“I’m alpha of the castle!”

“No, I’m alpha of the castle!

“It’s Remi’s birthday! He’s alpha of the castle.”

The castle-shaped bounce house was the largest Dylan had ever seen. It was able to accommodate far more kids than they even had in the Shadow Pack, and it took up a large section of the lawn, dwarfing those who stood next to it. The bright colors and rounded towers wobbled constantly and a little alarmingly as the kids inside jumped around. It was a pale and laughable comparison to the castle that dominated the Shadow Pack compound, but for a child’s birthday party, it was perfect.

All the kids were inside, all ages and genders. Some of them had never seen a bounce house before, and had stared wide eyed as it took shape.

“I still have no idea where you managed to get that thing,” Dylan said absently, sipping on the water he held in his hand. What he wouldn’t give to have a beer or whiskey, like the rest of the adults around him. He idly rubbed a hand over his swollen belly. Soon.

Beside him, Blake shrugged, beer bottle hovering near his lips which currently held a broad smirk. “Didn’t take much more than some simple research and a lot of money for shipping.”

“I think it’s delightful,” Rajiah said from where he stood at Arulean’s side. He looked small compared to the tall and broad dragon alpha, but cozy and content tucked up into his side. They weren’t even snuggled up tight. He just stood at Arulean’s side with an arm looped lazily around the alpha’s waist, but he looked infinitely more comfortable than Dylan felt in nearly the exact same position. “The children have never experienced something like this.”

Blake turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. “Never?”

Rajiah shook his head, face crestfallen. “Sadly, no. We’ve been here for several decades now, and while the majority of our pack members have filtered in throughout the years, many have been here from nearly the beginning. Most of the children you see were born here, and we are...very remote. A lot of the fun things human children take for granted aren’t as easily available for us.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We do what we can, but there are just some advantages to living in a crowded human populace that they’ll never get to experience.”

“It is simply one of the prices we pay for living in safety and peace, being free to live as we wholly are without worrying about hiding our nature from humans,” Arulean said without much inflection. He sounded distracted. He was staring at the bounce house, and while his face was impassive, his eyes showed an odd sense of curiosity.

“You look like you wanna take a turn on it,” Blake said, and when Dylan glanced at him, his eyes were shining with mischief, lips curled slightly at the edges.

He looked at ease, comfortable around pack and friends, but the arm that was around Dylan’s waist felt clinical. It only touched him lightly, barely any pressure on his hip, just ghosting across his back. There was nothing familiar or fond about it, and Dylan absently wondered if that fact showed as much as he felt it.

Arulean’s lip curled, nose wrinkling with the movement. “It is for children.”

“Perhaps,” Blake drawled, casual and teasing. “But it’s definitely big enough for adults. There isn’t an age limit on fun, and let me tell you, those things are fun.”

Rajiah chuckled, leaning into Arulean’s side and tilting his head up at his mate. “It’s fine if you wish to try it out, love. We can wait until the children have all gone to bed. I, for one, would like to try it. It isn’t like we got the chance to experience these things when we were children.”

“Yeah, what was playing with dinosaurs like, by the way?” Blake asked, a lighthearted tone to his voice.

Both dragons glared at him, but it was half-hearted and without heat. Rajiah rolled his eyes, and Arulean huffed. “I should thank you, Blake,” the dragon alpha said.

Blake blinked, smile sobering. “Why?”

Arulean gestured to the bounce house. “For providing such a treat on my son’s birthday. It was very kind of you.”

Blake grinned, waving him off with his beer bottle. “It was no trouble. As long as the kids like it, that’s what matters. Lily’s having a blast.”

As if on cue, they heard her squeal with laughter, the sound rising above the rest. Or perhaps Dylan was simply more attuned to her voice than the others. Blake didn’t react, but Dylan turned to the bounce house. She was inside, with the other children, bouncing away all the excess energy shifter children possessed. It would no doubt tire them all out eventually, but it would take a while.

Lily had experienced a bounce house before at one of their family pack’s get-togethers, and she had been eager to show Remi how much fun it was. The little dragon boy’s eyes had lit up, face breaking out in a huge smile as he bounced for the first time. Now, it was hard to tell their forms apart from all the others bouncing around within the rainbow walls. Their shouts and squeals all blended together, creating a general din of pure childish glee.

At least they were having a good time, he thought.

