Chapter Three

The door to the hallway opened, and Perseus tensed. With no idea who it was, he didn’t know how to react, and he disliked that.

It could be Moore who wanted more answers. Orion and Perseus had given him what he needed, but so far, he hadn’t let them out of their cells. It made Perseus wonder if he’d been lying when he’d said they might be allowed to stay. Perseus was inclined to trust Callum and even Leon, but he wouldn’t trust Moore as far as he could throw him.

Of course, that wasn’t far at all. Moore was a massive man, and his muscles had muscles. There was no way Perseus could do anything to him, even if he ignored the fact that Moore was probably some kind of shifter. He’d be curious to find out what kind, but he liked his balls attached to his body, so he wasn’t about to ask.

It could also be Teddy. The blond had visited once on his own, and Perseus was still trying to understand why. He’d talked to Orion for a bit and tried to talk to Perseus, but Perseus was confused. He didn’t know what to think of the guy or why he felt so flustered every time Teddy was around, which was another thing he disliked. He needed to be in control all the time, and when Teddy was in the room, he wasn’t.

But it wasn’t Moore or Teddy. Instead, it was the guy with brown curls who’d come in with Moore the other day. He was carrying a tray, and to Perseus’s surprise, he left the door that led outside open.

It wasn’t like Perseus and Orion could make a run for it since they were locked in their cells, but it was the first time Perseus could sneak a peek, so he did. He’d seen the room beyond the hallway when he and Orion had first been locked up, but he hoped to see someone today, maybe Teddy. The room was empty, though.

“I brought food,” the guard said as he raised the tray.

Perseus rolled his eyes, causing the man to blush. He quickly looked away, turning his attention to Orion. It was better for him to focus on Perseus’s brother.

“I’m Orion,” Orion said as he moved closer to the bars.

The guy’s cheeks flushed a deeper red, and he quickly put the tray down so that Orion could take it before retreating. It was as if he expected Orion to attack him, which was insulting. Perseus almost snapped at him for it, but Orion caught his attention and shook his head.

Perseus stayed silent. Orion could do what he wanted, and he didn’t need Perseus to protect him.

“I’m Davey,” the guard said as he moved back to the door. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll be right back with the second tray.” He vanished through the door.

Perseus looked at his brother. “I think he has a crush on you.”

Orion shook his head. “Just because he’s shy doesn’t mean he has a crush on anyone.”

“He’s a guard. He’s not supposed to be shy.”

“Leave him alone. You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to, but there’s also no need to bother him. He’s doing his job.”

Perseus wanted to argue just because he could, but Davey came back in with another tray, and Perseus decided to leave his brother alone. Orion knew what he was doing. If he wanted to chat up Davey, Perseus wasn’t going to stop him.

He took the tray from Davey and nodded at him before returning to his bed. He settled in, ready to eat, not a bit surprised when he realized Davey would stay until they were done eating. Orion was eager for some company that wasn’t Perseus. Perseus didn’t blame him. He wasn’t easy to deal with, even for his brother.

“Do you know when Moore plans to visit us?” Orion asked.

Davey bounced a little on his feet. “This afternoon. He told me to let him know when you’re done eating.”

Perseus was surprised. He hadn’t expected Moore to keep his promise of allowing them to stay in the village. He’d thought the man would be like his father, making promises he never intended to keep. It felt wrong to trust Moore and his people, and part of Perseus would always be suspicious. He didn’t understand why they should welcome two hunters.

“Do you think he’ll let us leave the cells?” Orion asked.

“I don’t know. I mean, I’m a guard, and I’m close to Moore, but he’s the boss, you know? We’re kind of a family, I guess, but there are a lot of us, and now that Moore’s met his mate and we all moved here, he and I have been more distant.”

Perseus wanted to ask questions, but he wondered if Davey would think he was trying to gather information. He was, but not for any nefarious reason. If he and Orion were going to stay in the village, Perseus wanted to know the people who lived there. That way, he could keep Orion safe.

