Page 43 of Threads of Fate

Leo lets their love wash over him, even as his pack alpha tests his patience. Jay, ever the shameless tease, has his camera out, snapping photos and probably filming the whole thing.

“Jay. Fuck off.”

“Awwww, my Leo is so cute. Look at his cheeks,” Jay counters with a saccharine smile, making Leo blush harder.

They settle down, and Luca climbs into bed with Nix, curling close with his nose pressed to the omega’s scent gland and his hand resting lightly on Nix’s chest. Leo watches as the beta tries to pull the covers up and over both their heads in an effort to “hotbox” them in with Nix’s intoxicating scent.

Gideon catches him just in time with a gentle coaxing, “Hey, honey, let’s not do that, okay? Come with me. I think Rowan needs some kisses.” But Luca is already a blissed-out, scent-drunk noodle.

Gideon’s firm but gentle words are barely enough to lure Luca away, and even then, the beta slurs, “Nooo. Nix needs me. Smells so good.” His mocha scent turns richer and sweeter as he melts into Gideon’s arms, limp but cute as fuck.

Rowan produces a juice box out of nowhere and holds out his arms for the hand-off. “Hey, Luc. Let’s go sit in the other room and wait for the others. I have juice!”

“But does Ro have kisses?” Luca’s head lolls back over Rowan’s arm, making kissy lips and smacking noises. Leo laughs at Rowan’s scrunched-up face. That boy will play hard to get, all the while fucking you hard up against the wall. Gotta love the duality for keeping it interesting. And Leo does love it.

Their pack leader is reluctant to leave the room and Leo can spot prevarication in his alpha from ten paces. He empathizes because he wouldn’t want to air out his mistakes for his pack’s disapproval, especially when health decisions are always shared openly. It’s the one area where personal privacy is non-existent.

He’s dawdling under the pretext of talking to the new ICU nurse, Kyle. Hannah and Yasmine must have given him the down low on the whole Rhodes pack shenanigans, but he hardly breaks a sweat with the level of celebrity and the two enigmas in the room. As far as he’s concerned, Nix is a newly-transitioned beta with an endocrine disorder.

But Leo is fucking done with today; he’s tired and wants his bed, preferably with one or more of his mates in it. Naked, if he can swing it. Rowan’s going to stay with Grayson for a bit as he’d slept at home. Their youngest doesn’t mind a lonely bed some days; says his wolf is introverted. So maybe, if he’s lucky, Leo can have that bath he’s been craving and soothe his sore ass. But before he can do any of that, they have to get their leader to talk and hopefully figure out when they’re going to let Nix wake up.

A shiver of excitement zings down his spine. Leo can hardly wait to meet him. It feels like forever that they’ve waited andeven though Leo knows he’s going to have a long recovery and a huge Were-shaped learning curve, he’s looking forward to sharing that. That’s pack life, and Leo loves it. Like Jay always says: they’re in it for better or worse.

Losing patience, Leo moves to stand by Jay’s shoulder and crosses his arms. Kyle might not see him, but Jay’s ears are red—a sure sign that he knows Leo is waiting and will not be deterred.

“Excuse us, Kyle. Family business to attend to. Please let us know when Nix will be moved out of the ICU. Thank you, bye!”

Jay lets himself be dragged by the arm, out the door and into the waiting room. All their belongings are packed up and someone (Finn: “Why are all of you slobs!”) has cleaned up. Luca is buried under some nesting materials on the couch, Rowan’s right hand tucked in the pile, doing Goddess knows what. All eyes turn to them as they enter when Leo shuts the door and leans on it just in case Jay has any plans to run.

Finn looks pissed off in a way Leo has not seen in a while. The normally steady doctor has the patience of a saint, but his scent is angry, like the black currants have all gone bad, and it makes both enigmas wince. “Alright, let me see them.” He holds out his hand for the blister pack again. “This is a high dose. The side effects are incredibly serious. Why would you take these?”

The doctor is upset, and he’s escalating the tension in the room to near-unbearable levels. Luca is hiding his face in the blankets, and Rowan has a snarl forming, ready to react to the unseen threat, while Gideon stands, fists clenched, eyes narrowed with anger. The whole room is a powder keg, so Leo does what Leo does best: he diffuses.

“Finn, calm down. Your tone is about to blow this room sky-high. Get your scent under control. We get that you’re upset—you’ll get your chance to explain. But let Jay tell us his side first. Sit.” Finn growls, but Gideon backs Leo up and motions the doctor over to Rowan’s other side with his chin.

They all look to their pack leader, who runs both hands through his greasy brown hair. The long waves stick out in all directions; it’s obviously not the first time he’s done it today.

“Riordan gave them to me.”

Finn gasps. But Jay holds up his hand to stop his impending tirade about the betrayal. “I asked him to help me, Finn. Fuck. This is hard. Look, after I bit Nix for the transition, I…fuck…”

Gideon takes pity on him, cutting to the chase and saying the words Jay has a hard time saying. “You lost your shit, tried to mount his unconscious, unconsenting body in the ICU in front of the nurse and all the Goddess’s creatures?”

“What?! No! I would never. I could never!” Jay is horrified. Because he wouldn’t. That he’s worried hecouldis what makes Jay the best of men. “Why would you say that?!”

“We know you wouldn’t. So whatever you’re afraid of can’t be all that bad. Just tell us.” Luca smiles his tiniest, heart-shaped smile in encouragement.

“I wanted to mate him…like not sexually, although, I mean notjust…uh, fuck. What I mean is, I’m sure Rowan’s and Grayson’s reactions would pale in comparison to mine if I hadn’t been on the suppressants already.”

He glances around, guilt etched on his face. “But, my wolf kept reminding me he wasn’t ours yet and that anyone could take him away from me. I think it’s because I let him get away once before, right? It’s stupid. I’m the one who lefthim,and he’s now in a coma.”

Jay exhales sharply, his hands clenching into fists. “I ended up with a mouthful of fangs all day, off and on. It was making me crazy. So I asked, and Dan helped.”

Finn sighs deeply, his frustration evident. “I get it, Jay. I’ve felt some of those urges myself this week—especially that first night we met him. But these pills? They’re not just strong; they’re extreme.” He holds up the blister pack for emphasis.

“These go way beyond suppressing bonding urges. We’re talking about shutting down your appetite, causing insomnia, and killing your sex drive completely. It’s not just overkill—it’s dangerous.”

“Well, that explains why he’s not been beating down Grayson’s door or beating anything else, either,” Rowan jokes.

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