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Deke

M ind buzzing with far too much new information, I led Ozyn away from the portal and mansion towards my little home. Before I got too far, Blake stopped me.

“I think you should take the next house available near us. One is nearly ready.”

“But—“

“No, Deke. As Head Enforcer, you deserve a larger home, especially now that you have a fated mate.” He gave Ozyn a welcoming smile. “Please. You’ve done so much for the pack, allow us to give you this.”

I glanced at my mate, wishing we had the mental connection of the pack, or our mating bond, to ask him what he thought. Instead, I got a blank stare in return. Not even a buzz of his magic. Guess I was making this decision for us both. For a former king, Ozyn was far more submissive than I thought, though only with me.

“Um, I dunno…”

“Deke, seriously. We’re family. The only one you have—“

How did he know? “But—“

“Did you think the council didn’t send me the same letter they sent you?”

He gave me a sympathetic look. I could tell he wanted to reach for me, just with Ozyn so close, he didn’t want to overstep.

My mind was reeling. I’d held this secret for years now. “How long—?”

“Basically when you were told.” Blake shrugged. I could tell, though, my silence had hurt him. Blake needed to be needed. Me not confiding in him probably stung.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Our eyes met and locked. We had the same eyes, they came from his mom’s side of the family. From her mom before her. The same side of our fucked up family my dad came from.

“Probably because you didn’t. We talked about it. Me, Chase and Axel. We kept waiting for you to tell us. The longer you went without talking about your dad, the easier it was to forget. Besides, we had enough going on here.”

“Right.” I shook my head, a million memories flashing in my brain. I felt a pressing urge to explain myself to my baby cousin because that’s who I was speaking to. Not my Alpha.

“He just… he let us down, y’know?”

Blake grimaced. “Yeah. Uncle Ian was so lost after Mom… he tried.”

“No. He really didn’t,” I snapped. Scrubbing a hand over my face, I sighed. “Sorry.” I caught Ozyn watching the exchange with interest. He had to be confused.

“The short version,” I explained, “is that my aunt Iris was an angel of a woman and when she died, her brother, who was my dad, couldn’t cope. He was the Alpha, doing a shit job of it, too, until he made me take over. As soon as I did, he fucked off to parts unknown, then died.” My tone was brittle, harsh.

“Deke…” Blake’s finger’s flexed with his need to comfort me. Ozyn stared him down in challenge.

Blake was understandably wary of the dragon, not realizing my mate was basically powerless. Even after a meal and lots of skin contact, his magic was pretty much gone. It would return, but who knew when.

“This is why I didn’t want to talk about him, Blake. He gave up. He left us to suffer, to drag this pack from the brink, so no, I didn’t tell you when he died, because I refused to grieve him for what he did to us.

“Fair enough.” He shook his head. “We were talking about a house. You need something better. As Head Enforcer and now with a mate, you need something that reflects your standing in the pack.”

“Chase doesn’t have a house and he’s Second.”

“He’ll take over your place when you move. Actually make it a home if he wants to. You know what Chase is like. He loves having a room everywhere so he can wander between places.” He smiled fondly at the thought of his brother.

“Yeah, that’s Chase.”

“Stop changing the subject, Deke. Take the house. You need it.”

“Okay,” I agreed reluctantly. In all honesty, my house was small and if I was going to be mated to Ozyn, who was likely used to luxury, then I needed an upgrade. Stat. Shit, my place was a dump in comparison to where he likely lived before.

Maybe he was reacting to a change in scent, or my cousin just knew me, but he gave in to his instincts and reached out to put a hand on my arm.

Ozyn bodily blocked the touch with a growl. I encircled my mate, calming him.

“Ignore him. He doesn’t like other people touching me.”

“Mine,” Ozyn snarled.

“Right,” I agreed. I rested my chin on his head, soaking in the connection. Our bodies were flush against each other, the only way which seemed to soothe my strange mate.

Blake frowned, then his expression smoothed. He ignored Ozyn’s display of possessiveness. “I’ll make sure there’s some new furniture in the house. Make it more of a family home than a bachelor pad like you’ve got going on.”

I winced because he was right. I’d been living the single life for far too long since my arranged mating fell through. Sure, I’d hooked up here and there, I was so not mentioning the fling I’d had with Melody to Ozyn, but there had never been anyone serious, not like Ozyn was.

He was my forever someone. I knew it with all of my soul.

Ozyn tilted his head, probably feeling the wince. He struggled to meet my eyes. Taking pity on him, I repositioned us, tucking him under my arm. It hit me then: my mate was touch starved. It was why he needed to be close to me all the time.

His flush when he looked at me was gratifying. I enjoyed knowing I affected him as much as he affected me. I’d have to go slow with him, though. There was no knowing all he’d been through or what could trigger him.

I’d waited this long for him, I didn’t mind waiting longer. Just knowing he was mine was enough for now, pull or not.

Protect , my alter urged. Touch. Defend. My wolf was so bossy!

Like I was going to do anything else , I chided the beast. He’s our dragon. I’ll look after him like the treasure he is.

“Are you doing okay?” Blake asked, pulling me back to the moment. “With,” he circled a hand, “everything?”

Shifting to hold Ozyn closer, I smiled at my Alpha. He was asking the question less like my family, more as the Alpha he was, the one who wanted every shifter in his pack to be happy and healthy.

