Chapter 11

ELEVEN

Linus got a half-decent night of sleep after swallowing his pride and asking Gaven for something to help with his pain. After a quick assessment, Gaven gave him a small lecture on being too brave and hiding his pain levels, and then got the okay from Dr. Westin. Sweet relief from the constant burn in his hips helped him nod off, and he woke the next day feeling almost rested.

In pain again, but that was his reality for a while, and he didn't want to depend on high doses of painkillers to manage this. He'd seen what drug addiction could do over a decade ago when Aeron Danvers struggled with abusing Flax, and then Caden's most recent secret use of the stuff. Linus didn't want to start down that slippery slope.

Breakfast was more boring food, but at least this time he got a cup of strawberry yogurt. He was supposed to start getting more solid-ish food today, since his system was adjusting post-coma. When his phone rang at eight-thirty, he answered blandly, expecting it to be Papa checking in like yesterday.

"Hey, you," Miko's breathy voice said.

Linus grinned at the blanket covering his stump. "Morning. I thought you'd sleep in today."

"I tried but woke up anyway. I have class at ten so I couldn't have slept much longer if I'd been able. How was your night?"

"Not awful. I asked for some extra pain relief and it helped. I also got more with my morning meds, which means Greco is probably going to torture me again soon."

"I'm sure. Just remember not to push yourself too hard. You don't have anything to prove to anyone, you just need to recover."

"I'll do my best." He adored the way Miko was both cheering him on and cautioning him not to do what Linus did best, which was set lofty goals and overdo it trying to achieve them. "Did you talk to your parents last night?"

"I talked to Dad, but Omi was over at your parents' house when I got home. Jax and Jaysan went over, too."

"I'm glad. Papa tries to hide it but I know he's a wreck over this. He takes every paper cut Layne and I get personally."

Miko grunted. "Hey, you were kidnapped once, you know. Liam is allowed to be overprotective."

"I guess. So you and Mikel had a good talk?"

"We did. We both apologized, and we'll probably talk about it more in the future, but he knows this is how I've been feeling. Omi had to open Perks this morning, so I haven't spoken to him yet. I'm sure Dad filled him in but we do need to say things to each other."

"I'm glad for you, Miko, I mean it."

"So am I. And I also talked to Peyton a little about Perks. He's pretty content working where he is, and he thinks me running Perks one day is a great idea. He's all for it, if that's what I want."

"Awesome." Linus wanted them to be talking in person so he could hug Miko for his forthrightness. For finally putting himself and his feelings first, instead of playing second fiddle to everyone else. "I love this for you."

"Me too. I just, um, hope my bondmate is cool with me running a business."

"He will be." Maybe Linus shouldn't speak for this hypothetical bondmate, but he'd never allow Miko to mate with someone who'd demand Miko give up his dreams or his family business. I'd let you run it in a heartbeat.

Someone knocked on his door, and Linus didn't have time to call out before Greco entered, armed with the same sheets and pillows as yesterday. "I have to go," Linus grumbled. "The sadist is here."

Greco winked.

Miko chuckled, and Linus held that precious sound close. "I'll see you this afternoon. Don't forget to call if you want me to bring you something."

"I will. Talk to you soon."

Today's torture was much the same as yesterday's, but the transitions were easier as Linus found his new center balance and learned how to pivot better on his left foot. He was grateful to have thirty minutes to relax and rest before his parents arrived. The day passed slowly, with one visit from Dr. Westin, who reassured him again that it was early days and the lack of two senses could fix itself.

Linus was also being released tomorrow, directly into Aspen Grove Rehabilitation Center, and Papa stepped out briefly to arrange transportation. He really hoped the rehab rooms looked as nice as they did in the brochure pictures, because he was sick and tired of this bland room. The liaison said they could bring comfort items from home, like blankets, photos, and his own clothes, so that was cool.

