Marlin sat in Meesha’s quaint living room while Kai’s former nanny rocked in a chair across from him, knitting. She was always knitting something or another.

“What are you making, MeeMee?” he asked. But he already knew the answer. Lately, it was the same one almost every time.

“A baby blanket.” No surprise.

“For Del or Finn?”

Meesha’s hands stopped and she looked at Marlin with wide eyes. “For you, of course.”

After picking up his dropped jaw, he whispered, “What?”

“Caol stopped by yesterday,” Zander announced softly from the other chair by the fireplace. It faced the couch where Marlin had his rear end planted.

He was going to kill his brother for running his mouth. Caol, not Zander. “You know about Nic?”

Meesha’s hands stilled and she met Marlin’s gaze. “I’ve known Nic since he was born, Marlin. Though I had no idea he was a hybrid until Caol told us. Or an omega. But I’m happy that he’s found love.”

“He has?” Marlin asked once he closed his gaping mouth. Again.

Meesha tilted her head as she regarded what was surely his shocked expression. “Well, of course, isn’t that why he’s pregnant? Because you two fell in love?”

Marlin swore he heard a soft chuckle from his omega brother in the corner. “Uh. I...”

“Because I sure as hell hope you aren’t just playing with his emotions like Kai did. He deserves better than that,” Meesha huffed.

“Uh... I...”

“Nic is a solid man... or male, I should now say. He’s independent, he’s smart—”

“Apparently fertile,” Zander added.

Marlin shot a glare his way.

Zander immediately froze, dropped his gaze and his shoulders curled forward. Which, of course, made Marlin feel guilty. The omega had been abused by an alpha and while Meesha and the rest of them had been trying hard to get Zander to come out of his shell, it had been a long, bumpy road. Alphas especially had to tiptoe around him. Zander had been beaten so badly by an alpha who claimed him against his will, that he almost died.

“Zander,” Marlin whispered, and his older brother lifted his head, his gray-blue eyes holding worry. “You can’t tease me and not expect a response. I’m not going to hurt you if I get angry. None of us will. We’re allowed to get cross if you tease us. And if we tease you and you don’t like it, go ahead and get angry. Speak out. Tell us. None of us will ever strike you for anything you say or any reaction you have. Do you understand that?”

Zander nodded his head full of dark, wavy hair slightly, still avoiding Marlin’s eyes.

It was time to move on and let him recover at his own pace. Marlin turned his attention back to the older woman across from him, who was watching Zander’s reaction without being too obvious.

“As we don’t know if he’s fertile yet, or even pregnant, that blanket is premature.”

Meesha shrugged. “Finn’s now pregnant again, too. It’ll go to Zale’s son if not yours. And I still have to make some hats and booties. Oh! And some more scarves before winter.” Her hands began to move again at a quicker pace, like she needed to make all those things she mentioned that very day. “So back to Nic. You love him, right?”

When Meesha’s gaze locked once again on his, Marlin’s slid to the side. “Meesha, you know how this works for us. We love our mates.”

“You mated him. Doesn’t that make him your mate?”

It wasn’t that simple. “It makes him my lover, that’s all.”

She shook her salt and peppered head. “No, he was Kai’s lover. Kai never got him pregnant.”

Point taken. “If Nic is pregnant, it wasn’t intentional.”

Meesha clicked her tongue at him and dropped her knitting to her lap. “If he is, you will step up and take responsibility for your pup.”

It wasn’t a question and suddenly her firm words, sounding just like a parent’s, made him pucker somewhere where the sun didn’t shine. “If he is, I’ll do what needs to be done.”

“You’ll bond with him and take him as your mate,” she continued matter-of-factly.

Marlin groaned. “Meesha...”

“Well, there has to be some connection between the two of you, am I right?”

“Did you ask that of Kai, too, while he was with Nic?”

“No. I didn’t know he was with Nic until later, until after he found Luca. Because if I had known, I would have told him to leave Nic alone unless he was serious.”

Well, that was news. “He couldn’t be serious about Nic because he thought Nic was human. And there was no way Father was allowing Kai to have a human as a mate. Or any of us, for that matter.”

“That father of yours...” Her lips thinned out.

“It’s Selkie law, MeeMee. You know that, too.”

She lifted her gray eyebrows. “Right. So, aren’t you bound by that same law?”

She knew he was, but she was making a point. Again.

“I am. And hybrids are not acceptable mates. Even for non-royals.”

Meesha waved a hand in the air. “So ridiculous.”

