Chapter 8

Easton. We had run into Easton, and he had treated us like we were a freaking cat toy, one he was playing with. And the scary thing was that probably wasn't far from the truth, at least not in Easton's mind. He'd known where I was this entire time, and he waited until we were surrounded by humans to show himself. Why? Because it would trap us in a way nothing else could.

He was a thousand times worse than how I remembered him, and I remembered him pretty freaking evil. If he had wanted me dead already, I was confident that I would be a pile of ash. That wasn't his goal. At least not yet. Which begged the question: what did he want?

Neither Beckett nor I said much on the way home. I didn't bother to lecture Beckett on not overthinking things because I was doing the same. He needed every ounce of his energy to be aware of his surroundings as he drove.

I offered to be behind the wheel so he could focus on what was around us. He declined, saying that if something were to happen, he was trained for it. I hadn't asked Armand what their training looked like, but I had a feeling car racing wasn't one of them.

I'd continued to hold Beckett's hand throughout the remainder of the drive. Seeing Easton again brought back all the fear and anxiety I'd thought I'd dealt with in the past six years. Instead, it was like I was thrown back in time, a trembling young omega who'd just lost his best friend.

It wasn't until we were back on Asilo property that I actually let myself breathe. I worried that coming back here would only bring danger. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that danger was coming whether I was here or not, and it was best I was here when he showed up. If I wasn't, who knew what he would do to the others.

"I can never get over how beautiful it is here."

Beckett's voice pulled me into the present. I let out a breath and then inhaled the familiar scents of my home. The tension in my shoulders lessened.

"Do you think so?" I said. "It kind of looks like every other pack. I mean, I do love it. Don't get me wrong." We were currently driving down the winding road that led us to the center of Asilo territory where our homes were, the windows open wide.

Beckett let out a wry laugh. "I don't know. I've always thought that it was peaceful. I've always loved and admired the mission you all have. I like to think that in a different world, Benjamin could have come here and rehabilitated. Of course, in a perfect world, he wouldn't have been here at all. No omega would need the services you offer."

"No, they would not. And if we could make that a reality, I'd gladly be jobless. I went into this work because of him." I hadn't realized it at the time, but looking back at it, it was 100% about him and what had happened.

"Me too," Beckett said.

Beckett parked so that the car could drive out without needing to back out. I wasn't sure what the future was going to hold, but with Easton, it was safe to be ready for any and everything.

We got out of the car, and rather than going to my cabin and unpacking my things, we went straight to the forerunner's house. I kept my fingers laced with Beckett's. I knew he had concerns about how my pride would receive him, but I knew they would be welcoming. All of them had wished to see me mated, and they had long since forgiven him for what happened to Silas. They saw him as what he was, new and inexperienced.

He'd said he didn't deserve their grace but was thankful it was his to accept. I thought he was wrong. He did deserve it. They weren't going to care about a past mistake, one that had been easily rectified. They knew that Beckett's heart was good and in the right place, even if their first experience with him had not been a good one. No one was here because they made all the best choices in life. No one.

Morgan came out of his house to greet us. His youngest son was with him and looked like he was about to take a nap.

"Thomas," he said, "did you find yourself a mate in the two days that you were gone?" His face radiated welcomeness, just as I knew it would. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at us.

My cheeks flushed. "I might have," I replied.

Morgan smiled broadly at Beckett. "Welcome. How is it that the two of you never crossed paths before now?"

It was surprising. But also, there was a reason for it, and I felt pretty strongly that reason had to do with Easton. Had we met, I wouldn't have made that trip, and our encounter might have been here, endangering others.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I thought I scented something around, and whenever that happened, I'm sure it lined up with when he was here, but we never saw each other." I had to chuckle at myself for believing it was soap, even if that belief was fleeting.

"Until you went to Steelwick," Morgan filled in for me.

"Exactly. But there's more news than just me finding my mate." If only the rest of it didn't suck.

"You're a former alpha? Steelwick had information? You're pregnant." Morgan needed to not play guessing games. He wasn't very good at it.

"Kind of—sort of—not really," I said. "And very much no on the pregnant." Although I was going to be overjoyed when the day came that we were starting our family. But we'd just met yesterday. It was way too soon to tell if I was pregnant. "We just mated yesterday."

"It only takes one time." He winked.

"And it takes longer than a day to know." And now I was getting my hopes up. It was no secret that true mates tended to conceive really quickly. The timing would be awful, with Easton doing whatever it was he was doing.

