Page 99 of Shifter Omegaverse AU

Ruben pulled out of their ma’s grasp and shooed their mom aside so he could thread his arm around Ray’s back.

“Oh, that’s nice. Did you meet Rowan through Ray then?” Mom asked.

“No,” Raina said. “You met them at the movies a while back when Ruben was over an hour late, right?”

“And it’s a good thing I was, wasn’t it? It’s thanks to me that they met,” Ruben said.

“So…Rowan met Milo, and then…?” Mom said, her eyes narrowing as she looked between her sons.

All Rowan had said in the group chat was that he was bringing someone along for the weekend. Maybe he really should have just said it over text.

“And then Ray and Milo and me and Ruben all happened to be at a club at the same time, and that’s where I met Ray,” Ruben said.

Raina let out a sharp laugh. “So, in other words, it’s all thanks to Ruben being late that he eventually met his fated mate.”

“Maker of your own destiny, as always,” Ma said, stepping around Ruben and Ray to put an arm around Mom.

Everyone shifted to make room, and Riley had to step right up next to Rowan to remain in the circle. His hawk flapped his wings, a few stray feathers falling out as the back of Rowan’s head prickled.

“Either that, or a victim of fate,” Riley said, and Ruben glared at her.

“I would say I am a proud recipient of fate’s attention. It’s not just you anymore, sis,” Ruben said, going so far as to stick his tongue out at Raina.

“Yeah, yeah, but what are you going to do with that attention, hm?”

Ruben’s eyes flicked to Rowan. This was clearly the perfect opportunity for Rowan to step in…so why did his tongue feel glued to the top of his mouth?

There was an awkward beat as Ruben said nothing, and Rowan said nothing.

Finally, Ray was the one to break it. “We’re hoping to mate later this week.”

A flurry of excitement spread around the circle, and even Riley looked excited for them.

Rowan’s hawk was just below the surface, threatening to come out if he didn’t do something soon.

“Are you planning on having a large mating ceremony? Do you have a big family, Ray? Hawk culture doesn’t dictate when the ceremony should be, only that there must be lots of dancing,” Mom said, the same dreamy look on her face that she always got anytime she mentioned her or any of her children’s mating ceremonies.

Raina’s had been admittedly quite beautiful, but planning it had seemed incredibly stressful. Rowan hadn’t even broached the subject with Milo yet. He had no idea if Ray and Ruben had talked about it or not.

Ray looked desperately at Ruben, then at Milo, so Rowan figured they probably hadn’t.

“There will be lots of time to discuss the details later,” Ruben said, tightening his arm around Ray. “But before we get into all that, maybe you should ask Rowan more about Milo. Like, for example, why are they here today?”

All eyes turned to them. Or more specifically, they turned to Milo. They immediately shrank back, but they’d been standing with one foot on top of the other, so the movement caused them to stumble.

Rowan’s hawk shrieked, and the skin of his forearms tingled as feathers threatened to sprout on his arms. He jerked back, pulling out of the circle so he didn’t risk running into Riley. Milo managed to catch themself, several inches from where Rowan had been standing, and they turned big, shimmering silver eyes on him.

His hawk’s mournful cry was the final straw.

“I’m…going to grab more lemonade…for everyone,” Rowan choked out, making a break for the house.

Even with the tornado starting up in his head, Rowan could hear the soft footfalls behind him. He assumed it was Milo, and he had an apology ready on his tongue when he reached the kitchen, only to turn around and find Ruben standing there.

“Rub—”

“What are you doing?” Ruben asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring up at Rowan.

For most of their childhood, Ruben had been taller than Rowan. He’d hit his growth spurt early, and Rowan didn’t get his until the middle of high school. Maybe that was why he’d always felt like he was falling behind, chasing after Ruben’s tall back like when they used to run through the forest together as kids.