Chapter Seven

Ford came in with a frown of concern. "Tonlya, what happened? You look horrible."

Tonlya looked at the dark blue omega with trepidation. "Thanks. You look dark blue."

Ford glanced around the room and was surprised when he saw a familiar face. "Venka?"

"Hello, Ford. You are looking prosperous. Are your alphas here?"

"Two are waiting outside. I needed to talk to Tonlya."

"So, talk. I am coming off heavy sedation, so what do you need?"

"Um, we need you for the viewing of the program. The marathon starts Friday, and we want you there."

"Uh, I don't know about that." She looked to Nohehl and then Venka. Both of her alphas looked pleased.

Ford watched her gaze. "No way. You are an omega?"

"Not a proper one, but yeah."

"Well, your contract does still require a public appearance if you are able to manage it for the program."

"I am going to look like hammered shit."

"We have makeup artists."

"My clothes hang off me."

"Ambrose will make something up for you. Just name the style."

"Hooded tunic over a long skirt."

Ford countered. "Short skirt?"

"Fine. But you have to supply the heels."

"Thigh-high boots?"

"Sure."

Ford grimaced. "I don't know what possessed me to run two of these in the same year."

"Major lack of judgment on your part."

"Well, we will send a car for you."

Nohehl shook his head. "We will drive her. She's not to be out of our sight until things are cemented between us. And even then, if there is a chance an Elite will be in the vicinity, we will be with her."

Ford looked her way. Lya lifted her arm and showed her cast. "I bring out the worst in those pointy-eared bastards. Tell them that they hit like girls, and they try to prove you wrong."

Ford looked stunned. "You are a psycho."

"No, I just have already had dishonour, so courting death wasn't scary." She paused, "Oh, geez. Where is my head? Ford, this is one of my alphas, Nohehl. You already seem to know Venka, and the charming young lady next to her is my sis—"

"Daughter. I am her daughter, Tamara."

Ford blinked. "Daughter? She's twenty-eight, and you look like you are in your teens."

"I am twelve and a half."

Ford looked back at Lya. "So, you..."

"Got pregnant in my teens. Yes."

Tamara sat straight. "I talked with Venka, and there is no shame to me or my mom, so I am not pretending to be her sister anymore."

"Well, I am even gladder that we set you up with a bonded babysitter during filming."

"So am I." Tamara smiled.

Ford looked at Lya. "So, you are good?"

"I am fairly good. Better than I was this morning, and now I hope I can continue on that trend."

Nohehl held the straw back to her lips.

Venka smiled. "We have a regimen of pampering planned, and Noh is going to work from home and give her access to the snakes until she feels better."

Ford blinked. "Snakes?"

Tamara nodded. "She likes snakes. She had to sell hers to pay bills after she was injured."

Noh smiled. "I purchased them. Well, my delta purchased them, but they are at my home. Well, our home now. We just haven't gotten there yet."

Lya smiled. "I can't lift them right now, but getting into shape for snake handling is a goal."

Ford smirked. "Too bad you don't snake dance."

"Why?"

"It would be nice for the show."

"Oh, definitely not. I only do that for my own enjoyment." She shrugged. "And it takes far more strength and stamina than just lifting the snakes does."

Ford looked embarrassed. "Right. Sorry. It was just an idea."

Noh smiled. "If she ever feels like it, I will contact you so you can bring the family to watch."

Lya smiled. "Keeping it family-friendly is harder."

Ford laughed. "Right. I will send you details as to where and when. We are keeping everything quiet to avoid paparazzi swarming us. The last one was intense."

"What about family? Can we bring family?"

Ford blinked. "Do you only have three?"

Noh said, "Four."

"That's fine. I will set your section, and they can cheer you on."

Noh nodded. "We will attempt to improve her condition before the filming, if just for her own peace of mind for looking back on the day."

Ford nodded. "Right. Well, your phone works, so I will be in touch. Feel better."

"Well, feeling worse isn't an option."

He stepped toward her and said, "How new is your union?"

"Agreed to, but in negotiations about details."

"Okay. No hugs." Ford smiled. "I will be in touch."

"Great. If your alpha is doing the designing, make sure it is concealing and remind him I am a tall lady."

Ford nodded. "Of course."

"Maybe something with a hood. Remember that."

"Yes, ma'am. Take care. See you Friday."

She nodded, and Ford left.

She looked to Tamara. "What day is today?"

"Still Saturday, Mom."

Lya blinked away tears. "You don't have to call me that."

"I want to. I have sarcastically wanted to for a while. Now I have an excuse."

