Alpha's Little Secret

Chapter 34| Two Families (4)

As expected chaos ensued the second our doorbell rang. Every single one of my siblings stood at the front door with my parents attempting to keep them tamed.

"Maxy!"

I flinched at the sheer volume of all their voices at once only to find myself being squeezed to death by the multiple little arms of my younger siblings.

"We missed you so much maxy!" My youngest sister, Claire exclaimed. She had just turned 6 and both of her front teeth were missing, leaving gap filled smile that made me remember just how much time had gone by. She had entered the adorable phase of her childhood where she wasn't asking questions every 5 seconds. Honestly it made me feel a little old.

"I missed you all too," I replied feeling a bit guilty. I hadn't been home in almost a year. I was always so focused on my career and avoiding my parents that I had forgotten how much my brothers and sisters loved me. They'd text me almost everyday and send me pictures of their milestones in the family group chat.

"Opa said you gots a boyfriend!" Little Justin announced to everyone. He was the 2nd from youngest and also the loudest. He hadn't yet developed a filter yet which always made me laugh. The little boy was in constant trouble at school, but was also the smartest.

Right on que Drake came out from wherever he was hiding, only to be overwhelmed by the number of us. My parents had 11 kids total and seeing us all together was a lot all at once.

"Is that him?" A much deeper voice asked. I thought it was my Apa but was surprised when I saw Liam. He was the second oldest under me and in my absence had grown a few inches in height.

"Duh Liam, Max always had a thing for blondes," Ava replied. She was the 3rd oldest and probably the only person on earth who understood me the best.

"Well I was just asking! I didn't think he was capable of meeting anyone that pretty," Liam replied obviously agitated. I looked him up and down, realizing that he had matured. I tried to think back to when he was younger and the budding signs of being an Alpha had presented themselves, but I seem to draw a blank.

"Wow, you have no confidence in me do you?" I asked jokingly.

Liam shook his head, his eyes focused on Drake. I was starting to think the apple didn't far from the tree. His eyes told me everything I needed to know. "Hey, maybe get your own. He's off the market," I chuckled. Liam rolled his eyes and finally looked at me.

"I know dummy. He's just pretty is all."

Drake who was still attempting to meet every single one of my siblings finally turned towards us, glancing at Liam for a moment before looking at me then back at him. Liam was essentially my clone, the only difference being his hair was dyed a lighter color and his eyes were a lighter brown.

"Are you a twin?" He asked.

"Heavens no!" Me and Liam practically shouted. It was a shared experience this we both hated with a passion. We were nothing alike. He always had an attitude and spent most of his time trapped in his room. He was so antisocial and reserved. I was nothing like that.

"You aren't doing much to convince me," Drake chuckled while sticking his hand out to shake Liam's. I watched him hesitate, before gently taking Drake's hand and shaking it. I had never witness him be this delicate with someone. He definitely had a crush which amused me more than it should've.

"He thinks you're pretty," I announced, knowing it would embarrass him.

The younger alpha instantly went red, his eyes shooting directly at the ground.

"He's got a little crush on you," I teased.

Drake hit my arm playfully before pulling Liam a little closer by the hand. "Well you're very handsome," he replied smoothly. This seemed to calm Liam's awkwardness as he stood up straight finally giving Drake his full attention.

"Thank you," he smiled, exposing his braces. The simple sight of them made me feel even worse. What else had I missed?
•••

Honestly, I was sort of happy my entire family was here. Not only was I able to see everybody, but it was sort of a distraction from the worry in my stomach about Drake possibly being pregnant. He hadn't taken a test yet after his last heat and didn't seem to be all that bothered by it.I knew how he felt and that he was telling the truth about wanting a family of our own, but I still felt guilty. I still felt like I was forcing him into it.

"Max, can I talk to you for a second?" My opa asked. Everyone was still settling in, finding their guest rooms and unpacking. I nodded at my opa, gesturing for him to follow me into an empty hallway where no one could listen in.

"How's everything with you?" He asked. He could always sense when I was conflicted about something. I guess he just had a built in intuition about things like all parents do.

I took a second to breathe, feeling like I hadn't even come to the conclusion of what might be. "There's a possibility that Drake might be pregnant. During his last heat I just...I don't know. It felt different. It's like..."

"You knew he would get pregnant." My opa smiled at me while taking my hands in his. "Maxy, I think he's more prepared for whatever happens than you are. Omegas just know when it's time to have a child. It's like something in our chemistry changes. For the longest I told myself I didn't want children. It seemed like to much, but then I fell in love and started thinking about things differently. I think it's the same for Drake. He feels safe with you, which means he feels safe to be an omega with you," he explained.

My opa was right. Drake had told me that before but I hadn't realized the scope of it. Drake fully trusted me with his safety and life. He knew I'd never do anything to hurt him intentionally. He knew I'd die before I let anyone near him. That's why he was ready. That's why things changed.

"It's just..." I lowered my eyes, feeling responsible for placing him in this situation. I knew it was it okay. I knew what Drake wanted. I just couldn't bring myself to comprehend it. What he had gone through in his life. The abortion he had after being abused for so long. The running away. The selling of his body to take care of himself. Not being able to trust anyone. What right did I have to give him children? "He's been through hell. I don't want this to be something he regrets later on and..."

My opa quickly grabbed my hands. I looked up into his eyes, finding a calmness I didn't recognize. It was like he just knew. He knew every thought I was having in that moment. "You aren't giving him anything Max. You both are creating something...in this case someone if he is pregnant. It's his decision too. If I know you, I know you wouldn't allow yourself to force anything on him if he didn't want it. Don't beat yourself up so much and stop thinking about what if's. Just be in the moment with him and create as many good memories as possible."

I hated when my opa made me feel like a dumb little kid. It was so demoralizing at times, but I'm starting to realize it was his duty as a parent. Even if I was of age, his was still the man who gave birth to me and that meant something.

"Max?!" Drake shouted, I panned my head towards our primary bedroom, meeting his gaze. His eyes were downcasted slightly, communicating what  I had been so worried about without saying anything.

He wasn't pregnant.

I had been so sure. Maybe it was just me finally realizing he was ready.

"It's okay, we can..."

Before I could finish, Drake was in my arms, his face buried in my chest as he apologized to me over and over. I didn't want to imagine where his mind was right now. He was probably blaming himself and his body for something that wasn't in his control. He was still on the pill, so it wasn't like he was supposed to be pregnant. It was just a feeling I had.

"If anyone should take the blame, it's me. I'm the one who made a big deal out of all this. So don't blame yourself. We can try again when we're ready. It's no rush," I explained calmly, while soothing his tears.

I looked back up the hall, finding that my opa had left us to deal with this as a couple. That sort of space didn't exist before. He had always had his nose in my personal love life, but now it was different. He understood how serious I was about Drake.