The Last Omega in the Galaxy (Scales and Tails of Fate #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Vil

Back on the proverbial road, sitting in my bed, eating real beef while snuggling with my mate and my egg, was a fresh experience that I thought I’d never grow tired of.

My mate tore into a nearly raw steak, eyes watering with bliss. “I know it’s some weird space cow, but—”

“It’s not a space cow. It’s just a cow cow.” My correction fell on deaf ears as he dug in and chewed.

“Anyway! It’s delicious!” His toes curled as he lounged about in a cropped top and a pair of shorts so small that Gorm had offered to fight him for them. I couldn’t keep my hands off him, but he was too busy snuggling with our egg, as he’d been for lunar cycles.

The egg had grown since it was laid, the heartbeat stronger, and Noel beamed proudly at it when it twitched and rocked with movement. Occasionally I heard the slightest little slick scrabble. Doc even monitored the growth, and every day he looked a little bigger, stronger, bluer. Noel could tell right away that he wouldn’t be omega with the streaks of color coming in over his back and tiny spines. And just the prior morning, he’d had his tail curled over his face, sucking on it so sleepily.

“Come on, we need to take Nexus to see Doc. The yolk is growing small,” I gently reminded Noel and nudged him, making him pout, lips still slick with meat. The egg wiggled at the sound of my voice, and a note of protest sang through my heart at his disapproval when Noel parted from him, licking his fingers. Though, there was a curiosity that grew by the day. Despite Noel’s constant attention to him, he didn’t pick up on things that I did. I sensed progress far better. Noel sensed heart, but he wasn’t sure why.

I trailed a claw over the shell and scooped our little one up. The warmth within squirmed about, and I let Noel finish licking his fingers clean before sliding from the bed. Those shorts, fastened over his tail to keep them up, should have had laws against them. Always millimeters away from showing me his vent as it dipped in the front.

I’d memorized every freckle of his pattern and knew just how far it was from one speckle to the next, a kiss away from displaying his goods.

“I can feel the horny crawling through our bond, Vil.” Noel took Nexus from me and frowned, but I saw how his tail curled in a familiar corkscrew motion, miming the mating lock.

I could only grin in response as he shouldered me on the way out, tail twitching invitingly.

If I had any say about it, we’d be putting that tail to good use the moment Nexus slept in his little shell.

“Vil.” Noel’s warning tone made me back off.

“But you’re wearing the shorty shorts and the crop top,” I said. The little whine in my throat seemed to make him laugh, or at least huff once in humor.

“I’ll wear them less if you cannot focus on Nexus for ten minutes.” His contrite tone and clipped step chastened me until he stopped and pivoted on his heel, pushing up on his toes to meet me face-to-face. With one hand, I supported his shoulder and the other, our egg. “But I still have you in my heart. I will always.”

“Did Raziel and Nirem feel like this for one another?” I leaned in, our lips brushing.

“They had opposing personalities, but they matched well. Raziel was stern and strict. Nirem challenged him often but was soft. Together, they had harmony. I truly believe they loved one another.”

That word made my heart ache. I’d said it to lovers before, but things never lasted. Love was fleeting, but I knew in my heart I needed to say it at least once before we became parents. “I suppose I believe in this bond thing more by the day, because I really love you, Noel.”

He hesitated, lips curling into a soft smile. “And I love you, too.”

We sank into a soft kiss that stayed tame and sweet until Noel pulled back, Nexus wiggling in his shell. “Come on. Scan time.”

But I knew something Noel didn’t. I thought the scan wasn’t necessary because before this rotation was over, our little one would be with us. I felt it.

As we turned into the medical bay, Doc sat lazily in his chair, spinning in place as he stared at the ceiling.

“We interrupting?” I smirked and waited for him to come to a lazy stop in front of me.

He sighed. “No, I was debating on interrupting you two. Now come to Uncle Doc, Nexus. I’ll have plenty of fun with my little nephew whenever daddies wanna be horny.”

I balked, and Noel had the decency not to. But more importantly, he willingly handed off the egg cradled in his arms, letting Doc handle him unprompted.

Doc turned the 4D photostereoscope scanner on and brought up the image of our sleeping little one twitching and scrabbling away. I grinned as he fidgeted, a little snarl of frustration stretching across a sweet humanoid face, little claws drawn and pawing through slick insides. My heart skipped a beat at the withered yolk sac that had dwindled to near nothing at his navel.