Lily was taking Blake’s memory loss a lot better than Dylan was. On the one hand, he was proud of her for being so mature about the situation, and on the other hand, he was incredibly envious. She took every opportunity to tell Blake all the things about her she thought he needed to know, and he listened patiently, looking like he cared about getting to know her. Like he simply cared about her. It was more than Dylan received, and it made something bitter and ugly stir in his chest.

As they stood there, off to the side of the bounce house, a few more people joined them. Marcus, the head of security, and his mate, Lucy, were the first. They were the two pack members Dylan was closest to, and they were normally a welcome sight. Now, however, Dylan resented them. They looked so happy and content, so comfortable with each other. Lucy was also pregnant, and she practically glowed with health. She didn’t display an ounce of the uncertainty or self-conscious thoughts Dylan felt nagging at his own mind. Marcus stood beside her, arm draped over her shoulders as if it belonged there. When they smiled, it reached their eyes.

A sight like that should be heartwarming, but it only made Blake’s own arm around him feel that much more fake. A false affection. Robotic. Cold and unfeeling. The pressure of it made Dylan’s skin crawl, but he held firm and didn’t pull away. Some affection, no matter how forced, had to be better than none at all, right?

When they drifted away, more came to fill their place. The witches came by to chat. They had fitted in comfortably with the pack once the initial reservations started to fade. Some of Arulean’s inner circle, the close friends and confidants that Dylan and Blake had both worked with and befriended on several occasions, drifted past, sparing time for a little conversation.

Dylan went through the motions mechanically, smiling until his cheeks hurt and ignoring the itch under his skin. His heart hurt and he felt a burning need to just get away, but he stamped it out and held it down. It didn’t do much good though. The feeling only grew with every happy couple he saw. With every person who made Blake smile genuinely. With every honest laugh that was pulled from him, grating across Dylan’s skin like sandpaper. All the while, the hand on his waist felt heavy and cold.

He needed to leave. His skin itched. His neck burned. His lungs felt tight, like each breath was hard to take, like he was suffocating.

“Daddy! Papa!” He was pulled from his downward spiral of emotions, snapped to attention by the sound of his daughter’s voice. Lily came running up to them, clothes absolutely coated in mud, but smile bright and blue eyes shining.

Blake laughed. “Hey there, princess. You’re looking a little dirty.”

She stopped when she reached them, grinning, with her head tilted back and her hands on her hips. “The boys said I couldn’t beat them at wrestling, and I won!”

“Of course you did. You’re my daughter, after all.” There was a snort of muffled laughter from Lux and Viv, two fox shifters and friends standing nearby. Blake glared at them, but they simply smiled, hiding the giggles behind their hands.

“Sorry, Blake, but you’re not exactly much of a fighter,” Lux said.

He sighed, “True enough.” He looked back to Lily. “Well, you must get that from Dylan here. I heard he’s one hell of a soldier.” His arm squeezed just a little more tightly around Dylan’s waist, but while his tone was teasing, it only left Dylan’s gut twisting, nauseated, and rolling uncomfortably.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“What’d you say we go get you cleaned up and changed, yeah?” Blake said, pulling away from Dylan. The space made Dylan feel like he could breathe again, but the air was cold and chilled between them, rushing in to fill the hollow that had taken up residence in his chest. He reached out to take Lily’s hand before glancing up at Dylan, looking a little sheepish when he smiled. “If that’s alright?”

Dylan forced a smile, shrugging in the hope he appeared less stiff. “She’s your daughter, too.”

Blake’s expression softened. It was far softer and far more genuine than anything Dylan had seen since Blake lost his memory. “Yeah, I suppose she is.”

Dylan watched their backs as they walked toward the castle, Lily practically bouncing at Blake’s side, and his face lifted in a broad grin. Dylan’s legs felt weak, like the air had been punched from his lungs, like he was falling.

Then a hand appeared on his shoulder, startling him. Out of reflex, he reached for it, grasping the wrist and body twisting as if he meant to turn on an attacker. Before he could get far, however, claws dug into the meat of his shoulder, piercing through the material of his sweater. That was enough to ground him, to push his instincts aside, and make him freeze.

Slowly, the claws retracted, leaving nothing but dull pin prick aches in their wake. Dylan used the dull pain to help anchor himself to reality.

“Perhaps,” Rajiah’s voice, soft and gentle, but with a wary firmness that didn’t go unnoticed. There was pleasantness there, but it was thin, masking the underlying concern and authority. “You would like to accompany me to check on the food preparation?”