It didn’t matter that Orion was bigger and stronger. He was too trusting and saw the best in people, which meant that time and time again, they hurt him. That was why Perseus had taken it upon himself to protect his brother when they were children, and he didn’t plan to stop anytime soon. As long as Orion needed him, he’d be there.

“Can you tell me a bit about the village?” Orion asked. “We only know what we were told by the people we helped escape, and it wasn’t a lot. It sounds like a nice place.”

“It is. They welcomed us when we didn’t have anywhere else to go. Rikar is the leader of the Nix tribe who founded the village, and I guess that makes him the leader of everyone who lives here, but at the same time, Moore leads us mutants. They’re co-leaders, I guess.”

Perseus blinked at the word mutants. Was that what Leon called himself? Perseus wasn’t sure he liked that word, but he wasn’t the one affected by it, so who was he to argue? He supposed that what the scientists and the labs had done to Leon and his friends had made them mutants, in a way.

“Can you tell me about you?” Orion asked. “Are you a mutant?”

“Yeah.” Davey looked down at his feet. “I can manipulate water.”

Perseus looked up, curious. He didn’t know if Davey would give Orion a show, but Orion usually got what he wanted. Even though he was big, his smile and the gentleness in his eyes made people like him instantly. It was the opposite for Perseus. People tended to stay as far away from him as they could.

Davey wiggled his fingers, and the water in Orion’s glass rose. Perseus sucked in a breath as he watched the water dance above it, dividing into two streams, then into various spheres of water. They turned to ice, then back to water, and streamed back into the glass.

“That was incredible,” Orion said.

Perseus groaned. He could already see the crush in his brother’s eyes. One mutant showed him what they could do, and he was already half gone. He was pretty sure Davey’s crush on Orion was the size of a house—unless he routinely talked like a teenager with hearts in his eyes.

But it was nice. Perseus and Orion had never had the opportunity to have relationships or even crushes. Their father wouldn’t have allowed it. The only time Perseus had had someone, his father had told him the guy was a distraction and that Perseus should be ashamed of himself. Perseus had never been sure if it was because he was with a guy or because his father thought he wouldn’t be able to focus on being a hunter, and he hadn’t asked. He didn’t really care.

But if they truly were going to live in the village, Orion would finally be able to find love. If there was anyone who deserved it, it was him. He wanted Orion to have that, and if it was with Davey, that was fine. Perseus didn’t have anything against the guy. In fact, he thought he was cute and sweet. He’d never treated Perseus and Orion like they were monsters and deserved to die. Every time he’d been with them, he’d had a smile for them, even though he’d been obviously flustered. Even now, he was talking to Orion as if they weren’t separated by bars. He might just be the right man for Orion.

Perseus couldn’t help but think about Teddy. Was he the right man for Perseus?

* * * *

“Ready?” Teddy asked. He had an appointment with Rikar and Moore, and he didn’t want to be late, but he couldn’t say no to Leon when he’d asked if he would shimmer him and Callum to his family.

Leon had been anxious about letting his family know he was alive, but with Callum supporting him, he was finally ready to see them again.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready,” Leon said.

“He woke up at five this morning, and he was already like this,” Callum added.

It was sweet, and Teddy wasn’t surprised. “It’s understandable.”

“We can do this another time if you’re not up to it,” Leon said gently, telling Teddy he wasn’t hiding his impatience as well as he’d thought.

“I’m not letting you wait for another time. I’m fine.” He wasn’t about to burden his best friend today of all days. He and Leon could talk once Leon was back. It wasn’t like Teddy’s problem was going anywhere.

“You haven’t looked fine in a while,” Callum pointed out. “We truly can wait. It’s not like they’re expecting us.”

