The next week went by both in a blur, and also kind of slowly for Brogan. Between Mikel and his omega friends, Brogan and Peyton were almost never lacking in company, and he was okay with that. Nighttime was hard, because in the quiet and dark, Brogan brooded about Peyton’s future. His bright, beautiful boy could get sick and die at any point in his life, and Brogan couldn’t protect him from that. No amount of “what if’s” from anyone helped him sleep better.

He slept best on the rare occasional Mikel slept over, usually because they stayed up too late watching television. Mikel would put him to bed, then sleep on top of the covers. Physical affection remained kisses, and Mikel occasionally blew him, and while Brogan was a little frustrated by the snail’s pace of their sexual relationship, his heat would begin in less than three weeks. At least then, Mikel wouldn’t be afraid to touch him.

Maybe Brogan wasn’t being completely fair, but he longed for more physical affection from his bondmate; he also completely understood why Mikel was afraid.

The fact that Mikel asked if Brogan would like to meet his omegin and brothers that coming weekend overjoyed Brogan. It was the first real step from Mikel to integrate their two worlds. Mikel had volunteered to bring along pizza, which he already had in the car when he picked up Brogan and Peyton that morning. The car smelled like sausage, cheese, and other delicious things, and Brogan imagined the three boxed pies had been a bit of an expense for Mikel’s limited income.

He wants to impress his family.

Brogan would have been impressed with coffee and cookies, but this was Mikel’s show. Mikel practically vibrated with nerves on the drive. The Toveys lived in a subsidized home in a neighborhood for families in flux and who relied on provincial assistance. With their alpha breadwinner in prison, Mikel’s omegin Benton received a monthly stipend again, as did his two youngest sons Yannis and Naya. Mikel’s eldest brother, Cyan, was eighteen and worked part-time while finishing his final year in secondary school.

These small tidbits about his family were about the only things Brogan knew going into their shared lunch, so he kept an open mind on the trip up the cracked walk to the front door. The squat house was part of a block of brick row homes, with no porches or real yards to speak of. A layer of frost still covered the ground from last night’s cold snap, and the cloudy day hadn’t given enough sunshine to melt it.

Brogan tugged Peyton’s hat down over his ears to protect them from the frigid wind, while Mikel knocked. His stomach twisted up with nerves. This was Mikel’s family. If they didn’t like Brogan or approve of Peyton…

The door swung inward, and a younger version of Mikel smiled at them. “Dude, it’s been too fucking long,” the beta teen said to Mikel.

“Hey, watch your language in front of the baby,” Mikel chided. “He’s already picked up bad words from his friends.”

“Sorry, man.” To Brogan, he said, “Hey, I’m Cyan. You gotta be his bondmate Brogan.”

“The one and only,” Brogan replied. Cyan’s welcoming smile relaxed him a bit, and he shifted Peyton’s weight so he could shake Cyan’s hand. Despite being a few inches shorter and somewhat slimmer, Cyan truly was a carbon copy of his older, alpha brother.

“Let them inside,” a new, deeper voice said. “It’s freezing out.”

Cyan stepped out of the way, and a man who could only be Benton Tovey flapped a hand at them, indicating they come in. The small home had no foyer and opened directly into a cramped living room, where two other teenagers stood. The kitchen was directly to the left, and a steep staircase led up to the bedrooms. Brogan smiled as he took in the interior, which was on the chilly side, but still warmer than outside.

“Welcome, welcome,” Benton said. “Oh, Mikel, I’ve missed you.” He embraced his eldest son, hugging him tight, and Mikel clung to the man.

Brogan helped Peyton out of his coat and hat, and handed them and his own gear to Cyan. Yannis and Naya introduced themselves. They didn’t resemble Mikel and Cyan quite as strongly, but all the related men in the house had the same black hair, ebony skin, and handsome face as their omegin. Peyton clung to Brogan’s leg, probably unsettled by the new home and new people.

“Omegin,” Mikel said, “I’m so honored to introduce you to my bondmate, Brogan Dale. And this is his son Peyton.”

