He was never doing this again. Never. He didn’t care how many sons Marlin wanted but the alpha prince would have to adopt the rest. Nic was putting his foot down.

Actually, his foot was down, and he currently couldn’t see it in the murky salt water that came up to his chest. Marlin paced alongside the whelping pool as the colony’s doula, Niles, was on his knees between Nic’s bent legs.

Nic wanted nothing more than to snarl and snap at not only Niles, but his fretting alpha and that royal doctor, Harper.

At that very moment, he wished he could go back in time and never let Marlin into his home.

With gritted teeth, he leaned forward at the doula’s encouragement and pushed with all his might, screaming so loudly it created a deafening echo throughout the cave.

After the latest wave of contractions passed, he sat back and blew out an exhausted breath. “If he’s born with a skin, he’ll shift?” Nic asked for the millionth time. Niles rolled his eyes for the millionth and one time.

Nic turned his eyes to Marlin, whose midnight dark hair was standing on end from all the times he’d raked his fingers through it. Worry was deeply set in his beautiful blue eyes.

“Why does Del have such quick whelps but this is taking forever and a day?” Marlin grumbled.

“It’s only been four hours, Your Highness,” Dr. Harper reminded him.

“Can you just cut him open and pull my son out?”

“What! No!” Nic shouted, his hand automatically going to his distended belly. “You’re not cutting me open.”

“He’s not cutting you open,” Niles agreed quietly. “Everything is moving along smoothly. Whelping takes time, Prince Marlin. There’s a human saying... All good things come to those who wait.”

Nic curled his lip at the doula.

Niles ignored that and asked, “Nic, have you and your alpha chosen a name yet?”

“No,” Nic grumbled.

“Yes,” Marlin said at the same time, pausing by the pool.

Nic frowned. “I don’t like it.”

“It’s fitting for a future prince.”

“We don’t know if he’ll be a future prince!” Nic yelled before doubling over with the next contraction and groaning.

“Push with the contraction,” Niles encouraged.

Nic didn’t need anyone telling him that. He couldn’t help but push. He needed to get the thing out of his body that was ripping apart his insides. “Once this one’s out, no more are going in.”

“We shall see,” Marlin murmured as he stared at the water.

“Yes, we will,” Nic snapped.

“You’re almost there, Nic. Just a few more pushes and your son...” Niles glanced toward Marlin.

“Deniz,” the prince supplied.

Niles couldn’t hide his reaction.

“See? It’s not good,” Nic said.

“It’s perfect, my omega. It means the sea.”

“And why must everything be about water?”

“One, we’re Selkies. Two, you love the sea!”

“Yes, the sea but not that version of it.”

“You may name our next one.”

“Oh, I see... Shit!” Nic grimaced as another contraction occurred.

“Soon,” Niles told him as the doula prodded him in a place Nic didn’t want prodded.

“Not soon enough,” Nic responded with a snarl. He turned back to Marlin. “You think by naming our son something atrocious, you will encourage me to get knocked up again, so I can name the next one something better. It doesn’t work like that!”

Marlin’s lips twitched. “It’s your only choice.”

Suddenly, Marlin was on his knees behind him, wrapping his arms around Nic’s upper chest. His alpha whispered, “You can’t resist me. Especially in oestrus. You can name our next son,” into his ear.

Nic couldn’t respond as another contraction ripped through him. “This pup is as big as a watermelon!” he cried out.

“He’s a healthy one,” Niles agreed with a chuckle. “Next time don’t eat so much.”

“I was perpetually hungry!” Nic scrunched his face up and leaned forward once again. “He’s right there. I feel him right... there.”

Niles hands disappeared under the water again. “So he is.”

Dr. Harper moved closer with a towel in hand. “As soon as he sheds his skin, I will examine him to make sure everything is fine.”

Marlin released Nic and stood. “I’ll take that. Once I inspect my son, I’ll hand him over to you, Dr. Harper.”

The doctor sighed, handing Marlin the towel. “That seems to be becoming the norm with you princes.”

“With the discovery of unwanted brothers, you can say we’re all a little on edge when it comes to our sons’ births.”

“I had nothing to do with that.”

“I’m well aware of that, but for my piece of mind, as well as my omega’s, I will check him first.”

“Very well, Your Highness.”

The grin Nic gave Marlin turned into another grimace as he felt like he was being split apart in a very delicate place.

Nic wanted to snap at Niles like a Leopard Seal when the doula’s large hands were once again where Nic didn’t want them.