It was tempting, but Teddy couldn’t do that to Leon. If he told Leon and Callum what was going on, they’d want to stay and talk about it. Talking about the fact that Perseus was Teddy’s mate wasn’t going to change it, though, and it wouldn’t help Teddy make a decision. He’d still be torn between his mate and knowing that Perseus was a hunter.

“Leon’s been waiting for this for a long time,” he said. “I’m not going to keep him away from his family just because of my personal problems.”

“We’re your friends,” Leon said. “I know you don’t want to take away from this day, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m seeing my family again, but remember that you’re my family, too. How am I supposed to focus on my parents and brother when I’m worried about you?”

Teddy wanted to continue arguing, but he could see he wouldn’t win. Leon had always been stubborn, but Callum could out-stubborn him. With a sigh, Teddy forced his shoulders to relax. If he was going to do this, he had to get straight to the point. “You know where to hit to hurt me,” he muttered.

“Because you’re my best friend. I don’t want to hurt you, though. I want to help you hurt less.”

“It’s nothing I need your help with. I don’t think you could help even if you tried, which is why I didn’t tell anyone. Well, that, and because everyone has been busy, and you were thinking about your family. You already have enough on your plate.”

Leon and Callum just stared. They didn’t need to say anything. They knew Teddy would break, and they were right.

Teddy raked a hand through his hair. “Have you seen the brothers lately?”

“We talked to them yesterday,” Callum answered. “They seem to enjoy our company.”

Teddy wanted to visit them again, but he didn’t dare. Besides, he was pretty sure Perseus hated him, and he didn’t know how to deal with that. He could probably ask Orion, but the fact that Perseus would hear it made things awkward. Teddy had tried to pull Perseus into the conversation last time, and he’d failed. He’d wanted to give Perseus a good shake, but to do that, he would have had to get close, and the thought was intimidating as hell.

“They’re okay?” he asked. “Both of them?”

“Yeah. Moore and Rikar have been talking about letting them out eventually.”

Teddy sucked in a breath and nodded. “Good. Will you tell me when they’re allowed to leave the cells?” Maybe Teddy could ask Moore and Rikar when he saw them today. He didn’t know why they wanted to see him, but he’d find out when he got to the meeting. It made him want to rush Leon and Callum, but he couldn’t.

“I’m pretty sure everyone in the village will know. What’s going on, Teddy?”

“It’s Perseus,” Teddy said since wasting more time was useless. “He’s my mate, and I have no idea how to deal with that. I don’t know if I can.”

Leon gaped, which wasn’t a surprise. Considering the history he had with Perseus, Teddy expected him to be angry. He didn’t know how Callum would react, though, so he turned to him.

“Oh, Teddy,” Callum murmured. “It’s all right. He’s not a bad person.”

Teddy sucked in a breath. He hadn’t expected understanding, especially not from Callum. Perseus had kidnapped Callum’s mate, for fuck’s sake. How could he say that Perseus wasn’t a bad person? “He’s a hunter.”

“Haven’t you heard the entire story? He was forced to work as a hunter, but he and his brother did everything they could to help people and keep them safe. They’ve paid for that time and time again in blood, but now they’re out. They’ve been helping us and giving us information because they want the hunters to be defeated. They never wanted to hurt anyone. They just wanted to survive and did so the only way they knew how.”

Teddy knew all of that, but it was still hard for him to accept that his mate had been a hunter. No matter how many people he’d helped, he’d also hurt a lot of them, and Teddy couldn’t quite make peace with that. “I don’t know what to do,” he admitted.

“Whatever your heart wants,” Leon said, finally breaking his silence. “You don’t have to stay away from him just because of what he was before. If you want to be careful, then be careful, but don’t close your heart to him. You’ll regret it, and I don’t want you to feel that way for any reason.”

Teddy nodded. He’d expected Leon to tell him to let go of Perseus and not think of him again. It would have made sense, but Teddy should have known his best friend wouldn’t do that. Leon wouldn’t demand Teddy stay away from his mate. He might be wary of Perseus, but he would never stop Teddy from finding happiness. Things would be awkward, but they’d work out.

