Page 102 of Ruined Omega

I stifle a laugh to keep from waking the little sleepers. Baen has been doing this for the past couple minutes, commenting with an almost reverent awe about the tininess of the babies’ fingers, their toes, their toenails, and the delicate little follicles forming perfect whorls on the tops of their perfect heads.

He’s right, of course. It’s almost impossible to believe anything could be so small and precious as they are. And it’s even harder to believe that they came from inside of me.

They are mine.

They are ours.

Less than a year ago, the Zone seemed so far away. As distant as a dream. Maybe even a nightmare. Just the very idea of the place frightened me. And the city hive where I was living was not much better. I was living my life in fear, constantly looking over my shoulder for the attack I sensed was coming.

Now everything has changed. The Zone is my home now. And I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore. Not when I have three protective Alphas watching my back.

And the Alphas have changed too. They have managed to set their jealous rivalries aside and work together as a team, as a pack. I can tell that the birth of our first litter will only strengthen their resolve and their protectiveness.

Fortunately, protection has not been necessary these past months.

There have been no more attacks on the central ruins. The leaders of the tribe considered the possibility that the Outsider government might try to hire more Farlanders to invade, but it seems unlikely now. Abaddon’s tribe was a special case, more organized than a normal Farlander tribe because of their leader.

The Outsider government had one chance, and it failed.

Still, the Alphas remain vigilant to ensure the security of our home.

And as far as my deal with Seraph, we have both held up our ends of the bargain. I have no intentions to make more of the so-called cure. And Seraph has not allowed any harm to come to me.

Now the symbol of our covenant is nursing at my breast.

The nameless Alpha baby with the chalk-white skin.

His siblings have all been named. The firstborn, the one with Baen’s genes, is named Ash. His silver-haired brother, the biggest of the litter, is Abram, named after his grandfather. The dark omega baby is Azura, a lovely name that Tal suggested.

Only the fair child remains nameless.

“What will we call him?” I ask Tal, who is smiling down at his nursing son.

Tal thinks for a moment.

“This one is special,” he says. “Someday, he will be a great warrior. He will endure many hardships, but he will bring peace between the people of the Zone and the world beyond the Quarantine Wall. We will call him Aleph.”

I’m not sure how Tal knows all that, but his voice carries a tone of conviction.

“Aleph,” I whisper, stroking the nursing baby’s chubby cheek. “I like that.”

I love Aleph. I love all of my babies. And I love my Alphas too.

Tal said that Aleph would endure many hardships. I wish that wasn’t true, but then again, we all face hardships in our lives. It’s how we grow. It’s how we become stronger.

For now, however, I will not worry about the future. For now, I will enjoy this happy time with my Alphas and the precious babies they have given me.

We are a family now.

We are a pack.

THE END