“You want to try it out for me?” Bastian asked Lawson kindly.
Lawson looked up at Bas with a shy smile. “Really?”
Bastian waved him forward. “Go ahead.”
Dropping down to his knees, Lawson barked and raced toward the cat bed in the corner.
Bryce and Nate began to cheer him on, laughing and shouting before joining in on the fun. Nate even pulled off his clothes and quickly shifted into his bobcat form.
Well, at least there would be hair on the items and they wouldn’t look so pristine.
As the three boys got lost in their playtime, Bastian walked toward the kitchen island. He appreciated the open concept of this cabin. From the door he could see the living area, kitchen, and small dining space. There was a short hall that led to the bedroom and attached bath as well as the spare room Bas had set up as an office.
From his understanding, the cabins had been built with several models in mind. Some had more rooms, or a designated kitchen area. This one fit Bastian the best.
Peering over the dark gray marble countertops, Bastian couldn’t help but wonder what Hudson would think about his place. Not that it was actually his house, although Axel and Shawn had assured him he was welcome to claim it as his own. Bas still felt like his life was up in the air. He’d found his mate, but now what?
Hudson had a life of his own too. A job that he seemed to enjoy, family he was close to, and dreams that Bas knew nothing about. With his mate being a human, Bastian was at a loss how to even start bringing Hudson into his world.
The boys’ loud giggles from the living room drew his attention.
Two humans and a shifter. Bryce and Lawson both seemed to love the new world that they’d been introduced to by their mates. There were other humans in the family as well.
Bastian barely heard the knock on the door over the ruckus of the boys. He hurried over to answer. There was at least thirty minutes until Hudson was expected. Was his mate early? Bas didn’t have time to worry.
Opening the door, he was relieved and disappointed that it wasn’t Hudson. He grinned at Axel and Leo. “Hey.”
“I came to collect the troublemakers,” Axel said. “If we don’t find somewhere else for them to be, your poor mate is going to adopted by them and maybe stolen away.”
Bas waved both men in.
Axel sighed. “It’s almost dinnertime. I’m never going to get them to calm down now.”
“Daddy!” Bryce exclaimed. “We had to try out Bas’s new cat stuff.”
“Did you?” Axel sauntered across the room to lift Bryce into his arms.
Bryce giggled as he clung to Axel’s neck.
The alpha mate might be different than any other leader’s partner Bas had even seen, the Daddy and little dynamic was special and unique, and not something that Bas had personal experience with. Still, Axel and Bryce probably had the best relationship that Bas had the pleasure of seeing. He’d met manyparanormal leaders and their partners in his work. Some of the time Bastian had been tasked with saving the partner from the leader. Other times he’d had to witness the loss of a partner and see the paranormal fall apart. Those had always stayed with him. Even if they hadn’t been fated mates.
Even at those times he hadn’t come across such a unique and diverse group as the family here. The more time that Bas spent with them, the easier it was to see that they were a true family. Blood didn’t matter. Status wasn’t important. Power was combined, not stolen or abused.
By staying, Bastian could use his years of training and knowledge of the paranormal world to help keep this family safe. Leo was already in as he wouldn’t leave Gavin. Aaron was pretty much the same. Aaron was already fitting in and Bas was happy for his friend. Aaron had always wanted to have family. While Leo had been looking for Gavin for all those years, Aaron had mourned not having that little bit of hope.
Bastian was different than his friends. He didn’t think about the past often. What happened had happened. The future had never been something that Bas cared about since all he could see was the long years of working for the council ahead of him.
Even after Bastian finally got himself away from the council, he hadn’t had any real plan. The time he’d spent on the road hadn’t given him any clarity to what he was supposed to do with his long existence.
Having a mate changed everything for him.
Bastian wanted to be the best mate in the world and offer Hudson every bit of happiness that he deserved.
Watching Axel with not only his mate but the other two boys made Bastian’s heart ache. He was a part of the family if he wanted to be.
With Bryce on his hip, Nate slung over a shoulder, and Lawson the other, Axel was the embodiment of what a good leader should be.
Bas wasn’t an alpha, had never wanted to be an alpha, but he could see himself following Axel’s lead.
