On Thin Ice (The Seattle Omegas, #1)

by Calliope Stewart

When I was little I had often heard my father say that at the heart of every figure skater was a daredevil that just wanted to watch the world burn.

This was the worst part of any competition for me: the sitting and waiting.

Normally I wouldn’t push, but you only won your first Olympic gold medal once and I wanted to celebrate like every other athlete did, so I knew that it was time to employ my secret weapon.

Most men and women were immediately drawn to Ciara’s beautiful looks, but they were then just as quickly put off by her mouth.

The realization that my family didn’t trust me with the important things had hurt like a bitch.

Half-Russian, half-Irish, and 100% my type, I added silently,

I had heard alpha purrs from my dad and uncle before, mostly for my mom and aunt, but nothing had even come close to the timbre of Nash’s. It was like it was coming from somewhere deep in his chest, rather than his throat.

I’d spent many an afternoon skating on the pond out behind our house while my parents were inside fighting. It had been my retreat from all of my problems, and that hadn’t changed even now.

“Actually, it’s not just one baby, but two. Congratulations Brynn, it looks like you’re having twins.”

And just like that, my family came to terms with my pregnancy like I had told them that I was going to get bangs or dye my hair black.

I realized quickly that Dutch talking to me and meeting with me went way out of his norm, and it made me feel a little bit giddy inside like I was special.

“The reason that I told you all of that is that I want you to understand just how much I love my daughter and how I would run you over with my car in an instant if I thought you were a threat to her.”

up. I loved it when I could share solidarity with random women about hot men, it was one of my favorite things in life.

It was a lot to take in. To choose Brynn was to also choose fatherhood, that much was obvious. I’d never imagined myself as a dad before, and I didn’t have the best role model when it came to dads. What if I fucked the kid up without meaning to?

“Thank you for telling me everything and trusting me,” I said and watched her eyes warm. She leaned over and pressed one last kiss to my lips. “And thank you for being every bit the man that I’d hoped you’d be.”

I guess sometimes, if the compatibility was high, a bond would start to form even without the mark. It was supposed to fade with time and distance, but four months later I could still feel echoes of Brynn’s emotions as she lived her life somewhere that wasn’t next to me.

Something about Dutch giving me a nickname made me feel secure and safe, like he was asserting that I belonged to him. It also made me want to stick my nose underneath his chin and rub my scent all over him in the most territorial of manners so that no one even dared look at him sideways.

“But I want every asshole in this bar to know that you’re mine, and if they didn’t get the hint before, they fully understand it now.”

I wondered how big she would get carrying two babies inside of her tiny frame and vowed silently to carry her everywhere she needed to go if it became too much for her.

I was completely content for the first time in as long as I could remember, and I would fight like hell in order to stay that way.

“Since I can’t parade you around with my scent on you without risking a one-way ticket to Siberia, I’ll just have to keep putting these on you so that you know that you are mine.”

Our babies. It never failed to make me a little bit weepy when he talked about the beans being ours. I wasn’t going to be alone, because I had my Dutch right here with me.

It wasn’t every day that the boyfriend of the mother of your unborn child invited you to get a drink like he was trying to make friends with you.

I was suddenly the lead alpha in the situation making decisions about a pack that wasn’t really a pack, and it was a heavy burden on my shoulders.

“How good are you at math?” I asked. Nash looked confused as he answered my question. “Uh, I mean I’m pretty good at it, I like to think. I have a bachelor’s degree in statistics.” I glanced back at Brynn and her eyes were dancing with laughter. “He’ll do,” I told her and we shared a grin.

“I think that my instincts are telling me that I like Nash,” I told them carefully. Well, that wasn’t 100% the truth, my instincts were excitedly hopping up and down pointing at Nash as they screamed ‘that’s it! That’s what we’ve been missing!’

“You went from being my little girl to being a gold-medal-winning figure skater, having two boyfriends, and two babies on the way in less than a year. I’m afraid that I’m going to lose my mind if much more happens.”

I still didn’t have my memories of the Olympics, but all of the pieces were finally starting to fall back into place, and I was feeling more content and whole than I had ever since I woke up confused in the hospital after my accident.

It was understood from the start that he would treat me like a partner in our relationship with Brynn, and not like an obstacle in his way. Not every alpha would have done the same, hell, I wasn’t sure that I would have been able to do the same if the roles were reversed.

It was clear that, if she wanted to, Brynn Peterson could run circles around me and I would be damned if I ever asked her to stop.

I still couldn’t believe that I’d gone from no romance ever in my life, to two different romances with some of the most handsome men that I’d ever met. It was like I’d fallen into one of Aurelia’s romance novels, and if that was the case, I never wanted to leave.

Ever since I realized that Nash was the missing piece of the puzzle, I hadn’t had any of my forest dreams again. It was like I had found what I was looking for and I didn’t need to search through my dreams for him.

“I think you and Dutch are it for me too,” I told him shyly. I had been sure about it ever since I’d napped with my head in Dutch’s lap and my feet in Nash’s. I’d never felt safer than that day,

Nash’s pinky squeezed mine as he spoke. “I promise to keep you, the babies, and Dutch safe, always, and I promise to always strive to make you happy,” he said, his voice clear as he spoke.

You look like heaven, angelface, and I’m a sinner who’s just trying to gain entry,

I couldn’t wait until we got to the point where I could become the omega cream in Nash and Dutch’s alpha Oreo cookies,

You are our love, and those babies inside of you are our babies. I don’t think I would survive if something ever happened to you.”

“All the best things in life are too good to be true, sweetness,” I told her as I started to inch towards the doorway of my bedroom, pulling Nash and Brynn with me as I went. “That’s why they exist, so we’re reminded that even in our dreary, monotonous lives, that there’s still room for magic.”

You’re ours until the days of our lives stretch into forever.”

There’s an old saying: Hell hath no fury like an omega defending her alpha. I never believed it before, and certainly never would have attributed it to my loving, gentle omega. But, as always, Brynn proved me wrong.

I love you for who you are. I see you, David Reynolds, never forget that,” she said using Dutch’s full name. “I’ve always seen you, so don’t try to disappear on me because some rat with a small dick is trying to tear you down.

Outside of our home, I was the quiet, calm Dutch that sat back and observed. But in the bedroom, I was the kinky cruise ship captain of my omega’s dreams.