Would Milo ever stop wondering who to trust?
After Keon finished, he smiled at Milo, wide and honest, as if he was proud to share the space with him. “You’ll all be wondering who this man is,” he said, taking Milo’s hand in a welcome reminder he was wanted by his side. “Milo is Alpha Thatcher’s youngest son. He bravely abandoned his pack, fought through the storm to find me, and warned me and the Meskli of Thatcher’s real plans for us: how he hoped to take over our pack and use Simeon’s behaviour before his death to justify our slaughter.”
Gasps came from the crowd, and Milo almost rolled his eyes at how dramatic Keon was. Though he insisted that was exactly what Milo had done, he didn’t feel heroic, and it didn’t seem the most honest explanation.
“Through his bravery, the Meskli and I came to a conclusion that resolved our problems.” Keon smiled at the crowd of attentive pack members. He paused for dramatic effect, as he had when he practised his speech with Weston this morning, and Milo struggled not to laugh. “Milo and I have agreed to become chosen mates.”
For what felt like a full minute, time seemed to stop.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Milo’s legs shook with the effort of standing by Keon’s side, without his crutches to support him. But despite Keon’s insistence he could use them, Milo hadn’t wanted his introduction to the pack to be as a disabled person. He wanted them to see him as a man first.
“A chosen mate?” a voice asked, loud enough it was meant to be heard, but still conversationally quiet.
Milo understood the urge to remain hidden in the crowd, not wanting to be singled out but still wanting your voice to be heard. He glanced at Keon, who smirked and nodded, giving him permission to speak—something he hadn’t intended to do. Clearing his throat, he tightened his grip on Keon’s hand. “Yes.” Attention swung his way so suddenly he almost lost his footing, as he adjusted his aching ankle. “Alpha Keon and I have both been given male true mates by the Fates, and have rejected them for our own reasons. With the Meskli’s permission and approval, we agreed a mating between us would be beneficial to all.”
With a faint smile, Milo glanced at Keon and swallowed his nerves to speak honestly. “In the few hours we have spent together, Alpha Keon has shown what kind of man, leader, and Alpha he is. And I am honoured to stand by his side as his chosen mate,” he confessed and turned his attention to the pack. “I am trained as a Beta and have some medical knowledge. I hope with time I can become an asset to the pack. I am relieved our mating will mean Alpha Keon can fulfil his promise to mate before his birthday and remain your Alpha, where he can do the most good for this pack and for all m’weko in Vihaan.
“Having seen his laws, I cannot stress how important they are to those like me, the gaoj and unwanted, who are often the first discriminated against by the old laws,” Milo said, rallying his courage to speak freely. “My father has used my family against me, and I am now physically weakened and damaged by his brutality. When it is time to leave here, I will require the use of crutches and may potentially require more aids as my condition worsens through time.
“I hope you can accept me as I am, and for who I have become, regardless of my faults or disabilities.” Milo bobbed his head in a silent admission he was finishing and looked to Keon for support. He didn’t want to lie but didn’t want them to think he was more capable than he was. If they saw him struggling later, they might believe he had lied to them or to Keon, leading to mistrust and disaster. Before he could guess what the soft, warm look in Keon’s eyes meant, he cleared his throat. “I also hope you can welcome my younger sister, Haley.” He gestured vaguely in her direction, watching stares drift towards her, where she stood with complete disinterest.
Weston gave her a gentle nudge and signalled for her to step forward.
Fastening on a false smile, Haley moved to Milo’s side, then dared to step in front of him, tossing long hair over her shoulder. “As my brother has said, his union with Keon will result in a union between our packs. I hope you can warmly accept us and will respect our heecha bloodline as is appropriate,” she said, making a mess of the entire thing.
A few members of the pack muttered to each other, a couple of people smirking or sneering at her audacity. Milo felt nothing but shame for the arrogance she displayed.
“As the daughter of an Alpha,” Haley continued, whatever she was about to say cut off with a hiccup as Keon caught her arm and pulled her to stand behind him.
“That’s the end of that,” he announced to sniggers that seemed to understand what he’d done and why. “As Milo said, he is physically disabled and requires assistance from crutches, but he bravely stood here in front of you today without those aids in the hopes you could see him for the strong, capable man he is. I know you will accept him with the same sense of family and pack unity you showed me, when I returned from Dnara a practical stranger.”
Giving them no time to comment, though Milo was relieved to see warm smiles and nods in response, Keon swiftly moved on. “Milo and I will be in an official courting period until the Meskli returns. Until then, I want us to focus on rebuilding the bonds of the pack, and that begins with the necessities.
“I will be leading the recovery process, after the storm. While Weston deals with replenishing supplies, Milo has offered to tend any wounds or offer basic first aid to anyone who would like to learn,” he announced, accepting a note from Weston, which detailed the various work required after the storm. “I’ll need someone to take charge of checking the surrounding area for fallen trees or those that could pose a risk. And I want a team of carpenters to go round the houses to check for potential faults, damages, or future issues.”
Hands rose, as Keon began rhyming off the work required, and Milo felt suitably forgotten. He found Weston offering a crutch, and smiled in relief. “Thank you,” he whispered, accepting the assistance, which enabled him to walk to the edge of the podium, where he could sit comfortably until Keon was finished.
Glancing up at Haley, Milo took a breath and hoped Keon was right. With time, Haley would lose her sense of entitlement and superiority,, accept this pack and see every member as equal, important and valuable. Here, no bloodline?heecha, Alpha or otherwise?stood above the others.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Keon
“WE NEED TOdiscuss the mating, mikha,” Keon said, stretching with a pleasant ache in his muscles after a morning spent as m’weko.
The residual mist from the storm made the clearing feel like another world. One where worries, responsibilities, and the rest of life’s burdens didn’t exist, but they did, and they wouldn’t have this peace for long.
Milo propped his head on his hand, not daring to look, plucking at the grass. His posture screamed discomfort, from the hunch of his shoulders to the avoidance of eye contact. Keon couldn’t let him away with it.
Leaning in to press their foreheads, he waited for Milo to catch his eye. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?” he teased, pleased Milo shook his head. “With your father gone, Vega leaving with Farley, and the Meskli not due to return for months, we have time to figure this out. Starting with your place in the pack.” He needed to secure formal documentation before Weston had conniptions.
When Milo didn’t answer, Keon lay back and propped his arms behind his head to bask in the freedom of being alone, to enjoy nature. “What do you want to do?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in approval when Milo placed a tentative hand on his chest to draw patterns on his bare skin.
“What do you mean?”