"Okay, but we are gonna get looks."

Tamara smiled. "Venka says that families are complicated and that what you did was best for the family at the time. You and Grandma."

"Right. Keep me posted as to how I am doing."

"I will."

Noh held the straw for her again, and when she finished the small cup of water, she asked, "When can we leave?"

"When we get your pain medication. You aren't able to pull from us yet, so meds are your best bet."

"Right, and I am in no condition to lock with you, so that makes sense." She paused. "What is a delta?"

He chuckled. "He's looking forward to meeting you. Apparently, he has seen you dance."

She blinked. "Where?"

"At the exotic night at the Shattered Diamond."

"Oh. That was a niche clientele. Uh, is the delta human or Elite?"

"You will figure it out. He's very friendly and is good with snakes."

The doctor came in, and a nurse came in behind him. He cleared his throat. "The break has been reset. The bones are now lined up, and the custom cast is holding everything comfortably. You will need to have a new one made in a few days."

Noh nodded. "We have talked to ortho. Arrangements have been made."

"Good. Good. Right. Well, here are the meds." He took the bottles out and explained them to the alphas. There was even one in liquid form that would give relief while she waited for the pills to take hold.

The doctor paused. "You are sure she isn't pregnant?"

Lya answered. "The appropriate rituals for that have not been completed for two years, so... not a chance."

The doctor looked around. "Well, then, I am glad this happened when it did."

She squirmed to sit up. "You really think that if I had two alphas watching over me that the break would have happened in the first place?"

The doctor blushed. "Right. And a new GP has been found for her?"

Venka nodded. "Yes. There is one that my family favours. She has an appointment on Wednesday."

"Yay." Lya chuckled.

Tamara held the bag of prescriptions. Venka smiled and said, "We will be on our way then."

"Wait, miss, you competed on the Alphas versus Betas?"

"Yup. A couple of months ago. The theme is intelligence under pressure. Don't worry. We still dangle off buildings."

The doctor asked, "I don't suppose you could tell me who won?"

"The winner." She shrugged.

He sighed. "Well, I look forward to watching it. You rarely get to see the two designates go head-to-head."

"What makes it funny is that in each of the competitions, there has been a stealth omega." She chuckled.

The doctor looked at her. "Right. Well, I may or may not put a bet down on you. I have seen the promotional stills they are putting out on you, and you are very impressive when healthy."

She snorted. "Gee. Thanks." She started wiggling herself off the bed, but Noh just exhaled and picked her up.

Venka took her robe and folded it over her arm, and they left the hospital.

Lya tried to keep her head up for a bit but then dropped onto Noh's shoulder. He was so fricking warm that images of herself draped across him naked danced through her mind. In her thoughts, she wasn't in the same condition as she was now, but she still had the cast on in her imagination. Impatient. A new figure entered her imagination, and she gasped. Venka was both muscled and lithe all in one.

Noh murmured, "Did you nod off?"

"Uh, no. Daydreaming. Just surprised myself." Her voice was soft and husky, but she caught the slight scent of arousal. "Sorry."

Noh chuckled. "Don't apologize. Tamara is scent-blind to it, so you don't need to worry."

Tamara turned and said, "Scent-blind to what?"

"To your mother's scent of arousal."

"Ew."

Venka laughed. "You get used to it. My mother has six alphas and nearly two dozen children."

Lya stayed leaning against Noh as her daughter was given a rundown on standard family dynamics when an omega was the centre of the family.

Venka smiled. "You are about to have a tremendous amount of cousins, Tamara. They have all been raised with family rules toward omegas, so you are going to have to learn fast. Are you up for the challenge?"

She nodded. "I am. So, what do I need to know?"

"Omegas have weaker immune systems and are the outlet for the softer emotions. We focus our love on them, and they help to display our sadness, frustration, or joy. They are allowed and encouraged to do so. They also give the alphas children with little effort."

Lya almost disputed that, but Noh tightened his hand on hers.

Tamara asked the heartbreaking question. "Can female alphas have babies?"

"No. Our bodies don't allow for it. The testosterone keeps our bodies from ovulating. There are ways to do it, but they are traumatic, and we still can't bear it; just donate an ovum."

Lya blinked. "Would you want to?"

"Sure, but you would have to give me the injections for an entire month, Lya. And put up with my temper."

Lya twisted her lips. "That seems like the sort of thing to do on a holiday. Besides, I would have to be synched to you, so who would have a steady enough hand to jab me in the butt."

Noh chuckled. "I would do it."

"Oh, boy. A household event."

