Chapter Seventeen
Griffith
What I’d forgotten when I remembered the few triads in our sleuth was that they were always two omegas and an alpha. A fact soon to be brought home to me.
As we drove up to the two-and-a-half-story log cabin where my parents lived, I was so proud to introduce them to my new mates.
For the last several years, both of my fathers had been pushing me to find someone.
They said if Fate had a mate for me, I’d have met him already, and the time had long since arrived for me to “settle.” As they had.
“The trees are so huge,” Kyle said, nose pressed to the passenger-side window. “It must have been wonderful growing up here.”
“The redwoods are pretty magical. I tried to climb to the top of them so many times, both as a boy and as a bear, but I never got all the way.”
“They’re thousands of feet tall. You could have broken your neck.” Kyle grabbed my arm, distress written across his features. “How high did you go?”
“Not thousands of feet, but they are a few hundred, the bigger ones. And I never made it more than halfway up.” I parked and we all piled out of the car.
Starting up the stairs to the front porch, I noticed nobody was following.
“Guys?” I turned to find them standing next to the nearest redwood, heads tipped back.
“Halfway?” Kyle asked faintly.
“Or maybe a little more. Come on in and meet the folks.”
Kyle breezed past me, but then he stopped and gave me a fierce look. “Don’t climb them anymore.” Our omega had a bossy nature. It was too adorable.
Falkan came up even with me and took my hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it. “Our omega worries.”
“Yes. It’s sweet.”
“It is, but just to put it on the record…if I find you climbing a tree, I will let my dragon pluck you off it for your own good.”
I started to argue then pictured his dragon’s sharp, powerful talons. Would he even be able to negotiate the tree branches to get close enough to pierce me with them? Surely he would want to hurt me…but was it a chance I was willing to take just to prove a point?
No. It was not.
“I appreciate your care for my well-being. Bears do like to climb trees, and I won’t promise not to ever climb any, but no going hundreds of feet up a redwood. Deal?”
He hugged me. “The dragon wouldn’t hurt you.”
“I appreciate that.”
We were both laughing when we joined Kyle on the top step. “You two all right?”
“Great.” I hugged him next. “My parents are going to be so happy to meet you.” I reached for the door and twisted the knob. “Dads, I’m home. And I brought a surprise.”
My alpha father was seated on the curved leather couch in front of the fire, reading the newspaper.
He’d never entered the digital age. My omega dad hurried in, drying his hands on a towel.
“Son. Why didn’t you call and say you were coming and bringing friends?
I’d have made something special to eat.”
“Hi, Dad.” I hugged him and leaned past him. “Hello, Father.”
“Griffith. What brings you here in the middle of the work week? Are you taking a lot of vacation again?”
My cheeks warmed. I’d rarely taken even a day off, unless they summoned me home for something or other. “No. I lost my job.”
“You were taking off too much time, weren’t you.” He tsked and returned his attention to the paper, but I wasn’t going to let him get away with that accusation this time.
“The company closed. But thank you for all your faith in me.” I heard Falkan clear his throat behind me and clamped my lips closed for a moment until I could regain my composure. “Father, Dad, this is Kyle and Falkan, my mates.”
I don’t know what I expected. Hugs? Smiles? Handshakes all around? With all their insistence I mate and give them grandchildren, I expected something positive, but what I got was the complete opposite.
A horrified silence that stretched until I asked, “What’s wrong?”
Dad glanced at Father then licked his lips. “Son, that dragon is an alpha.”
“I know. And Kyle is an omega wolf.” There were mixed matings in our sleuth. An otter and a bear for one pairing. “Aren’t you going to greet them?”
“Of course.” Dad approached and did shake their hands.
Father did nothing, focused on his paper again.
I looked from one of them to the other, still puzzled, but Falkan put a hand on my shoulder. “Mate, we’ve come and made the introductions. I think we need to continue on our way.”
My eyes stung with tears. My parents had never been a super-loving couple and their parenting was short of warm and cuddly, but I’d never seen them like this.
“Dad, do you have a problem with my mates? These are my fateds, and they are not going away, so I suggest you be careful of what you say here.” The words if you ever want to see your grandchildren or possibly even me again hung waiting to be said.
“We’re just surprised is all. We didn’t think you liked”—he lowered his voice—“alphas.”
“I don’t like alphas. I love Falkan, and he’s a very wise dragon. We’re going to leave now.” I turned and started for the door, half expecting one of them to say something to make it all better, but what would that be?
I heard a sob from behind me, but I wasn’t sorry. Let them grieve if they chose to reject my mating. Who were they to try to overrule Fate?
Back in the car, I turned the keys over to Falkan, too shaken to drive. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea they felt that way.”
“It’s okay, Griffith.” Kyle reached over the front seat and patted my shoulder. “We can’t help what our families are like. I have a feeling some of yours are, or were, better than that, though.”
“My grandparents.” I remembered the two of them, so in love.
“My dads were not fated, but my grandparents were.
Our house was generally okay if a little cool, but every summer when I came to my grands, it was like being bathed in love to stay with them.
Even when they were quite elderly and toward the end of their lives, they found joy in the silliest things.
Always laughing together and never in a way that made me feel left out. No, anyone around was included.
“One year, I tried to stay with them after the summer, but my dads weren’t having it.
They’ve been telling me I shouldn’t wait for my fated.
I should settle for whoever was around. It’s what they did, and growing up, I knew the difference between their house and my grandparents.
I would never have settled. You two were worth waiting for. ”
Kyle squeezed my shoulder. “I know you hoped your sleuth would welcome me, that I want a pack, but you two are enough. I’m just scared to be alone again.
“Omega ours,” Falkan said, “you never will be alone.”
“Never,” I echoed. “Not while either of us draws breath.