Teddy had to believe that.

“I’m not giving up. It’s just a mess,” he said.

Leon smiled. “Good thing we’re used to messes, then, right?”

Teddy had been hesitant to talk to Leon and Callum, but he shouldn’t have been, and now that he had, he felt better. He had the support of both his best friends and Callum. No matter how messy the situation was, he was starting to believe that eventually, it would fix itself.

Leon and Callum wanted to stay with him and talk things out, but he used the excuse of his meeting to shimmer them to Leon’s family. He didn’t want to be late, so as soon as he left them there, he shimmered in front of the house Rikar shared with Hayes. He wasn’t surprised when Hayes opened the door, but there was something in his friend’s smile that told him he wouldn’t like what was about to happen.

He narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”

Hayes made an innocent expression. “What makes you think I did something?”

“Your face.” Teddy gestured at it. “I can see you’re plotting something, and I’m sure I won’t like it.”

“You don’t know that. Anyway, they’re waiting for you.”

They were, but to Teddy’s surprise, when he stepped into Rikar’s office, both Rikar and Moore got to their feet. Teddy was confused, but when Moore asked him to follow them, he did.

“What’s this about? Did I do something?” he asked as they walked out of the house.

Moore and Rikar looked at each other. “You didn’t do anything. This isn’t a punishment, just us giving you a little push.”

Teddy’s stomach churned. “What are you talking about?” What had Hayes done?

He knew his best friend was all over this when he realized where they were going. He was going to strangle Hayes. He might have turned around to do just that if he hadn’t been sure that Rikar would have stopped him.

“I realize it might not feel like it, but we are trying to help you,” Rikar said. “And please don’t be angry with Hayes. We don’t have secrets.”

Teddy scowled. “You should. Whatever he told you, it wasn’t his secret to spill.”

“You’re right. It wasn’t, and I’m sure he feels sorry about telling me, but he felt it was for a good reason. He did tell you he would ask me to allow the hunters to stay, right?”

Teddy groaned. Hayes had, and of course, he would have had to tell Rikar the truth so that Rikar understood why it was so important. Then Rikar had probably told Moore, and who knew what these two had come up with?

Teddy wondered if it would be too childish to shimmer away and not return until he was sure they were done with whatever was on their mind.

* * * *

Davey jumped when the outside door of the jail opened. Perseus was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to be in the room beside their cells talking to Orion, but he didn’t have time to scramble back to the front room. Davey’s cheeks flushed so red that Perseus expected his head to explode as Moore, Teddy, and a blond Nix Perseus had never seen before stepped into the hallway.

“I was retrieving their trays,” Davey quickly said.

“It’s fine,” Moore reassured him. When he talked to people he cared about, he seemed almost nice.

He looked up at Perseus and Orion. “This is Rikar, the leader of the village.”

It made sense that the village leader would want to talk to Perseus and Orion, but Perseus told himself not to hope. Rikar might only be here because he wanted answers.

Orion, of course, rushed to introduce himself. “I’m Orion, and that’s my brother Perseus. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Perseus almost rolled his eyes but decided Orion’s behavior was harmless. In fact, it allowed everyone to see that Orion didn’t deserve to be locked up. Hopefully, it would be enough to convince them to let him go.

Perseus looked at Teddy, but it appeared that the man was doing everything he could to avoid looking back at him. It had to be on purpose, and since Teddy didn’t seem to have a problem looking at Orion, Perseus wondered what was wrong.

He supposed the way he’d talked to Teddy when he’d been here last time didn’t help. He’d been rude and dismissive, which would explain why Teddy wouldn’t even look at him. Why would he, when Perseus had treated him like he was the last person he wanted to talk to? It was much better for Teddy to focus on Orion, and that didn’t make Perseus one bit jealous.