"Fair enough." Morgan waved a hand at us. "Come inside. Let's sit down."

We unloaded the food, bringing it all inside his house. At dinner time, everyone would enjoy the baked goods. But for now? Now there was a lot we had to talk about.

He led us to the kitchen table. He'd brewed a pot of tea and had some sliced fruit on a tray for us to nibble on. We laid out all the facts about not only what had happened today, but our connection with each other through Benjamin.

Gideon was there, helping to feed the older child, although Mable did not seem at all interested in her scrambled eggs except to make them decorations for the floor. That part she very much enjoyed.

"So the two of you are from the same pride, and it was Beckett's younger brother who was your close friend?" Morgan clarified.

I nodded.

"I'm so sorry. That's difficult."

Beckett's throat bobbed. "I was away when it all happened," Beckett said. "My father had remarried, and we moved to a different place."

Morgan noted the term married, his eyes closing briefly in understanding. The entire situation with his parents was completely messed up on so many levels.

"I never knew… At least not how bad it was. I'll never understand why we left Benjamin or anyone in that pack with that monster…"

I hated the way he said "we." As if he had any say in any of it. He didn't. None.

"You can't blame yourself for not knowing," Morgan said.

I appreciated Morgan saying that because I knew that no matter how much we said it, Beckett would still carry some guilt. It was in his nature.

"You're more than welcome here, Beckett. Have the two of you spoken about your living arrangements?" Morgan asked.

Their oldest was let down from her high chair and ran to me. I picked her up. She patted my cheeks with her sticky fingers. "Did you have syrup on your scrambled eggs?" I asked.

She nodded. Her little curls bounced along with her head. "Yup!"

I didn't get it, but she loved the combination, and it got her to eat, so who was I to argue with her tastes. I wasn't her parent, so it didn't matter what I thought anyway.

"That's the only way she'll eat them. Morgan likes them that way also." Gideon made a fake gagging noise.

That was a fact I did not know.

"And to think I once thought you were wise, Forerunner," I teased, and he rolled his eyes.

Gideon picked up their son out of his mate's arms. "This one eats breakfast like Daddy, runny eggs with some toast."

Morgan smiled lovingly at the two of them. "I'll meet you outside in a few minutes and we can go on our run. Let me help clean up here, first."

Mable jumped out of my arms and raced to the back door. "Last one to the pond is a rotten egg." She wasn't ready for the waiting part of things.

I caught the look of longing my mate had on his face. I squeezed his hand, and he smiled at me. For all we knew, we were already with child. It'd take time for us to know. But if we weren't, that didn't mean there never would be.

"So, housing?" Morgan brought us back to the original question.

"We haven't talked about it, though we did assume that Beckett would remain here until the investigation is complete."

Morgan nodded. "Of course. He's more than welcome."

"Thank you," Beckett said.

With the promise to keep Morgan up to date on Beckett's investigation, the two of us left the forerunner's house. Later I'd take Beckett on a tour of the territory, but for now, I wanted to be in my own home.

We grabbed our bags from the car and made the short walk to my cabin. It was just a few doors down from Morgan's. It was one of the smaller buildings, but we had fixed it up nicely. It was all I had needed as a single omega. Now that I had a mate, I might need to take Gideon up on his suggestion that I expand it.

Gideon was great at seeing the potential in things. More than once he'd told me about his idea for adding on if I ever wanted it. At the time I didn't see a reason to do so and had pushed it back. I was glad that I did because it meant my mate would have a say in the design if we opted to stay here. I wanted this to be our home, not mine.

"This is it," I said and pushed open the door.

The simple one-story structure had a small kitchen to the left of the front entrance, with the dining area to the right. Down the hall were the two bedrooms and one bathroom. I'd painted all of the walls the same robin's-egg blue, mostly because it was easier to do all one color, but also because blue was calming and I'd needed that at the time.

Now that I took in the place with fresh eyes, perhaps it was time to spruce it up. There was no reason to build right away, but painting? That was an easy way to change things up. I might be able to get a new dresser from Gideon so my mate didn't feel like he was taking over.

Together my mate and I could make my house into our home. If that was where we stayed. It was for sure my preference, but the conversations we'd had about it hadn't been decisive.

"I like it," Beckett said. "It smells like you."

"Thanks." I stepped into his arms. "I can't wait for it to smell like you too.