Tamara chuckled. "Do groups always bond this quickly?"

Venka drove them out to the edge of the city and through a sparse suburb before entering the open woods and trees. "They do when there is an omega in need at the centre. It is why my brother ended up in a pack, and my other brother found his omega. So, my mother will be amused that my omega is taller than Grigori's."

"If you want me to race her, let me know."

"She just had twins, so no." Venka chuckled. "But, like you, she used to dance at the Shattered Diamond."

"I only did that at the Halloween events in full costume."

Venka chuckled.

They pulled into a hidden drive and approached a house with a huge glass dome in the centre of it.

Lya gasped. "Oh, wow. Nohehl, what do you do for work?"

He chuckled. "Investment banker. Venka's a lawyer."

Venka chuckled as she parked in front of the house. "I have been working with Noh for most of this decade, so when he asked if I wanted to come on this mission, I didn't hesitate. He never steers me wrong." She unbuckled and got out.

Noh unbuckled Lya and himself. Venka came around to ease Lya out of the car, but Noh took her again as soon as he was around. She picked up on it immediately. The arm. If Venka held her, her arm would be against her, and that wouldn't be good.

Noh carried her up the steps, and a man with cocoa skin and a smoothly shaved head greeted them. "Aw, who is the broken princess?"

Lya looked at him. "Who is the person between me and not being carried?"

"Allor." He bowed and opened the door wide.

Noh walked in and entered the front room, setting her carefully down on a couch. The moment he let her go, she started slumping over. "Shit."

Allor chuckled and helped to right her.

"Sorry. I am still a little stoned."

Allor laughed. "How long ago did you break your arm?"

"It was broken four weeks ago and then again two hours ago."

Noh returned from wherever he had been with Venka and Tamara. "This is her daughter, Tamara, and she will be residing with us as well."

"Wow. Young lady, how old are you?"

"I turn thirteen in eight weeks."

"I would have said nearly sixteen." Allor blinked. "Wait. Princess, how old are you?"

"Twenty-seven and eleven months." She felt herself drooping toward Allor.

Tamara snorted. "And twenty-four days."

Noh checked his phone. "Really? Next Monday?"

"Apologies for the short notice. We can table any festivities for next year." She tried to push herself away from Allor but kept sliding back.

Tamara snorted. "You always say that."

Venka looked outraged. Lya was too tired to deal with it.

Lya just tilted and ended up across Allor's arms. "Apologies. Can you scrape me up and point me to a chair?"

He smiled, lifted her onto his lap, and cuddled her with her good arm to his chest. "There we go, princess."

"So, what the hell is a delta?"

He chuckled, and his dark skin flared to black. "We aren't common and are similar to an alpha with two major differences. I am less aggressive and," he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "no knot."

She stared forward, and an amused Noh met her gaze. She went hot pink. She was pretty sure that she had just been propositioned.

She huffed and leaned against Allor. "You, too?"

"The dark Elite don't want to hurt anyone, but you will be able to draw from us faster. When Venka bonds to you, she will get energy through you, but first, you need to bond to Noh."

"Unless he is a hot rock, I am not bonding to anything."

Noh smiled. "I will get her something to eat. Tamara, do you want another snack?"

"No. Venka made sure that I was full before we got back to the room."

"Good. Come and help me get something together for Lya. You know what she likes."

Tamara nodded and followed Noh into the kitchen, or the direction of where the kitchen should be.

Venka sat next to her on the couch and took the hand that was pinned between Allor and Lya. "So, Lya, not to be indelicate, but have you been with women before?"

Lya felt heat in her face again, but she nodded. "Yes, a few times."

Venka grinned. "That's good. That's excellent, actually."

"I am a bit of a pillow princess, though. I am much more tactile outside the bedroom. Inside, I kinda freeze and wait."

Venka looked at her with a kind expression. "Thank you for being honest. I have always been a fan of a princess in my bed."

"Just because I think I am going to meet her. What is your mom's attitude to a female omega for you?"

"Well, she did have her mind set on a male for me, but omega or not, I have a specific interest."

The image of Venka sliding over her back while she was lying on Noh filled her mind again. She rapidly blinked as she tried to clear the image.

Venka kissed the palm of her hand and pressed it to her cheek. She was grinning. "I am glad that we found you in time, princess."

Lya's eyes went wide as she looked around and realized that the three around her had been knights on a quest to find a damsel, and she had been delivered to them with a phone call.

Tamara came in with a cup of coffee and a careful walk. "Here you go. We put in an ice cube to cool it."