Dylan’s tongue felt thick and lifeless in his mouth, his throat closed up and dry. He didn’t trust his voice, so he only nodded. He kept his gaze away from those that had made up the loose circle of companionship along with them, eyes locked straight ahead at the castle. Blake and Lily had already disappeared through the front doors.

His feet moved automatically and stiffly as Rajiah’s grip on his shoulder gently nudged him forward. He didn’t shrug off the hand, and Rajiah didn’t pull it away. He used it to guide Dylan, quickly but steadily, away from the crowds of pack members gathered on the lawn of the castle grounds.

He steered Dylan away from the main doors and away from where people had gathered, taking him around the western edge of the castle and heading toward the back doors that led more directly to the kitchens. As they walked, the sound of the party and the din of conversation began to fade. The buzz of the air compressor for the bounce house wasn’t so loud, and everything faded into white noise behind them.

When they were out of sight of the pack, around the corner of the castle, Rajiah stopped. They were close to the castle wall, and Dylan needed no more prompting. He stepped up to it pressing his back against the rough castle stones. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tilted his head back, arms wrapped around his middle, and let himself simply breathe.

“I take it things are not all as well as they seem,” Rajiah said after some time had passed and Dylan’s breathing had started to calm down. He obviously took care to make sure his voice was even and neutral, but when Dylan cracked open his eyes, he found Rajiah watching him with no small amount of concern. His brows were knitted together, lips pulled down into a small frown, eyes worried.

Dylan forced a sardonic smile that tugged up one corner of his lips. “Is it that obvious?”

“Seeing as you’re pushing past a panic attack in the shadows of the castle, I’d say so.” He tilted his head, a sigh escaping his lips. “Though truthfully, it’s quite obvious to anyone who cares to see.”

Dylan’s brow furrowed, wariness pricking at his heart. “What does that mean?”

“It means that if people care to pay attention, it’s obvious things between the two of you aren’t as well as they seem. Your scents are still complimentary, but they don’t weave together as they once did. They don’t combine the way mates’ scents should. They simply layer and weave around each other like...” His lip curled apologetically. “Friends. And while you stand close, there is a clear tension in the two of you.”

Dylan sighed, head falling back against the rough stone wall, eyes closed. “That obvious, huh?”

“Yes, but I didn’t realize the depth of it until this moment. Truthfully, you two seem not quite comfortable with each other, which is understandable. But it looks as if you’re doing your best to push past that and finding new common ground together. Perhaps that is why everyone pretends things are fine, because they assume you’re working on it.”

“We are working on it,” Dylan said, voice clipped. “It’s just...not...working very smoothly.”

“May I ask what is wrong?”

Dylan sighed again, the sound trailing off into a groan of frustration. “I don’t know. If I did, I would be fixing it.” He ran his fingers through his hair, making the strands stand up on end. He knew he needed to get a haircut. He preferred it much shorter than this, but that...that made him look sharper, rougher, more like a soldier. Not like the soft, pregnant omega he was supposed to be. His free hand idly rubbed his stomach, unaware of how his fingers shook. “Every time I think we’re getting somewhere, whenever he seems comfortable, I take a step forward and he takes two steps back. I don’t know how to fix this, Rajiah. Nothing is working.”

“Hey, calm down,” Rajiah said, voice soothing despite the fact that his words did nothing to help Dylan stay calm. He glared at the dragon omega as he stepped forward, putting a hand on Dylan’s shoulder. Rajiah just cracked a small smile. “These things take time. Blake will come around. He’s probably just overwhelmed. Imagine being expected to force yourself to mate with someone you don’t know…” He stopped when Dylan’s frown deepened. “No, that’s not…” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Not that he has to force himself to love you, but just...think about it from his point of view. Everyone is expecting him to jump into your arms and be someone he doesn’t remember being. For him, it probably feels like a rushed, arranged marriage. He’s just trying to remain calm to keep from spiraling out of control.”

Dylan quirked a wry smile, despite the ache in his chest. “Blake does hate not having control.”

Rajiah’s smile matched his own. “See? Then perhaps he just needs more time. He’s fallen in love with you before. I fully believe he will again.”

Dylan sighed. “Thanks, Rajiah.”

The smile he gave Dylan was a genuine one, filled with worry and wracked with guilt. “It’s no problem, Dylan. Really. I’ll be here to help you through all of…” He waved a hand around in the air. “This. You’ve been there for me plenty of times.”

