Page 107 of Alpha Claimed

River continued to stare at Cherry until her mom broke eye contact.

"Don't do that," said Cherry. "You may be an Omega, but I am still your mother."

"Sorry," River mumbled.

"Come on. Let's get you zipped before one of those two barges in here and insist on having sex with you before you head down there. Or both of them. I wouldn't put it past both of them."

Outside the door, Ares and Apollo said, "We heard that."

"Good," Cherry yelled back. "Then maybe you two will stop mounting my daughter long enough to let her get some rest."

River stoodat the open doors of the ballroom she hadn't even realized the estate had until a few days prior. Her stomach wound in a knot.

The entire place had been decorated in warm, neutral tones, as she asked. She'd insisted that they not be overly pretentious and had instead opted for a more elegant but soothing palette. She figured that the news would shock everyone, so anything they could do to help level heads prevail was for the best.

Large candelabras lined the sides of where the chairs had been set up. A large cream carpet covered most of the wooden floor. Dozens of tables lined the walls full of foods, desserts, and drinks waiting to be eaten. Soft classical music played in the background.

If River had picked an atmosphere for a wedding, this would have been it. Beautiful, elegant, but simple – minus the thirty or so Alphas and their mates staring at them as they entered the doors. She glanced around and found Bianca, Cherry, and Strider sitting together, with Zeke standing nearby.

Bianca smiled and waved.

River waved back.

"Ready, Kitten?"

"Probably not."

Ares chuckled. "You still have time to tell Apollo to shove off and choose me."

River looked up at him, and he smiled.

Apollo snorted. "You're such an ass."

Ares shrugged.

"If I forget to tell you later, you both look totally hot in those suits."

Ares growled. "Oh, I won't let you forget to tell me later."

"You don't have to tell me," said Apollo. "You can just show me as you help me out of it."

The knot in River's stomach relaxed as she laughed.

Ares and Apollo walked arm in arm with her into the room, followed by Theo and Bennett.

Everyone rose as they entered, and her dress, which had seemed slightly constricting before, suddenly felt much too tight. She forced herself to hold her head high and keep her face impassive as her gaze flicked from Alpha to Alpha.

She could do this. If Ares and Apollo could do it, so could she. It was fine. Things were going to be fine, just like her mom said. And no one could tell that she was already pregnant.

She sucked in her gut just to be sure, and together, they walked down an aisle that split the room in two.

After what felt like an hour, they reached the front of the room, where a giant red velvet blanket covered what she assumed were two large thrones. She swallowed hard and wondered when they would bring in the third throne. Or maybe there were only two thrones. If that were the case, then Ares and Apollo would sit, and she'd stand behind them. That was the only logical solution.

The trio stopped in front of the covered thrones and turned to the crowd. Theo stepped to the left a few feet away, and Bennett took up position on the right. Zeke and Santiago nodded and headed out of the room, probably to patrol with the others.

Again, a pang of guilt struck her as to why he wouldn't be with Bianca.

The Alphas each took a seat with their mates.