Benton turned that kind, welcoming smile onto Brogan. “I am so pleased to meet you, young man. You two must be why my boy is smiling so broadly.”

“Mikel is an amazing man,” Brogan replied after accepting a hug. He picked up Peyton. “Can you say hello, Pey-pey?”

Peyton ignored Benton in favor of reaching for Mikel. Mikel clucked his tongue. “Don’t be rude, Peyton, do as Omi asks.”

Benton grinned even wider when Peyton politely said hello. “You have this little one wrapped around your fingers,” Benton said to Mikel.

“I love him like he was my own.”

Brogan melted inside. “Peyton seems to love you right back.”

“So can we eat now?” Naya asked. “I’m starving and that pizza smells amazing.”

“Yes, you heathens, go get paper plates,” Benton said.

They didn’t have an actual dining set, but Yannis busted out several tray tables. Peyton had already eaten, and now that he’d been here for a few minutes, he got brave enough to explore the house on his own while the adults ate in the living room. Mikel, Brogan and Benton shared the couch, the beta boys spread out on an armchair and the floor.

Brogan had eaten so much pizza recently that he was going to start bleeding tomato sauce, but he still helped himself to a slice of supreme. Mikel’s brothers pounced on the meat lover’s pie, while Mikel and his omegin both selected the double cheese.

“So Mikel’s been super-secretive about you,” Cyan said around a mouthful of pizza. “I mean, we all know you from the news and stuff, but how did you guys meet?”

Grateful for a question he didn’t mind answering, Brogan told the other Toveys about their initial encounter at Perks. Mikel’s rudeness and then his tracking down Brogan’s number to apologize. He kept the story of their courtship light, leaving out everything with Senior Hamilton and Peyton’s illness.

“When are you guys going to mate?” Naya asked.

“Naya, that’s rude,” Benton said. “And none of our business.”

“But I thought the whole thing about Mikel mating was so we’d all have a nicer place to live.”

Mikel flinched.

“That was a different matter and months ago,” Benton replied in a tight tone that seemed to warn his youngest against further questions. “We are in a perfectly nice home, your sire is being held accountable, and Mikel is free to mate as he wishes. When he and Brogan decide to mate, it will be when they’re both ready.”

“We have discussed it,” Brogan said. “And we are going to wait until after Mikel’s probation is finished. When we’re both in a position to live together and raise a family.”

“That is an incredibly mature decision.” Benton tossed Mikel a fond smile. “I’m so proud of how far you’ve come.”

Mikel ducked his head. “So what are you three knuckleheads up to? How’s school?”

All three beta brothers tried to talk at once and with pizza in the mix, the entire production was kind of hilarious. Brogan watched Mikel listen to his brothers more than he paid attention to the words. In those precious moments, Brogan saw the loving big brother who’d done everything in his power to protect his family from pain and abuse. He saw a family that, while distanced, truly loved and supported each other.

A family he’d be wholly honored to join.

Mikel couldn’t remember a better visit with his omegin and siblings than today, and as much as he wanted to credit Brogan’s presence, it had a lot to do with Mikel’s own growing self-confidence. Confidence in the man he was becoming, the alpha mate he could be, and the supportive big brother he needed to be for his family. A family he’d truly missed.

He soaked in their presence all afternoon, between random conversations, several board games, snacking on leftover pizza, and playing with Peyton. Peyton seemed truly enamored with Omegin, and Omegin doted on the baby, even putting Peyton down for a nap in his own bedroom.

“I haven’t been around a baby that age since Naya was born,” Omegin said fondly. “He seems like such a happy boy.”

“I think he is,” Brogan replied. “My guardians are wonderful, and he’s grown up around kids his own age, so he’s never alone for long. I’m very lucky.” Sadness flashed in his eyes, and it sparked Mikel’s inner alpha.

“Well, I’d love to spend more time with him if you ever need an emergency babysitter.”

“I appreciate that, thank you.”

