The third mandatory meeting with Mancini was about as fun as the first two, which meant not at all. Mancini did a poor job of exuding real warmth for either Liam or Layne, and the infant wasn’t having it when Mancini tried to hold him. Liam wished it would clue Mancini in that this was a bad idea, but Mancini was fucking stubborn. Okay, Liam understood wanting to know his biological child, but for whatever unfathomable reason, he was clinging to his claim on Liam, too. Why not simply go for a joint custody arrangement? Why try to take them both away from the home and people they knew and loved?

His friends tried to take his mind off it with frequent visits, especially Brogan and baby Peyton. Their daily walks had become a lifeline for Liam, as were the support meetings. Two more beta survivors of the trafficking ring had joined their ranks, and while they hadn’t spoken about their experiences yet, being there with Knox seemed to help them—and that was the whole point.

The meetings seemed to help everyone. Even Jaysan, who’d been surly at the start, was opening up and even questioned giving up his son.

“I miss him sometimes,” Jaysan said when it was his turn. He spoke to his hands, rather than the group. “I carried him for nine months. I protected him as best as I could in that fight ring. It’s hard not to wonder if I made the right choice.”

“Was it a closed adoption?” Brogan asked. “Or do you have the option of contacting the family?”

“Closed. At the time, I didn’t want him. Period.”

“It’s easy to second-guess ourselves, but you made the best decision you could at the time. Wherever he is, know your son is happy, healthy, and loved.”

“I guess.”

“He’s gone,” Reid snapped, “and you aren’t getting him back. Why make yourself crazy wondering what if?”

“Reid, lay off,” Liam said. “He’s allowed to express how he’s feeling.”

“So am I, and my opinion is what’s done is done. His kid is gone, and so is mine. We aren’t getting them back.”

They were meeting in Braun’s half of the house he shared with his brother, which put them on the first floor. The living room was crowded, with some of them sitting on the floor, including Jaysan. Reid’s words hit hard, though, because Jaysan scrambled up and banged out the front door.

Concerned, Liam left Layne sleeping in his carrier and followed Jaysan outside. Jaysan was leaning against a small tree in the front yard, arms wrapped around his middle, and before Liam reached him, he heard the soft sobs.

“Jaysan?” Liam approached from the side, so he didn’t startle his friend.

“I hate that Reid’s right,” Jaysan said, his already-soft voice fractured by tears. “I thought I could let my baby go, never think about him again, but I can’t stop wondering. I see Brogan with Peyton, and I see you with Layne, and I wonder. Maybe I would have been a good omegin, after all.”

“You still can be. You’re young, Jaysan, we’re all still so young. I lucked into meeting Isa, and if I hadn’t, I might not have kept my baby. And I can’t possibly know that, because I did meet Isa. I met my bondmate. One day you’ll meet yours, and you will have another baby. Maybe many more babies, a nice house, and a mate who adores you. And maybe you’ll never stop missing your first son, but like Brogan said, know he’s happy and loved with the family who adopted him, just like Laine’s son is.”

“Yeah.”

Liam put a hand on Jaysan’s shoulder, but Jaysan wrenched away.

“I need a minute alone, okay?” Jaysan said.

“Of course.” Liam wanted to do more for his friend, but Jaysan had to deal with this pain his own way. He went back inside, and every pair of eyes except Reid’s were on him. All he could do was shake his head and return to his spot on the floor.

Braun reached over to squeeze his shoulder, a big question in his green eyes. Liam shrugged; he honestly didn’t know how Jaysan was. He did, however, level a glare at Reid, who remained silent for the rest of the meeting.

Liam was one of the last to leave, because Layne decided to soil his diaper as they broke up, so he used the changing table in the new nursery to swap diapers and clean up the mess.

“The only thing we don’t have is the crib,” Braun said from the doorway. Both hands rested over his swollen belly. “Tarek wants this special design that adjusts from a crib to a toddler bed, and it’s on back-order. But we should get it in a month. Long before this one is due.”

“At least its late arrival means you have the perfect excuse not to help assemble it.”

Braun laughed. “Tarek and Ronin are getting plenty of practice lately.” His smile disappeared. “How do you think Jaysan really is?”

“I think he’s hurting. Now that he’s put some space between being held captive, he maybe regrets giving the baby away. Reid was right that it can’t be changed, but he could have been less of an ass about saying it.”

“He could have. Reid’s been getting angrier and angrier, and I know he went through something terrible, and that he nearly died giving birth in that place they held you. But it sometimes feels like he doesn’t want to get better or move on with his life.”