Really.

“Moore and I talked,” Rikar said. “We agree that the two of you should be given a chance. You’ll be allowed to stay in the village and to become part of our tribe, but there are conditions.”

Perseus wasn’t surprised. He would have been surprised if there hadn’t been conditions. After all, he and Orion were hunters. They might have helped dozens of shifters, Nix, and humans, but it wasn’t like they’d gotten their numbers so they could confirm it. Moore and Rikar only had Orion and Perseus’s word, and it might not be enough.

“We’ll agree to any condition you have,” Orion said.

Perseus cleared his throat. “Maybe we should hear those conditions first.”

Rikar nodded. “There aren’t many, and they’re not complicated, but they are non-negotiable. You’ll give us all the information you have on the hunters and the labs. If we need your help, you’ll provide it, even if that includes fighting against them. Our goal is to erase the hunters and the labs from the face of the earth, and we expect the same to go for you.”

Perseus wasn’t surprised. He wanted the same, but he wasn’t sure he could promise he’d fight his father if he found himself in front of him.

“My main objective has always been to destroy all the labs and the people behind them,” Moore explained. “It’s why a group of us banded together after we escaped. Now that we know that the hunters are working with the people funding the labs, we decided that taking down the hunters will hinder the labs. Without the hunters, they’ll have no one to provide them with victims for their experiments, and fewer people will be hurt. Besides, you have more information on the hunters than on the labs.”

“I can’t promise I’ll be able to fight my father,” Orion said, sounding dejected. “I want to because he’s a horrible man, but he’s still my father.”

Moore shook his head. “We don’t expect that from you. Frankly, I don’t believe we’ll be able to trust you quickly enough to take you along when we fight the hunters. It might be helpful to have you with us, but it won’t happen today or tomorrow. For now, we mainly need information.”

Orion nodded quickly. “I’ll tell you everything I know, and so will my brother.”

Orion narrowed his eyes at Perseus as if telling him to go along with him and agree. Perseus didn’t have a problem doing that. This was what Orion wanted, and Perseus always gave Orion what he wanted. That was the only reason he was willing to listen to Moore and Rikar.

Perseus nodded. “Orion is right. We’ll give you all the information we have, but I have to warn you that taking down the hunters won’t be easy. Before, we were nothing more than a few scattered groups of people fighting against supernatural beings, but in recent years, the hunters have become a more structured organization. Orion and I were never in the know about most of it. We worked with our father, who spoke to the higher-ups and made all the decisions. We’ve seen a lot, including the locations of many labs and where some hunters live, but if you think you’ll be able to take down the entire organization thanks to us, you’ll be disappointed. If that’s what you need to allow us to leave these cells, then you need to tell us now.”

“We understand this won’t be easy,” Moore said. “We don’t expect you to work miracles. But as you say, you know hunters and the location of labs, and even more importantly, you know how hunters think. Even if you never felt the way they do, you’ve lived with your father and followed his orders. You’ll be able to tell us things we would never find out without you.”

Part of Perseus was terrified because they were betraying their father, but there wasn’t another option. It was either that or staying in this cell for the rest of their lives or maybe getting killed.

Death didn’t scare Perseus. He’d seen plenty of it in his life, and sometimes he’d wondered if it would be preferable to what he’d been forced to do.

But he didn’t want to die.

He was done with the life of a hunter. He was done taking orders from his father, listening to him berate him and Orion, allowing him to beat them up when he felt like it. His father was a horrible human being, and Perseus wouldn’t mourn his loss. He’d given up on the idea of the person his father should have been a long time ago. Only reality remained, and he was a man Perseus would be happy to lose.

That didn’t make it any easier to accept Moore and Rikar’s offer. Perseus didn’t know them, and he was afraid that he would trust them only for them to betray him and Orion. He could deal with that, but not his brother. Orion’s heart would break if these people betrayed them, especially after giving them the illusion they could finally live the life they’d always dreamed of.

