Page 38 of And Omega Makes Four
"I know." River holds up his hands in surrender, chuckling slightly. "Don't worry. I've been thinking this over for a while. Even before all this shit with the northern pack went down. I've been paying attention, Dad. Learning by watching you, and I think we can make this work."
Charles looks at River with a mixture of pride and uncertainty. "I hope you're right. If nothing else, you'll have the pack's support if you give them an open breeding season with no restriction."
River smiles broadly. "I know. That's why I'm gonna do it."
Charles chuckles and shakes his head slowly. "You're a lot more confident than you used to be, Son. I’m proud of you."
"Thanks." River glances at Kyle then me and Frankie.
"Very well then." Charles stands up and gathers the stack of papers. "I'll see about writing up an announcement about the change of plans for breeding season."
"Thank you."
I watch River carefully, impressed by how far he’s come in such a short period of time. His relationship with Charles is still tainted by years of neglect and abuse, but they're making progress. They're both taking steps toward becoming better people.
For the good of their family and the pack.
"Are you sure about this?" I turn to River. "Giving everyone breeding rights is a big step."
"Yes," River says with a nod. "I think it's the right thing to do. Besides, people are more willing to do difficult things when they've got someone to protect, right?" He looks at me with a soft smile. "I think it's an important first step toward making us stronger and reducing our level of isolation."
"If you're sure, then we’re behind you one hundred percent."
"Thank you," he says, leaning in to kiss me. "I can't do this without my mates."
"You'll never have to."
25
FRANKIE
"Alright, I think that's everything." I step back from the stove and survey the kitchen. The meal prep for the day is complete. Breakfast is done, lunch just needs to be served, and the food for dinner is all ready to be cooked later this evening.
"Thank you." The head cook wipes her brow as she looks over the work I've done. "I don't know what we'd do without you."
"It's no problem." Honestly, I'm impressed by how well she's managed to keep the pack fed despite having no formal training in the kitchen. All I've done is make a few suggestions to help speed things up so she's not stuck in the kitchen from dawn to midnight every day.
"Go get some rest." I nod toward the door. "I'll finish cleaning up."
"Thank you." She pats my cheek with a grateful smile. "I'll see you this evening."
I nod as she leaves, then turn to the sink to wash my hands.
"Hey." Kyle enters the kitchen and gives me a quick kiss. "How's it going?"
"Good. I'm just finishing up." I put a few glass containers of leftovers into the refrigerator and make sure everything's properly labeled one last time.
Kyle holds the door, helping me. "Good, because I want to talk to you about something."
"What's up?"
"It's been a few days since River announced that he's opening breeding rights to the whole pack." Kyle leans against the counter and folds his arms. "And it's gotten everyone talking pretty animatedly about the future. There's a lot of uncertainty about how we're gonna be able to feed and house everyone if the pack suddenly doubles or triples in size."
"Yeah. I've heard people talking about it too. River is encouraging people to find work in town and to bring in more outside resources. I can understand why people are nervous."
Kyle nods slowly. "I've been thinking...and I wanted to discuss it with you before talking to River because I don't know how this would work. I mean, I don't know a lot about this kind of stuff."
I reach out and take his hand. "What's on your mind, Ky?"
