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Kodi was off and up the path before Derick and he took a second to take hold of all the emotions warring with each other. Pride. Respect. And so much love for the boy who had struggled to find his place in all the noise inside him.

“Come on,” Kodi called impatiently, unlocking the door.

“I’m coming, hold your horses!”

“They’re squirrels, as you well know, and they won’t hold on for anyone,” he cheeked back, stepping inside into his future home.

Explaining all this to his husband was a worry for another day, and Derick went after Kodi. Inside, his animal came to the fore, sniffing the air, using its other senses to pick up the energy of the place.

Our boy will be safe here.

Derick agreed, his gaze sweeping large, bright rooms full of warmth and a feeling of homeliness. It was perfect.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Alphaholes

Silas: This family meeting tonight, do I need to bring Ziggy with me? Your message wasn’t clear Dad.

Dad: Yes, it’s wise to. What we are discussing requires the whole family to be present because it could affect all of you. Rue, I’ve sent you a team call link that is secure to use. Ring when you’re home.

Taylin: I was going to ask the same about Hollis. I’m sensing I’m missing something. Something serious?

Booker: A brain?

Kodi: If only I had a brain.

Booker: If only I had a heart.

Silas: Why the fuck are you two reciting lines from the Wizard of Oz? Dad, what is going on?

Kodi smirked at his phone, recalling exactly why they were reciting the Wizard of Oz. Silas had been absolutely obsessed with the movie as a kid. His amusement didn’t last long when he didn’t have the same question as Silas. The family meeting was needed, after they’d discovered what Laken was hiding from them all. Laken had confessed to blackmail and the abuse he’d suffered as a teenager. The anger burned Kodi’s ass and was all he could think about, incensed at someone using Laken’s trauma to get money from him. He wanted to be there to make the assholes pay for hurting Laken, and he suspected that was what tonight was about.

In his anger, though, he’d forgotten about the plans he had made to go over to Lennon’s to make dinner for him. They were going to have to be postponed. Over the last few weeks, Kodi had done something he never thought himself capable of. He had set about having a relationship with someone, making himself vulnerable by taking the time to get to know Lennon properly and talk about himself. It was not a position he was comfortable with, despite being thirty-three. His previous behavior had been dictated by the one relationship he had over ten years earlier. Andrew’s rejection had cut deep, and Kari was the only one who knew how bad he’d been burned by Andrew’s attack on his ADD.

In Milan, it had been obvious that he was treating Lennon similarly to men he picked up for sex. Those types of non-relationships worked when that was all he wanted. It was a fucking shock to realize that wasn’t what he wanted with Lennon, after Jupiter’s non-conventional way of getting him on a date with the omega. When Lennon talked about his family, Kodi was embarrassed to admit how little he knew about the man he had worked with for years. Was it avoidance? Undeniably, when it meant he wasn’t getting emotionally attached to someone who had the power to hurt him. Yet Kodi hated how one-sided things were between them and recognized Lennon deserved more. What that more was, Kodi was still working out, despite buying a house that he easily envisioned Lennon inside with him—permanently.

He vowed to change, and part of that was taking a step back and starting the relationship over. When he’d suggested it, Lennon had gotten this dreamy look that created a warm sensation that lingered in his chest every time he relived that moment. He wasn’t going to admit to anyone how often that was because he was addicted to that feeling.

What it did was have him double his efforts when the urge to say ‘fuck it’ and jump Lennon’s bones happened. It was tough, he wouldn’t lie, when Lennon’s scent of late was so stimulating Kodi got hard when he was within two or three kilometres of him. His wolf was forever scenting the air when Lennon wasn’t close by. It was driving Kodi to distraction when he was vague about the reasons why.

It wasn’t easy not to rush things along when his brain was already at a finish line Kodi couldn’t see fully in the distance.

The gifts he’d bought with Dad made him feel like he had a severe case of stomach flu when those urges to race battled with the terror of rejection. It required a lot of energy to keep focussed, much like at work. He tried not to think about dating like that because it didn’t sit right with him and asking Lennon to spank him to focus on their dating wasn’t happening.

The ping of the group chat got a chuckle when he read Taylin’s response, quickly typing one back, only for Silas to get in first.

Taylin: Good catch Booker… oh yeah, I forget you loved to sit and watch it every Christmas, Silas. Will you be making it a Christmas tradition with Ziggy this year? I’m sure I could find you a pair of red sparkly shoes to wear.

Silas: Fuck off, dipshit. I haven’t watched it in years. And I forgot about the Christmas present you made me, motherfucker. This year will be payback.

Kodi: Whatever happened to those red shoes? I’m sure there’s a picture with you wearing them.

He was going to have to go into the closet where Popi kept all the old photo albums because he’d bet it was in there somewhere. Popi never got rid of their photographs despite how awful they may be. Laken, Kodi thought, could do with a laugh when Rue’s comment brought him back to earth with a thud.

Kodi eyed the comments with a sense of trepidation at what Dad meant. It wasn’t the place for this type of conversation. Kodi got a heavy feeling in his stomach as he shut the group chat and reached for the phone to call Lennon.

“Lennon Dane, how can I help you?” came the distracted voice.