Page 36 of Christopher

“As I said, we’re a family,” Gal said. “We want the pride members to feel at home here because itistheir home. That means inviting people over and having friends outside the pride.”

“I don’t know how much you know about the pride before Gal became alpha,” Liam interjected. “But the old alpha was an asshole. We were forbidden from leaving the house. It became worse over the years until eventually even those who had jobs outside the pride were forbidden from leaving the property. They lost everything, and for a while, I was convinced that the pride would disappear. With no money, it would have been impossible for us to continue surviving. Luckily, Gal stepped in.” He shook his head. “All of this is to tell you that I understand. Overbearing alphas are never a good thing, so it makes sense that you were wary of us and the pride.”

Drake could hardly believe it. It sounded like Liam truly understood where he was coming from, which seemed too good to be true. He half expected Liam and Gal to start laughing and tell him they were kidding, but it never happened.

“Well, no one is forced to do anything in our pride,” Gal said. “Of course, we require that you have a job and that you contribute if you live in the house, but that’s about it. The happiness of our pride members is what matters the most.” He paused. “Do you think you could be happy here?” he asked Drake.

* * * *

That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? Could Drake be happy with the pride?

Chris hoped he could. He didn’t want to leave his family, but he would if that was what Drake wanted and needed. Chris would never force him to stay in a place where he didn’t feel at ease, but he didn’t want to lose the pride like he’d lost the pack.

He’d already lost too much, from his mother to the place he’d called home for his entire life, and he wasn’t sure he’d survive anything else.

Drake was still cuddled against Chris’s side, and it felt like he was trying to burrow even deeper. The only way to do that would be for Drake to climb into Chris’s lap, but Chris doubted he’d do it. He knew Drake wanted to make a good impression on Gal and Liam. He’d been panicking at the thought of them thinking badly of him, but everything had gone well. It was clear that, as far as Gal and Liam were concerned, Drake was already a pride member.

The decision was in Drake’s hands.

“I think I could be,” Drake said eventually. “It’s weird and exciting and a bit scary, but yeah. Maybe it’s time for me to stop being afraid of what being a pride member will mean.”

“If it helps, I won’t ever order you to marry anyone,” Gal offered. “I wouldn’t do that even if I didn’t know you’ve met your mate. People should be free to choose who they want to be with and who to love. I also don’t force pride members to become parents if that’s not what they want. I don’t care if the pride vanishes in ten or twenty years. Some shifter groups do, and it’s the most natural thing in the world. People move, fall in love with people who belong to other prides, and that’s that.”

Chris looked down at Drake. They hadn’t mentioned kids, and he didn’t think they were ready to talk about it, let alone havethem. They weren’t ready for a lot of things, but that was okay. They would be eventually.

“So are you our newest pride member?” Gal asked with a smile.

The answering smile Drake gave him took Chris’s breath away. He’d always found Drake attractive, but over the past few weeks, Drake had relaxed and looked more comfortable in his own skin, which made him even more beautiful. Now that he’d talked to Gal, he was behaving more naturally, which was all Chris wanted. He needed Drake to be comfortable here and to feel like this place could become his home.

Drake straightened, which unfortunately pushed him slightly away from Chris. “I believe I am,” he confirmed. “If that’s all right with you, I’ll be staying at my apartment for a bit longer.”

“We have pride members who live in town, so that’s not a problem. You’ll learn soon that, as a pride, we’re pretty open and free. As long as they warn me, I don’t have anything against pride members living in town or even a bit further away. I don’t care who they marry or bond with. I don’t care what job they do, but I’m always ready to help them. If you ever need anything, you just have to say the word, and Liam and I will do whatever we can to help you.”

“Thank you,” Drake breathed out. “It’s hard to believe that I can really have this and that it’s real, so thank you.”

“You probably shouldn’t thank us just yet,” Liam warned. “You haven’t met the rest of the pride. You might change your mind and run away screaming.”

“I doubt I will.”

Chris didn’t think Drake would, either. Chris had heard about some pride members not being nice people, but that wouldn’t stop Drake from being happy here. Most pride members were welcoming and warm, if a bit wary, but that would change.Eventually, both Chris and Drake would feel like they belonged, and when they did, they’d be part of the family.

Chris hadn’t been left behind the way he’d feared he was. When Kyle had met Dennis and Jennifer had become such good friends with Annabelle, he’d felt like his family was abandoning him. It hadn’t gotten easier after he’d found out that his grandfather was dating a tiger shifter.

But hehadn’tbeen abandoned. They’d always be in his life, but they also needed to dedicate time to being happy. Chris could do the same now. It wouldn’t be easy, and he and Drake would have to work hard to find their footing and make their relationship work, but that was fine with Chris. It would give him something to focus on, and the reward would be a happy future, so what more could he want?

Gal leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on one of Drake’s hands. “Welcome to the pride, Drake.”

Drake’s smile was blinding. It made Chris want to bundle him up and drag him to his room, but instead, he let go of his mate so Drake could lean forward and pull Gal into a hug. Gal made a squeaking sound and laughed, hugging Drake back.

“Sorry about that,” Drake quickly said as he moved away.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to be afraid of me or of what will happen if you do something without asking me first. Remember that this is a family more than a pride.”

“I’ll try,” he promised.

Chris made a mental note to remind him every day that he was part of this family and that Gal wanted him there. Considering what he knew of Drake, he had no doubt that it would take him time to settle and actually believe that the pride was his home. It would be Chris’s job to remind him of that in the meantime, and he was ready to do it. He only ever wanted his mate to be happy, and Drake would be happy if he felt welcome within the pride.

They didn’t stay long in Gal’s office after that. It was clear that Drake was overwhelmed and a bit weepy, and after smiling gently at him, Liam all but kicked them out. He winked at Chris, hugged Drake, and stepped back. “I’m sure Chris wants to show you his room.”

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