Mikel nearly suggested Peyton stay here during Brogan’s upcoming heat, but he didn’t want to assume where Brogan would want his baby to go for more than forty-eight hours. Plus, Peyton had only just met Mikel’s family and might be more comfortable leaving the boy with Liam or Jax. But Mikel loved the idea of Peyton spending him with his family. He was also crazy impressed that his brothers hadn’t asked Brogan a single question about the fight ring or anything related.

Omegin probably warned them off.

Naya didn’t have much of a filter, but what thirteen-year-old did?

Brogan had the three beta teens mesmerized with a story of family trip he’d taken to the mountains when he was twelve, so Mikel stole Omegin down the hall.

“What’s wrong?” Omegin asked.

“Nothing, actually. Today has been…wonderful. I want to apologize to you.”

“You don’t owe me an apology for anything. Not ever. I didn’t do my job as a parent, and you suffered the most for it. We can’t change any of it, but we can try to move on and love each other.”

“I know. The apology is for avoiding you guys since I’ve been out of the hospital. I told myself it was for your sakes, but it was selfish of me.”

“You had to think of your own mental health, son.”

“I know, but my actions still hurt you guys. By staying away, I didn’t have to face anything. Not your choices, not my choices. I could go to therapy, read my books, and pretend. But meeting Brogan…” Mikel’s throat tightened with emotion. “He opened my heart back up. He and Peyton are everything to me, and for us to have a real relationship, he needs to know all of me. He needs to know you and my brothers, and so do I. Forgive me?”

“Oh, my boy.” Omegin pulled him into another warm hug. “There’s nothing to forgive. I love you so much. You endured so much for this family, and now it’s time for you to find your joy.”

Mikel pressed his face into his omegin’s neck and breathed, trying to fight the tears that wanted to erupt. “I love you, too,” he whispered.

“Love you,” Peyton’s little voice said a moment before he hugged Mikel’s leg.

With a chuff of laughter, Mikel scooped Peyton up, whose face was still a bit wrinkled from his nap. “I love you back, little dude.” I love your omegin, too.

“Is Dada sad?”

“Nope, Dada is very, very happy.”

And in that moment, with his family under one roof, everyone healthy and joyful, Mikel truly understood the gift he’d been given. The second chance he’d found. And he’d do everything in his power to protect it—as any good alpha should.

The next two weeks passed quickly for Brogan, as he and Mikel made plans for his upcoming heat. It would happen in another week or so, give or take. While they happened every three months, they didn’t start on any exact, planned date, but Brogan knew the symptoms by now, and he was very aware of his body.

Liam and Isa—who’d yet to confirm or deny being pregnant again—agreed to watch Peyton during the heat. Since Mikel lived in a heavily-beta building, his apartment was their best option for being alone. While his guardians had helped Brogan through his first few post-Peyton heats, he wanted privacy for his first heat with his bondmate. Even though they weren’t mating yet, he still wanted those forty-eight-hours of pheromones, hormones, and fucking to be special.

He also kind of wanted them to have penetrative sex before heat, but Mikel still wasn’t ready. They talked about it again—Brogan loved that they could talk about anything and be honest with each other—and Brogan understood his hesitations so he didn’t push. Mikel did finally allow Brogan to go down on him, and while Brogan wasn’t very good at it, he loved making his bondmate fall apart and come down his throat.

Hopefully, he’d get a lot more practice in the near future.

At the start of the new week, Mikel called with good news: he’d found a part-time job that was Dr. Callis and court approved. Their favorite pizza place needed a delivery driver, and even though it wasn’t a job many alphas would take, Mikel did. He had his own car and a good driving record, and the owner was willing to work Mikel three days a week to start. If he did well, it could become full-time, and then lead into actual restaurant work.

They celebrated that night in Brogan’s bedroom, quietly swapping blow jobs after Peyton went to bed, and while his guardians watched TV with the volume on high. Daiya and Yeoman were amazing about Brogan and Mikel spending time together in his room, and they never asked intrusive questions.

“I’m so proud of you,” Brogan said as they cuddled in the aftermath of their orgasms, a sheet pulled up over their naked bodies.

