His Reclaimed Omega (The Mountain Shifters Book 9) Page 19
“Please just promise me you’ll tell someone if it happens again,” Nathan pleaded. “Even if you don’t want to worry dad, Kent can look into it.”
Connor smiled. “That’s very sweet, but I’ve got a team of the best analysts in the Federation at my disposal. I don’t want you to worry, either.”
“Worry about what?” Kent asked, descending the stairs. The Alpha’s hair was still damp from his shower and Nathan groaned. Subtlety was not one of his mate’s many gifts.
Connor leaned in, sniffing Kent's hair. “Worry about you. You smell like my lavender sandalwood conditioner.”
“That purple goop in the shower caddy?” Kent asked, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry, I thought it was bodywash. No wonder it was hard to rinse off.”
Connor stared blankly at his son-in-law and for a second, Nathan thought he was going to have to turn himself into a human shield. The older omega’s face contorted into a stiff smile and he reached up to pat Kent’s head. “It’s fine. You’re in the circle,” he said in an overtly pleasant tone before turning to rejoin the gathering.
Kent blinked. “What’s the circle?”
“It’s the group of people he can’t kill because he loves them,” Nathan said, pursing his lips as he tried not to laugh at the way all the color drained from his mate’s face.
“Lucky me. You okay?” Kent asked, looking his mate over. “You seem stressed.”
Nathan quietly explained what had happened with the letter and Kent’s somber reaction made him even more worried. “I’ve pulled a lot of shit in my day, but that’s not a prank. More like harassment,” said Kent.
“That’s what I told him, but he was weirdly dismissive about it,” Nathan said, folding his arms. “I got the feeling this isn’t the first time, either. He didn’t seem that surprised, just...angry.”
“Does Duke know?”
Nathan shook his head. “I’m worried about both of them.”
Kent leaned in to kiss him, and while Nathan’s heart was still heavy for his parents, the Alpha’s touch always reminded him that whatever burden he was carrying, it wasn’t one he had to bear alone. “Whatever’s going on, they’ve got each other and they’ve got us,” he said, taking Nathan’s hand in his. “If there’s trouble, we’ll take care of it.”
Nathan smiled. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Always know just what to say to make me feel safe.”
“You are safe, Nathan. You’ve given me everything I ever wanted, and there’s nothing I want more than to make sure of that. Come on,” he said, guiding Nathan back to the kitchen where Tanner was slicing the cake Toval had prepared for the occasion. Nathan wasn’t sure exactly what the occasion was, but the older beta didn’t need much of an excuse to whip up a gourmet dessert.
Nathan watched as Hassan whispered something in Toval’s ear that made the beta’s tanned cheeks turn a deep shade of red. The other couples seemed to be just as relaxed, and even Duke and Connor were laughing at some joke Tanner had just told. Nathan sat in Kent’s lap and began to relax as well, deciding to just enjoy the night surrounded by the people he adored. His family had been through things that might have torn any other group apart, but they were all closer for it. The pain of the past seemed like a distant echo with the sounds of children’s laughter, lively conversation and playful banter to drown it out.
Growing up, Nathan had known he was lucky, but it wasn’t until he’d found Kent and started his own family that he realized just how fortunate he was. In Kent’s arms, Nathan felt the union not only of their shared destiny but of their families as well. Whether they were in Silver Lake or Mountain Ridge, it didn’t matter. Nathan had been raised in the very same world of love he and Kent would get to raise Kaitlyn in, and the only thing about that love that had changed over the years was its magnitude. Whatever challenges the future held, Nathan knew his family's love would protect her just as it had protected him.
One day, she would have to decide who she was just as he had. She would have to decide between Silver Lake and Mountain Ridge or choose something else entirely, and while that prospect filled Nathan with apprehension nearly two decades ahead of schedule, it also filled him with hope. When the time came, he would step back and let her choose who she wanted to be, because that knowledge was a gift her very existence had already given him.
He was Nathan Miller, son of a reformed evil genius and a hellhound. He was the mate of the very best Alpha he had ever known and a father to the most adorable little girl in the world--a fact that Kent himself would proudly announce to anyone he met using the photo of his new family that he kept in his wallet as proof. He was also a researcher, an omega, a friend, a cousin and all of the other facets of his identity that had once seemed at odds with each other but now aligned in perfect harmony. He was a Silver Lake wolf with Mountain Ridge blood running through his veins, and his life was nothing like he’d thought it would turn out to be.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
The End. (The Mountain Shifters Book 10 is coming August, 2017!)
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About the Author
L.C. Davis is an author of LGBT+ fiction with a passion for representation. His series include Queer Magick, Pendulum, and The Mountain Shifters. He is always happy to connect with readers on Goodreads. Sign up for the L.C. Davis MM Romance Mailing list to get updates on new releases!
Website: LCDavisBooks.com
Twitter: @LCDavisBooks
Email: Author@LCDavisBooks.com
The Kingdom of Night Series
Pendulum
Liminality
Equilibrium
Priest
The Mountain Shifters Series
His Unclaimed Omega
His Reluctant Omega
His Unexpected Omega
His Runaway Omega
His Second Chance Omega
Their Omega
His Reformed Omega
His Verum Omega
The Queer Magick Series
Queer Magick
Fairy Tales
(Vol. 3 coming August, 2017!)
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