Miko, in all his adorable selflessness, called a little after three to ask if Linus wanted anything, and Linus said no, simply to come and entertain him. Which Miko did about thirty minutes later, armed with two decks of cards so they could play pinochle with his parents. Linus wasn't very good at the game, but he was trying and Miko was a great partner. Miko had also brought schoolwork with him, and he studied while Linus ate his familiarly-boring dinner, and he studied more when Linus took an accidental nap afterward. Linus felt shitty about it when he woke up ten minutes before the end of visiting hours, but Miko reassured him that Linus's rest was more important.

"We have the rest of our lives to entertain each other once you're walking again," Miko whispered during their good-night hug.

"Yeah, we do." This time, Linus didn't stop himself from kissing Miko's cheek. "Who's your ride home?"

Miko grinned. "Omi. We're going out for ice cream and a long conversation. Far overdue, I think."

"Good. Stand up for yourself and what you need, okay?"

"I will. I've got class again in the morning, so I probably won't see you here again. Once I know you're settled in rehab, I'll visit. The brochure said they limit visitors to two at a time, though, so I'll have to coordinate with your parents and brothers."

"Fortunately, my brothers all work or have kids to manage, so you won't have to wrestle them for time until the weekend."

"I'd wrestle anyone for you." Miko's eyes widened briefly, as if embarrassed he'd said such a sweet thing.

Linus adored him for it. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

And he did. After another, briefer round with Greco, and a final exam by his regular doctor, Linus carefully transferred himself from the bed to a waiting wheelchair, and then his parents and an orderly escorted him downstairs to a waiting medical van. The thing, thankfully, had windows, and Linus enjoyed the view across town to his new home for the next two weeks. The facility was a sprawling, single-story building with lots of wide windows and sidewalks, and he swore the corridors were even bigger than the hospital's had been.

A young beta man whose name Linus instantly forgot gave them a tour of the facility, including the huge physical therapy gymnasium, which had everything from stairs to a fake car, and the occupational therapy room, which was set up like an apartment with a full kitchen and bathroom. Everything was clean, shiny and seemed top of the line.

Linus had overheard his parents talking about what percentage of this place was out-of-pocket, because it was a private facility, versus the free, province-run rehabs. It made him even more determined not to waste their hard-earned credit.

His room was the last stop, and it was about as expected, with a fully accessible bathroom, and a countertop/sink at wheelchair height. Papa immediately began changing the bedding to stuff from home, while Dad rested in one of the spare chairs. Linus sat through an orientation of sorts, including behavior rules and codes of conduct, and all that crap. The only mildly interesting part was filling out his menu cards for the rest of the week. Outside food was fine, but the facility offered three meals a day, plus snacks like cereal and fruit cups.

Linus randomly chose whatever option sounded the most flavorful and checked off every possible condiment or seasoning packet available. Something was going to kick-start his senses of smell and taste, damn it. He was tempted to request a bottle of hot sauce for all meals, if it meant tasting something again.

But just as much as tasting or smelling, Linus Higgs was determined to walk again. His future therapy sessions scared him. It wouldn't be easy, and he had a lot of work ahead of him. But he knew in his heart it would be worth it.

Any sacrifice was worth keeping his promise to dance with Miko at the Winter Solstice Gala at the end of the month. So when his new physical therapist showed up for their first session, Linus sat up straight, rolled his shoulders, and said, "Let's do this."

By the time the weekend rolled around, Miko was physically and mentally exhausted, but he was also caught up on his schoolwork, and he'd ended the week by completing a makeup exam. He also had finals coming up soon, so he couldn't exactly rest or take much of a break. Which worked out okay, because he'd spent every possible moment with Linus at rehab, and now that Linus's brothers wanted visitation time, Miko could stay home and study.

They still talked regularly on the phone, though, and they texted. Linus's parents had replaced his mobile, so he wasn't reliant on the landline anymore. Texting Linus was so perfectly normal Miko did it almost by instinct. Short messages about what he was thinking, a snapshot of his lunch, all the goofy things best friends did.

