“Do you think he’ll buy it?” Jax asks me.
“Maybe. Part of it is that he didn’t have experiences like we did when we were his age. He didn’t get to throw down whenever he felt like it. He missed out on a lot of fun.”
Mike puts his phone away. “Here’s the thing,” he says. “I think that pup is cute, and I don’t think I could fuck him right now. No offense, Todd.”
“None taken,” I say, resigned.
This would be amusing if Mal’s mental health weren’t on the line.
“Want me to tell him?” Mike asks me. “I mean, Pavin and I are the ones who started the pack.”
“Can’t hurt. I just hate seeing him upset.”
We return to the house. My heart breaks that Mal’s still crying.
Pavin slides out of the way so I can take his place and stroke Mal’s hair. “We have an answer, baby,” I tell him.
“Yeah?”
Mike crouches next to the couch. “Two full moons from now is a Saturday. We’ll hold your initiation ceremony and pack run. How’s that sound?”
“Really? What about the omegas and…everyone?”
“If you don’t end up fucked by anyone else before then, you can get your freak on that night. Here’s why you already smell like pack: Todd claimed you, and of anyone in this pack, he and Jax and Shawn probably smell most alike because of their frequent playtimes together and their participation in initiation. And you played with Jax and Shawn, yeah?”
Mal nods. “But it wasn’t like what Jax said would happen for initiation.”
Mike shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. The mechanics are all that matters. If you weren’t mated to Todd, I’d agree with you. Part of the reason why we set up initiation that way is to make sure someone’s ego was a good fit. That’s not an issue for you. And we already alter things for claimed mates, or people who are born into one of the affiliated packs, or pregnant people.”
Mike ticks points off on his fingers. “You were mated and claimed by Todd, with a mate bond. You caught with his baby. You’ve taken loads from Jax and Shawn. You smell like pack already.”
He drops his hand. “Initiations don’t have to follow exact specifications. I should know—I made the friggin’ rules.” He smiles, but Mal still isn’t smiling. “Is the issue that you wanted to play around with the guys, or is the issue that you feel rejected?”
Mal sniffles, then starts crying again, and I think that effectively answers the question.
“Okay, kid,” Mike gently says, rubbing Mal’s shoulder. “You are not rejected. I started this pack, and I say you’re pack. What’s going on with you right now is hormones from giving birth, and that’s all. They are not rejecting you. It’s like the reverse of a mate bond—they’re instinctively respecting your new-parent status, and it’s temporary. Yes, the timing is inconvenient, and I’m sorry. But now you have a firm date for your initiation. Does that help?”
Mal finally nods. “Thank you.”
He’s asleep an hour later when I carry him out to the truck and drive him home. He’s so wiped out he doesn’t wake up when we arrive. Alizée’s curled up watching TV on the couch when I carry him inside. She scowls, immediately walking over.
I motion for her not to wake him and I carry him to bed. Then I close the door behind me and return to the living room.
“What the fuck did you do or let happen to him?” she hisses, sparks swirling around her.
I hold up a hand. “Please, let me tell the story.”
By the time I do, she’s calm again and looks almost as forlorn as Mal did. “Poor kid. Want me to talk to him in the morning?”
“It can’t hurt.”
“Mike’s right—I’ve seen this happen plenty of times before. Worse, I’ve seen it happen in polycules where only two of the people have actual mate bonds. Despite the others loving the omega, after having a baby, there’s absolutely zero physical desire for the omega by the others at first, except the one with the mate bond. Even if one of the others was the father of the baby.”
“Wow. That sucks.”
“Yeah, it does. I mean, they still love their omega partner, and their physical desire for the omega returns as the baby gets older, usually when it stops nursing. It’s biology.”
“I wish I’d had you there tonight. He’ll listen to you.”