“I wish he’d talk to us.” Liam fixed the onesie and picked up Layne, who was smiling at him. “How you doing, little man? Ready to go home?”

Layne spit bubbles.

“How do you feel about the hearing?” Kell asked when Liam and Braun joined him in the living room. Everyone else had left.

“Terrified.” Liam settled Layne in his carrier. “But also confident. We have a meeting with Ronin tomorrow, so he can go over everything he’s dug up on Mancini, and so we can go over the testimony. Talk about the witnesses we need to call.”

“Every night at dinner, Ronin is confident. He can’t discuss your case, but if he didn’t think he could win, I’d know.”

“That helps to hear, thank you.”

“Of course. I know what it’s like when your life is literally hanging in the balance.”

“I know you do.” Liam bit his bottom lip. “Um, do you remember back in the hospital when you guys mentioned a safe place outside the province for omegas and betas?”

“Of course,” Braun replied.

“I don’t suppose they’d be accommodating to a mated alpha, his omega, and their four kids?”

Braun and Kell shared a long look, before Braun said, “I can reach out to someone on your behalf. Is this an emergency backup plan?”

“Yes. Isa will go where I go, and I imagine his sons would, too. I know I said I’m confident in the outcome of the hearing, but I’ll feel better knowing I have a backup plan.”

“Then I’ll look into it.”

“Thank you. And maybe we should all reach out to Jaysan this week?”

“I’ll call him tomorrow,” Kell said. “And I’ll text Brogan to do the same. Whatever Jaysan is working through, he doesn’t have to do it alone. He needs to know we’re all on his side.”

Except maybe Reid.

Reid worried Liam, but he couldn’t say for sure why, only that Reid’s anger could easily consume his life. Drive him to do something he’d regret.

Or worse, something all of them might regret.

* * *

Isa had spent the past week since Tarius’s graduation alternating between bouts of anger and of grief, and constantly battling the need to avenge his son’s pain. All it would take was one phone call to the university security office, and he’d have this Skip’s surname. It would be so easy to track that bastard down.

But Isa wasn’t supposed to know about it, and he’d promised Aven not to interfere. He wouldn’t take back a promise to his son. So he stayed out of it, went to work, did his job, and came home to his family every night.

A family he was preparing to go to war for.

Today’s strategy meeting with Ronin was scheduled for after lunch, so Isa took the afternoon off and brought takeout home for him and Liam. Layne took a bottle, and then promptly fell asleep in his carrier. Liam was quiet and tense on the drive to Ronin’s office, and Isa stayed present by keeping a hand on his thigh whenever possible.

The office was open and airy, and Ronin’s assistant Morris led them to a meeting room with a table and several chairs. Ronin had stacks of files and paperwork scattered around, but he was in good spirits and shook both of their hands.

“I know I’ve been a bit cagey about my research so far,” Ronin said, “but I wanted to have our case in order and ready before I presented it to you both.”

“We appreciate that,” Isa replied. “Just tell me we can win.”

Ronin grinned. “We can win. Someone was very careful in hiding certain aspects of Hank Mancini’s past, but there is always a paper trail. Always. In order to unravel any web of lies, you just have to know which strings to pull.”

“And?”

“Before Liam, Mr. Mancini had been previously mated. Twice.”

Isa’s breath caught. He glanced at Liam, whose eyes were wide, lips parted in shock.

“Where are those omegas now?” Liam asked.

Ronin’s smug grin flattened. “They’re both dead.”

* * *

The morning of the hearing, Liam walked into the appointed courtroom with more confidence than he expected. After their hours-long meeting with Ronin, where he laid out his research and arguments, Liam and Isa had left and immediately gone to a nice restaurant for dinner and drinks as a small celebration. Then they’d gone home and made love while Layne was down for his nap.

And as much as Liam hoped his physical relationship with Isa would trigger his heat, he’d yet to feel any symptoms. It would have to be soon, because he only had a few weeks left before he hit three months post-birth.

Mancini and his lawyer were already in the courtroom, seated behind their table. They both looked up, and the coldness in Mancini’s eyes made Liam shiver. After everything Ronin had shared with them, Liam wanted away from Mancini as quickly as possible. Brogan had come as moral support, and he sat in the gallery behind Ronin’s table. So had Demir, Tarius, and Aven. All the babies were at Braun’s today. Layne wasn’t required to be there, and Liam had preferred not to bring him.

