Page 13 of Free Me

“It’s okay to be scared.” Liam put Linus’s hand down and walked over. He reached out and clasped Miko’s hand in such a paternal way that Miko nearly cried. “You’re already family for so many reasons. Come closer and see if there’s another reason we can add to the list.”

“Are you sure? I can’t imagine how stressed out you are right now. How scared.”

“I am stressed and scared, but do you know what gives me extra hope? That my son will wake up from this and have a bondmate to help him through what comes next. And even if he doesn’t, just you being here all this time, haunting the waiting room? I know he has an amazing, generous friend.”

“He does. I promise. Even if I’m wrong about the mating bond, I’m not going anywhere. I love Linus. Your family is my family.”

“I know. Come on.” Liam gently pulled him forward, and Miko didn’t fight him. He kept his gaze trained on Linus’s face, not the empty space on the bed where the rest of his leg should be. He despised the bruises and the tubes, and somehow, despite the heavy odors of disinfectant and what he’d come to thinkof as “that damned hospital,” he could scent Linus. That lovely sandalwood scent wrapped around his heart and gave it a warm hug, and Miko gasped.

“I know it’s hard seeing him like this,” Liam said, misunderstanding the gasp. “I just keep remembering his face the night they won. Smiling and cheerful and so full of life. Dreaming of his future.”

Miko saw a different Linus in his mind. He saw the sweet, starry-eyed alpha who’d come so close to kissing him. He saw the dedicated friend who’d immediately thought about his safety and comfort, rather than satisfying his own libido. He saw a man he could bond with, mate with, and have a family with. Cousins for his own nephew—or nephews, since Layne had been making offhand comments about having another baby with Peyton.

He and Linus were still so young, but he could see them far into the future, old and tired and surrounded by their own grandkids.

With his shaking free hand, Miko rested his palm on Linus’s wrist—and he knew.

Everything Omi had ever told him about how and when he’d recognize his bondmate—the alpha the goddess had created just for him, to complete him and be his other half, to cherish his body and sire his children—punched him right in the soul. He finally understood how, despite knowing Dad’s violent past, Omi had met Dad, touched Dad, and heknew.

“Hi,” Miko whispered, as though he and Linus had never actually met before. And in some ways, they hadn’t. Now that Miko had been through his first heat, his scent was stronger to his potential bondmate. His own nose was more able to scent his alpha. Miko had changed this weekend. They both had.

“I never imagined this for us,” he continued, alone in the room with his alpha. “Not even when we were young andcurious. Especially not after Layne and Peyton. But the goddess doesn’t make mistakes, right?”

Liam made an odd noise, and Miko remembered he was not, in fact, alone. “Miko?”

Miko squeezed Liam’s hand; he’d forgotten he was even holding it. “I feel it. The bond. I’m sure that’s what this is. His scent, his presence, it’s amplified in a way I can’t explain.”

“I’m glad to hear it. So glad.” Liam was all around him then, pulling Miko into a sideways hug that was more stifling than it was comforting. “Linus needs you now.”

“I need him too. And I’ll be here. As long as that’s what Linus wants.”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

Miko ducked out of Liam’s embrace, ignoring the hurt look on Liam’s face, and moved to the other side of Linus’s bed. He didn’t touch Linus again, his mind and body one giant riot of emotions: love, fear, excitement, confusion, and so many other things he couldn’t name. As much as he loved the idea that someone he already adored and considered family was his bondmate, he despised the timing.

“Because Linus’s focus needs to be on his recovery,” Miko said, voice shaking. “His leg is already one challenge, but we have no idea what to expect from the concussion. He can’t waste energy worrying about me or my needs, which I know is a hard thing for alphas to ignore when their bondmates are upset. All I have to do is look at my brother and Layne. Or my parents. I can’t be a distraction.”

“Miko, that is a very mature perspective, and I appreciate it. But do you love my son?”

“Of course, I do. I’ve known him my entire life. We grew up in each other’s houses. I love him and want what’s best, which might not be me right now.”

Liam studied him from across the bed, his expression flat, only the barest twitch under one eye. Miko had never been stared at so intently in his life but he didn’t squirm. He’d done what he’d come into this room to do, which was verify he felt the mating bond. He absolutely did. Now he had no idea what to do next.

“Miko, do you remember the story of Isa’s shooting?” Liam asked. “When Layne was an infant and his crazy sire kidnapped us?”

“Of course, I remember.” Isa Higgs had been shot by (they thought at the time) a distressed, suicidal omega, but it was later revealed he’d been shot by Hank Mancini, Layne’s biological sire, who’d been fighting Liam for custody. With Isa incapacitated, Mancini had broken into the Higgs house, drugged Demir, and waited for Liam to come home, so he could take Liam and Layne out of the province. Everything had turned out all right, and Mancini died a few days later. Everyone in their friends group knew that story.

“When Isa was shot and in the hospital, all he wanted around him was his family,” Liam continued. “He wanted his kids, and he wanted his mate. He needed to know we were close by and safe, because that’s what an alpha does. He protects the people he loves, just like his omega mate protects the peopleheloves. If Linus is anything like his sire, he’ll want the people he loves around him through this. Especially his bondmate.”

“What if you’re wrong? I don’t want him wasting time or energy he needs to recover by worrying about me.”

“You staying away won’t make him stop wondering. You were the last person he was with before the accident. He’ll want to see you’re okay with his own eyes.”

“I don’t have to get close enough for him to smell me.”

“Miko.” Liam glared at him, eyebrows furrowed, a strange mix of confused and furious. He licked his lips and startedspeaking, only to stop himself more than once, and Miko waited. “I think you need to leave now. You’ve had your ten minutes.”

Miko flinched but he didn’t argue. Liam didn’t understand. Hell, Miko didn’t really understand. He desperately wanted to protect Linus, to help him get through all the next steps, but he didn’t want to be a hindrance. “I’m sorry.”

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