Parfait

Chapter Thirty-One

Hana could have slept much later the next morning, but when a sunbeam roused her she pushed to wake. This cozy bed smelled of pomegranate and vanilla, distant hints of ocean air tickling her memory, but there was a part of her spirit that would not be quieted again until she was back among the many delicious scents that meant all of her alphas were near. Their layers of decadence had made it so that nothing else compared. She was sure that she was spoiled, now, ruined for prospects of an ordinary future with single-note fragrances. Good thing she had already abandoned the idea of a mate, a future, long ago.

Besides, rising early also meant that she could see Eomma again. The title had been entirely erased from the woman who had happened to birth her and given over to the one who truly deserved it. Hana wiggled out from between her sleeping alphas and slipped quietly downstairs to the kitchen where she was greeted the way a mother should greet her child: with joy, and open arms. And before inviting her to sit, Eomma quickly squeezed her hand: one, two, three times. "Still with your secret code," Hana laughed.

"Forever," the older omega said with a fond smile. "It got me through those hard years."

"But my father isn't here anymore," Hana reminded her. "I can tell you I love you without anyone exploding. We don't have to worry about that, ever again."

"That's right." Eomma steered her into a chair at the table where breakfast was already waiting. "And I am so, so grateful. I love you so much and I will tell you as often as you let me! But you'll also let an old woman keep her little quirks, now won't you my girl?"

"Okay, Eomma."

It was easy as breathing, having her girl back, just like Jungkook had promised his mother it would be, had been for him. The little hollow in her heart that had ached when they moved out of that old house was full again, and her kitchen was diffused with the soft scent of almond as Hana happily ate and talked about the good things in her life recently. She had friends, hobbies, and of course her alphas, who brought out the tenderest expression in the young woman. This was the kind of life every mother wanted for her children, and though she could only gently nudge in her own small ways, Eomma was going to try to steer all of these children towards that happy ending. Together.

~~~

It wasn't a surprise that Jungkook's phone started ringing during their car ride home, but it was a delight, at least to him. He had allowed Jimin to drive this time, so he got to answer right away, and hit the speaker button for good measure. "Is something wrong, hyung?" he asked innocently.

"Explain those messages!" Seokjin yelled. "You've broken Taehyung!"

"Is he okay?" Hana asked, and Jin sputtered a little to hear her voice. He likely had not expected to be on speaker phone. "Jungkookie, what did you do?"

"I sent some photos from the daycare to the group chat," he giggled proudly. "I couldn't help myself, noona, you were so cute."

She had shyly requested that before they left town they make one last stop: her old employer, to drop off the uniforms her so-called mother had failed to. "My old boss was always kind, and she wrote me a good recommendation for the company. I don't want to inconvenience her." And that was all it had taken to convince her alphas to drive just a few miles out of the way. While there, Hana had been unable to avoid being swamped by the children who missed her, and Jungkook had grabbed a few candid photos of the experience despite having a curious toddler clinging to his own leg.

"Oh, look," Jungkook said as a notification popped up on his screen. "Hobi-hyung sent a photo." He clicked on it to find evidence of the supposedly broken alpha, sprawled upside-down on the couch and enraptured with his phone screen. "He looks fine, hyung!"