The kinds of things couples did. Part of Miko's conscience still struggled with not telling Linus about the bond, but he still held out hope his alpha would regain his sense of smell and know for himself. Miko needed him to know .

He also wasn't going to be selfish with Linus's time, not when he had a dozen friends who wanted to schedule visits in between Linus's therapy sessions. He treasured each and every text from Linus, especially photos of him doing his PT. They'd even begun the process of shaping his stump for future prosthetic attachment, and during one of Miko's visits, they poured over a catalog of the different styles and their features. Miko was amazed at how advanced some of them were, especially the ones made specifically for running. Linus gazed at those with so many dreams in his eyes that Miko's heart ached.

But that ache was soothed each time he walked into Linus's room and got a blinding smile, followed by an update on his progress. Miko even got to sit in on one therapy session, and Linus did all his exercises without losing his breath. He got in and out of the dummy car with ease, hopped on his left leg using a walker for thirty feet, and even used the walker to return to his room. The wheelchair was now a backup system, not a necessity.

Linus's first full week in rehab had led to amazing results with his mobility. His senses of taste and smell were slower to develop, but Demir had come up with a game for Linus that involved a blindfold and strongly flavored pureed foods. The first time they played, Linus was able to correctly guess two of the seven flavors. Two days later, he guessed five of the seven. They were all smells so pungent that they made Miko's eyes water, but it was progress.

Linus was also cleared by his neurologist on a follow-up appointment. Other than his slowly-recovering senses, he had no lasting side effects from the concussion. They celebrated that news with sparkling grape juice and takeout pizza. It also allowed Linus to do more with his physical and occupational therapies, and the first time Miko saw Linus use the walker to step forward on his new prosthetic leg?

Miko burst into joyful tears.

He'd done it. Linus had pushed through, accepted every challenge, and he was walking again. With an assistance device, but that would be necessary for a while. One step at a time, to quote an old cliché.

They gleefully recorded a video of Linus walking and sent it to everyone in Miko's phone. They received back an adorable video of Caleb watching it and squealing with delight at seeing Uncle Linus walking again. He knew Linus missed his nephews terribly, but no one under eighteen was allowed to visit in rehab. Miko thought the rule was stupid, but he also understood how a place like that could be scary for a child.

The only slight damper on their joy was the phone call from Chief Lars-Higgs telling them that the taxi driver who'd caused the accident had accepted a plea deal. A large fine, probation, and the loss of his driver's license for two years, with no actual jail time. It didn't seem like enough for everything Linus had lost, but after cussing up a brief storm, Linus wanted to let it go and move on. "After all," Linus had said, "what's a taxi driver who can't drive his taxi?"

Unemployed. And facing an uncertain future, just like Linus.

The following week, Miko was in class when Linus was officially signed out of rehab, so he didn't get to see the full welcome home at the Higgs house, but Peyton recorded a lot of it for Miko to watch later. When Miko was able to visit the next day, the Higgs home hadn't changed much. Some of the furniture was farther apart and the spaces between wider to accommodate Linus and his walker, but that was it. Thankfully, they had a single-story house, so the only steps Linus had to regularly navigate were the three wooden ones on the front porch.

The day itself had become its own entity, with friends and family popping in constantly. Miko stuck close to his bondmate out of necessity—probably more for himself than for Linus—and whenever he suspected Linus was fading, demanded everyone give him room to nap. Linus never questioned him. Linus's sense of smell was still wonky, and neither of them had ever uttered the words "bondmate," but their dynamic had shifted dramatically since rehab.

For as much as he loved Peyton and Layne, it was time for the two youngest in their families to step out of the shadows and shine. Miko now had a voice in the Higgs and Tovey homes, and he used it.

