Mark.
Talon
What was I doing here? As I pulled into the driveway of the house that gave me nightmares—the place that was never truly a home—I questioned my decision to come alone. I should’ve accepted Lucas and Dominic’s offer to join me. What could my father possibly want after all these years? The fact that he actually called the king still reeled in my mind.
“What’s going on with my family?” I asked as we settled into the king’s study.
Lucas and Dominic were with Lucas’s brother, and I wished I was with them. Anything to do with my family made my stomach roll. My father had basically disowned me after he caught me making out with his best friend, Mark. The fact that Mark was a boy wasn’t the reason—the fact that Mark panicked at seeing his dad and claimed that I forced him was the reason.
Fuck, how could I force him? I was two years younger than Mark, and he had always been the more dominant lion; there was no way I could’ve done anything to him against his will. I was twelve fucking years old. But my pleas didn’t matter; my father and Mark’s father, who coincidently was my father’s best friend, believed Mark. From then on, my home life had turned to shit.
“Your father called me earlier today,” the king’s words pulled me from memories.
“What did he want?” I asked, as my stomach once again did a somersault.
The king handed me a scotch and took the chair opposite me. “He said, and I quote, ‘It’s imperative that my son comes home. He’s not answering our calls, and we need him here.’” King Edward rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his drink. “I, of course, explained that you were indisposed at the moment. I thought you were wooing Lucas. Turns out you were wooing a demon and Lucas.”
I cringed at the harshness in his tone. “I’m sorry for not being upfront. I was confused, and there”s a lot of animosity here towards Dominic. It took me a while to realize they were both my mates. And to be fair, I really didn’t realize they were my mates.”
King Edward sighed. “You should have been transparent, but what’s done is done. I trust you won’t keep anything else about the demon from me.”
I bristled at how he referred to my mate. As if the word demon was a curse. “His name is Dominic, and yes, he’s a demon, but he’s also my mate. I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from disparaging him. I don’t think you would like it if I said something about Brian being a prey shifter.”
King Edward glared at me, but I didn’t submit. Normally, I’d advert my gaze in deference, but this was my mate he was speaking about.
He sighed and softened his gaze. “You’re right. Damn, he really is your mate. You would never think to challenge me otherwise. I apologize. I’ll be more mindful of how I speak about him. He’s going to have enough trouble dealing with Lucas’s family. I won’t add to them.”
I cringed again. He was right. Lucas’s family was going to freak out when they found out about Dominic. The only one who probably wouldn’t was Nana. That woman was a saint and the kind of grandma I wished I had.
“As for your father,” the king continued. “I think you should talk to him. There was something about the tone of his voice.”
“I will,” I agreed reluctantly.
Fuck. That call was why I was here now, standing before the house I grew up in. My father had practically begged me to come. Damn it. Come on, Talon. You can do this. In and out. Sure, you don’t know what’s so important that you come here, but you can do this. You got this.
“You planning on knocking or what?” Tessa’s high-pitched whine pulled me from my internal pep talk. I lifted my gaze and there she stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance as if she was part of the house’s defenses against unwanted pasts.
Tessa hadn’t changed much. She was still as athletic and slender as I remembered, her frame exuding a grace that made her seem almost ethereal in the fading sunlight. Her long, wavy brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, giving her a no-nonsense look that clashed with the impish sparkle in her eyes—a vibrant mix of deep green and amber that could always read right through me.
Her button nose wrinkled slightly as she squinted at me, her lips curving into that bright, infectious smile that had always made her the center of attention. It was the kind of smile that could light up a room or, in my case, signal impending doom.
”Come on, Talon. You can do this,” I muttered to myself. Her presence was a stark reminder of the past I was trying so hard to distance myself from.
”Nope, I can”t do this,” I thought, feeling the old weight of this place pressing down on me. But retreating wasn”t an option, not today. With a reluctant sigh, I managed a strained smile. ”Hello, Tessa,” I said, brushing past her into the familiar yet alien interior of my childhood home.
She stepped aside, her smile never wavering, but her eyes, those damn insightful eyes, narrowed just enough to let me know she sensed my discomfort. ”Been a long time, Talon. We”ve missed you around here.”
Her words felt like both a welcome and a warning and as I stepped further into the house, the walls seemed to whisper echoes of a past I was not ready to revisit.
The interior of the house had changed little since I”d last been here. The walls were adorned with the same old paintings of landscapes and hunting scenes that had always seemed too grand for our modest living room. The furniture was arranged just as I remembered—meticulously kept and barely used, creating an atmosphere that was more of a showroom than a home. The familiar scent of polished wood and lavender air freshener hung heavily in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly baked bread that somehow made the place seem warmer than it felt. As I took it all in, a wave of nostalgia mixed with unease washed over me, tightening my chest with every step deeper into the house.
Just as I rounded the corner into the kitchen, my mother appeared with the same brisk efficiency that had defined my upbringing. Without a word, she enveloped me in a tight hug, her embrace firm and surprisingly warm. ”Talon, my son, you”re home,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotions that seemed at odds with the composed expression on her face.
I returned her embrace, and for a moment, I was transported back to a time before the incident—the time when she was always there, always ready with a hug. I pulled back, and something else caught my attention: a weariness in her eyes that I hadn”t noticed before.