And his family had suffered for it. A kernel of blackness sprouted in his heart. A seed he had been starving for fear of it growing. A dark, itchy, twisted feeling. An ugly feeling. One that sprouted a single root that now took hold. They wouldn’t be in this mess, and he wouldn’t be having this problem with his mate, if it weren’t for Rajiah. Rajiah who had gotten captured. Rajiah who had been the original target for the spell that had hit Blake. Rajiah, who...

Dylan shook his head, forcefully swallowing the lump in his throat and turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the whispered thoughts. He didn’t want to feed them. Refused to feed them. But even as he ignored them, he could hear them whispering and vying for his attention from the shadows deep inside his mind.

Rajiah helped Dylan away from the wall, keeping an arm around him while he found his footing again, and not removing it until Dylan’s knees stopped shaking and he could stand up tall once again.

They went to the kitchen, which was a flurry of movement and chaos. Rajiah weaved through it effortlessly, practically dancing around all the men and women who were on single minded missions to finish their tasks. Dylan stayed off to one side. He’d never been great at maneuvering through crowds, even less so now that his stomach stuck out far too much.

He watched while Rajiah talked to people, not demanding when things would be done or how everything was going, but talking to them kindly without pushing or throwing his weight around. Dylan only managed to be in there for ten minutes before the smell became too much. He tried to stick it out, but he was quickly overwhelmed and had to step back out into the open air, gasping fresh, clean gulps into his lungs.

Dylan found a bench outside, one that faced the back of the compound, and sat down. This area was blissfully empty. A beautiful sprawling green field, the gardens off to the side, the forest in the distance, the mountains rising beyond it all to shield their home. In the distance, he could hear the din of conversation, the buzz from the air compressor, and the giggles and squeals of children. But they sounded so far away, while everything right here was so peaceful.

And for once, he didn’t think. He didn’t worry. He forcefully shoved all thoughts of Blake, Lily, and the baby, along with the pack and the witches, out of his mind. He didn’t reminisce about memories. He didn’t worry about their future. He didn’t think about his hurt, his anger, or his guilt. He simply didn’t think. His mind was as blissfully blank as the panorama before him. He delighted in the light brush of wind against his skin as the grass of the field swayed gently, leaves from the distant trees rustling softly.

For the first time in months, he felt like he could finally breathe. In that moment, he wasn’t a father. He wasn’t a mate or a husband. He wasn’t a friend. He wasn’t a pack member. He wasn’t the man who lost his mate. He wasn’t pregnant. He was simply Dylan, and that was enough.

But even in times and moments like that, reality had to catch back up and drag him back down into the present, along with his life, his worries.

“Sorry about that,” Rajiah said, voice cutting through his moment of tranquility, hot and sharp as a knife. Dylan blinked rapidly, rising out of his daze as he turned his head to find Rajiah standing next to the bench, giving him an apologetic smile. “I forgot how much stronger our sense of smell gets when we’re pregnant.”

Dylan mumbled a quick, “It’s alright,” and pushed himself to his feet, putting a hand on the arm of the bench for balance. He hated how much his center of gravity shifted when he was pregnant. He hated how stiff his limbs got. He hated the sore muscles and the awkward movements.

Soon, he reminded himself. Soon he would be back to normal, and he would have a son. A son with a father who didn’t remember his family. That would be a whole new can of problems. At least, he thought bitterly, Blake wouldn’t be missing memories of his new son.

“Lunch should be ready soon. They’ll be setting up tables outside and bringing it all out buffet style, so we can all still move around and mingle. Light foods for now. Tonight, after it gets dark, we’ll set bonfires and barbecue. Roasting marshmallows, too, of course, as per Remi’s request.”

Dylan nodded absently as Rajiah rambled through his plans for the rest of the evening, listening with only half an ear. They walked back around the castle the same way they’d come, taking their time as they approached the party. As they grew closer, Dylan found himself automatically searching for Blake. First by sound, as he was so used to finding Blake’s voice that he latched onto it instantly. He stood out in a crowd, his voice rising above the rest without being too loud or grating. He simply had a lively presence.

As they rounded the corner, Dylan’s eyes snapped to where they’d been sitting earlier, finding Blake quickly enough. Arulean, however, had shuffled further away, and was now engaged in conversation with a few of his other friends. The circle of people around Blake had grown, but they weren’t the familiar faces Dylan expected to see.

