I sighed heavily into my phone. "But I've been on leave for over a month, sir. It's been nearly five weeks since Cody came into my life. Wouldn't it help him to adjust to normal life faster if we were actually living a regular life? How is he going to get used to me working, if I'm always around? Besides, the team must need me by now. Surely there must be a mission coming up that you need me on?"

The bossman's firm tone of voice was clear, leaving no room for argument. "Listen, son. I know it's hard for a soldier to take leave, but right now you're on a mission that trumps anything you've ever done in your life. Taking care of your omega is every bit as important as the line of duty, if not more so. You take care of Cody, and I'll let you know when it's time for you to come back in. Now, don't you boys have a doctor appointment today? I seem to remember Justin telling me something about that."

"Yeah, today is the big ultrasound day," I said proudly. "We'll get to see the baby. Preston told us that we’ll even get a picture. To be honest, we're both kind of excited about that. I'm picking him up from Dr. Clifford's office right now, and we’re heading to the baby doctor next."

"Make sure you boys stop by and say hello to Papa P and show him on the way home. I know he'll be excited to see that photo."

"Will do, Bossman. Oops, gotta run. Cody's coming out now."

"All right, son. Talk to you later," the bossman said as he ended the call. Cody reached the car before I could get out and open the door for him. I looked over with an expectant smile as he slid into his seat.

"How was your appointment today?"

Cody shrugged. "She keeps pushing me about everything. Some things I like to talk about, some things I don't. I like talking about my parents and remembering them, but I don't like talking about my captors. She wants me to remember more about when I was taken, but it's still pretty much a blank to me—and I kinda like it that way. I figure if I don't remember, maybe it's because my brain knows it would hurt too much if I did, you know?"

I reached over and took his hand, resting our joined hands on my thigh as I drove. "I’m sure you'll remember when you're ready, or maybe you won’t. I hate to see you hurting, so I'm probably not the best judge on whether or not you should try to recover those memories."

Cody squeezed his fingers against mine. "So, something else came up in therapy today… it’s, umm, about you. After talking to Dr. Clifford, I was thinking that you might be… my mate?"

My chest puffed with pride, but I restrained myself to only displaying a small smile. "And what makes you think that?"

"Umm… Well, we’re working through how comfortable I feel with you. I mean, you'd think I wouldn’t feel this comfortable with a man, especially an alpha your size, after my experiences. It came up in conversation when we were talking about my parents and what home means to me now that they are gone. But every time I tried to think about home, I just kept coming back to you. You smell like home to me, you feel like home to me, you know? When I picture home, I picture you. My therapist suggested that means you're my mate, so… I want to know. Was she right?"

My breath caught in surprise. I really wasn't at all sure how to answer. How could Cody not have already known this essential fact about us? As a shifter, you’d think he would. But then, he was young when he was taken, maybe he didn’t know how to use his wolf’s senses?

Cody interrupted my thoughts as he repeated his question a moment later, this time using that dominant voice of his that always made my cock twitch with interest.

"Levi, answer me. Are you my mate? Tell me the truth."

My lips were already opening to answer as I immediately obeyed. "Yes. We are mates. I scented you the moment we met, but it wasn't the right time to tell you, you know? You needed to figure it out for yourself anyway."

Cody jerked his hand away, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at me. I slowed for a red light, coming to a stop before I dared glance his way. Cody shook his head, pointing to the already moving traffic ahead of me to indicate that I should go as he began speaking again.

"Levi, you're not protecting me when you keep things from me. That's just victimizing me further, don't you get that? I'm an adult, and I want you to treat me like one. Don't withhold information from me in the future; I can handle it. I promise you, I'm not some weak pup who can't be told anything."

"Yes, sir. And if I may, the last thing I’d ever call you is weak, sir." My mind raced as I realized what I'd said. Did I seriously just call this kid Sir? I glanced over at Cody from the corner of my eye, only to see him flash me an approving look.

"Good boy. Don't make me repeat myself on this again, okay?"

I had a semi in my pants, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why his little display of dominance was such a fucking turn-on. Cody sniffed the air loudly, then gasped in surprise.

"Are you seriously aroused right now?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"I want to hear you say it. Answer me out loud, Levi. Are you aroused right now?" His voice was silky as he clearly enunciated each word in a steely tone, and I was getting more turned on by the second.

"Yes."

Cody's breath was coming out in short pants beside me, and I could smell his own arousal.

"Yes, what?" Cody demanded in a raspy voice.

"Yes, sir," I answered.

"Good boy," he purred as I pulled into the parking lot of the doctor's office and found a space. As soon as I got out and went around to open his door, I carefully adjusted myself. The last thing I wanted to do when walking into a doctor's office was have a hard cock on full display.