Mom was a quiet woman who always deferred to my father. Perhaps that’s why I never fully blamed her for what happened; I doubted she felt she could stand up to him, even if she wanted to.
“It’s good to see you, Mom,” I started, but a murmur of voices from the kitchen cut me short. “I’m sorry, do you have company?”
My mother’s expression tightened. “Your father,” she began stiffly, “has invited some guests over.”
Her tone, laced with something I couldn’t quite place—resignation, perhaps, or disapproval—set a knot in my stomach. Whatever this was about, it wasn’t just a casual family visit.
“Remember that one time we tried to take down that gator?” My dad’s voice boomed through the house.
“Of course I do; the gator turned out to be a shifter and ended up giving us both a whooping we wouldn’t forget.”
I froze at the voice. It couldn’t be. I looked at my mother, who fidgeted nervously. I was about to turn around and leave when a strong hand grabbed my wrist.
“Talon, my boy! You made it.” My dad pulled me into a hug, and I stiffened.
Breaking free, I stepped back and scanned the room. Sure enough, my Dad’s ex-best friend and Mark’s father, Graham, stood by the counter. Despite his age, his presence was still imposing. Standing tall at 6”3”, his build was strong, his frame broad and solid, a testament to years of physical labor or workouts. His dark brown hair, now streaked with gray at the temples, matched the rugged beard that framed his firm jawline. His olive-green eyes, deep-set under bushy brows, scanned the room with a guarded intensity.
Beside him stood his wife, Vivian. Her auburn hair was styled in soft waves that cascaded just past her shoulders, catching the light with a fiery glow. Her slender form was wrapped in a simple, elegant dress that accentuated her grace. The familiar freckles on her cheeks seemed to dance under the kitchen lights as she offered a warm but cautious smile.
Before I could gather my thoughts, another figure stepped forward. Mark. His height still commanded attention as he approached, his athletic build obvious even under his casual clothes. His sandy blonde hair was cropped short, and those unmistakable sea-blue eyes focused on me, his dimpled smile cautious but open.
“Talon,” he said simply, his voice holding a mixture of regret and tentative hope.
Seeing them all here—especially Mark—sent a rush of old feelings and memories, not all of them welcome. The complexity of facing my past head-on, here in the home that once felt like a battleground, weighed heavily on me. What were they all doing here—together? What was so important that it brought these figures from my past back into my life now?
Ignoring Mark’s attempted greeting, I turned to confront my father. “What’s going on?” I demanded, my voice tight with restrained anger.
My mother stepped back, her expression wary, and even my sister, who usually had nothing but disdain for me, bit her lip—an unmistakable sign of her concern.
My father”s response came with a broad smile. “Isn’t it wonderful? We”ve talked things through. It”s all in the past now.”
”In the past,” the phrase echoed mockingly in my mind. My lion roared within me, outraged. The darkest chapter of my life was dismissed with a few words.
“I told my parents I’m gay,” Mark interjected, his voice low as he tentatively reached out to touch my arm.
I recoiled from his touch, my expression darkening. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Mark shifted uneasily, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was hoping we could—”
“I’ve met my fated mate,” I cut him off sharply, my tone leaving no room for misinterpretations or reunions.
“You what?” My mother gasped, her eyes lighting up as she rushed to my side. “You’ve met your mate?”
“Yes, Mom, I’ve met my fated mate,” I confirmed, meeting her gaze.
Her smile was the first genuine one I’d seen in years. She opened her mouth to respond, but my father interjected.
“Are you saying Mark is your fated mate? After all this time, you’re saying what happened was because he’s your fated?”
I scoffed, anger flaring as I turned to face him squarely. “I didn’t do anything back then. Mark concocted that story about me forcing him, but he knew the truth.” My gaze flickered to Mark, my eyes hard and unyielding. “He was too much of a coward to admit he was gay.” I then locked eyes with my father again. “So no, Mark isn’t my fated mate.”
My father’s face reddened with each word, his fists clenching at his sides. “So, if it’s not Mark, who is it then? Some girl you picked up to spite us? What are you no longer into guys.”
“No, Dad, not a girl,” I replied, my patience wearing thin. “And it’s not about spiting anyone. It’s about who I am and who fate has chosen for me. My mates. My fated mates.”
Just as my father opened his mouth to retort, my mother stepped in, her presence commanding and firm for the first time ever. “Enough, Seb,” she said sharply, her voice slicing through the tension like a knife.
“Mira, I—”
“No, Seb,” she cut him off with an assertive hand gesture that silenced him instantly. “This isn’t helping anyone. Talon, you mentioned mates—so I assume there’s more than one?”
My father’s mouth opened to interject, but a sharp glance from my mother quelled him instantly. I had never seen her take such a firm stance.
“Yes, Mom. I have two mates,” I confirmed, somewhat relieved yet apprehensive.
“Well,” she continued without missing a beat, “I want to meet them. That’s all that matters now.”
The weight of introducing Dominic and Lucas to this volatile mix pressed heavily on me, but seeing the earnest plea in my mother’s eyes, I knew I couldn’t deny her. “Okay, Mom. I’ll bring them here.”
She smiled a soft smile. Her relaxed expression stood in stark contrast to the rest of the tension-filled room. “Thank you, Talon. That means a lot to me.”
Fuck, what did I just agree to? Fate, help me.