When I walked to the door and saw my mate crying, I rushed right over to his side—prepared to slay whatever dragon had set him off. Papa P warned me to settle down with a single glance and a quick shake of his head.

Instead of saying anything, I simply picked Cody up once everyone disengaged from him. The bossman tipped his head toward the table, so I carried Cody through to the attached dining room. I took a chair at the back of the table, holding Cody carefully on my lap.

Cody fisted my shirt and nuzzled my chest, inhaling deeply as his body relaxed. It was as if he was calming himself with my scent. My wolf and I definitely approved of it. Papa P set a bowl of apples in front of me, pointing from them to Cody while he pulled his ringing phone from his pocket and slipped out of the room.

"Papa P left some apples for you, Cody. You need to eat some; can you eat one for me?" I asked softly. Cody nodded and turned to pick up an apple. Cody ate with delicate little nibbles, while I watched in fascination. The bossman and Noah were chatting, while Preston excused himself to go change Amy's diaper.

"If you boys will excuse me, I'm just going to go poke into the kitchen and see if Justin doesn't have some milk for our boy here," Cindy said quietly as she walked into the kitchen.

Papa P passed Cindy on her way through. "Of course, I have milk. The glasses are in the cabinet to the right of the sink," he said absently as he turned his attention back to us. "That was the shelter, they have a room available for Cody already. They shifted a few things around to make him a spot. I've got an appointment with the therapist lined up, and once he's got some counseling under his belt and feels ready to face the world again, we’ll be able to line him up with a job."

Cody dropped his apple with a whimper and buried his face in my chest again. I involuntarily growled and bared my teeth as I spoke firmly. "I've already told the bossman—Cody ain't going anywhere but home with me."

Papa P looked confused, while the bossman shot me a glare. "Tell your wolf to calm his shit, that's my mate you're talking to," he warned me gently. Then he turned back to his mate to explain. "Levi has caught Cody's scent, so he'll be taking care of him going forward. Thank you, dear. I appreciate all the work you put in to finding placement for Cody, but we won't be needing it after all."

Cody sat up so fast he bumped into the underside of my chin with the top of his head. I bit my tongue from the force of my teeth clamping together while Cody looked at me in confusion. "Scent? What does that mean, that you caught my scent?"

I shook my head, reaching a hand up to brush the hair back from Cody's face. "Finish your apples, Cody. We'll have plenty of time to talk later. You and the baby need nutrition. You go ahead and eat now."

Cody's eyes widened, the vein on his neck throbbing as his pulse quickened. "How do you know about the baby?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Every shifter in this room knows about the baby," I snorted, surprised that he wouldn’t have realized that little fact.

Tipping his head to the side, Cody looked at me curiously. "And you don't mind me coming to stay with you when I already have this baby inside me?" He looked down at his lap, his cheeks turning red as he finished his thought in a voice laced with shame. "I mean, I don't even know who its father is—doesn't that bother an alpha like you?"

I gently touched his chin, tilting his face up so I could look him in the eye. "An alpha like me? You’ll never find an alpha like me. And as for who the baby’s father is, what do you mean you don’t know? That's funny, because I know exactly who the baby’s father is."

His mouth opened in surprise. "How do you know? Can you smell that too?"

I bit back a smile, not wanting to embarrass my mate. Instead I pushed the bowl of apples closer to him and spoke in a gruff voice. "Go ahead and eat, Cody. Like I said—we'll talk later."

After he finally finished the apples, along with the tall glass of milk that Cindy had thoughtfully provided, Cody held up his hands and looked at Papa P with a shy smile. "Would it be possible to use your bathroom? My fingers are sticky."

Preston had just come back in the room as Cody spoke. He passed the baby to Noah and beckoned to Cody before anyone could answer. "Come with me, I'll show you where it is."

My chest swelled with pride when Cody slid off my lap without hesitation and followed Preston. Papa P watched him go with a small smile, before turning his attention back to me.

"That was a good sign, to see him go with Preston without needing to look to you for a confidence boost. He's a strong omega, Levi—but please listen to me for a minute. I need to tell you a few things."

"Of course, Papa P," I answered respectfully. "Tell me anything, I'm always happy to hear your advice."

"You're probably smart enough to figure this out on your own," he said gently, "but you'll need to go slow with Cody. Don't be the first one to touch him, let him come to you when he's ready. He may try to offer sexual favors to repay you for simple things like showers, food, or giving him a bed to sleep in. Turn him down gently, if he does. It's probably going to take him time to learn how to interact normally. Thankfully, because he's pregnant his heat won't kick in, so you won't have to worry about his heat or your rut complicating things."

"I would never rush him," I said quickly. My face must have shown my horror at the very idea, because Papa P was quick to hold up a hand.

"I know that, Levi. But I’m also saying don't come on to him—don't even flirt or tease with him. No joking about sex either, it will only confuse him right now. When he is ready, then that will be a different story. But right now, that boy is far from ready for anything as adult as mating."

My jaw dropped as I realized that I had no clue of how to proceed. "How long are we talking here? And how will I even know when he's ready? The last thing I want to do is traumatize him further, but I also want to be there for him."

"You'll know he's ready when he comes to you as a man—not a victim. That's when you'll know. As far as everything else goes? Just play it by ear, be gentle, and treat him with respect, which are all things that you would do anyway. I know you want to be there for him, Levi. I'm just trying to advise you how to do it wisely. But again, you'll know when the time is right. This relationship is between the two of you. I'm just advising you—not trying to intrude. When he starts meeting with Dr. Clifford, that will help."

"Dr. Clifford?" I asked curiously. "Is that the therapist, or the regular doctor?"

Papa P shook his head. "I only had time to schedule a therapist so far; I didn't know about the pregnancy until he arrived here, and I smelled it. I'll get an appointment set up as soon as I can to see a regular doctor. In the meantime, just love him, take care of him, and above all—be there for him."

"I can do that," I said thoughtfully. "And I'll definitely take the bossman up on his offer to call anytime I need to talk to you guys. It sounds like I may need more of a support system than I'd realized."

Papa P and the bossman stretched their hands toward each other, clasping them together as they shared a secret smile. The bossman spoke quietly, his eyes never leaving his mate's face. "You have no idea, son."