Pamoen sat in the nursery rubbing her full belly. Kara stood by the window, smiling contently at her daughter. Monica was also near by overlooking the crib.
The young Omega rocked back and forth in her rocking chair, the three Omegas silent but happy for the future that was to come in about two months.
The nursery was small but warm, painted in soft yellows and greens with hand-carved wooden animals lining the shelves. Faint morning light filtered through gauzy curtains, casting dappled patterns on the stuffed bears and knitted blankets piled in the crib.
The scent of lavender and beeswax hung in the air, mixing with the faint metallic tang of the newly assembled mobile dangling above the crib. Tiny silver stars twisted lazily in the draft, their reflections scattering like fireflies across the walls.
Pamoen mated with an Omega male, uncommon but not unheard of. They seemed complete for one another and Pamoen ruled over Canas and the parliament just fine, although she did have help.
"You know," Kara started. "Maybe you could invite Sous."
Pamoen remained quiet. She had no desire to see her sire nor interact with her. Kara cleared her throat, it just didn't sit right with her that this was Pamoen's and Sous' relationship but what else could she do?
"Do you know what you're going to name the baby?" Monica asked.
"Shh!" Kara hissed. "Let her think." With the older Omega chuckling at her daughter.
Pamoen's fingers stilled against the swell of her belly, the rhythmic motion interrupted by the weight of the question. Names carried power, whispered promises of lineage, expectation, the unspoken contract between generations.
The mobile's stars spun soundlessly above the crib, their sharp edges softened by the filtered light. She inhaled lavender and the ghost of sawdust from the freshly sanded rocking chair.
"Xeno or Xena," she said. "Depending on if its a male or female."
Kara and Monica exchanged looks, agreeing and accepting the name.
Yellow-green shadows stretched long across the hardwood floors as the sun climbed higher, the mobile's stars now casting crisp, geometric patterns that crept toward Pamoen's feet.
"What are you thinking now?" Kara asked her daughter.
"...Life goes by so fast," Pamoen answered.