Zayne squeezed his arms around his alpha father’s neck. “Papa, it wasn’t my brudders’ fault. Landwy pushed me into the pool after I got in line for the dive board. He twied to cut in fwont of me and said omegas should always step aside for alphas. When I wouldn’t move, he pushed me.”
Niall’s heart stuttered, recalling his fear as he watched it happen. “It’s a good thing Zayne fell into the water. If he’d fallen on the cement, it could have been much worse.”
Ronan narrowed his eyes at the alpha across the room, who glared back in equal measure.
“If his son instigated the incident, what does this have to do with the twins?” Teal asked.
“Cuz when he pushed me, my brudder came up and punched Landwy in the stomach.”
Teal looked at Garin. “You did that?”
Garin’s cheek lifted. “Not me. Kino hit him first.”
“Kino?” Teal glanced down at his usually-docile twin. Kino shrugged, not looking terribly sorry.
“But I came up after and did a second punch,” Garin added. “It made him cry. Little baby, picking on omegas.”
Ronan and Teal sighed in unison.
“Boys,” Teal said, “How many times have we talked about how violence isn’t the answer?”
“But he pushed Zayne—”
“I understand that. And I know you were standing up for him. But in those situations, I don’t want you to resort to using your fists. You could have called for a lifeguard, or Niall, or—”
“But he hurt my little brother!” Garin tried again. He looked toward Ronan. “Papa, you said it’s an alpha’s job to stand up for omegas, right?”
“Of course,” Ronan answered seriously. “But Daddy’s right. When you respond to bad behavior with more bad behavior, it makes things worse.”
Garin didn’t look convinced, and even though Kino kept a neutral expression, Niall had a hunch he sided with his twin on this. Deep down, Niall was glad little Landry had received the comeuppance he deserved. He was twice Zayne’s size, for stars’ sake! When the beta pool attendant had come over, having seen the whole thing, he’d made the twins apologize. Niall got the impression he also wanted to make Landry say sorry for pushing Zayne in the pool, but by that time, Landry’s father had entered the scene, and Niall could hardly blame the attendant for being too intimidated by the surly alpha to insist on it. Since neither Zayne nor Landry had suffered serious injuries, Niall assumed the matter was settled.
But then he’d clocked Landry’s father staring at the boys, and it seemed prudent to be cautious. Especially once the alpha began following them out of the locker room. Now that Niall knew Landry was in Garin’s class, he wondered if there wasn’t more behind the man’s hostility.
The boys didn’t question why their parents had shown up at the pool. Not after noticing Landry’s father. As the alpha continued watching them, Ronan, Teal, and Niall exited the building with the kids, heading to where the couple had parked next to their nanny's car.
Landry’s father followed.
The irate man waited until they reached the far side of the parking lot to shout, “Hey!”
Ronan whipped around and a low growl emanated from him. Niall swallowed at the throaty sound, instinctively gravitating toward the protective heat of the alpha.
“Can I help you?” Ronan’s voice was pure ice.
“You’re their alpha father,” the man stated harshly, waving a finger in the twins’ direction as Teal buckled them into their car seats in Ronan’s truck.
“I am.”
“Then you’re the AINO who taught them their omega-loving ways, you and their fancy-pants omega lawyer daddy.” He spat the last word.
Ronan growled louder and stepped closer to the other alpha, who curled his fingers.
“Benso…” Niall turned to see a weary-eyed omega exiting the community center, tugging a sullen Landry behind him. “Let’s just go home, okay?”
“Shut up.” Landry’s father—Benso—said to the omega, who Niall assumed to be Landry’s other father. He hadn’t noticed him before.
The omega shrunk back, pulling Landry into his side.
“Your boy Garin is in my son’s class,” Benso said to Ronan. “And he’s always talking about omega rights and putting my son down for being pro-alpha. Telling him he’s stupid. And just now, he sucker-punched him!”