But Perseus couldn’t protect his brother anymore, especially not in this situation. Orion had already made his decision. He’d stay at the village, no matter what Perseus did. If Perseus wanted them to stick together, he’d have to do the same, which meant trusting Moore and Rikar.

He took a deep breath. “I accept your offer.”

Orion beamed as if Perseus had handed him the world before turning back to Moore and Rikar. “So do I. We’ll be happy to become part of your village and to help in your fight against the hunters and the labs.”

There was a second of silence, and Perseus waited for something bad to happen. Nothing did.

Moore nodded and stepped forward to open Orion’s cell first. Orion was quick to step out, stretching as soon as he was free. They’d had plenty of space in the cell, but they’d still been prisoners, and he knew it had weighed heavily on Orion’s mind.

Then Moore turned to Perseus’s cell. He unlocked it, as well, and Perseus sucked in a breath before stepping out.

Even though he wasn’t in the cell anymore, he didn’t feel completely free, and he doubted he would until he was out of the building. He needed fresh air.

“Where will we stay?” Orion asked as he followed Moore and Rikar toward the door. Perseus and Teddy were right behind Orion.

Moore looked back. “Since we don’t trust you yet, we’ve decided you’ll be sharing a home with Teddy.”

Teddy stumbled, which was enough to tell Perseus he hadn’t known about that.

He didn’t see how this wouldn’t end up in a disaster, but for some reason, he didn’t care. He wanted to see what Teddy would do.

* * * *

Teddy couldn’t believe his ears. Had Moore really said what Teddy had heard him say?

Why were Rikar and Moore playing matchmakers? That was the only explanation Teddy could think of for them to push Perseus and Teddy together like that. Hayes had to be involved, too.

Teddy wanted to give Perseus a chance, but he didn’t think that moving in with him was a good idea. He barely knew the guy, and the few times they’d talked, they’d either punched or snarled at each other.

Well, Teddy had done the punching. Perseus had never tried to hurt Teddy physically, but considering their first meeting, it wasn’t a surprise that he was grumpy when Teddy was around. Teddy should have apologized, and he’d wanted to, but Perseus’s grumpiness made Teddy grumpy by association, and he didn’t know how to stop it from happening.

They stepped out of the building and began walking along the village main street. Teddy sucked in a breath before turning to scowl at Moore. Moore looked utterly innocent, smiling as he focused on Orion and Perseus.

“The house will be big enough for the three of you, so you don’t have to worry about that. You’ll have your own room, but of course, the communal spaces will have to be shared. Teddy will keep an eye on you, but you won’t be prisoners. You’ll be free to come in and out, and since you’re now a part of the village, we expect you to start to contribute.”

Rikar nodded. “As mentioned earlier, we don’t expect you to go on raids, since no one would trust you to have their back. The village will take care of you until you can find something productive to do, and we can help you find a job. Your past as hunters is over. You can focus on the future, whatever that future is.”

“I want to be a baker,” Orion declared.

Teddy wasn’t at all surprised, even though he didn’t know Orion that well. It was clear that Orion enjoyed taking care of people, especially his brother. He had a lot of love to share, and what better way to do so than by baking things for people?

Rikar smiled. “I’m sure I can organize something.”

Teddy fell back from the group and stepped closer to Moore. “You’re not even going to ask if I want to do this?” he whispered.

Moore arched a brow. “Do you not want to move in with Perseus?”

“And Orion,” Teddy grumbled.

“Yes, and Orion, but we both know he’s not the important person here.”

“How do you know? Who told you?”

“Well, Hayes told Rikar, who contacted me. You should have told me, Teddy.” Moore’s expression softened. “Did you think I would be angry? We don’t choose our mates.”

Teddy snorted. “Which is a good thing, because I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have chosen your guy if you’d had a choice.”

