“Which they also weren’t able to have because I’m here,” Perrie finished for me, all of the pieces suddenly clicking together for the omega.
“Precisely, pet, you were my final wrench in whatever cogs they were trying to build against me.” Edison gave her a cheerful kiss on the side of her head. “And my main reason for finally pushing to create a pack. It’s far past time for this clan to move into the modern era.”
“But you aren’t thinking about Sean at all in all of this,” I pushed.
“Sean?” Perrie frowned. “Who’s Sean?”
Edison sighed heavily. “Sean is my thirteen-year-old cousin, and technically, my heir.”
We both watched as Perrie shot straight up in her seat, her eyes open wide as she looked at Edison. “What? Why was I never told about him?”
“Because I barely even know him, Perrie. My uncle was in his sixties when he was born and died soon after and his wife is the daughter of one of the branch heads. They’ve pretty much cloistered him away since birth on the off chance that I kick the bucket and they can install him as the new head.”
I snorted at that. Chance had nothing to do with it. Over the past two years since Edison took over as head there had been no less than twelve assassination attempts that were traced back suspiciously close to the branch heads.
The only reason that they hadn’t tried an all-out coup yet was because Edison had nearly the entire younger generation on his side. Our men were loyal, though I was growing increasingly worried over the past two months that cracks were starting to form in that loyalty.
“Which is precisely why debuting a pack is a bad idea until your leadership is on more solid ground.” I turned to Perrie. “Tell me you understand.”
Perrie looked between the two of us again, her shoulders sinking slightly. “I understand.”
I sank back into the couch with relief. Then, of course, Perrie opened her mouth and immediately set me right back on edge.
“So, basically I just need to get pregnant.”
The words were said so casually that there was nothing Edison or I could do but gawk at her.
Perrie glanced between the two of us, brows raised. “What? Is that not why I was brought in?”
“You were brought in to be my partner, Perrie.” Edison snagged her back into his arms, a hand going up to the fresh bond mark on her neck and I watched as they both shuddered. “Children are just a bonus that I assumed would happen further in the future.”
“So we just need to move up the timetable a bit. If you have an heir then your position is more solid and they can’t say shit,” Perrie said, her gray eyes meeting mine and clearly still seeing my reluctance. A heavy sigh left her. “Rhodes, look at my hand.”
She lifted up the hand that had her wedding bands on it. “What do you see?”
I’d glanced at her wedding rings many times whenever the stones caught in the light. At first they had been a reminder that the chapter of my life with Edison was probably coming to a close, then as I followed Perrie around more it was almost a comfort to see. Because she had those rings she could never leave.
But I’d never actually examined them much more closely than that.
Her engagement ring sparkled, just like it always did. It was a true centerpiece, almost hiding what lay on either side of it.
“I see your wedding rings.”
“And how many are there?” Perrie asked again, moving her fingers so that the rings separated from each other.
“Three,” I managed to say, my voice a little hoarse.
Perrie turned to Edison. “Why did you give me three rings?”
Edison cleared his throat before looking from the rings to me. “Because, in my mind, there’s always been three of us in this marriage and I’d like for there to be three of us in this pack.”
Perrie nodded, clearly determined as she stood and rounded the little coffee table, cupping my face in her hands the same way I’d done it the night of the party. “We can keep it a secret until I’m pregnant, but I want you Rhodes McCreary, we both do, so will you please just stop being so damned stubborn and say yes already?”
There were still so many issues that cropped up in my mind even as Perrie spoke. So many things that could go wrong because of this choice.
But even still, I found myself nodding.
“Yes.”
Twenty Four
“Perrie, will you please just talk to me?” Kailey begged as I fiddled with the controls of my camera.
A week had passed since the ill-fated party and Edison’s rut and it was my first day back in classes.
My body was still a bit bruised from Edison’s hickeys, but luckily autumn had hit hard this week and covering them up with clothing had been easy and seamless.
The only thing I didn’t bother to cover up was the bond mark on my neck. No, that I wore with pride.
“Ma’am, if you could take a step back please,” Collum said as he stepped in between us. The man was a veritable mountain and thanks to that he completely blocked Kailey’s view of me.
Rhodes had argued until he was blue in the face about not being able to be my bodyguard during the day, but even though they hadn’t fully told me everything that was going on behind the scenes, I knew Edison needed him more than me right now.
They’d been gone every day for long hours ever since that day in Edison’s room, only returning late at night after I’d already fallen asleep in my nest.
That had been another thing that I’d had to insist on. At first, Edison had no intention of letting me go back to my nest in the east wing, explaining that he was afraid that by me being there that the universe would think that it was okay to fuck with me.