As Cody and I walked into the building, I looked down at the crown of his head. He was so short, the top of his head was barely level with my pecs, and he was fifteen years my junior—so why did the fact of his bossing me around and calling me his good boy bring my cock to life? And how had I never known such an essential part of myself, if I enjoyed it so much?

Remembering my promise to Papa P not to press things with Cody before he was ready, I pushed the thoughts aside for now. But one day, when he was ready? Oh, yeah. We were definitely going to explore this some more.

I glanced over at Dr. Anderson, her kind round face serene and in control. But then again, I scented bear on her and bear shifters were known for their placid strength. Still, she should have been somewhat perturbed by the news she had just given us—after all, this was a bombshell.

"Could you repeat that for us, Doc? I'm not sure I understand," I said. I peered at the fuzzy screen, my brain desperately trying to make sense of what my eyes were seeing.

Dr. Anderson chuckled warmly. She tapped a neatly manicured fingernail on the monitor of the ultrasound machine. "Right here, is baby A. Right next to that one, we see baby B. You boys are having twins, like I said. So, let me just say one more thing—congratulations!"

Cody stared with wonder at the screen. "Can you tell what they are yet, Doc?"

"Yes, let me go ahead and measure them and then we can take a look at their private areas," she agreed.

"No, thank you. I only asked so I could make sure that you didn't tell me," Cody explained with a shy smile.

"Oh, you want to be surprised? I would have thought that finding out you had two babies in there would've been enough of a surprise for one day," the doctor laughed.

Cody blushed prettily. "You're right, that was a pretty big surprise. But you see, I haven't had many good surprises in the six years. I've had a lot of bad surprises, in fact. I think it's past time for me to have a few good surprises though, don't you think?"

Dr. Anderson finished making whatever measurements she was doing and tapped on the keyboard before she turned and wiped the goo off his belly. She was well aware of Cody's history; it had been necessary for his records. After she was all done, she looked up at Cody and patted his hand, blinking away the tears that were welling in her eyes.

"Cody, my dear. You have the right to as many happy surprises as you can get. You've more than earned it." She patted his hand one more time, then turned to pull a picture from the little printer that sat on a lower shelf of the ultrasound cart. Handing it to Cody, she tried one more time.

"Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to at least write the gender information down and put it in a sealed envelope? Some kids these days like to do those gender reveal parties. All you'd have to do is give the sealed envelope to your bakery."

"I'll tell you what," Cody said after a moment's thought. "Let me think about it, and I'll let you know on my next visit. I hadn't thought about doing a gender reveal party, and that actually sounds like fun. But I'll have to think about it."

She chuckled as she stood, closing his file and tucking it under her arm. "You go ahead and think about it all you want, my dear. The information will be just as valid on your next visit as it is today. And good for you for having the patience to wait; Lord knows, I never could."

"Thank you, Dr. Anderson," I said as she turned to leave the room. "Was there anything we needed to know about before you go? I mean, now that Cody is expecting twins?"

Her hand still on the doorknob, Dr. Anderson looked back over her shoulder at me with a patient smile. "No matter how many pups are in his belly, the only rule you’ll need to follow is this most basic one—take care of your omega. Make sure he gets enough rest, enough to eat, enough exercise without overtaxing himself, and when you check out, the receptionist will give you a prescription for the prenatal vitamins I want him taking. Now you boys get out of here and go enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. I'll see you on your next visit."

"Thanks again, Dr. Anderson," Cody said, echoing my earlier words. "We'll see you next time." His eyes were shining almost hungrily as he picked up the picture that was sitting on the table beside him and stared at it with a big smile.

While Cody got dressed, I broached the topic of the gender reveal party. "Why are you hesitant? I bet a party like that would be a lot of fun, and God knows you've earned it."

Cody climbed back up onto the table so I could help him put his shoes on, his legs hanging off the side as I knelt in front of him. "I mean, who would we invite? My parents are gone, your parents are gone, and I don't have any friends except for yours. Wouldn't it be weird?"

Once I'd tied his shoes, I rose and stood there between his legs. I carefully pulled him in for a hug, not wanting to be too familiar, but needing to offer comfort—whether to him or me, I couldn't say. I just knew that I needed to hug him.

"My team aren't just my friends—they are my family. And they will be your family too. In fact, I'm pretty sure they already think of you that way. Papa P certainly does, and I know that he would be all over planning a party like this for you, if you'd like one."

Cody all but melted against me, his head resting on my shoulder, hands trapped between our chests. "Maybe we can go by there and show him our ultrasound picture, and mention the idea? We won't ask, but if he offers—I probably wouldn't turn it down."

I smiled to myself. I knew Papa P well enough that I could already taste the cake at the upcoming gender reveal party that he would definitely want to plan. "That sounds like a great idea, Cody. In fact, the bossman wanted us to stop by anyway, so that's perfect."

Cody pushed back on my chest. "Then why are we still sitting here? Let's go visit Papa P and show off this picture."