London was as foggy and beautiful as it had been the last time Charles had left it. While it didn’t feel quite like home, there was something nice about being back at the place he’d devoted so much of his life to. Even if the board was as surly as ever.

The looks of disapproval on their faces as the prodigal’s CEO returned quickly became shock. With Myron at his side, Charles actually felt capable of facing them.

“What on Earth?” Claudia breathed. She was the oldest member of the board, and despite being an Alpha who wielded a large amount of power, she had always been kind to Charles. She was one of the few who’d fought for his appointment as CEO, whether he wanted it or not, and she believed that Futurus’ potential for scientific advancement went far beyond a rebranded breeding program.

“Hello,” Charles said, keeping his head held high. “I’d like to apologize to you all for my extended absence. As you can tell, there’s more to it than the security threat, and I’d like the chance to explain, if you’ll let me.”

“I should hope so,” one of the other board members grumbled. Dale was always full of opinions.

Myron shot him a look to kill and he shrank back in his seat.

“What is our spokesman doing here, Charles?” Claudia asked, seeming more confused about that than she was about the fact that her CEO was nearly five months pregnant.

Charles took a deep breath. There wasn’t going to be any easy way to explain any of it, so he figured he had to start somewhere. “Myron is my destined mate. He is also the father of my child.”

“The father?” Dale echoed. “He’s an omega!”

Myron had agreed to let Charles tell the truth about what they both were, but it was hard to tell if that was just because he was desperate to win his mate’s favor again, so Charles decided to avoid it if at all possible. “Which brings me to the news I need to tell you all. I have always known that I was different from other Alphas. I didn’t realize the extent of that difference until recently.”

He could already see the board members’ eyes glazing over. All except Claudia and a few others who listened curiously as he explained everything that Tyr and the other doctors had explained to him.

“There is still so much we don’t know about sigmas,” he continued. “So much I still don’t know about myself, but there are people out there who are trying to help us understand. You all know my devotion to this company, and my passion for the research that makes it what it is. I understand if you no longer wish to have someone like me representing your company, but if I am permitted to stay, I believe we must use the power we’ve been given to further the world’s knowledge of the sigma class. I also believe that while our efforts have improved the population crisis, it’s not a permanent solution.”

“And you believe that your kind—these sigmas,” said Claudia, “are part of the permanent solution?”

“I believe that our species is changing,” Charles answered, echoing Tyr’s words. “And I would like to learn what our role in that change may be.”

“It’s all preposterous,” Tate argued. He was another one of the older board members, and as unpleasant as he could be at times, he was not entirely unreasonable.

“And our world wouldn’t seem that way to humans?” Claudia challenged. “The evidence that something is going on is right here in front of us, and as far as I’m concerned, if it leads to the growth of our species, it’s a good thing.”

Tate grunted. “I suppose it’s more of a pain in the ass to find a new CEO at this point anyway.”

“Not to mention the fact that if we fire him, the activists are going to be up our ass for discriminating against sigils or whatever,” Dale grumbled.

Myron looked like he was ready to strangle the older Alpha, but he stayed put if only because Charles had only let him come on the promise that he wouldn’t make a scene. “It’s sigmas, shithead. And I’m one of them, so if you’ve got an issue with it, you can take it up with me.”

Well, that wasn’t quite a scene.

“This could be the kind of thing we need,” mused Jenny, one of their younger executives. “God knows we’ve had some bad PR lately. Branching into a new field of research could soften our image…”

Charles sighed as the other board members latched onto the idea and started talking about how it would affect the bottom line. Sometimes he got the feeling he wasn’t cut out for the corporate world after all, and sometimes he knew he wasn’t. Nonetheless, as long as he stayed where he was, he could use their ambition to further his own goals. They just so happened to have shifted considerably.

“There’s one more thing,” he said when a lull in the conversation finally came. “I will be moving my offices.”

“To where?” Claudia asked.

“To my pack,” said Myron. “It’s not safe for him here. Or the baby, for that matter.”

“How are you supposed to manage your job from the States?” Dale demanded. “And with a kid around… you know, we hadn’t planned on you needing parental leave when we chose you.”

Myron cocked an eyebrow. “Why, Dale, you wouldn’t happen to be admitting to discriminatory hiring procedures, would you?”

The Alpha lost all the color in his face. “O-of course not.”

“There’s really no reason for me to be in London when I can travel for meetings,” Charles said calmly, trying to hide his amusement at Myron’s handling of the board. He really wasn’t a half-bad assistant. “But I’m willing to take things a few months at a time, and address it later if you have any issues.”