“They want to keep Selkie bloodlines pure,” Zander said, looking as if he recovered from his minor meltdown. “Especially royals’.”

“Nonsense. And that’s why you ended up with a horrible alpha like you did, Zander. The king knew you were the omega son of Solomon and gave you to someone he shouldn’t have. These Selkies laws are for the birds.”

Marlin’s lips twitched. “Seals.”

“Whatever,” she huffed, concentrating once again on the blanket she was knitting. “I know you, Marlin. You’ll do what’s right.”

“We don’t even know if he’s pregnant,” Marlin said again. He was tired of pointing that out.

“When can he see Dr. Maniford?”

“The end of next week. But he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s a hybrid. He won’t be able to hide it anymore if he’s carrying my son, but if he’s not...”

“He wants to keep his secret,” Zander finished quietly.

Meesha gave Zander a small smile. “We’ll keep it amongst us.”

“Thank you.”

“But you’ll let me know whether this blanket will be for you or Zale, please.”

“Fine.”

“And tell Kai-bear that he needs to hurry up and become king so Zander can come home.”

Marlin snorted like he did every time Meesha called Kai that. Wait until he became king. King Kai-bear. “I agree. But you know what that entails, also.”

“I sure do. Get it done.”

Marlin’s head jerked back as he stared with wide eyes at the sixty-something, gray-haired, very plump woman across from him. As he watched her hands move fast, he realized she probably could be very deadly with those long, metal knitting needles.

Very deadly.

And she wasn’t a huge fan of the King of the North.

Nic rocked impatiently on the porch as the long, black limo made its way up the dirt driveaway.

As soon as it stopped, Kenn hopped out, shot Nic a one hundred-kilowatt smile and ran around to assist his alpha out of the back of the car.

Nic’s spine snapped straight. What was up that beta’s sleeve, smiling at him like that?

As soon as Marlin stepped from the car, Nic’s gaze ran over his long, lean body and his heart began to thump a bit faster. His alpha looked absolutely delicious in an actual pair of jeans topped with a royal blue collared polo shirt that hugged his muscles.

More casual than normal but oh so much yummier than when he was in his regular dress clothes.

Ignoring Kenn approaching the cabin with Marlin, Nic called out, “You’re late.”

“I got held up at MeeMee’s. Plus, I convinced Zander to take a little stroll around the block with me before I left.”

Nic felt for the omega male. He’d had it rough his whole life. First, discarded as an unwanted son and given to another family in another colony, then given to an abusive alpha who had serious issues. It was going to take Zander a long time to recover. “How is he?”

“Still a mess but getting a little better each day, I think.”

“I’ll visit him later this week.”

Marlin gave him an approving nod. Nic’s attention dropped to Kenn as they both walked up the steps to the porch. “Why are you still here? Why aren’t you scurrying back to the compound, leaving a cloud of dust in your wake?”

“If you’re carrying my prince’s heir, I want to make sure I’m at your service.”

Nic cocked a brow at Marlin, who simply shrugged.

He turned that arched brow to Kenn. “So, if I’m not pregnant, you’ll go on being a pain in our asses when you drop Marlin off?”

Kenn pursed his lips. “If you’re carrying my prince’s son—”

Nic cut him off. “Yeah. Yeah. You said that already.”

“I hope you are,” Kenn said quickly.

“I don’t,” Nic answered.

“You don’t want to carry my son?” Marlin asked, looking affronted.

“I don’t want to carry anyone’s son. I don’t want anyone to know I’m a hybrid. If Dr. Maniford and his staff finds out, I’m going to be outed.”

“I’m sorry,” Marlin murmured.

“So am I,” Nic answered, then sighed. “But at this point, nothing can be done about it. What’s done is done.”

“Again, I’m sorry to burden you with this,” Marlin said.

“You can make it up to me in a few minutes,” Nic said, then turned to Kenn. “You may go.”

“But—”

“You may go.”

Kenn’s wide smile slipped. “I only take orders from my prince.”

“Unless you plan to follow us upstairs and stand by the bed while we f—”

“Nic,” Marlin growled.

“Fut, then you may go.”

“Fut?” Kenn asked, his brows furrowed.

“Don’t ask,” Marlin muttered. “You may go, Kenn. Please bring my skin in the morning. We’ll be taking a swim. You can drive us to the dock.”

“Ooo. I get a ride in the big, fancy limo!” Nic teased.

“And again next week to your appointment,” Kenn said before spinning on his heels and jogging down the steps.

“Appointment?”

“Dr. Maniford. For the ultrasound,” Marlin murmured, stepping past Nic and into the house.