Moore laughed. “You’re not wrong. I didn’t trust the assassins one bit, but I had to give them a chance because of Jolyn. I’ve never regretted it. Mates are mates for a reason, Teddy. Believe me when I say it doesn’t pay to fight against that bond.”

Teddy glanced at Perseus. He didn’t want him to hear about their bond before he could talk to him, but thankfully, Perseus was focused on Rikar as he showed them the village.

Teddy sighed. “Fine. I’ll move in with them. I really wish you would have talked to me about it first, though.”

“If I had, you would’ve said no. I’m not saying you have to bond with him tomorrow, but you need to give him a chance. He’s grumpy, but he doesn’t strike me as a bad person.”

Teddy didn’t think he was. If he were, it would have been easy for him to abandon his brother and save himself, but instead, he’d risked his life so Orion would be healed. It was clear that the most important person in Perseus’s life was Orion, but Teddy didn’t mind. He wasn’t that close to his biological siblings, but he was close to Hayes and Leon. Just like Perseus with Orion, Teddy was ready to do pretty much anything to keep his best friends safe. They’d been through hell with him.

“I’m sort of the mayor,” Rikar was explaining. “Although with more responsibilities. Since you’re now part of the village, it means you’re also part of my tribe.”

“A Nix tribe?” Perseus asked.

“Yes. Over the years, we’ve been raiding labs and helping people. Some of them returned to their normal lives, but others can’t or don’t want to. Many have become tribe members, and some are especially vulnerable after what was done to them. I take care of everyone.”

“And I wouldn’t try anything if I were you,” Moore added. “A lot of the people who live here are trained and will kick your ass if needed.”

Perseus narrowed his eyes, and Teddy waited for him to snap at Moore. Before he could, Orion wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders and squeezed.

“There will be no reason for anyone to kick our asses. We’re done hunting.”

Teddy was sure that was true for Orion, but he didn’t know about Perseus. Teddy didn’t think Perseus wanted to go back to the hunters, but he couldn’t see him settling into a simple life like Orion was planning. Perseus wouldn’t become a baker.

But they had time to figure things out. Now that Perseus and Orion were tribe members, they could do things they wouldn’t have been allowed to do when they were hunters. Their father sounded like an asshole, and he’d been in full control of their lives. It was time they took back that control.

Teddy just wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about all of it. Should he tell Perseus they were mates? Part of him wanted to, but another part was terrified of what Perseus would say. What if deep inside, Perseus believed his father’s words about supernatural creatures being monsters and animals? What if he didn’t want to bond with Teddy because he didn’t think Teddy was human?

“We expect you to respect everyone who lives here,” Rikar said. “We have some humans, but most of the people in the village are either Nix or shifters. I trust that won’t be a problem?”

To Teddy’s surprise, Perseus answered instead of Orion. “It won’t be. We never followed our father’s beliefs. As far as we’re concerned, everyone here deserves a peaceful life.”

Rikar nodded. “Good. Well, here it is.”

Teddy looked up at the house. He’d walked past it a few times since he and the other mutants had moved to the village. He’d always thought it was cute, and he was pretty sure he hadn’t been as discreet about it as he’d thought. There was a twinkle in Rikar’s eyes as he gestured at Teddy and the brothers to climb the porch steps.

Hayes had struck again, dammit. Teddy wasn’t sure if he should yell at him or buy him a gift.

He supposed he would have to wait and see what happened with Perseus. They’d be living together, which meant it would be impossible for them to avoid each other. Whether that would result in them growing closer or fighting like cats, Teddy didn’t know.

He wanted things to work with Perseus. He was also anxious, though, and he didn’t know how to reconcile those two emotions. If he wanted things to work out, he’d have to tell Perseus they were mates, but he was too afraid that Perseus would reject him. Talking with his friends had helped him make his peace with the fact that his mate was a hunter, but Perseus was unaware of all of that.

What was Teddy supposed to do?