He knew them, of course. He didn’t know them as personally or as well as Arulean and Rajiah did, or as well as Blake and Marcus. Each of them made it their business to know everyone in the pack, and they all had a way with faces. Dylan couldn’t put names to the faces, nor could he remember anything specific about any of them. He only knew he recognized them enough to realize he’d seen them around the compound before.

With the pack now standing at several hundred, and Dylan being far too wrapped up in avoiding attention and his own problems, it wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t recognize many members of the pack.

As they stepped into the throng of the party and the pack-crowded lawn, Rajiah patted his shoulder before slipping away to Arulean’s side. Dylan tossed him a small smile that faded as soon as Rajiah turned his back, and made his way over to Blake. He walked slowly, taking in the others surrounded him with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

It wasn’t strange to see Blake surrounded by people. Blake had a natural charisma that just drew people to him. He could get along with anyone, whether he actually liked them or not. Still, it was strange to see him surrounded by so many faces that were only vaguely familiar. True, the pack was gathered together today in a way they hadn’t done in a while, all mingling out on the lawn surrounding the castle and mixing in ways and with people they normally didn’t see.

Still, it was strange enough that Dylan felt something unfamiliar and cautious bubble in his gut. It was a nauseating feeling. One that left him feeling oddly weightless and his limbs numb with uncertainty. He seemed to be floating in a strange limbo as he tried to sort out the strange mystery. These were definitely people Dylan had never seen speaking to Blake. Not like this.

There were four of them: one woman and three men. All of them seemed younger than both Dylan and Blake, but not necessarily by much. They held glasses and beer bottles in their hands, but they seemed more like accessories than actually for drinking. Lily was nowhere in sight, but he could hear her laughter coming from the bounce house once more.

All four of the new shifters were staring at Blake with rapt attention as he told a story. Dylan couldn’t hear the details of it, but he could see Blake was in his storytelling mode: face expressive, eyes bright, hands moving with the tale, body shifting and moving as he spoke. They watched with bright eyes, which crinkled as they smiled, faces soft, bodies lean with slight curves showing beneath the folds of their shirts.

Then the wind shifted, just as he was nearing the small group, and their scent hit him hard enough to make him stumble: omega. Pure, unashamed, unmated omega.

Their scents were strong and sweet, designed to attract and allure, far more open than what was considered acceptable and far more prevalent than would be considered normal for a simple conversation. Suddenly, their rapt gazes clicked into place. Dylan watched as they laughed louder and longer than necessary, as they shifted their weight to show off their hips, as they tilted their heads to subtly bare their necks, as one of them reached out to run their fingers down Blake’s arm.

Dylan growled, low and dangerous from his throat as he hurried forward, a storm of fire, rage and possessiveness burning beneath his skin, making his movements stiff and jagged.

When he reached them, he had tamped it all down to a sugary, sweet smile. He slid into the circle beside Blake, pushing the omega away who had been bold enough to touch what was his. Without sparing them a glance, he let his arms slide around Blake’s waist, leaning into him and going up on his toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

Blake look startled, his words choking off and his body freezing as wide eyes found Dylan. But he recovered quickly, recognition and guilt flashing through his eyes before being replaced with an ease and happiness that seemed far too forced. But right now, Dylan would take that over nothing.

“Hey... babe,” Blake’s hesitation over the endearment was slight and subtle, but Dylan saw the cringe in his eyes. “Back so soon?”

“Just got back.” Blake hummed, arm wrapping automatically around Dylan’s shoulders, despite his hesitance. “What’ve you been up to?” he asked, aiming for casual. His gaze slid from Blake, sweeping over the crowd, pinning each and every omega with a hard stare, his own scent flaring with a strong warning. A few of them flinched, going so far as to take a step back.

If Blake noticed, he gave no indication. “I got Lily changed and cleaned up. She ran straight back to the bounce house. Then I got wrapped up with these guys. They wanted to know what it was like living with the witches.”

“It’s fascinating to hear how another kind lives.” One of them said, though their smile now looked strained.

“Blake was kind enough to tell us all about them.” Another said, and it sounded like an apology.

“He told us he hasn’t gotten his memory back.” Dylan’s eyes snapped to one of the omegas. He still stood tall, meeting Dylan’s gaze unflinchingly. There was a defiance there and a challenge. It had Dylan bristling. The omega looked him up and down, and while he didn’t scoff, it was clear in his expression. “How disheartening.” He didn’t sound like he meant it, the false worry was laid on far too thick. “It would be a shame if he never remembered you.”

