Ronan’s inner alpha longed to fly up onto the porch and grab Dale by the throat. How could the man say such awful things about omegas—about his own nephew—right in front of him?
Sorcha’s shame radiated through his scent and Ronan barely stopped himself from reaching out to reassure him. “Like I said,” he ground out, “It’s not an issue. Once I park, Sorcha is welcome to spread out on the driveway and finish his work.”
“He better finish,” Dale grumbled. “Abe and I have other things we need him to do this week before we head out of town.”
The surly beta stomped back inside his house.
“Sorry again,” Sorcha murmured.
“Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
This time, with Dale out of sight, Ronan did put his hand on Sorcha’s shoulder. A zip of electricity shot through him.
Sorcha turned his face toward Ronan’s hand, touching his nose to the alpha’s knuckles, breathing in deeply. Ronan knewthe omega sniffed him on instinct, likely without realizing it, but the innocent move had his pulse thrumming. It had been a long time since an omega other than Teal had affected him, but there was no denying the awareness he felt.
Ronan wanted to comfort Sorcha after the way Dale spoke to his nephew. But he wasn’t sure what he could do. Squeezing the young man’s biceps, he whispered, “It’s alright.”
Ronan waited until Sorcha nodded before removing his hand. The break in contact jarred them both, the omega’s eyes widening briefly before his features returned to their usual blankness.
As Ronan returned to his car, the scent of blueberries and jasmine lingered.
Chapter Two
Ronan
Ronan took a few moments to make sure none of his irritation toward the beta couple next door showed on his face. His boys were getting older, and they picked up on that kind of negative energy these days.
The delicious aroma of baked mac ‘n cheese wafted through the kitchen as he opened the door from the garage. Niall’s specialty.
“Papa!” Three excited voices shouted from the table. The boys hunched over papers that Ronan leaned forward to examine. Garin and Kino appeared to be practicing their letters while Zayne drew pictures of…bushes?
“Look, Papa.” Zayne rose from his chair and threw his arms around Ronan’s leg. “I drew puppies!”Ah, puppies.
Garin studied his brother’s artwork. “They don’t look like puppies. More like brown blobs with eyeballs.”
Ronan raised his forehead at his son. Garin was the elder of his six-year-old twin alphas by ten minutes and had inherited bothhis parents’ boldest qualities. He was big and brawny like Ronan with the confident brashness that made Teal such a unique omega.
“Be nice to Zayne,” Kino admonished his twin before Ronan had a chance to. “It’s our job to take care of him, not hurt his feelings.” He turned to his younger brother. “I like your picture. Maybe if you drew on tails and bigger ears, it would be easier to tell they’re puppies.”
“That’s okay,” Zayne said, easygoing as always. “It can be a picture of blobs. I don’t care.”
Ronan smiled at Kino’s desire to protect, as well as Zayne’s happy obliviousness. Kino approached life more softly than his twin and was less quick to anger, an alpha much like Ronan himself. But he also displayed Teal’s humor and mischievousness, stepping naturally into the role of peacemaker among the three brothers.
Ronan took the drawing from his four-year-old's hand. “Well, whether it’s blobs or puppies, I think it belongs on the fridge.” He used a magnet to add the paper to dozens of others crowding the freezer door.
“I wasn’t trying to be mean,” Garin said to no one in particular. “I just know Zayne can draw gooder than that.”
“Better,” Ronan corrected gently. “And even if you are trying to help, you need to remember to be careful with your words.”
The small alpha looked like he might argue but ultimately nodded.
The twins did a great job watching out for Zayne, although Ronan had noticed recently that Garin seemed to be trying to toughen his little brother up. It wasn’t easy for omegas in a world where many alphas and betas clung to outdated views. Even at six, Garin and Kino had picked up on this and worried about how the rest of the world would treat their brother as he grew.
“Hey, Papa, Niall made mac ‘n cheese.” Kino shifted the conversation.
“I know. It smells delicious.” Ronan glanced around. “Where is Niall?”
“I’m here.” With a swish of his hips, the family’s beta nanny swept into the room. “I was getting a load of laundry in. Welcome home, Papa.” He waggled his eyebrows at Ronan above the boys’ heads.
