A growl escaped Smokey as he finished the rest of Oracle’s sentence in his mind. Refusing to accept that outcome for his mates, he knew there was only one choice. Committing himself to the claiming of Theo and Norm as his mates, Smokey felt his world coming into balance and his bear and its spirit growing strong again.
Smiling at Smokey, Oracle murmured, “Go, they are waiting for you.”
Chapter 26
Norm stared out the window in Theo’s hospital room, wondering what to do once his honey bunch woke up. As much as he didn’t want to believe Jackson, the more he thought about it, the more it explained why Theo wouldn’t talk to him—especially if Theo didn’t know Smokey was Norm’s mate too.
A third mate…why would the Fates do this?Shaking his head in frustration, Norm turned away, his eyes seeking out Theo, relieved he was still asleep; his honey bunch needed the rest, considering how upset he was, and that wasn’t good for their cub. Slowly easing himself into a chair near the head of the bed, his eyes searched Theo’s face, looking for any residual distress reflected there. Thankfully, there was none. Norm leaned back and closed his eyes, hoping it would help him figure out a way forward.
No matter how he looked at it, everything led back to Theo’s refusal to tell him about Smokey and the hurt he felt from it. Irritated at his failure to understand, Norm sighed heavily. There was something he was missing, so as he’d done in the past, he concentrated on clearing his mind of all unhelpful thoughts. Inhaling deeply, he exhaled slowly, using the breathing exercise Kieran had taught them when they were Arald’s prisoners. Ki! His mind zeroed in on his friend—the one responsible for saving them.
As Norm thought back to their time as prisoners, it suddenly hit him why finding a path forward with Theo was so difficult. He was looking at the problem from the wrong perspective. It was one of the lessons he’d learned from Ki during those dark days. As long as he viewed it from his own point of view and not Theo’s, it would be impossible to understand why his honey bunch wouldn’t tell him about Smokey. Forgetting the hurt he felt, Norm put himself into Theo’s place when he discovered the appearance of another mate and tried to think about Theo’s reaction at that moment. And then the haze began to clear.
Theo slowly awakened, his panic receding as the scent of his pooh bear filled his nose. Opening his eyes just a slit, he was surprised at the sight of Norm sitting next to his bed. He shouldn’t have been, especially after living with Norm the last few years, but he was, and that just made his guilt feel that much heavier. Through thick and thin, his pooh bear was there for him. He owed him so much, including his survival after his parents discarded him like trash. Just that thought about his parents sent a fresh stab of pain to his heart but he pushed it aside, refusing to give it any more of his time. There were more urgent matters requiring his attention.
Theo knew that telling Norm about Smokey would be the hardest thing he ever would have to do but his pooh bear deserved to know the truth. He wasn’t sure what to do about the situation but what he did know was he wanted Norm’s help in figuring it out. Sucking in a deep breath, he tentatively reached out, placing his hand over Norm’s. When there wasn’t a reaction, he hesitated for a moment, before squeezing gently. “Pooh bear? Are you awake?”
Jerking his eyes open at the sound of his mate’s voice, Norm quickly focused on Theo’s face, returning the smile he found. “Hey, feeling better?”
Nodding, Theo interwove his fingers with Norm’s before bringing them up to his lips and kissing them. Then, before he lost his nerve, said, “I’m sorry about before…it’s just…I was afraid…”
“To tell me about Smokey?” Norm asked.
Theo’s eyes widened. “You know about him? Who told you?”
“No one…I figured it out when I discovered Smokey was my mate, too.”
“What? How can he be your mate when he’s mine? I don’t understand,” Theo replied, now confused more than ever.
“Did you think he was your new mate instead of me?” asked Norm.
“Yesss…” Theo hissed softly, hating to even admit it.
“And that upset you, didn’t it.”
“Very much…I don’t want anyone else but you,” Theo replied softly. “It’s always been you.”
“It has?”
“Uh huh…ever since you rescued me in third grade.”
His mind flashing back to that moment, Norm grinned. “He was an asshole.”
Nodding, Theo giggled. “He was…and he never bothered me again after you took care of him.”
“I know…I made sure of that,” Norm said, smugly.
“No one did after that,” Theo said, smiling. “I went home that night and knew you were meant to be mine.” Then his smile faded as his mind returned to Smokey. “But now you aren’t anymore…”
“That’s not true, Theo,” Norm replied. “Iamyours…just like you are mine…but now we both have Smokey…he’s ours…yours and mine…and together we’ll be the family our cub deserves.”
Norm’s words did little to ease the fear Theo had harbored since Smokey entered his life. Looking down at his stomach, he placed one hand over it, intent on protecting their cub, then glancing up at Norm, whispered, “He’s not the father of my cub, so he won’t want anything to do with him.”
~/~/~/~/~
Smokey had heard enough. After leaving Oracle in the clearing, he’d headed to Theo’s hospital room, arriving just in time to overhear the discussion between his mates. Holding his breath, he’d stood outside the open door as he listened to them discuss him. When Norman urged Theo to accept him, relief flooded his body, but his smile was quickly dampened when he heard Theo’s response. He could wait no longer and burst into the room.
Startled at the sound, Norm jumped slightly while Theo squeaked as he pulled the blanket over his head. Seeing his honey bunch’s fear, anger coursed through Norm as he prepared to defend Theo and their cub. Drawing himself up to his full height, he swirled around, expecting to do battle. Smokey, strode towards them, eyes blazing and chest heaving as if he’d been running for miles.What the hell?Puffing out his chest, Norm braced himself for the coming confrontation.