“We’re seeing Judge Jarvis today,” Ronin told them softly as they sat behind their table. “He tends to run middle of the road. And he’s beta, so he doesn’t automatically lean toward the alpha’s side of things.”

“That’s good to know,” Liam said.

“All rise,” the court clerk said.

They did, and Judge Jarvis took his place behind the bench. “Be seated,” Jarvis said. He shuffled some papers. “We’re here today to determine the legal mated status of the omega Liam Haley, as well as the custody of his minor child Layne Haley, is this correct?”

Both lawyers confirmed.

“The plaintiff, Mr. Hank Mancini, alleges that Mr. Liam is his legal mate and that Layne is his biological child.”

“Yes, your honor,” the other lawyer said. “Yuri Hugo, I’m representing Mr. Mancini in this matter.”

“And for the defense?”

“Ronin Cross for the defense, your honor,” Ronin replied. “This is the defendant Liam Haley, and his legal guardian, Senior Constable Isa Higgs.”

“All right.” Jarvis angled back toward the other table. “Mr. Hugo.”

“Thank you, your honor. Almost exactly one year ago, Mr. Mancini lost his omegin to illness. He had already lost his sire and one brother to an automobile accident when he was a teenager, and this left my client alone with his remaining brother. To assuage his grief, my client decided it was time to start a family of his own, so he went onto the completely legal Omega Classifieds to search for a possible mate.

“He was intrigued by the ad for Mr. Liam, so he contacted the omega’s legal guardian at the time, Mr. Fynn Lawry, who ran the halfway house where Mr. Liam was staying. My client was informed by Mr. Lawry that Mr. Liam was showing signs of heat, so if he didn’t want to wait another three months for the chance, he had to come over now and mate with Mr. Liam. Perhaps it was a choice made out of grief, but my client decided he wanted Mr. Liam as his mate, and so he went to the halfway house and helped Mr. Liam through his heat. Mr. Lawry had a signed form from Mr. Liam giving Lawry the legal right to consent or not consent to an alpha who may knot him during heat.

“Because of the suddenness of the mating, once the heat was over, my client asked Mr. Lawry for some time to make plans. My client was living in a small apartment with his brother, and he was preparing to begin his final year in university. Mr. Lawry gave him up to a month to settle things and come for his mate. However, after only a few weeks, Mr. Lawry called my client and informed him that Mr. Liam had passed away due to carbon monoxide poisoning. As you can imagine, another loss so soon after losing his omegin devastated my client. He had no reason to doubt Mr. Lawry’s claim that his mate had died.

“Imagine his surprise when, a little over a month ago, he finds a photograph of his mate in the newspaper, not only alive and well, but nursing an infant. His infant son. He immediately contacted me, and we began filing the necessary paperwork to make this claim. It was very kind of Constable Higgs to look after Mr. Liam all this time, but the fact remains that Mr. Liam mated Mr. Mancini last summer, and we have DNA proof that Layne is his. All my client wants is to get back the family he thought he lost. Thank you, your honor.”

Liam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. While the lawyer sounded sincere, Mancini seemed to be having trouble keeping his expression mild, rather than menacing.

“Thank you for those remarks,” Judge Jarvis said. “Mr. Cross?”

“Thank you, your honor,” Ronin said. “Last summer, Mr. Liam’s entire family was killed in a terrible accident, and he was left alone. After some recovery time in the hospital, he was sent to Lawry’s halfway house to finish recovering and, as law enforcement assumed, be taken care of by Lawry. It’s no secret that the constabulary raided that house last fall and liberated eleven omegas who all told similar stories of neglect. Of both physical and sexual abuse leveled at them by not only Fynn Lawry, but also mysterious alphas he allowed into the house when an omega resident was in heat. This is all a matter of public record.

“Mr. Liam went into heat while in Lawry’s care, this is undisputed. But what we do dispute is Mr. Mancini’s claim on Liam as his mate. Mr. Liam was not asked ahead of time if he wanted an alpha to help him through his heat, and even if he had, Mr. Liam would have insisted the man wear condoms and not mate with a stranger. My client also has no recollection of signing any paperwork giving Mr. Lawry the right to consent on his behalf. He was on heavy doses of painkillers upon arrival at the halfway house, and given Mr. Lawry’s ties to criminal activity, it’s likely that document was obtained while Mr. Liam was under the influence of narcotics and unaware of what he was signing.