“Thanks. I’m proud of me, too. I’ve lost jobs before because of my temper, but a lot of that was pent-up frustration over my home life. Now that everyone I care about is safe and happy, I should be fine. And I’m glad Dr. Callis thinks I’m ready for this. He’s seen a big change in me since you and I met, he said.”

“I’ve seen a change, too, from the nervous alpha I first met at Perks, to this confident, working man in my bed.”

“I’m not working yet. The owner knows I can’t really start until after your heat. No sense in starting, then having to take a leave of absence.”

“Still. This is what we talked about regarding mating. Steady income.”

“Then a place to live. I’d never ask you to move into that cramped apartment with no real bedroom for us or Peyton.”

“I know, and I’d never presume to ask the Li’s if you can move in here with us. They’ve already been so generous with me, allowing me to stay for almost two years. Goddess. I can’t believe Peyton will turn two in four more days.”

And three days from now was the two-year anniversary of their rescue from the fight ring. Last year, their small group of omegas had gathered at Liam’s house and toasted Laine, Reid, and all the other omegas who’d died because of Dent and Udall’s greed. Would Reilly Adamson be added to the list of lost friends?

Tarek hadn’t questioned him about it again, but last week he had finally confirmed he found the video footage of those suitor interviews. He’d allowed Brogan to watch them, and Brogan had spent those few hours in tears, clinging to Mikel, as he heard and saw his parents again for the first time in nearly three years.

Before Brogan left the viewing room, Tarek had quietly promised that he’d make a copy for Brogan to keep once the case was finished and the evidence filed away in the records room. Probably not legal, and Brogan adored his friend for the risk, simply to give Brogan something of his parents’.

“Are you going to throw a party for Peyton?” Mikel asked, pulling Brogan back into the present.

“I’m not sure.” Brogan traced a figure eight on Mikel’s pec. “I mean, I’d like to but without knowing exactly when my heat will start…”

“True. Perhaps something after? A small party with his friends?”

“That could be fun. Maybe at Harry’s House? They have party rooms, but I don’t know what they cost to rent.”

“I’ll call tomorrow.”

Brogan kissed Mikel’s chin. “You’re the perfect alpha.”

“You’re the perfect bondmate, love.”

Even though neither of them had said “I love you” yet, it was there in everything else they said and did around each other. The words sat on the tip of his tongue so frequently nowadays, but Brogan wasn’t sure why he couldn’t actually utter them.

He still hadn’t said them two days later, when Mikel left the house for his weekly appointment with Dr. Callis. The rescue anniversary was tomorrow, and Brogan was restless, so he bundled Peyton up and walked to the bus stop, no real destination in mind. But Peyton liked the bus, and it was better than pacing the house.

Before the bus arrived, his mobile rang. Unfamiliar number, but he answered it anyway. “Hello?” he said.

“I’m trying to reach Brogan Dale?” a deep voice said. Vaguely familiar.

“This is Brogan Dale. Who is this?”

“Constable Whelan down at division. There’s an issue with one of your statements related to the Hamilton case, and I’d like you to come down so I can ask you a few additional questions.”

Panic flashed through Brogan. Had someone learned about Tarek’s offer to copy the tapes? Was Brogan in trouble? “Um, my usual contact is Constable Bloom.”

“Bloom is out of the office chasing a lead, and this can’t wait.”

Leads were good. “Okay, I guess I can come down. When?”

“Now would be best.”

Oh goddess, okay. Don’t panic, I’ve done nothing wrong.

“I’m out of the house now,” Brogan said, hating the tremor in his voice. “I can be there in about fifteen minutes.”

“Acceptable.” The constable gave him a meeting room number and hung up.

Brogan stared at his phone, desperate to call Mikel so he wasn’t alone. But Mikel was in his appointment. Should he call Karter or Isa? Find out what was going on? What if that got Brogan into even bigger trouble? No, he’d do as the constable asked. He didn’t want to take Peyton into this, but dropping him off with a friend would lead to questions, and Brogan didn’t have any answers.