“Are you planning on going public with these new developments?” Claudia asked.

Charles looked over at his mate. “I’ve never been one to attend a press conference I didn’t have to, but I think the time will come once the baby is here and things have settled down.”

“Well, we wish you and your mate the best of luck,” Claudia said with a kind smile. “I can’t say I fully understand myself, but you have the support of the board.”

Some of the board members looked less enthusiastic than others, but it was a far warmer reception than Charles had ever anticipated. He could only be grateful for it. “Thank you.”

He couldn’t bring himself to clarify that he and Myron were mates in name only, for the moment. Possibly forever. All he wanted was to get back to the place that he hoped one day to think of as home.

* * *

Charles got out of the car when Myron stopped in front of a large brick house deep within the Gray Hollow Pack territory. The home wasn’t quite as large as the Myer family estate, which was a relief. Charles was used to living in luxurious yet limited quarters in the city, and the cluster of shops and buildings they had passed on the way through town looked promising. It seemed that Gray Hollow had once been a much larger and more active pack than Southbend, but whatever scandal it was that had shaken the pack hierarchy had caused many of the residents to abandon it.

Myron had never seemed like the type who would be interested in such a challenging position, but as he pointed out various landmarks and his plans for all the renovations that would need to be done, Charles was beginning to see a different side of him.

“Here we are,” Myron announced, turning off the car. “Wait a sec.”

Charles was curious as to what Myron was up to, until the other sigma opened his door and offered a hand to help him out. He hesitated before taking it, but thanks to his pregnant belly, he was having more trouble getting out of the car than usual. “Thanks,” he murmured.

“Of course. You need to take it easy,” Myron said, taking Charles’ luggage out of the backseat. “The rest of your things should be here by tomorrow night.”

“I appreciate you making all the arrangements,” Charles said, following him into the house. To his surprise, it was already furnished. The large living room even had a fireplace, and huge windows that would make it easy to watch their child play in the yard when she was a little bit older. The house itself was close enough to town that he could easily walk wherever he needed to, but remote enough that they had their privacy. It was a far cry from the Futurus Initiative headquarters, where everyone was quite literally stacked on top of each other, but Charles decided that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Hey, I just want you to focus on taking care of yourself and the baby,” said Myron. “Let me worry about everything else.”

Charles smiled in return. Maybe Avery was right and Myron truly had changed drastically in the time he’d been gone. He still wasn’t going to let his guard down, but it was a relief to know that he was taking responsibility for their child, at the very least.

“You mentioned there’s an old laboratory somewhere around here.”

“Five minutes from the house,” said Myron. “I’m already talking with some industrial contractors about how we could get it going again, so you can jump in on the process whenever you feel like it.” He frowned. “But I hope you’re going to give yourself time to rest.”

“I’m planning on it,” Charles assured him. “But my idea of rest involves doing something. I’ll be careful, though.”

That seemed to satisfy Myron for the time being. “Let me show you to your room.”

Charles followed him down the hall to what was obviously the master suite, even though it didn’t look like anyone had moved into it yet. “You’re not staying here?”

“I figured you’d want your privacy, so…”

“Oh,” Charles breathed, surprised at his consideration. “Thank you.”

“Do you need any help unpacking?”

“No, that’s alright.” He hesitated. “I am getting hungry, though. Maybe we could eat dinner together?”

Myron’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Yeah. Definitely. You settle in, I’ll go cook.”

“Are you sure you don’t want help?”

“Positive. Just kick back, relax and I’ll come get you when it’s done,” he promised.

Charles watched as his mate left the room like he was in the middle of a timed contest. He told himself to measure his expectations because Myron’s enthusiasm was bound to change. After all, Inara had a mate and a baby, and that hadn’t stopped her from wanting to come back to Myron.

Once Charles had finished unpacking, he laid down to rest his eyes. He realized he’d done a bit more than that when the sound of Myron knocking at his door woke him. He sat up with a yawn and as soon as he opened the door, the scent of something wonderful filled the room.

“Dinner’s ready,” Myron said, looking him over in that new way that made Charles wonder what he was thinking.

“It smells delightful,” he admitted, surprised to find that the table had been set for two when they reached the kitchen.

“It’s a special occasion,” Myron said, pulling out his chair. “I hope you like pasta, because I made way too much.”

“I like pretty much everything but anchovies at this point,” Charles laughed as Myron sat across from him. “You know, you don’t have to wait on me hand and foot. I’m just pregnant.”