“The simple fact of the matter is that my client was caught in a hormone surge when Mr. Mancini arrived, and he did not get consent from my client to mate with him. Mr. Mancini even admitted to us that during the entire heat, Liam seemed out of it. Possibly drugged, because he was never fully conscious between surges. They were never able to have a coherent conversation, which as a mated alpha, I can attest is extremely unusual. I contend that any mated alpha you ask will say the same. Mr. Liam did not consent to mate Mr. Mancini, and he certainly never gave Fynn Lawry permission to give him away, so to speak.

“It is also a matter of public record that less than a week after Mr. Liam discovered he was pregnant, Lawry sold him to two other alphas to be part of a fighting ring. The constabulary discovered this ring existed earlier this winter when one of their omega captives escaped. Mr. Liam was kept in a small room with a bed and a bucket to urinate in, force-fed protein shakes and vitamins, and made to exercise. He also received an operation that severely limited his vocal chords. For five months, he had no idea where he was or why, until the constabulary busted the ring in a raid led by Senior Constable Higgs.”

Ronin detailed Liam’s account of his captivity, his overwhelming fear, and his uncertainty once he was rescued. Reid’s near-fatal illness. Brogan’s difficult delivery. Laine dying in childbirth. And Isa and his family’s steady presence in Liam’s life. Under the table, Isa kept a firm hand on Liam’s thigh.

“Constable Higgs is a widowed alpha, and at the time they first met, Mr. Liam was pregnant, so they were unable to confirm what both men felt from the moment they first met: the mating bond. Once they realized their feelings were mutual, they agreed they’d mate during Mr. Liam’s next heat, which has not occurred yet, but is due soon. Mr. Liam and Constable Higgs are bondmates, they are in love, and they are legally bound to each other in every way except the mating paperwork. His three sons are fond of both Mr. Liam and Layne, and it is my client’s desire to remain in the custody of his bondmate and not be sent to live with a complete stranger who impregnated him against his will. Thank you, your honor.”

“Thank you, counselor,” Judge Jarvis said. “Mr. Hugo, do you wish to call any witnesses?”

“No, your honor,” Hugo replied. “I believe my statement speaks for itself, as does the legal paperwork and DNA results we’ve submitted to you. The law is squarely on our side here. Mr. Liam was unmated at the time my client went to him, mated with him during his heat, and then he was reported dead, or my client would have claimed his mate within the one-month timeframe issued by Mr. Lawry. All my client wants is his mate and child.”

Liam snorted.

“Mr. Cross, would you like to call any witnesses?”

“I would, your honor,” Ronin replied. “I’d like to call Mr. Hank Mancini to the stand.”

Mancini turned a bland look in their direction, before standing and going through the process of being sworn in. After he settled in the witness box, Ronin rose. “Mr. Mancini, you claim that post-heat, Mr. Lawry granted you one month to get your affairs in order before you had to collect Mr. Liam, correct?”

“That is correct, yes,” Mancini replied. “I had to find new living arrangements and handle other things.”

“Things that took you nearly a month to accomplish.”

“Yes.”

“Was one of those things arranging for both yourself and Mr. Liam to sign the mating documents that change his name and legally bind you as mates? Paperwork most mated pairs are quite eager to file?”

“I did not.”

“Why not? You had a month.”

“I was busy dealing with other things, and I simply didn’t remember to do it. Certainly, I regret it now, because that document would have super-ceded any claims being made today by Constable Higgs, and I’d be at home with my son and omega.”

“So you simply forgot to sign the most important paperwork of any young, newly-mated alpha’s life? Huh.” Ronin walked to a white board on one side of the room, where he wrote two dates. Both two days in length, one of them six years ago, and the other three years ago. “Mr. Mancini, can you please tell us where you were during those time periods?”

He squinted at the board. “Can’t say for sure, no. Probably working. Once I turned eighteen and my provincial stipend ended, I had to work to support my brother and omegin. It’s why I only just managed to graduate university and get a well-paying internship. The timing is almost uncanny, because I have every resource to take care of my family now.”

“So your sworn testimony is you don’t remember where you were those days?”

“It is.”

“You have a slippery memory, it seems, because you have forgotten the two times that you’ve previously taken an omega mate.”

“Objection,” Hugo said.

“Overruled,” Judge Jarvis replied. “Mr. Mancini, is what Mr. Cross said accurate? Have you previously mated twice?”

Mancini leveled a dark glare at Ronin before angling to look up at the judge. “It is accurate, yes,” he ground out, clearly unhappy that Ronin had dug up this particular bit of dirt.