“He’s crowning. A few more good pushes, Nic, and then you’ll be able to hold your son.”

“Apparently, not until everyone else does.”

“It’s for the best, Nic,” Marlin assured him.

Before he could answer his alpha, another contraction had him screaming as he was stretched to impossible widths. Niles had his brows furrowed as he leaned forward.

With a few more teeth-gritting, jaw-clenching pushes, the cause of his pain was gone. His pup was whelped. And the doula was holding him underwater!

“Bring him to the surface before he drowns!” Nic yelled reaching for his son in a panic.

“He’s fine, my omega, look.”

Nic watched as Niles slowly lifted a white seal pup from the depths of the pool. Large black eyes stared back at him, and then his skin slipped away and back into the water as Nic reached for him.

He blinked away the unexpected sting in his eyes as he took his son from Niles and cradled him to his chest as the doula fussed with the umbilical cord. He lifted his gaze to Marlin. “He’s here.”

Nic wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his alpha’s face glow so brightly. “He is.”

“He’ll shift,” Nic said softly in relief.

“He will.”

“He’ll be a prince.”

Marlin didn’t answer. Instead he carefully took Deniz from Nic’s arms and stared down at his son, his face morphing through different emotions before handing him off to Dr. Harper a few seconds later.

“He looks healthy,” Marlin whispered.

Dr. Harper’s back was to them, so Nic couldn’t see what he was doing with their son.

“Marlin,” Nic murmured, worried.

Marlin gave him a nod and approached the table where Dr. Harper worked. They spoke in low voices so Nic couldn’t hear what was being said. A few minutes later as Niles was assisting Nic out of the pool and into a robe, Marlin came back with Deniz wrapped snugly in a purple blanket.

Marlin smiled at Nic. “He will be a prince. The doctor confirmed he’s alpha-born. Meet your son, the future Prince Deniz of the North. Thank you, my omega, I am forever grateful for the gift you have given me.”

“Enjoy it. It’s the only one you’re getting from me.”

Marlin’s lips twitched. “We shall see.”

“Yes, we shall.”

With one hand holding Nic’s and his other holding a three-day old Deniz to his chest, they headed down the hallway to Caol’s wing. Marlin’s youngest brother had missed Deniz’s birth and his official naming ceremony, only returning earlier in the day from his trip from the Caledonia Colony.

He had returned with, what they expected was Caol’s twin, Caspian. From what Caol discovered after relentless digging was their pater, Calder, had “died” during that whelp. Twins were rare among the Selkies because pregnancy was so difficult on omegas. So it was possible that Calder actually perished during the whelp, and he wasn’t “disposed of” for the “offense” of producing an omega pup.

After being born, Caspian was immediately separated from Caol and sent to Caledonia to be raised by a pupless couple. Luckily, that couple was not royalty, so Caspian had not been sought out by the Seekers to be presented. He was still living with his adopted parents and it took all of the two plus months that Caol was away to convince him to come home.

During those two months, Caol discovered that while Caspian was sent to Caledonia, it wasn’t until the king there sent Finn a few years ago to the Northern Colony that the trade was officially complete.

Now the two colonies were “even-steven” as Caol had said in an email prior to returning home.

Marlin’s anger rose as he thought about it. Finn was traded for Caspian.

Caol’s twin was sent away simply because he was omega-born. And Finn was a belated payment in return.

The trading of living, breathing, intelligent beings infuriated him.

“Marlin, you’re going to break my fingers.”

Marlin glanced down at Nic and released his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be excited that Caol finally gets to meet his nephew.”

“I am.”

“Then why were you trying to break my fingers?”

Marlin shook his head. “Again, I’m sorry. We’ll talk about it later.”

He didn’t need his blood pressure rising any more than it already had and, anyway, they’d arrived at Caol’s door. Marlin knocked.

“He’s expecting us, right?” Nic asked.

“No, I wanted to surprise him.”

Nic side-eyed him.

“What? I can’t surprise my brother and welcome him home?”

Nic side-eyed him once more.

Marlin sighed and knocked again. When he didn’t even hear footsteps, he tried the latch and was surprised to find it unlocked. He pushed into the wing with Nic on his heels.

“Uh, maybe we should schedule something.”

“He’s probably just resting,” Marlin assured his omega.

“Right. That’s what I meant. He’s probably catching up on his sleep and we shouldn’t be disturbing him.”

“Caol!” Marlin called out.

“Marlin, he’s probably exhausted from his travels. Let’s let them rest.”

Marlin’s jaw got tight. “Them?”

