Page 8 of Bonds of Fate

“Hmm?”

Even though Rowan hadn’t been hanging over the balcony railing, he had probably been hiding on the stairs himself when Jay had asked them to give Nix and Riordan room for the examination. Only Grayson had stormed into his room with Leo hot on his heels like they’d been asked. Suck-ups.

Giving the fingers a goodsuckand anibble, Luca releases the long fingers. Licking his lips, he dries the digits on his court-mandated (read: Gideon) t-shirt/dress to show gratitude for the comfort.

“Do you think Nix should see someone? He’s really hurting.”

Therapy had helped Luca cope with the shame and guilt he felt about the life he needed. His father had always been nasty about it, but Ruthie, his therapist, always maintained thatthatwas a Dad-issue and not a Luca-issue.

They still worked once a month to be sure Luca was listening to his heart and not his inner critic. In fact, Luca hasn’t heard fromthat jerkfacefor the entire week. Oh, he has been anxious, but he hasn’t made himself feel bad about it. He mentally pats himself on the head with agood job, Luca!

He’s been spending too much time worried about Nix to really let his own shit take center stage and maybe a bit too much time thinking about sexing his omegaup.Like every other person in the house, Luca is a teeny-tiny bit conflicted about the dichotomous feelings—concern and lust. Round and round.

Rowan groans and rubs a hand down his face, his discomfort at the seriousness of the topic of conversation making his tone frustrated. “Yeah, probably. He doesn’t sound like he would want to, though, right? You heard him. He just wants to forget about it and be happy. I kinda think that’s okay too—like, just move on?”

The young alpha sounds like he hopes that’s exactly what Nix will do. No one wants to think their loved one will continue to suffer.

“Ro. It doesn’t work like that at all. Trauma is like a minefield, or at least, it is in my case. You know how I get. I’m fine one minute, and thenboom,something reminds me or triggers my anxiety, and I’m dealing with the fallout.” Rowan squeezes his hand. “I’m lucky because I’ve been working through that stuff with Ruthie for a long time. Nix’s trauma is way different, and he’s still living it in a lot of ways.”

“How’d you get so smart, Luc?”

“I can’t just rely on this fine ass to make it through the world.”

“But youcouldbecause it sure is fine.” Rowan’s grin and dimples are irresistible.

It immediately makes Luca suspicious.

“What are you after? Your rut’s this weekend, right? What’s your plan?”

Every alpha has a rut plan, and they usually let their mates know in advance how they want it to progress or who they want to share it with. Rowan has only had three ruts so far and has spent the last two mostly with Leo, Gideon, and Jay.

“I can’t think about anything else but Nix. I know I can’t have him, that he isn’t ready; I mean, he doesn’t even know about being an omega, let alone alpha ruts. So, I can’t expect him to be with me and my wolf is already freaking the fuck out.”

“You should tell Jay and Gideon, for sure.” Secrets like this always end up biting someone in the ass, and not in a fun way.

“They’ve been stressed out, and Gideon is in the gym again. I feel like a shit for adding to the problem. Luc, what if I can’t control it? You saw Grayson at the hospital, what if I lose it?” The young alpha is uncharacteristically uncertain. It’s disconcerting, and Luca’s wolf is more nervous because of it.

“Even if Nix did know about being omega, he might not be ready, anyway. I can’t imagine–”

“What’s an omega or an alpha rut?” Nix is standing at the top of the stairs. “Sounds like something I should know, right?”

“Shit.”

“Shit.”

Neither of them had heard him coming up the stairs, and now they’d done exactly what Gideon had warned Luca against doing.Oops.

“Who’s the lucky soul who gets to enlighten me about this? I’m sure it can’t possibly be any worse than the whole ‘you’re a Were’ talk and ‘your ex tried to kill you’ talk.” He’s smiling, and Luca is sure he thinks it’s a joke, but it’s morbid and awful, and Luca doesn’t know if getting a‘you have a uterus now and can have babies’talk would be better.

“Jay! Finnie!” Luca holds out his hand to Nix, who flinches at the loud noise and nudges Rowan over so their omega can slide in between them, back against the balcony wall. “I think it’s a biology question. Maybe a history question? Not a ‘me’ question, that’s for damn sure—so far above my pay grade, I do not have security clearance. Houston, we have a problem.”

Luca knows this conversation isn’t going to be easy. Nix already expressed how the transition being non-consensual had affected his acceptance of the “good” news.

And it was good; he was alive and well physically, but the transition had changed more than just his senses. It had changed his gender, albeit his secondary one, and his instincts were going to reflect that change.

Rowan groans. “Luc. Stop.” He’s surely broadcasting his distress, and Nix looks green. He heaves a breath in, knowing his mocha scent has gone burnt with anxiety.

“Sorry.”

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