Allor took the mug and held it to Lya's lips. She tipped her head, and he lifted it slightly until the sweet coffee filled her mouth. Her eyes watered as it lowered. "Tamara..."

"Don't blame me. Noh said we had to increase your calorie count. He put in extra sugar and some butter."

Allor was shaking with amusement, and Venka was grinning.

Noh walked in with a tray of sandwiches and a bowl of soup.

Allor said, "There are better ways of increasing her calories than just dumping sugar in her coffee."

Noh shrugged. "I needed a starting point, and she was falling asleep sitting there. It must be your conversational skills, Allor."

Allor smiled and held the cup up again.

Lya looked at Tamara and sighed. "It is like being stuck in a locker room."

The alphas around her grinned, the delta snickered, and Tamara smiled shyly. "They do seem to want you healthy."

Lya didn't mention why they might want her healthy. "Yes, but I wish there was a way of getting the calories in without actually eating them. I am out of practice."

"What have you been eating?" Allor murmured as he got her to take another slug of the coffee-flavoured syrup.

Tamara answered, "Protein shakes. I haven't seen her eat anything solid in weeks."

"Cooking takes two hands. Having one sucks," she muttered.

Tamara looked at her phone and started to hop excitedly. "The promo just dropped!"

Lya winced. "Uh-oh."

Allor asked, "What's this?"

Noh smiled. "Our omega participated in the engineering round of Alpha versus Beta."

Allor asked, "Did you win?"

"No clue. This round was done on execution and style points. There was only one person removed, and it was because of hostility to the other participants."

"Ohmygod! Mom, you can ride a motorcycle?" Tamara was getting excited.

Lya chuckled and finished her coffee. "Yeah."

"Can you teach me?"

Two alphas both said, "No!"

Allor chuckled. "It seems that you two are livening up the household, and you have been here for less than an hour." He firmed his voice. "Can someone get me the link to that promo?"

The astonished alphas were watching over Tamara's shoulders.

Lya sighed. "Don't worry. I don't make a habit of doing that stuff, but it was for a children's charity. They asked me, and I went through the trials and ended up with the placement. They assigned long-term childcare for Tamara."

Noh was staring at the tiny screen. "You wanted to do this?"

"Yes. It was fun and for a good cause. Nothing disastrous had happened in my life, and I was getting by with my leather work and costume repair. I wasn't getting rich, but bills were paid. There was no harm in taking myself out for a spin."

Tamara frowned. "You said the challenge was engineering."

"It was."

"They have switched it to mechanics."

"Nice. That's good. I am not, nor have I ever been, an engineer."

Tamara nodded and then grinned. "Nice poster posing."

Lya groaned. "That was a helluva day. My sympathies to anyone who does modelling as a job. Did they keep the one with crossed wrenches?"

"Uh, yeah. And about twenty others."

"Ah. Well, the boys got their own pictures, so how are Merrin's photos?"

"Everybody who isn't you got six."

"Oh."

Noh cocked his head. "You dye your hair?"

"Yeah. It's just simpler, and there are so many fun colours available. To save a bit, I use a lot of hair wax. It just brushes in. Not meaning to be a jerk, but can someone pass me a sandwich?"

Noh came to her side and held the tray for her free hand. "Once you have eaten, we are going on a house tour, and then you are getting some rest."

"Can I rest first?"

"No. I need you to be able to find your way around. I don't want you falling into the pool."

Tamara gasped. "We have a pool?"

Venka laughed. "We have a pool, hot tub, and golf course if you are interested. Allor has an archery course. We have woods to run through."

Tamara's eyes were shining. She was getting to the point where her body wanted to exert itself to continue developing. Lya smiled.

She took two sandwiches and parked one of them on her cast while she ate the other.

"That is quite the elaborate cast." Allor smiled.

"I woke up with it, and apparently, I will need a replacement in a few days." She felt a throb in her arm and looked at it. "Hm."

Noh asked, "Pain?"

"No, but the numbness is wearing off. It's keeping a beat."

He got the bag of prescriptions and pulled out a bottle with an eyedropper. "Open."

She obediently opened her mouth, and as he gave her the dose, he was smiling slightly. He got the pills out next and handed them to her with a glass of water.

She put the pills in her mouth and then took the medication. She ate the second sandwich and started to sway. "Does that med say that it may cause drowsiness?"

Noh nodded. "Absolutely. Looks like we will have to postpone the house tour after all. Allor, do you want to bring her?"

She was lifted again, and they travelled through the house and into a warmer area that had the unmistakable scent of snakes. Lya smiled. She had the distinct feeling that she was home.