Nic cursed under his breath as he followed Marlin inside. “You already made the appointment?” Now everyone in town was going to know, pregnant or not.

“I asked him to keep what you are under wraps, but I can’t promise anything when it comes to his staff. Once again, I’m sorry.”

“I pushed you.”

Marlin stopped in his tracks, then turned. “You did. But I allowed it, Nic. What’s done is done like you said, so we’ll deal with it.”

“So, what’s with Kenn? I take it you gave him a good ass reaming for his awful behavior and he had a sudden change in attitude?”

“No.”

“Good. I should be the only one getting a good ass reaming.” Nic flattened his lips to stop the curl at the ends when Marlin rolled his eyes. “So, the reason why he was all happy-go-lucky?”

“The potential of having a pup for him to care for soon.”

“Oh, he thinks our son would live in the castle with you? Without me?”

“I—”

“It’s only a matter of time before the Seekers find your fated mate, Marlin. You said that yourself. You want me to face that fact. Well, I am. If I’m pregnant, I don’t expect you to take the son I whelp and leave me behind. That will not be happening. I will raise my son here. And you can come visit when you get the inclination.”

Marlin’s face became dangerously dark. “We don’t even know if you’re pregnant, yet.”

“No, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking in the past couple days, Marlin. And I’ve come to the conclusion that if I am, you cannot take me as your mate, even if you want to. You’ll be forced to take another. And I will continue to live here, be a fisherman, and raise our son to follow in my footsteps.”

Nic watched as Marlin’s nostrils flared and his jaw tightened. “My son will be raised with me and be raised as a royal.”

“Your father will never accept my son.”

“But he will have to accept mine.”

“That’s only wishful thinking. Even if you lied to him, told him he was whelped from a full-blooded omega during a fling or something, what about when you find your true fated mate? Do you think your future omega won’t mind that you had a pup with another? He won’t mind raising my son? You don’t think he wouldn’t ask questions? Would you also lie to the so-called love of your life? Would you simply cut your son’s pater out of his life? If so, you’d be no better than your father.”

Marlin simply stood inside the door of Nic’s cabin and stared at him. The anger no longer evident, but his expression was neutral, unreadable.

Nic was making headway and he needed to keep working at Marlin. He stepped up to the slightly larger male and gripped the fabric of the polo shirt in his fist. He stared up at the alpha, whispering, “Marlin, please, don’t take another. Especially if I’m pregnant.” Even if he wasn’t pregnant, he wanted Marlin to continue their relationship.

“I have no choice if the Seekers find my fated mate...”

“You do have a choice. You could stay here. Not return home.”

“Impossible, Nic.”

Nic jerked at the bunched up shirt in his fist. “Why? Why is that impossible? You have three alpha brothers older than you who have produced plenty of heirs. The throne is more than covered at this point. You said yourself that Kai wants to take over ruling the colony. Why is it impossible?”

Marlin whispered, “You’re asking for too much.”

“I’m not. Like my mother feared, like I always knew what would happen if I was ever outed, I’m a second-class citizen.” Disappointed, he dropped his hand, releasing Marlin.

As he stepped away, Marlin snagged his arm and yanked him so hard that Nic slammed into his chest. Marlin’s arms circled him like a steel band, holding him close. The alpha’s breath was rapid as he stared down into Nic’s eyes.

At the unrestrained heat in Marlin’s eyes, Nic began to lose his breath, too.

“My omega,” Marlin murmured.

Nic shook his head. “We’re not in bed fucking, so don’t call me that. You know that’s not true, nor will it ever be.”

“My omega,” Marlin whispered again.

“No, Marlin. Please don’t. It’s painful to hear—”

Before the last word could finish leaving his lips, Marlin took his mouth, crushing them together. His tongue dove deeply, exploring savagely. Nic melted into Marlin, his palms planted on the male’s chest. He could feel the strong beat of his heart even through Marlin’s shirt.

He let Marlin kiss him for a while, then pushed against him, making some space between them.

The prince would find his good little, full-blooded, obedient omega. And he would take that male just like he took Nic for the past few weeks. He would sleep with that male by his side every night. He would eat meals at the same table.

And only that omega would give him future sons that would be recognized by the Royal Council and the King of the North, and most likely other Selkies.

That omega would receive Marlin’s undivided love, loyalty and attention because that’s what it meant to be fated mates.

Biting his lower lip so he wouldn’t whimper in his deep disappointment, Nic pressed his forehead into Marlin’s chest and they remained like that, in each other’s arms, not saying a word for a long, long time.