“And what happened to those mates?” Ronin asked.

“They both passed away.”

“Both of them? At such young ages? According to the paperwork I found, buried away not in the Mating and Marriage records, but somehow over in Financial Claims, your previous mates were both twenty years old when they died.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“How did they die? I’m intensely curious how two young omegas died at the same age while mated to you.”

“Objection, your honor,” Hugo said. “I fail to see the relevance here.”

“Then you need to open your eyes,” Ronin said. “Your client is trying to lay claim on a third omega mate, and knowing two previous mates have died under his care is extremely alarming to me. As is the fact that this information was filed away in a place where it was extremely difficult to find. As if someone wanted to bury it on purpose.”

“Objection overruled,” Judge Jarvis said. “The witness will answer.”

Mancini simply breathed for a moment, probably trying to rein in his temper. “My first mate died from a fall down a flight of stairs. He broke his neck. My second mate fell ill and passed away.”

“Ill from what?”

“It was never determined. We didn’t do an autopsy.”

“So you didn’t care that your mate suddenly died? You didn’t want to find out why?”

“No, I wanted to grieve him and move on.”

“Do you have any children on record with either of those omegas?”

“No. Despite two years of trying, neither man conceived.”

Ronin tapped his chin with his forefinger. “So you took each omega at eighteen, and with both omegas, after two years of no pregnancies, each one dies? One from an accidental fall, and the other some mysterious illness?”

“Yes.” Mancini’s anger hung around him like a black cloud.

Liam didn’t know how Ronin found all of this out, but he was forever grateful to have him as his lawyer.

“You’ve already had two mates, Mr. Mancini,” Ronin said. “How is this court supposed to believe that Mr. Liam would be any safer with you, than with Constable Higgs, when you failed to disclose these facts about your past? How can anyone entrust another omega to your care?”

“Their deaths were dreadful accidents,” Mancini snapped.

“Assuming you’re right, let’s talk about another accident. Your brother Renny. He’s twenty-three, and he’d been previously living with you. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“When did you say you first saw the newspaper with Liam’s picture in it?”

“Last month. The morning paper on the seventeenth.”

“And what day did Renny have his accident? A bad fall down a flight of stairs, wasn’t it?”

Judge Jarvis’s eyebrows arched.

“I don’t recall the exact date,” Mancini said.

“Let me help you out. Renny fell down a flight of stairs in your apartment building and laid there for an unknown period of time, before someone called an ambulance on the eighteenth of last month. The day after you realized Mr. Liam was alive.”

Liam braced for an objection from Hugo, but the lawyer looked annoyed and not necessarily at Ronin. Had Mancini kept all these things from his own attorney?

“The timing was a terrible coincidence,” Mancini said.

“Of course, it was,” Ronin replied. “But since the reason why we’re here today is to determine the best, safest place for Mr. Liam and little Layne, people around you have a terrible habit of getting into accidents, or dying of mysterious illnesses. Constable Higgs, on the other hand, is a decorated law officer, with three grown boys, and his omegin passed from a verifiable illness. No mystery, no need to hide it in Financial Dispute records.”

“Objection,” Hugo said, but his voice lacked any enthusiasm. “Counsel is testifying.”

“Sustained,” Judge Jarvis said. “Do you have any further questions for the witness?”

“Only one, your honor,” Ronin replied. “Mr. Mancini, did you receive any sort of compensation from any source, be it financial or otherwise, for impregnating Mr. Liam?”

“Of course not,” Mancini said.

“You’re positive of that?”

Mancini fidgeted. “Yes.”

“All right then.” Ronin strode over to the table and picked up a sheet of paper. “Your honor, I have a copy of Mr. Mancini’s tuition payment for his final year, which was not only one month overdue, but also paid in-full exactly three weeks after the time of Mr. Liam’s heat. Same day, actually, that Mr. Liam says he took the home pregnancy test.”

He gave the sheet to Mancini. “Can you tell us who paid your tuition this past year?”

Mancini glared at the paper. “It was a grant from Westover Community Resources. They’re a nonprofit group who help struggling alphas with financial assistance.”

“And as a young alpha still in school, you were struggling, correct?”

“Yes, I was, but I’m not anymore.”

“Do you know who the major donor to Westover was until this past winter?”

“I don’t.”

“Iverson Financial Group.”

