. They can't have Elite attacking children when a rut hits."

The doc nodded for her to sit up and handed her some soft paper napkins. Lya cleaned up, and the doc disposed of the napkins. She got her panties and boots back on.

"Do you have any other issues?"

"I have some scarring, but he has already seen it, and the others are taking their cues from him."

"You get along well with all your alphas?"

"Well, I just have the two and the delta, Allor."

"He's rare. We need more deltas."

"Why?"

"They are more even-tempered than alphas and are excellent seconds. I have even heard of a female delta able to have children. She didn't like it, but she managed."

Lya chuckled and finished righting her outfit. "Well, whichever one fathers the first will be fine with me. They can flip for the second. Oh, doc, have you ever done IVF with an alpha? A female alpha as the donor, I mean."

"I haven't, but it is interesting. I have had another interesting case today."

Lya looked at her wryly, "An omega two months pregnant with an astonishingly handsome alpha?"

The doc's shocked expression was enough answer.

Lya chuckled. "Watch Alpha versus Beta. She's amazing."

"She's not a beta."

"Oh, we know, but we were both unclassified at the time, and it was a lot of fun. The charities that we represented got one hundred thousand dollars for our participation."

"Why did they tap you?"

"Oh, I am a certified mechanic. Zelle is a crafter and puzzle maker of the highest order."

The doctor smiled. "I shall join one of the clinic watch parties. Two clients in one day, and both stealth omegas will add something to it for me. Don't worry. No one else will know."

"Well, a few people will know. Zelle and I haven't been very quiet, and the Omega Centre has been after me and probably her."

"Her alpha seemed very fixated on her health."

Lya smiled. "Good. She takes unnecessary risks to get her way."

The doctor nodded and that was when Lya knew that there was a serious issue.

"Right, well, thanks for that exam. It makes me feel a bit better. Soon, I will have my arm free, and then I can feel normal again."

Noh snorted. "Your normal terrifies me, Lya."

The doctor nodded, "You should complete registration sooner rather than later. She's very tempting for the Omega Centre. Some packs prefer tall omegas, and there aren't a lot of them of any gender."

Lya stood and took Noh's hand again. "Right. I will keep that in mind."

Noh nodded. "We will attend to it."

Lya nodded, and they thanked the doctor and left the exam room. The others were gathered in the hall, and Tamara cuddled against her as they walked down the hallway.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

"Don't be. It was correct. As an omega, I have very few legal rights, and that includes rights over my own children."

Tamara clung to her as they headed to the room with the scanner for her arm. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that is why I fought so hard against the centre. Legally, they could have taken you away and put you in that boarding school, and my useless ass couldn't have stopped it. I still can't. They could come up to us right now and take you, and I couldn't do squat."

Allor glanced back and said, "Lya, you are scaring her."

Noh sighed. "She pointed out that an omega must listen to her alphas, and if she wanted to get around any decision Lya made, she would just ask one of us."

Allor blinked. "Fuck. That's brutal."

Tamara swallowed. "I said I am sorry."

They got to the area where the scan and new brace would happen.

An hour later, Noh paid the bill, and they were walking out to the cars. Lya flexed her fingers and looked at the scaled brace that encased her arm in a rigid cage.

Allor stopped her before they got back in the cars and administered her meds with a small bottle of apple juice.

Venka smiled and said, "Lunch and then shopping. Your wardrobe needs tending to, Lya."

"Fine. Painkillers are in, and I am feeling okay otherwise. Let's get this over with."

Venka grinned. "That's my girl."

Tamara paused. "I need some things to."

Allor said, "If we get around to it, we will take care of it. Make a list so we can do it efficiently."

Tamara got her phone out and started to make a list.

Lya saw what the alphas were doing, and she relaxed into it. They were helping to teach Tamara that omegas were not generous by their nature. They were helpless, and they needed most things provided for them. Lya just had to show that alphas bent over backward to keep their omega happy. It was going to be a harsh lesson.