“I meant him. Slip of the tongue.”

His eyes narrowed on his omega. “What do you know?”

“Nothing. I only suspect.”

Marlin groaned. “We all suspect.”

“No, we all know.”

Marlin shook his head and frowned at his omega. “Which one is it?”

Nic sighed and took a sleeping Deniz from his arms. “We know. But right now, I’m suspecting this is not a good time to visit Caol.”

Now that Marlin’s arms were free, he beelined toward the steps.

“Marlin, don’t!”

Marlin ignored his omega’s hiss as he rushed up the stairs to the second floor and froze.

Caol hadn’t bothered to close his bedroom door. He never did. He never needed privacy from his beta because they all knew that his beta slept in Caol’s bedroom.

They suspected. They knew.

But knowing and witnessing it were not quite the same. And now it was right in front of Marlin.

In all its glory.

Caol, bare-assed, was pumping furiously into Beck and the beta looked like he was enjoying every thrust. He certainly wasn’t doing anything against his will. In fact, it sounded like he was encouraging Caol on.

Marlin cleared his throat loudly, unsure if the heat in his cheeks was from embarrassment or anger.

Caol stilled his motion, his head turning slowly to look over his shoulder at Marlin.

Marlin snapped, “Be downstairs in five minutes.”

Caol grinned. “I can do five minutes.”

Marlin spun on his heels and jogged down the steps.

“You look like you saw a ghost,” Nic said when Marlin found him sitting in a recliner in Caol’s living room, nursing their son.

“I saw something similar. Caol’s lily white ass.”

Nic snorted as he brushed his fingers over the soft, plentiful dark hair of their son. “As soon as Denny is finished, we can go.”

“Caol will be joining us momentarily.”

“Marlin, he can meet Denny another time.”

“No. I need to have a discussion with him.”

“Why? It’s not going to change anything.”

“It isn’t right,” Marlin began.

Nic lifted a hand. “Why? Why isn’t it right? Del wasn’t ‘right’ for Rian. I wasn’t ‘right’ for you. Let your brother be happy.”

“He’s just using Beck.”

“How do you know? Have you asked Beck?”

He couldn’t deny that Beck looked and sounded more than happy in that bed upstairs. Marlin’s lips flattened out as he sat on the couch, watching his omega feed his son.

His blood pressure slowly lowered. “I love you, Nic.”

Nic lifted his gaze from Deniz and smiled. “I know. I love you, too. And you love Caol. And I suspect he loves Beck. Let’s leave them alone, okay? Please?”

Marlin inhaled and let what his omega just said swirl through his brain. Deniz wiggled and released Nic’s nipple before letting out a satisfied mew. Nic tugged his shirt down, tucking the pup against his shoulder to start burping him.

After Deniz let out a good, healthy belch, Nic got to his feet and approached Marlin. “C’mon. Take your son and let’s go back to our wing. Caol can meet Denny when he’s ready.”

“I don’t like it,” Marlin grumbled as he stood.

“Well, I didn’t like squirting out a watermelon, either, but I did it. For you.”

“You love Deniz.”

“Of course, I do. I just didn’t love the process.”

Marlin smothered his laugh.

“And I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same again. Down there. You know, my—”

Marlin gave him a quick kiss to shut him up. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

“To take your mind off Caol futting upstairs, can I suggest that we take Denny out for his first swim?”

Marlin shot a quick glance back toward the stairs, then focused on his family. Nic and his son. He did want his brother to be as happy as he was. “Yes, I’d love that.”

“Good. Let the fates decide what’s best for Caol. Look what they did for us. I doubt they’d let any of you down.”

Marlin cupped his omega’s cheek, leaned down and brushed his lips over Nic’s. “True. They couldn’t have picked a better mate for me.”

“Well, they could have. But now you’re stuck with me.”

“You will not hear any complaints from me, my omega.”

“I can’t guarantee you the same, my alpha,” Nic said with a laugh. He tugged on Marlin’s shirt. “Let’s go before Caol struts down the steps naked.”

Marlin went over to the stairs and yelled up to Caol that they were leaving, and they’d talk later. He didn’t bother to wait for an answer. He just took his mate and his son and they went out to the Great Sea to bond as a family.

He wasn’t lying to Nic about allowing his omega to name their next son.

And he looked forward to it. No matter what Nic came up with.

Marlin was sure Nic would purposely pick something totally unacceptable.

But he didn’t give a flying fish.

As Marlin led them from Caol’s wing, he did it with a smile.