Dylan’s eyes narrowed. “It wouldn’t matter.”

Blake’s arm tightened around Dylan’s shoulders. “We’re doing everything we can to help the process along.” While his smile was firmly in place and his voice was casual, perhaps even hopeful, Dylan could hear the strain in Blake’s voice and see the way his eyes took on a dull sheen.

The omega tilted his head, nostrils flaring as he scented the air. His smirk was small, devious, and far too smug as his eyes locked with Dylan’s. “So you say,” he said slowly, and Dylan had to bite back a growl. He knew what the omega was smelling. He was smelling exactly what Rajiah had told him: that his and Blake’s scents weren’t mingling as mate’s scents should do.

Blake, either oblivious to the tension between the omegas or firmly ignoring it, continued on with his story, telling them all about what it was like to live with the coven of witches. Dylan stayed plastered to Blake’s side, and thankfully, Blake seemed to sense his urgency to remain there and didn’t make a move to pull away. For that, Dylan was grateful. Blake might not remember how he felt about him, but he was still considerate enough to let Dylan have this.

Dylan listened with half an ear, eyes poised on the other omegas. Three of them had backed down, their scents becoming far more neutral and any interest in Blake’s story had become more polite and casual. The one, however, didn’t back down. His scent was still sugary and strong, eyelashes fluttering, neck bared. Blake only paid him polite attention, but Dylan still felt the wolf in him rise, hackles raised, as another omega clearly challenged his claim on his mate.

Had they not been at Remi’s birthday party, surrounded by the entirety of the pack, and if he hadn’t been pregnant, Dylan couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t have started a fight.

When his story was done, Blake kindly excused them both, and turned Dylan around, striding away from the group and guiding Dylan with a light but pressing hand on his back.

“Hey, you okay?” Blake asked, voice kept low and private.

“No,” Dylan grumbled, seeing no point in lying. His jaw was clenched, teeth grinding together. “I can’t believe they had the balls to...they thought they had the right to…”

“I know,” Blake said calmly, and the ease of it released some of the tension in him. He didn’t sound happy about it either, and that in itself was a relief. His hand slid up Dylan’s back, slow and steady, drifting along his spine until he reached his neck. There, his fingers dug in, firm but gentle, massaging the tension out of his neck and shoulders. “I know.”

Dylan hummed, eyes drifting closed as he leaned into the touch, letting his shoulders slump. “If I wasn’t pregnant, I would have fought him.”

“Do you always immediately jump to violence?” Blake asked, but while there was a curiosity there, it wasn’t judgmental or displeased. Rather, it was amused.

Dylan opened his eyes, glancing up to find Blake smiling at him, eyes twinkling. He found his lips quirking into a small, wry smile. “Only when they deserve it.”

Blake laughed, genuine and surprised, and the knot in Dylan’s stomach eased slightly. Blake’s fingers moved upward, digging into the longer strands of hair curling at Dylan’s nape. “I think I would have liked to see that. Do I usually enjoy it when you fight omegas for my honor?”

Dylan’s smile widened just a fraction, Blake’s smile making his chest flutter. His gaze swept out over the crowd as they slowly made their way across the lawn. “I don’t just fight omegas.”

“Your fists don’t discriminate. How progressive of you.”

Dylan shrugged, mouth feeling dry as his heart raced. Blake was teasing him. Laughing with him. All the rage and burning irritation that had been festering inside him was thrown out, eased by a cooling balm that left him far more stable and far more at ease than he’d been all day.

“Look, Dylan,” the graveness in Blake’s low voice made the cooling balm turn to ice. Dylan stiffened instinctively, but Blake’s fingers continued to work out the tension in his neck. “I know things are...awkward, right now, but...you don’t have to worry about me leaving. I may not have my memories, but I wouldn’t do that to Lily or our son.”

He reached out, and Dylan let him lay a large, warm, comforting hand on his stomach. Dylan laid a hand over Blake’s automatically, but there was a strange disconnect where they touched, like the warmth of Blake’s hand wouldn’t quite sink into his own flesh.

“They’re my flesh and blood,” Blake said softly, gently, solemnly. “I won’t abandon them.”

With his heartbeat in his ears and ice inching toward his heart, Dylan didn’t miss the fact that Blake said nothing about staying around for him.