At the end of the week, three days after Linus's homecoming, Miko was studying at the Higgs's dining table while Linus napped in his room when the doorbell rang. It was around two in the afternoon, and Isa was watching TV in the living room, so he got up to answer the bell. Miko was curious but didn't get up, because it could be absolutely anyone stopping by to visit Linus, from their mutual friends to more of his old soccer team pals.

"Well, isn't this a lovely surprise," Isa's deep voice boomed. "You didn't come straight from the train station, did you?"

That perked Miko's interest. He shoved back his chair and walked to the living room alcove. Two adults and a smaller bundled figure stepped around Isa and into the warmth of the house, and Miko squeaked with delight. Miko's half-uncle, Hyatt Lee, and his alpha mate Dorian grinned at him from the entry. Dorian put their twenty-month-old son Haven down so he could help Hyatt out of his coat.

"No, we didn't," Dorian said, "we dropped our luggage off at home first. Hyatt really wanted to come straight over to see how Miko and Linus are."

"Hey, there, nephew!" Hyatt practically threw his coat at Dorian and crossed the space to hug Miko tight. Miko chuckled and returned the hug, eager to see his fellow omega. Even though Miko and Hyatt were not related by blood, they were related through Peyton, and that made them family.

"It's great to see you guys," Miko replied. "I take it things are better in Orleans Province if you decided to come home."

"They are, yes," Dorian said. He'd knelt to help Haven out of his own puffy gray coat. "This little man missed his cousins like crazy, and Samuel practically insisted we leave before he called the constables on us for trespassing."

Miko laughed. He didn't know Dorian's beta brother Samuel well. They'd only had a few brief phone calls over the years, but Dorian had been beside himself during Samuel's emergency. He was glad for the small family that everything had gone well for them—just like things were finally going well here in Sansbury.

"Can we please call a moratorium on medical emergencies?" Hyatt asked. "Pretty please? I can't handle anything else."

"Be careful," Isa replied cheerfully. "Whenever you young ones say something like that, you jinx yourselves."

"No jinxes this time, I won't allow it," Miko said. Hyatt seemed to be eyeballing him harder than usual, and he suspected it was his scent. They'd been apart long enough that the slow, gentle muddling of his scent with Linus had to stand out as strongly as a spray of perfume in a sterile room. "So, have you seen Peyton or your brothers since you got home?" he asked, hoping to distract Hyatt before he said anything.

"Not yet," Hyatt said. "I can't wait to see everyone, especially Rebel and little Willem, but I really needed to see you two first. Is Linus home? We called Brogan and he said you were over here with him."

"Yeah, he's napping."

"He's awake," the alpha in question said, his voice exiting the hallway before his body. He was using the crutches but hadn't re-strapped the prosthetic, and Miko worried it was from irritation. Then he saw the way Hyatt and Dorian reacted, and he understood: Linus wanted his family to know what had happened, to not sugarcoat what he was going through.

Haven stared at Linus with wide eyes, then pointed at Linus's leg. "Where'd't go?"

"I lost it in an accident," Linus said to the toddler. "It went bye-bye, but I'll show you my new leg in a little while, okay?"

Haven only nodded solemnly.

"Can I get you boys anything to drink?" Isa asked. "Coffee or juice?"

"We don't want to impose, sir," Dorian replied. "We're actually expected for dinner at the Jenks house in about an hour. As soon as Karson heard we were coming home, he began plotting with Jax to get their family together tonight."

"Well, that's good. Hyatt, I imagine you missed your brothers."

"Like crazy," Hyatt replied with a hitch in his voice. "These last six weeks were the longest we've ever been apart in our lives." He smiled fondly at Dorian. "But my other family needed me."

"Good man. I'll leave you boys to chat then." Isa headed through the dining room to the kitchen. Haven had already toddled over to a lidded basket in the corner where Liam kept an assortment of toys for any of the visiting grandkids.

