Chapter Text
"You"re sure he"s okay?" Prapai said.
Not this again. He was doing fine. Just a little tired but if they could just let him sleep everything would be better.
"He told me not to worry about it."
He didn"t have to look to know Rain had a pout on his face while saying this. Of course he would pout about being denied the right to care for one of his mates. If they let him, Rain would be all over them all the time.
"But it"s Sky. Of course he"d say that," Phayu added.
He wanted to growl at this. Phayu was right but... did he have to say it like that? He was going to worry Rain even more.
Sky turned away from the three voices whispering. He didn"t want to be awake. Maybe if he ignored them they would leave him alone? Being alone didn"t feel nice though. He wanted their warmth around him.
"Should I call for the doctor?"
He recognized Prapai"s voice and couldn"t help but tense. He remembered the doctor from a few weeks ago. He didn"t want her to come back. If she dared step in his room he would not hesitate to bite her this time. There would be no warning growl and no hesitation. That woman would not get close to him or his pups.
"Not sick, just tired," he mumbled. He still had his back turned on his mates. His nest was so comfy right now. Did it always smell so good? It was just the perfect mix of his own scent, his mates and the soft milky one of the pups. Where were the pups? The smell wasn’t fresh enough. It meant they were not there. They should be with them. Safely tucked in between them where Sky would be able to hold them.
A hand gently pressed on his forehead and he let out a sigh. It was a nice hand. Just on the right side of cool.
Phayu.
If he moved just a little it would be so easy to reach for the scent gland on the wrist. It would be so easy to press there and inhale the comforting flowery scent. He also knew it was not enough. He needed Rain to be closer. He needed his scent to blend with the others.
"I"m here Sky. I"m here, not leaving you." Suddenly Rain was plastered against his back. He had no idea why or how Rain knew it was what he needed. "It"s okay baby, we"re here with you," he added. It was when Sky realized the strange high pitched sound in the room was coming from him. Pai sat next to him and started to pet his hair while Phayu walked to the other side and took his hand.
He let out a contented purr and fell back asleep. Whatever was wrong with him he could deal with it later.
"You smell strange."
Daw"s voice startled Sky and he let go of the glass he was carrying. The glass fell on the floor and broke in pieces. Sky barely noticed it, his eyes fixed on Daw. He was rubbing his eyes, still sleepy.
"What did you say pup?" Sky asked after a few deep breaths. Maybe he had heard wrong. It couldn"t be what he thought.
Daw walked in the kitchen but Sky stopped him before he could step on shards of glass.
"You smell a little like Ma but... more?" Daw tilted his head as he tried to explain. "Are you sick again, mama?"
"No pup, don"t worry about this. I feel better today."
Sky crouched down and opened his arms. Daw didn"t hesitate and ran in his arms. Sky lifted him and took him out of the kitchen. He would come back to clean the floor after being sure Daw was not going to try to help. He didn"t want the pup to hurt himself on the shards.
"Where are we going?"
"I think I heard your little sister waking up, so what about a walk to the park after her meal?"
The pup"s happiness washed over him and Sky forgot for a moment the comment about his scent.
Sky was watching from afar as the pups were playing when a woman sat next to him on the bench. He couldn"t help but tense. He couldn"t help it whenever a stranger got close to him and the pups. His first instinct always was to run to the pups and protect them. However it was becoming worse these last weeks and he had no idea why.
"Oh sorry, I didn"t mean to startle you," the woman apologized, quickly standing up and putting some distance between them.
"You did nothing wrong," Sky felt the need to say. He didn"t want to gather attention to them, even more when the woman had done nothing but surprise him when she sat on the bench. It had not been worth the growl he had let out.
"No,no, no. It"s okay. I used to get like this too when I got my first pup. Instincts are something we can"t control sometimes. Even more during the first weeks."
The first weeks?
"I really keep messing up," the woman chuckled, passing a nervous hand in her hair. "Forget what I said."
"No it"s just that I didn"t confirm it yet," Sky finally said. He was not sure why he was telling a stranger this. He hadn"t even talked about it with his mates. They should be the firsts he talked to but he couldn’t. He was scared of doing it.
"Oh, okay. Is it your first?"
"Yes and no." Sky could see she wanted to ask more but she was interrupted by a little girl crashing into her legs.
Sky watched how the woman smiled while picking up the little girl and telling her to wait a minute, she was talking with someone. The little girl nodded with a big smile.
"Maybe we"ll see each other around another time then."
He nodded and watched as she walked away, happily chatting with the little girl.
Talking to his mates was easier than he expected. He should know better than to worry about their reactions. He knew how much they all loved pups, no matter how unexpected they were.
"Just know that I hate you, " Sky mumbled when Rain joined them in bed after making sure Pensri was back to sleep. He heard Pai ask something but ignored him. Rain was the culprit and he had to know Sky hated him. It was the only reaction he deserved.
"Of course love." Rain pulled him closer and kissed his hair.
It was not the reaction he expected.
"And don"t call me like this," Sky complained, trying to push away Rain but his warmth against his back was too good to let it go. It soothed something he had been unaware of all day; ever since Daw mentioned his scent.
"If you want, love." Rain answered with a kiss on his neck. Sky purred at the sweet attention and Pai started to echo it. Phayu was already too deep asleep to have a reaction. Sky was not going to be upset about not being able to hear Phayu purr too. It was just irrational and it was not like him.
"Why do you have to be such a good alpha?" He was not whining. Phayu and Prapai were the ones always whining and he was the level headed omega of their pack. Rain rumbled at the words and scented him more.
"Only the best for my omegas."