Liam watched as that name hit the judge. Iverson Financial Group had started falling apart last year when the Iverson name was dragged through the mud during Kell’s trial, but it had gotten worse with Senior Iverson’s arrest and pending trial. Iverson had participated in the fight ring, had paid to rape Liam’s friends, and he’d raped his own son’s mate.

When Ronin told Liam about this connection earlier in the week, it hasn’t surprised him at all. Haus Iverson was evil incarnate, and it was perfectly in character that he’d recruit young alphas to provide pregnant omegas for the fight ring.

“Objection,” Hugo said in a weary tone. “Relevance?”

“Iverson Financial has already been linked to the fight ring into which Mr. Liam was sold,” Ronin said. “A fight ring Senior Haus Iverson, who was CEO of Iverson Financial Group until a few months ago, participated in and who had incentive to see it continue. I find it too much of a coincidence that on the same day Mr. Liam finds out he’s pregnant, a non-profit that receives large donations from Iverson Financial gives a payout to the alpha who impregnated him. In fact, I find it suspicious and potentially criminal.”

After Ronin revealed that nugget of information to them, Isa had immediately put Constable Jenks in charge of investigating the angle of Mancini being paid by Iverson, via Westover Community Resources, as a sperm donor, in order to keep the fight ring stocked with pregnant omegas. The idea of it was nauseating.

“We’ll leave that to the constabulary to decide,” Judge Jarvis said. “Do you have anything further?”

“No, your honor, I’m done with this witness.”

“Do you wish to call another witness?”

“No, your honor, I believe the defense can rest here.” Ronin returned to sit at the table, as confident as Liam had ever seen the man.

“This is a highly unusual custody suit,” Judge Jarvis said, addressing the room. “I have all submitted statements, evidence, the social worker’s report on the three supervised visits, as well as today’s testimony. We’ll recess one hour while I make my decision.”

They rose, and once the judge left, Liam practically leapt into Isa’s arms. It had gone exactly as Ronin predicted. His decimation of Mancini’s character and ability to properly care for Liam had kept Liam out of the witness box. Not that Liam would have minded testifying, but he had nothing to say that wasn’t in his written statements.

Mancini and Hugo were speaking in hushed, angry tones at their table, and Liam could only imagine the exchange. He honestly didn’t care. He went into the gallery so he could hug Brogan, and then Demir. The Higgs brothers were all excited and positive that Ronin had proved his point.

“I can’t believe he had two omegas who died,” Brogan said with a horrified expression. “And the timing with his brother’s accident?”

“Yeah, I know,” Liam replied. “Goddess, that man scares me.”

“No judge in his right mind will send you guys to live with him.”

“We wouldn’t let him, anyway,” Tarius said. “Neither would Dad.”

“I know.” Liam reached out to squeeze Tarius’s shoulder. “You guys are my family.”

Isa fetched a few bottles of water that they passed around, and they made small talk until the clerk announced the judge had reached a decision.

Everyone returned to their spots for Judge Jarvis’s arrival. He looked stern, and Liam grabbed Isa’s hand, needing that calming steadfastness so he didn’t fly out of his chair with anxiety.

“As I’ve said from the start,” Judge Jarvis said, “this is a highly unusual case. Normally, I would accept an alpha’s claim as legal and be done with it, but this case has extenuating circumstances, as well as the complication of two men who feel the mating bond. I’m also troubled by Mr. Mancini’s past and the fact that he chose not to disclose it to the court himself. I need all the facts so I can best determine placement of the omegin and child in question, and I cannot help but wonder at some of the things I’ve learned today.

“That said, it is the order of this court that Liam Haley and the minor child Layne Haley remain in the custodial care of Constable Isa Higgs, and that any mating claim Hank Mancini has on Mr. Liam is null and void.” Before Liam could vibrate out of his chair with joy, the judge continued. “However, DNA tests do not lie, so it is also the order of this court that Mr. Mancini be allowed twice-monthly monitored visits with his son Layne. Mr. Mancini, you can work those visits out with your social worker. That is my decision. You are dismissed.”

Liam found himself smothered by hugs. First Isa and Ronin, and then Brogan and three betas. He knew he was crying, and he didn’t fucking care, because they were staying with Isa. This nightmare was over. He could deal with two visits a month, as long as he didn’t have to live with the creep.

Through the tangle of limbs and congratulations, Liam spotted Mancini glaring at them with the kind of fury that would normally make his bowels watery. Today, Liam glared right back. Today, Liam was going home with his bondmate and lover.

Today, Liam won.