Dorian and Hyatt settled together on the love seat, so Miko went to the sofa and sat near Linus. Maybe not as close as he would around their parents or siblings, but enough to feel Linus's nearness. And catch a hint of his scent. No one spoke for a long, awkward minute.

"Tell me about Orleans Province," Linus said. "I've never been there."

"It's so different from here," Hyatt replied with a wide grin, somehow giving his full attention to Linus and Miko, while still keeping half-an-eye on Haven. "Dorian wasn't kidding when he said not to bother packing winter clothes. It was so warm down there I barely needed a jacket."

"I've heard they have a hot climate year-round."

"Hot and humid. I mean, it gets humid here in the summer but even while it's chilly?" Hyatt made an exaggerated gesture of his thick, black curls poofing out from his scalp.

Miko and Linus both laughed. They all ended up chatting for about an hour. Dorian showed off photos on his phone, including many of a large harbor and the vast bay of water beyond. It wasn't the ocean, but it was close enough for Miko to be impressed Hyatt had gotten to see it.

"I'd love to see it someday," Linus said. "It's beautiful."

"We'll go," Miko replied without thinking. His face warmed. Thankfully, if Hyatt or Dorian noticed anything odd about two best friends vowing to take a long-distance trip, they didn't speak up. After easing Haven away from a temper tantrum with a sugar cookie, the little family bundled up and headed out for the Jenks house. Miko walked them to the door like he was the host, and when he turned around, Linus was grinning at him.

"What?" Miko asked.

"Nothing. It was a good visit. It's nice not having the accident or my stump be the center of conversation."

"I bet. I can't believe they came right here to see you. It couldn't have been an easy trip, most of a day on a train."

"With Dorian's money, they probably got a private car with a playroom." Linus was still grinning, though, hinting at a bit of a tease. While Dorian had once stood to inherit one of the largest estates in Sansbury, he'd divested and turned his late sire's vast fortune into a non-profit, keeping just enough to invest and live comfortably. Miko didn't know Dorian well enough to be positive he'd splurged on a private train car, but it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility.

"Either way," Linus added, "I bet Hyatt came straight here to see you. You're his nephew, not me, and you got knocked around in the accident pretty hard, too. Plus, he said he called your house to find you."

"He wanted to see both of us." Miko plunked down beside Linus, close enough their knees bumped. "You're just as much family to him through Layne as I am through Peyton. We're all one big, crazy, mismatched family."

"True." Some of Linus's brightness dimmed in a way it only seemed to around Miko. "I love our big, crazy, mismatched family, but man, sometimes I just wanna be alone for a few days, you know?"

"Oh, you know I know." Miko bit his lower lip as a new, strange thought poked at him. "Would you ever consider moving away from Sansbury? To another province?"

Linus blinked at him several times. "I'm not sure. I've never really thought about it. I mean, maybe one day after Dad and Papa are gone, but...I don't know. Could you leave Peyton and your parents? Emory and Caden and our friends? What if we got pregnant and didn't have our family nearby to help?"

Miko's heart began jack-hammering and his palms got clammy. Linus's open curiosity held steady for a few beats before his eyebrows shot up. "I meant, um, if you got pregnant," Linus stuttered, "with your, ah, future mate."

For as much as Miko wanted to give Linus more time to get his sense of smell back, his inner omega demanded he soothe his bondmate's confusion and embarrassment. "It's okay, Linus, I really like what you said. About us one day getting pregnant."

"You do?" Linus looked briefly panicked before it melted into mild suspicion. He quirked an eyebrow high. "Since when?"

Time to go all-in. He'd held this in for a month. They were as alone as they could be with Isa lurking somewhere downstairs, but he was respectful enough to give them as much privacy as possible. "Since the night of the accident."

Linus scowled. "What happened the night of the accident? You said we left the party before you went fully into heat and that nothing happened."

