Page 30 of Free Me

“I went with Omi the day he got the genetic test results from Peyton’s doctor. Omi had been on pins and needles the entire day before and morning of, and I did my best to keep him calm. But when the doctor told us Peyton was positive for Donal Syndrome…Omi’s heart broke wide open. I saw true grief and terror that day, and I had no idea what to do to help him.”

Of course, it’s about Peyton. The drama’s always about him.

Miko shut down the unkind thoughts and focused on his parents.

“You stayed by my side,” Omi said. “You called my friends for reinforcements, kept Peyton distracted, and you stayed. You were there when we spoke to Tarek and Isa more about the Hamilton family, and their history with my parents. You slept on my bedroom floor that night.”

“I didn’t know that.” Miko looked back and forth between his parents, not surprised by the love-struck, knowing smiles they were sharing. Miko had been told the basics of Omi’s history with the Hamiltons, a wealthy family who’d once tried to buy Omi as a young, unmated omega. But they hadn’t shared all the details, and he imagined those had been very dark days for his parents and two-year-old Peyton.

“Mikel was amazing that week. Even though most of my friends didn’t trust him yet, he kept me together when I wanted to lay down and break apart. Beyond the mating bond, he showed me his heart then, and I knew I could fall in love with him. And I did. And we made you.”

“Well, not right away,” Dad added with a grin. “Actually, Morgyn was born the week after I slept on your floor.”

“I remember this story,” Miko said, glad to be talking about something besides his own current love-life crisis. “You guys were all at Uncle Jaysan’s house following Senior Hamilton’s arraignment, and Uncle Jaysan went into labor that night with Morgyn.”

“Gosh, I remember that whole night so clearly,” Omi said with laughter in his voice. “Branson wouldn’t stop repeating cuss words. Ronin drove Jaysan, Morris and me to the hospital, and we left poor Mikel behind to help watch the kids.”

Dad glanced at the corner bookcase where dozens of candid photos filled dozens of picture frames, all taken over the years, before and after Miko was born. “I think I handled myself pretty well when faced with a pack of eight toddlers in various stages of being potty-trained, as well as Isa Higgs.”

“Isa was being potty-trained, too?” Miko asked, unable to resist the joke.

Omi choked on his laughter.

“Very cute,” Dad said. “Back then, I was extremely intimidated by the alpha mates of Omi’s friends, especially Tarek and Isa, because they were constables and they knew my personal history.”

And his criminal history. Miko had been thirteen when his parents told him those details, and he’d adored them both for their honesty. His sire had done a horrible thing once upon a time, but he’d also survived torture Miko could never hope to understand at the hands of Miko’s long-dead grandsire. His past and his survival made Mikel Tovey one of Miko’s own personal heroes.

“I completely get the intimidated part,” Miko said. “Emory is my best friend, but I’m still a little intimidated by Eriq. He was a patrolman and constable for years before he was Emory’s mate.”

“But you’re completely comfortable being around Eriq now?”

“Of course, I’m comfortable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an alpha turn completely to mush the way Eriq does around the triplets, and I’ve seen a lot of my older friends become parents. But Isa doesn’t intimidate you anymore, right?”

Dad shrugged. “Sometimes he still does. He’s twice my age, had two mates, has five amazing children, two grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and he had a forty-year career in the Constabulary.”

“Hey, you’ve got a mate, two great kids, a terrific grandkid, and you own a successful business. And you’re a pretty awesome sire.”

“You’re biased.”

“Yes, he is,” Omi said, “and so am I. We’re also supposed to be biased. And we’re here to lean on each other during the worst times of our lives, like right now.” He tugged on Miko’s knee until Miko angled to face his omegin more fully. Omi held both his hands in his lap; Miko anticipated the speech, one he’d heard more than once since the day he learned his big brother had a deadly illness, and again during and after Peyton’s coma. “Things are going to be hard. Maybe for a long time. Linus will always be part of our family, but you need to be sure about the bond and what you want for your future.”

Anger sparked behind Miko’s breastbone. He knew his heart and mind, damn it. Miko yanked his hands away from Omi. “I know what I feel when I’m with Linus. And I will not abandon him now, not when he needs me the most.”

“I am not implying you will or suggesting you should, Miko. I understand what it means to feel the mating bond. I pursued Mikel when he wanted to give me the freedom to find a better alpha, someone without his baggage. But the bond didn’t lie, and while we have had our struggles like all couples do, we’ve also built an incredible life. You feel the bond and if Linus feels it too,and he accepts it, you two can also build an incredible life. But it will be hard, because you’re starting in an uphill battle against a torrential downpour, and I hate this for you.”

Miko flinched away from those words, but it wasn’t enough, so he stood and took several long steps away from the couch, his fingers twitching with anger. “You hate that Linus is my bondmate?”

“No, baby, not at all. I love Linus. I love Linus and Layne, Aeron and Morgyn and Jenson, Karson and Jaxson and Tynan like they were my own kids.” Omi’s eyes glistened. “What I hate is that you didn’t get to come home last weekend and spend your heat in safety. I hate that Linus was hurt so badly and that he’s in so much pain. I hate that you two didn’t get a chance to explore feeling the bond after your first heat without this huge, life-changing thing happening to you both.”

Omi stood but didn’t approach. “When you were born and Dr. Troi told me you were omega, I swore to you then and there that I would do everything in my power to protect you. To keep you safe and not let you go through the same torment I did between my first heat and finally meeting Mikel. I never wanted you to struggle. And you were always such a well-adjusted kid. You were happy and healthy and doing well at university, and I never had to worry about you. Not until now.”

“You never worried about me because you were always too fucking busy worrying about Peyton!”

The room went perfectly silent, and even in the gloom, Miko saw the shift in Omi’s expression—from shocked to pained—and he couldn’t look away. Not even when Dad stood, creating a triangle between them. Miko was a little stunned himself, having never spoken this truth out loud. Fatigue, stress, and confusion had destroyed his brain-to-mouth censor and the words had tumbled out.

“Of course, we worried about you,” Omi said. “You’re our son, we’ll always worry.”

“But I’m not the sick son. I’m not the one you coddled during every head cold, rushed to Emergency for every nose bleed, or celebrated every tiny achievement, like I’d just discovered the cure for cancer. That was Peyton.”

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