Down at division, he got a few stares thanks to his notoriety, but no one approached or asked why he was there. Maybe they all knew. Belly quivering with anxiety, he found the meeting room and knocked on the closed door. It had opaque glass, and a big shape moved behind it an instant before it swung open.

A patrolman indicated for him to go inside, before exiting and leaving Brogan alone in a room with two other men. One man in a suit, and the other barely visible behind him in an orange jumpsuit and cuffed to the room’s only table. Something was wrong, and Brogan turned to leave—except he heard the door lock from the other side.

“What’s going on?” Brogan asked, holding Peyton close. Then he recognized the suited man: Hamilton’s lawyer from court last month.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

The lawyer stepped to one side, and Brogan nearly pissed himself from fright. Senior Hamilton stared at him from the table, his expression benign and unimpressed, even in the presence of his biological grandson. Brogan’s entire body started shaking.

“Please, don’t be scared,” the lawyer said.

“Where’s Constable Whelan?”

“Somewhere around, I suppose, but he didn’t call you. I did.”

“What? Why? Impersonating a constable is a crime.” Brogan fished into his pocket for his mobile. “I’m calling Senior Constable Higgs about this.”

“I wouldn’t do that, if I was you,” Hamilton said. “All I want is five minutes of your time, Mr. Brogan.”

“And if I say no?” Brogan had absolutely nothing to say to the man who’d first offered to buy him, then possibly had Brogan’s parents killed, helped impregnate Brogan, and who’d then paid to fucking rape him! No way.

“I promise, you’ll want to hear what I have to say. Your son’s life depends on it.”

Rage overtook some of his fear. “You’re threatening my son?”

“Your son’s life is already in danger. I’m offering to help save it.” He indicated the chair across the table. “Five minutes.”

Brogan didn’t want Peyton anywhere near that monster. “I’ll stand here, thanks.”

Hamilton nodded at the lawyer. The lawyer approached Brogan, but instead of touching him, he knocked on the door twice. The locked turned and the lawyer left. Brogan eyeballed the handcuffs around Hamilton’s wrists; they appeared to be secured. Still, he was in the presence of evil, and Peyton seemed to sense it, because his face scrunched up.

“I know,” Brogan whispered. “Just a few minutes, baby.” He straightened his spine and asked, “What do you want?”

“My freedom, of course.”

Brogan nearly laughed, but he didn’t want to anger the alpha. “What in the world makes you think I’d allow that to happen? After everything you’ve done?”

“Allegedly.”

“You didn’t allegedly rape me. That happened.”

“Says you.”

More rage overtook his fear. “I’m not a constable or a lawyer. Even if I wanted to, I can’t get you out of the charges you’re facing.”

“You’ll want to try when you hear my offer.”

“Try me.”

Hamilton’s calm veneer cracked a bit, and Brogan swore he saw grief in the man’s otherwise hard eyes. “Losing Francis the way I did was the worst experience of my life. You never recover from that kind of soul-deep loss. It ruined me and put me on a terrible, desperate path.”

While Brogan could sympathize with the monster’s grief, it did not excuse any of his behavior. Brogan did, however, hold Peyton a bit tighter.

“I know your son has Donal Syndrome, too,” Hamilton continued. “And if I am cleared of all charges, you have my solemn word that my company will be sold, and every credit I have will go toward researching a cure for Donal Syndrome. Every. Single. Credit. No parent should have to lose their child that way.”

The offer punched Brogan in the gut, and he didn’t know what to say. On one hand, he had no reason to trust Hamilton would keep his word. On the other hand, a cure meant Peyton lived a long, healthy life. As Brogan studied Peyton’s unhappy face, something else occurred to him. “If you really gave a shit about your grandson and his future, you’d invest in a cure now.”

“I can’t. All my business accounts are frozen pending trial, and I’m forbidden from making any legal transactions beyond my attorney while I’m in jail. I won’t have access to my money until I’m free.”

Brogan wasn’t sure if all that was technically true, but it sounded right. Same way Mikel’s sire couldn’t access their assets while he was locked up. “So you’re using my son as leverage to get you out of the crimes you committed?”