“With my baby,” Myron reminded him. “Which means that if I can find a way to outsource blinking for you, I’m gonna do that.”

Charles couldn’t help but smile. “I can’t say I’m going to complain. But I’m sure you have your hands full with the pack.”

“It’s not as bad as being your spokesman,” he snorted. “Guess I’m probably going to have to resign anyway, seeing as I’m not an omega and all.”

“Probably,” Charles agreed. “So…how are you doing with that?”

“It’s weird, but it makes sense of things I’ve always wondered about. Namely, uh, getting you pregnant.”

“Yes. It certainly does that.” Charles’ face grew warm at the reminder of just how compatible their differences were in the mating department. “I have to admit, it’s a relief for me. To know I’m not just a defective Alpha. That I’ve been trying to hold myself to a standard that I was never capable of meeting.”

“Yeah,” Myron said thoughtfully. “I get that.”

“So, how is your mother taking the fact that you’re part of a different pack now?”

“I don’t think I’m the one she misses,” Myron said dryly. “My family’s attached to you. And I’m sure she’ll be over here a lot once the baby is born, so prepare for that.”

“I don’t mind,” Charles admitted. “It’s not like I have family, so it’ll be nice to be close to yours.”

Myron’s gaze softened as he listened. “I know you need time where heart stuff is concerned, and I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t give as much of it as you needed. But I’d like for us to be a family, Charles. I’m hoping this pack will be a place for us both to start over, and build a life that’s ours.”

“I’d like that,” he murmured. “Which brings me to something else I wanted to ask you.”

“Anything.”

Charles smiled. “Don’t jump the gun. It’s just that I met a lot of other sigmas while I was staying with Tyr and Jaspar. Many of them fled because they felt like they couldn’t be themselves in the Federation packs they came from, or because they were being forced into arranged matings. The Emerald Pack has given them sanctuary, but a lot of them still hope to return home and reunite with the people they love. It’s just difficult because sigmas are so poorly understood in our territory…”

“And you were wondering if they could come here?”

Charles hadn’t realized he was that transparent. At least, to Myron. “It’s probably a bad idea. I shouldn’t have —“

“It’s not a bad idea at all. Hell, this place is practically a ghost town these days. We’re going to need to bring in more pack members somehow. May as well be people who need the sanctuary.”

“Really?” Charles asked hopefully. “What happened with the last Alpha, anyway?”

Myron’s gaze darkened and he stopped eating. “He was cheating on his mate, and abusing his authority to do it. He used information he had as an Alpha, who was supposed to be caring for his pack members, to exploit them through blackmail. When he was outed, it tore families apart and a lot of people just wanted to start over. Those who were left were wary of bringing in another Alpha. I guess the one before that Alpha wasn’t too great, either.”

“I see,” Charles murmured. “That’s a shame. I’m sure they’ll benefit from your leadership.”

Myron did have a way about him. He was easy to approach, and what you saw was what you got. He also lacked a filter, which wasn’t such a bad thing in a pack that had been destroyed by secrecy once before.

“I didn’t understand why Nicholas recommended me for the job at first,” Myron said, gazing up at his mate. “Especially when I found out what the previous guy had done.”

“Myron…”

“I know I didn’t cheat on you, Charles, and I swear to God, I never would,” he said, his voice growing rough. “But in some ways, what I did was even worse. I made you depend on me and then I let you down. You’re the most important thing in my life, and I made you feel expendable. I’m never going to forgive myself for that, and I don’t expect you too, either. Being here these past few months has taught me how easy it is to tear something down with a single mistake, and how difficult it is to build it back.”

“It’s going to take time, Myron,” Charles said carefully. “And I’m not sure if I’m ever going to trust that we would be where we are if it wasn’t for this baby.”

“I know.” The guilt in Myron’s voice was undeniably genuine. Charles just wished it was enough. “And if you never do, I’ll understand. You don’t need to forgive me. I just want you to know how sorry I am. How foolish I feel for thinking I needed time to know what my heart always has.”

“It’s okay, Myron. You can’t help where your heart is at. I just have to protect mine.”

“I get it. I do,” Myron promised, giving Charles a sad smile. “It’s enough that you’re letting me take care of you. More than enough.”

Charles smiled back, trying to remind his heart that falling right back into Myron’s arms was only going to lead to more pain. “Let’s just take it one day at a time.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Long after dinner, as Charles lay awake, thinking about the conversation they’d had, he wondered if he had the strength to resist the bond he shared with the man he loved for a night, let alone a lifetime.