"We did. Mostly." He took a chance on clasping Linus's nearest hand, and his frazzled nerves soothed slightly when Linus didn't pull away. "When we were dancing together downstairs, things got really intense. We were both hard and enjoying it, and I'm sure my heat pheromones were egging things on a little, but when we went upstairs together for privacy…" Miko swallowed hard. "I asked you to kiss me."

"Really?" Linus studied his face, his nostrils flaring several times. Miko watched invisible tumblers fall into place for Linus. "We kissed?"

"Almost. You were thinking a bit more clearly and you hesitated, even though I know we both felt something."

"And then what happened?"

"You were the one who stopped before we actually kissed, because you recognized my heat symptoms. After that, all you could think about was keeping me safe and getting us home. I was nervous, but I knew I was safe as long as you were beside me." His throat tightened. "The first time I visited you after the accident? I scented you, Linus. I felt the mating bond."

The wonder on Linus's face melted into sweet surprise, followed by squinty annoyance. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Because of how hurt you were. I didn't want to put any pressure on you about being my mate when you had your recovery to focus on, and then when your senses of smell and taste were all wonky…I needed to wait until you scented it, too. Or remembered the moments leading up to me asking you to kiss me. I needed you to feel it somehow first, so it didn't seem like I was putting the idea in your head."

Miko braced for Linus's temper, to be scolded for not telling Linus the truth before today, for being selfish with what he knew. He'd deserve it, too. But Linus had never been quick to temper. He sorted through things, weighed the evidence, and then made a judgment call. Those traits would have made him a great constable, if he'd chosen the same career path as his sire.

Linus stared at him with a blank expression for a long time before glancing toward the kitchen. When he relocked gazes with Miko, his face still gave nothing away, and it unnerved Miko. Linus was usually easy for him to read. "Our parents knew, too, right?" Linus asked.

"Yes. I told my parents first, because they could tell something was different, and I told Liam and Isa the truth about why I needed to see you so badly before you woke up. I had to know if what I'd felt before my heat was real or just hormones, and it was real." Miko cleared his throat, his eyes burning but no actual tears spilling. "Liam wasn't happy about me not telling you right away, after you woke up, but he let me make the decision. I needed you to get better, Linus."

Linus pulled his hand away and crossed his arms. "So you didn't want to admit to feeling the mating bond with a broken alpha?"

"Fuck no! You know me better than that, Linus." Anger overrode some of Miko's anxiety and blood rushed to his face. "Do you know how much it hurt me every day to not be close to you? To not tell you the truth? To want to be there as your mate, and not just as your best friend? But after a while, we didn't need to say the words. Did we? We've loved each other our whole lives, and we've been bonding during your entire recovery, and I'm sorry I didn't bring this up first."

"Not that you didn't bring it up sooner?"

"No. It came up when it was meant to. You spoke about us getting pregnant like it was the most natural, obvious thing in the world. That's the mating bond, Linus, whether you can smell it or not."

"I know." His facial muscles twitched, as if unsure what expression to settle on, because Linus wasn't sure how to feel about all this. "And I believe you, Miko, that you thought waiting was for the best. You weren't trying to control me, you just…needed me to know things for myself."

"Yes, I did." Relief unfurled the tension knot in Miko's stomach. "I wasn't trying to manipulate you or to make a unilateral decision about your life, I promise. As your bondmate, I did what I thought was right."

Linus nodded and let his arms fall to his sides. His posture was more relaxed but he still wasn't reaching for Miko. "Thank you."

"For what? Coming clean?"

"Yes, for that, but also for not telling me sooner. I did need to understand it for myself." Linus finally smiled and raised his right arm. Miko slid closer and pressed against Linus's side, so happy when Linus draped that warm, comforting arm across his shoulders. He inhaled Linus's familiar scent, desperate to kiss his bondmate, but also determined to go at Linus's pace.

"This feels so right," Linus whispered.

"It does. The goddess has an interesting sense of humor, huh? Our older brothers are bondmates and in love, and now we're bondmates and, well, we've always loved each other but not romantically."