“Allegedly committed.”

Ugh, I truly despise this man.

He finally understood Kell’s hatred for his former father-in-law, and Liam’s hatred of Layne’s late sire. How it was possible to abhor someone he didn’t know so completely that his entire body shook with the force of it. But maybe, just maybe, he could use this moment to get the truth.

“Before I agree to anything, I need information,” Brogan said.

Hamilton’s smug grin made his skin crawl. “About?”

“Why did you try to buy me from my parents? Francis and I were both too young to mate back then.”

“Your companionship, of course. I am a widower, after all.”

Okay, gross, ew, and nasty.

“So you were what? Pretending to get a mate for your son but buying a sex slave instead? Is that what you did with Reilly Adamson?”

That smirk flickered enough that Brogan knew he’d hit a nerve. “I don’t know that name,” Hamilton said.

Liar.

“Your parents shouldn’t have told me no,” Hamilton continued. “They could have retired anywhere in the territory on the sum I offered. And before you decide to run off and repeat this to your constable friends, don’t forget I want out so Peyton lives. Also, the room’s recording devices are disabled.”

“I won’t repeat it,” Brogan hedged. “I just want the truth. For everything you’ve taken from me, you owe me the truth.”

Hamilton shrugged, as engaged as if discussing the weather. “You went to Lawry as planned, but I was busy with a contract negotiation, and Lawry knew better than to let anyone else have you. You see, Francis and I enjoyed playing with our prey together, and when Haus told me about the fight ring? I knew you’d be perfect.”

He is absolutely demented. Oh my goddess, get me out of here.

Somehow Brogan remained still and listened.

“So when you heated, I gave Francis the honor of mounting you. Lawry put you exactly where I wanted you. And then Francis got sick, and he was gone so quickly. Watching you omegas fight assuaged my grief to some degree, but I’d still lost my boy.”

Despite understanding grief, Brogan had zero sympathy for the predator across the room. “But why me? What did I do to deserve being tortured like that?”

“As I said, your parents shouldn’t have told me no. I don’t like the word no. You should have died alone, suffering in captivity after giving me a grandchild, but after it was raided, I had to keep my head down. No one came after me, so I left you alone. Let you have my grandson.” He frowned. “If some Nosy Ned hadn’t dug into my business and sent in that tape, I’d have never been put in this position.”

If you hadn’t tried to buy omega companions and then punished the families who said no, you wouldn’t be in this position, you steaming shit pile.

Brogan wasn’t sure if Hamilton was referring only to the anonymous audio tape mailed to the constabulary, or the actual videotape evidence they’d found, so he kept his mouth shut.

“There’s your truth,” Hamilton said. “You’ve heard my offer. I do hope you take it seriously. My fortune will do more good with me free to donate it to the hospital’s research ward than frozen for goddess knows how long.”

But could I access his money through Peyton?

Peyton was the man’s grandchild and an alpha himself. If Hamilton went to prison, would Peyton inherit? Brogan needed to find out before he made any other decisions.

“I will definitely consider your offer,” Brogan said. “Peyton is my life, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect him.”

“Good lad. And if you try to repeat anything I’ve said to you, I’ll deny everything as the ravings of a grieving omegin desperate to save his son’s life.”

“I understand.”

“By the way, thank you for the unexpected treat of seeing my grandson. Photos in the paper aren’t the same.”

Brogan’s stomach threatened to upend his lunch, so he quietly excused himself from the room. Hamilton’s lawyer went back inside, but the patrolman from earlier was gone. How many other patrolman had Hamilton’s money bought? All around him were strangers and possible enemies. No one except the constables mated to his friends could be trusted. Brogan put his head down and walked as fast as he could, desperate to get out of that building, and to put as much distance between himself and that monster as possible.

Monster or not, though, Hamilton’s fortune could be the difference between Peyton growing up to have a family of his own, or dying young from a brutal disease.

Goddess, please, what do I do?

Safe in his omegin’s arms, Peyton began to cry.