“Not gonna lie, it’s been a wild day. Fuck, I woke from a coma to this gorgeous being hovering over me.” I squeezed Ozyn affectionately. “Found out dragons never died out, and my fated is one.” I laughed. “Not only that, he’s the fucking king!”

“Was,” Ozyn piped up. “I’m not the king anymore. My son is.”

“Apparently I’m a step-dad too!” I might have giggled nervously. The situation suddenly felt enormous. A step parent to a king! What even was my life!

Ozyn broke away from me, tension lining his body. “Is that a problem for you? Me having children?”

“You’ve got more than one?” I could hear how high my voice got with my panic.

“Yes. Dragons rarely have one child. It is considered unlucky to have only one egg.”

Deke? You need to chill out. You’re freaking Ozyn out, and we can’t cope if he goes full dragon right now.

My eyes must have been broadcasting my growing panic. Blake tried to use our pack bond to calm me down before I had a meltdown in the middle of the yard.

What had I expected? Ozyn was hundreds of years old. Had to be. He’d been a prisoner for a century. When he’d gone to the fae, he’d left his son behind. Rezoth couldn’t have been a child. There was no way an omega would leave a vulnerable child to rule.

As the king, Ozyn couldn’t have been young. Of course, he had a life before me. It was ridiculous to think anything else.

Mate is sad . My alter was angry with me, enough that it sobered me.

Time to get it together, I chided myself.

I plastered on a smile. Blake grimaced. I dialed it down a notch. “Can’t wait to meet them! You’ll have to tell me all about them. In shifter culture, it means I’m their dad now, so I need to know all about them.”

Laying it on a little thick, aren’t you?

Ozyn missed Blake rolling his eyes at me. He was too busy giving me the sunniest of smiles. Fuck, he was beautiful. His face was my favorite thing to look at even with his strange slit pupil eyes. I found them fascinating.

Fuck off!

I started leading Ozyn away from my cousin without another word. Blake deserved it for being a dick.

“Really?” Ozyn asked hopefully, also ignoring Blake. “I hope my brothers can bring my boys to us soon!”

Looking back, Blake was grinning and shaking his head at us. He’s perfect for you.

“Are all dragons male?”

“Yes, it is why we have five designations.”

Looking at my home with fresh eyes, I was kind of ashamed to have Ozyn in my space. I’d have to order some shit, fast. Every room screamed a single guy lived there. The living room was sparse, only a TV cabinet, coffee table and a black leather sofa. No cushions, rug, or even drapes. Just hardwood floors and plain cream walls. Sure, there was a blind for when the sun was blazing, but I was barely home, preferring to spend my time in my office.

The kitchen wasn’t any better. I hardly had any food, or probably pots to cook with, something I’d have to rectify quickly since my dragon had been starved for attention and food. There was a coffee maker, a toaster, and a microwave. So basic. I wasn’t even sure if the stovetop worked, let alone the oven.

My bedroom was the worst. I winced when I looked at it. All I had was a basic bed frame and mattress. The comforter had been a gift from Kade. All my clothes were on shelves in the closet. There were no personal touches anywhere. It was like a ghost lived there.

I was pretty sure the only thing my home had going for it was that it was clean because I barely spent any time there.

“Deke?” Ozyn, sounding so hesitant, had me whipping my head around to check that he was okay. He lingered a few paces away, unable, or unwilling to go far alone.

“What’s wrong?” I took him by the shoulders to check him over. He smiled when I met his eyes.

“You looked sad. What bothers you?”

I gave a derisive snort. “Look at this dump!” I waved a hand around. “You’re a king—“

“Was.”

“Still. You’re literally royalty, and this is all I can offer you. I’m a no one wolf—“

“Head Enforcer. You are important.”

“Yeah, but I’m an enforcer in a pack with too many enemies. You’d be better off without me.”

His words cut into my heart when he spoke in a voice barely over a whisper. “Without you, I’d still be locked up in that dungeon with no hope to speak of.”

He moved to wrap his arms around my middle, burrowing into my chest. “When the portal opened, I had hope for the first time in so long. All because I could feel you. For two years, you have been the only reason I kept breathing.”

Ozyn pulled away far enough I could see his face. He was so precious to me already. Fate really was a miracle.

“So what if your home is plain? It will be different when we make our home, won’t it?”

I pressed a kiss to his forehead. He gave me hope, something to care for when I’d thought I’d lost that ability.

“Yeah, you’re right. Maybe you could help pick out the stuff for our house.”

“Ours. I like that.” He smiled easily. “I think I shall enjoy living in Sweetwater.”

“You don’t want to return to Abrocaelum?” I thought he would want to, especially with his kids, our kids, living there, but he looked so determined.

My fears surged. I worried over not being enough for Ozyn, about him wanting us to go to his lands, leaving the pack. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep Ozyn despite barely knowing him a day, but I was torn. I wanted to stay with my people, my pack. Maybe that was selfish of me. Could I give it all up for him?

“No. My home is here now. With you. With the pack.” I felt relieved for a moment until he kept speaking. “Something tells me I have to be here for what is to come.”

If that wasn’t foreboding, I didn’t know what was.

“Alright,” I said, ignoring the knot of worry balled in my stomach. “Welcome to your new home. Let’s get you settled in.”