"Not yet. But that comes with time." His hand gently tilted Miko's head up. "And this."

Miko barely had a moment to understand before Linus's hot mouth pressed to his, a gentle pressure that detonated inside him like fireworks. The best, brightest, most explosive fireworks imaginable, and Miko lit up inside and out. He kissed Linus back with all the emotions he'd been carrying this entire past month, putting his love and need and joy into that kiss. Into caressing Linus's hair and neck, his shoulders and chest, half of him wishing they were alone in a bedroom so he could see bare skin. Touch and lick and claim his alpha.

He barely noticed his back hitting the sofa cushions or the way Linus spread out on top of him, a firm weight he adored. The kiss went on and on, an ebb and flow that never quite crashed to shore, despite them both being hard. Linus's erection, hot and firm against his hip, thrilled Miko. He wanted Linus to claim him, to take off his clothes and press inside, to finally join them as one.

A creak, slam and startled gasp shocked Miko's entire body into jerking. Linus tried to sit up but couldn't quite manage because of the positions of his leg and right thigh. Liam stood in the entry with a shopping bag in one hand, his mouth agape. In that instant, Liam's phone chimed with a text. Before Miko and Linus could sit up and adjust themselves, Isa crept in from the kitchen.

"I tried to warn you, little one," Isa said to Liam.

Linus released an adorable squeak. Miko's face flamed with mortification.

"I take it you two had a good talk," Liam said, so perfectly deadpan that Miko relaxed, relief combatting his embarrassment at being caught mauling their son on the living room couch.

"We did, actually." Linus scooted closer to Miko and tugged him into another sideways hug. Miko melted, so happy to be in that exact spot. "We talked about the mating bond, and I'm not mad you guys kept it from me. I'm actually grateful you let me figure it out on my own. In a way, it gave me something to control."

"Really?" Liam took off his coat, dumped it and the bag on an armchair, and moved to squat in front of them. "I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do, but I respected Miko's position as your possible bondmate, and I let him make it."

"Thank you. Truly, thank you. You're my parents, and I love you, but Miko was right. He knew what I needed and when I needed it."

"Good. So you two are obviously together."

"Gee, what gave us away? Humping on the couch like a pair of newly-mates?"

Miko snorted, as much from amusement as embarrassment over being caught doing exactly that. Even Isa let out a big belly laugh as he walked over to tug Liam up and into a hug. "I told you to have faith in our boys," Isa said to his mate.

"I do," Liam replied. "It's the rest of the world I have trouble trusting."

"For good reason. But this is something to celebrate, little one. Our youngest has found his bondmate, and I couldn't be happier with who the goddess chose for him." Isa's pale gaze met Miko's. "You were already family, Miko, but now you are truly one of our sons."

"Thank you," Miko said, barely able to get the words out past the thick lump in his throat. "My parents are going to flip out when I tell them Linus finally knows the truth and returns my feelings."

"Invite them over for dinner," Liam said. "We'll celebrate as a family."

"What about all my brothers?" Linus asked.

"You can tell them whenever you want, but I would love for tonight to just be about the six of us. If that's okay?"

"Of course, it is. Besides, it's not like we can do the official mating celebration for at least two months."

Miko's next heat would be around the end of winter and the blossoming of spring, and he couldn't imagine a better time of year to begin their lives as official mates. If they were both ready to mate then, obviously, and that was a conversation he and Linus needed to have in private. Linus would have graduated university in the spring but this semester had been derailed, and he hadn't mentioned going back yet. Miko was in school, too. Neither of them had a job, and if they mated, they'd both lose their provincial stipends.

So many questions still left unanswered. But they had time, and they had a platoon of family around to help them get through the upcoming weeks, months, even years. And as Miko stood to accept a warm, loving hug from Liam, he'd never felt more blessed or protected in his life.