“I should get my coat and boots,” Rowan said.
“I’ll be here,” Mikhail replied. “I mean I’ll be waiting here… for you.”
Rowan couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his face. There was something about a guy like Mikhail—with his tattoos and the fact that he was clearly a confident man—looking all flustered.
When he stepped out of the reception room, it was to find Malachi and Alfie standing there.
“Don’t you two have anything better to do than to stand out here eavesdropping?” Rowan shook his head at his brother and Malachi. “You really need to, you know, get a life.”
Alfie snorted. “We have two kids and we can’t have sex yet. I think we’ll keep minding your guys’ business.”
Malachi pulled Alfie into him and nuzzled his neck. “Is my love horny?”
“No, just no.” Rowan shook his head. “I definitely donotneed to hear about you shagging my brother.”
Alfie giggled. That was the only word he could think of to describe the sound as Alf turned in Malachi’s arms. Rowan was about to tease his brother, but before he could, Malachi whispered something to his brother that he couldn’t hear, then lifted him off the floor.
It was like one minute they were teasing him, and the next moment he no longer existed. It hit Rowan that was what Mikhail was offering… what he could have. Only on the back of that thought came the reminder of the past and another man—a shifter—who had promised him forever.
Maybe this walk is a bad idea, a voice in his head whispered. He didn’t want to give Mikhail the wrong idea or lead him on.
On the flip side, it was just a walk. It was harmless.
Rowan felt like he was being pulled in two directions, one that had him running the opposite way, scared that Mikhail would hurt him, and the other wanting to believe exactly what the other man said.
The problem was they both showed him something he didn’t want to admit to himself. There was a part of him that wanted what his brothers had.
Rowan wasn't sure how long he stood there deep in thought wrestling with himself, but it must have been more than a minute, because the next thing he knew, he was being tapped on the shoulder. He startled less from fear and more in surprise, and when he turned around, it was to find Mikhail behind him.
The man had a resigned look on his face that Ro couldn’t figure out, but he did the moment the next sentence came out of Mikhail’s mouth.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to go with me…” Mikhail paused, before adding, “If you’ve changed your mind, I mean.”
“I haven’t.” Rowan took a deep breath, before continuing, “I just got lost in thought for a moment. I’ll go grab my coat and boots.”
He hurried away to the coat closet in the entryway of Alfie’s home and opened it, then bent over and grabbed the boots he’d taken off when he’d come over. Rowan considered going back to the living room to put it all on, but then thoughtfuck itand sat on the floor. As he put on the thicker, second pair of socks he’d stuffed in there, it occurred to him that Mikhail had given him an out. Rowan could have agreed, then made an excuse and got out of spending time with the alpha, but instead, he’d said yes.
And Rowan wasn’t ready to look too closely at the reason why.
When his boots were tied, he got up and grabbed his jumper, then the fleece and nylon jacket he’d borrowed from Axel. He took his scarf off the hook and wrapped it around his neck, and when there was nothing else to put on—or stall with—he turned around and found Mikhail exactly where he left him, his hands in his pocket.
“Ready.”
And there it was again, that smile that looked like he’d handed Mikhail everything he’d ever wanted.
Eight
Mikhail
Mikhail was genuinely prepared to have Rowan cancel on him, that was why he gave him an out, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t overjoyed that his mate had not taken it.
They went through the back door of Malachi’s home and out into the garden, following the path that led to the forest behind. Mikhail matched Rowan step for step but led the way since it was late in the afternoon and everything under the canopy of trees was already beginning to be cast in shadows.
They walked side by side in silence, but that didn’t faze Mikhail because not only was he on the land he loved, but he was getting to spend this time with the man who was his mate, made perfectly for him by the goddess. He had nothing to complain about.
Ten minutes into their trek through the woods, Mik realised that even though Rowan was keeping pace with him, he was breathing heavily. Clearly this was taking its toll on him, but apparently his mate had no intention of griping, he just gritted his teeth and continued to place one foot in front of the other. Mikhail was impressed by his perseverance, though he couldn’t help wondering if it was due to Rowan being a naturally competitive person or the fact that he really didn’t want to talk to him.
When they finally reached a stone bridge over a bubbling brook that ran down the natural slope to the lakeshore, Mik slowed his pace and stopped in the middle of the bridge, looking down to the flowing waters carrying leaves dropped from the trees. Once he heard that his mate’s heart rate and breathing were back to normal, he looked over to Rowan with a small smile.
