Page 72 of The Other Omega

I laughed with them. It was funny to think that the five enormous, serious men I’d just met were probably still teased by their mothers like little boys.

“And on the subject of Alpha pride,” Astrid continued, turning towards me, “I suspect you have given our sons enough to sustain theirs for several years.”

I looked at her in confusion.

“Your response to their scents, my dear. You very nearly lost your footing before you had even reached them.”

“And then you embraced all five before the entire House Guard,” Helena added, looking thoroughly delighted. “A remarkably bold display of affection.”

“Oh.”

Heat crept into my cheeks again.

“I daresay you have established a new precedent for the young Omegas who follow you,” Maren said. “Our sons may now be expected to endure considerably more affection in public.”

“Did you see how proud they were when they brought her in?” Astrid asked the other women. “They did their utmost to preserve their composure, but their scents told quite another story.”

Several women seated nearby murmured in agreement, a few smiling knowingly.

I realised some were Omegas, their scents clearly sweeter and stronger than the muted scents of the Betas around them. I looked down at my tea, trying not to smile.

So the five men I’d been so worried about embarrassing were actually rather pleased with themselves.

“Even as a Beta, I could scent your perfume quite clearly,” Helena said warmly. “I can only imagine how strongly our sons must have experienced it.”

“I didn’t realise everyone could tell,” I admitted, my cheeks warming again.

Astrid smiled. “My dear, you have only just met five extraordinarily well-matched Alphas. Your response was entirely natural, and I am delighted to see that you are already so pleased with one another.”

Helena smiled towards the sleeping baby. “Perhaps, before too long, Neetah will have another little cousin to grow beside her.”

Leenah laughed softly, and I looked between the women, feeling much less embarrassed now. They actually seemed happy about it.

“And what of you, Elowen?” Astrid asked. “Have you ever considered whether you would like children of your own?”

“I—”

“There is certainly no expectation that you begin immediately,” Maren assured me. “Though I confess I would be delighted if Neetah had a cousin close to her own age.”

“And none of us is growing any younger,” Helena added.

“You may speak for yourself,” Astrid replied. “I remain firmly in my prime.”

I laughed with them, even if I was still a little embarrassed to be discussing babies when I’d only just met my Alphas.

Astrid smiled at me. “I shall not pretend that I do not hope for a great many grandchildren, my dear, but the choice will always belong to you.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “I’ve always wanted a big family anyway. Four or five children would be lovely, I think. I don’t know about more than that, though.”

Astrid clasped her hands together, visibly delighted. “How wonderful. That is precisely what I had hoped to hear. In that case, I believe it is time for the Stormforge chest.”

She turned towards an attendant waiting nearby. “Would you bring the Stormforge chest, please?”

Two attendants disappeared through a side door and came back carrying a long wooden chest between them. The pale wood was polished smooth; the silver fittings around its edges suggested it was very old. They placed it on the floor in front of me and stepped away.

Astrid leaned forward and rested one hand on the lid.

“There is an old custom in High Mountain, Elowen. Families preserve certain belongings from their children’s earliest years—blankets, shoes, little garments made by hand, anything especially precious or beautifully crafted. The custom began in a time when our winters were harsher, and even the simplest things required considerable effort to obtain.”