I rested a hand on Noel, who gazed at the screen, dark eyes traversing every inch of him, waiting for flaws or fears to come to fruition. I squeezed his shoulder. “I don’t think he likes the cold on the table like that.”

With careful ease, I closed out the viewing screen, much to Doc and Noel’s disapproval, gesturing gently toward the egg as it twitched and wiggled. The leathery surface of it pulsed, and I reached over, my lizard brain moving faster than my emotions as I pricked a single talon right where our little one had his own little swiping claws aimed.

The pale-blue shell split, just an inch at first, then farther as he struggled and flailed. With Noel frozen in shock and Doc doing his best not to reach for him, I closed the gap and let our little Nexus thrust one beautiful little fisted hand through and kicked little chubby feet as he gasped for his first breaths, forming little bubbles in the albumin.

Doc wordlessly swabbed a sample of the material and scampered off, focusing on something else as Noel rushed in, acting on instinct. As he pried our little one out of the spent shell, glistening and slippery, he held him to his chest and pinched at his nose and mouth to clear things faster. A few sneezes later, and the growling little cries of the first newly hatched Naleucian born in this galaxy in over four hundred years echoed through the halls.

“Hey, man! Congrats, it’s a boy, Cap’n,” Merriel’s tinny voice rang over the ship, and I shook my head, pulling Noel to my chest to share the warmth of our little one. My heart melted as he tucked his tail and shared our warmth.

A few cheers rang from down the hall as Doc shouted out to us over the noise. “A beta, if I’m reading the results correctly. His biosignature matches more closely to the makeup we have of N02.”

Noel’s eyes widened and grin spread. “A little beta.”

“Are beta and alpha the same, societally?” Doc approached slowly and reached out to stroke the back of Nexus’s hand.

“I always got the feeling it was about equal, if the way Raziel treated Nirem was to be believed. Nirem said that alphas were more brazen, but betas were more cautious. More nurturing. Omegas were dedicated to their young though. Detrimentally so. They said that sometimes, omegas would even know when their eggs had been used and if they weren’t ablated, would spend weeks in distress looking for them. Ablation was seen as a kindness.” Noel bounced little Nexus in his arms. “But I have you, for now at least.” Noel beamed, playing with dark-blue hair that stuck up at odd angles atop our little one’s head. Deep and eerily blue eyes opened, turning up to us with nearly blind curiosity. He reminded me so much of myself.

“Good thing we have all that meat.” Noel prodded his little nose as he settled down his growling and sniffling.

“Or we can turn him loose in the vents to get rid of that lyret colony?” Doc’s suggestion earned a snort of laughter from me and a glare from Noel.

“Or, we can help him cut up and chew his meat a little bit and he’ll be fine without hunting down space lizards for snack time.” Noel glared.

“It’s actually a Venusian ly—” Doc started.

“Space. Lizard.” Noel stared him down until he cowered.

I shook my head and corralled Noel into taking our little one to our bedroom to clean up.

As much as we wanted to keep little Nexus to ourselves, once bathed and dressed in something suitable, we gathered in the mess hall for his first meal.

It wasn’t too long ago, these men had all been something different to me, but with the arrival of Nexus, they were all family. I sat watching Sarge hold the little one as his tiny chubby tail gripped his scaleless arm. Little hands flailed when Wallace walked by, carrying a small bowl meant for him. His little eyes narrowed and claws scrabbled. Meat. His bond to me sang of hunger, of closeness, and assurance that he could be as brazen as he needed to be because both his parents protected him.

Noel’s attention drifted away, lips pursed as he stared at the doorway. Doc stood there, a certain kind of sadness in his eyes.

Before he could turn and slip away, Noel called him over, urging Sarge to share some baby time with him.

I wanted to tell him to stop, to let Doc feel his feelings, but the way his expression transformed, and his sadness turned to a smile, changed my mind.

“So, Captain? We on paternity leave, or do we need to set course?” Sarge grinned at me. Most of the men had already spent their share and were thirsty for more.

“Merriel. Find someplace interesting.” I grinned as I glanced up toward our ship’s sensors before he near instantly chirped in response.

“Aye aye, Captain!”