Keon
AS THE CROWDcleared, people leaving to find family members or following Janet and Isaac to the barn to settle in with their belongings, Keon paid attention to the faces passing by. He didn’t know Leo by sight and didn’t remember the man except in the vaguest terms, but he didn’t wait long.
A man separated from the group; six foot tall, model good looks, a long, lean frame. He was compact strength, beauty, and confidence, hair shorn short on one side, his long fringe dyed neon blue with pink undertones. He would have stood out in a crowd without the hair, but it marked him as someone comfortable in Dnara. He fought his way through the throng, politely pushing people aside to escape the press of bodies.
He walked with purpose, large hands lifting to cup Weston’s face as the Beta stared in shock. Leo didn’t spare more than a second before pressing their lips in a kiss. Weston was shocked but not stupid. He grasped Leo’s long, baggy jumper with one hand, the other dropping his notebook to grip the belt loop in Leo’s jeans and tug the man closer.
They kissed with a tentative urgency, as if they’d never kissed but refused to waste another secondnotkissing.
Jude put two fingers to his mouth to wolf-whistle. Milo leaned his head against Keon’s hip. People shot them amused, adoring, or envious looks.
Leo and Weston had reverted to teenagers. Sixteen, brimming with hormones, in love with someone forbidden. Finally with the freedom to take what they wanted. Leo wrapped an arm around Weston’s waist and cupped his ass in one hand to lift him off his feet, never stopping the slow, exploratory assault of his lips.
Gravity had Weston fighting Leo’s strength to keep his feet on the ground, breaking the kiss. He flushed and stumbled away, covering his mouth as he scanned the area, likely expecting to be caught and scolded for his actions.
Leo lost his shine and the same realisation Keon felt entered blue eyes. Weston had never thought this day would come. Afraid to believe it was real. Afraid to trust he could have Leo. When Leo pressed their foreheads together and held Weston close without crowding him, he whispered, “I’m here,” giving him time to regain his footing. “I never thought I’d see you again, but I’m here. I won’t let anyone keep us apart.”
Keon knew the moment those words sank in. A tear dropped from Weston’s eye, his shoulders released their tension, and he leaned against Leo. Believing.
Time for the Alpha to step in and relieve the worry. “Keon,” he said, extending a hand to Leo, who accepted his handshake.
“Leo.”
“I’m loving the look,” he admitted, gesturing to his hair.
Leo gazed at the top of Weston’s head. “I worked as a model for a gay men’s fashion magazine,” he explained, laughing as he raked long fingers through Weston’s hair. “They flipped when I walked off a shoot to come home.”
Weston didn’t understandhowserious it was, but lifted his head and blinked at Leo. “You walked away?”
Nodding, he focused on Weston. “Your team came to the studio. During the break, they explained what you’re doing.” He shook his head and cupped Weston’s cheeks. “When they said you wanted to find me, I hoped it meant you felt the way I did. I hoped our love had never faded, that you waited for me as I waited for you,” he confessed, voice softening with hope.
A hope realised by the tears of joy in Weston’s eyes. “You…waited? For me?” he asked, one compliment from melting into a puddle.
Leo’s eyes welled with the same rush of emotion. “I knew the moment I saw you; the mate scent was strong, the way I’d always dreamed.” He swiped a wrist under his eye to wipe away the tears. “I can’t believe the Fates gave me the man I fell in love with as my true mate.”
Weston gasped, the only one who couldn’t see what everyone else did.
The reason Keon and Milo had concocted this plan. In the hope Leo had returned, as in love with Weston as the day he left, they arranged to get rid of Haley, have Weston stay in the Pack-House, and kill two birds with one stone. Gain time alone and let Weston have the privacy he needed to celebrate Leo’s return.
Clasping Weston by the shoulder, Keon interceded. “I’ll leave you two to reconnect,” he offered, though he didn’t quieten his voice when he explained to Leo, “I’ve told him to take Grier’s house. The house is empty and unlocked. It’s at your disposal.”
Weston remained oblivious, so Keon whispered, “We’ll finalise the m’nuni paperwork when you’re ready.”
His Beta flushed, but said nothing as he clutched at Leo’s jumper, as if afraid he would drift away with the breeze.
*
HALF AN HOURafter they left Weston in Leo’s capable hands, Keon sank onto the sofa and scrubbed his face. Milo sat beside him, taking on Weston’s duties, while Jude and Gale sat across from them, relaying the events of their mission.
Ten names from their list couldn’t be tracked, but Eliseo swore to work on finding them while he recovered from his injuries. Other than one hiccup, the mission had gone to plan. It was time to let the thirty returned exiles settle in, adjust to the new pack dynamics, and find their place in a world changed in the time they’d been gone.
They’d brought the important supplies: a new laptop, an external hard drive, a half-dozen USB sticks, and a new printer/scanner to help build Weston’s paperwork collection. The fact one of those USB sticks held a hundred books and the app to read them was pre-installed on the laptop made him homesick for his best friend. Trust Drew to think of everything.
After the men left, scenting of a mate bond they didn’t mention, Keon nuzzled at Milo’s neck, comforted by his scent, his warmth, his presence. Milo continued writing, but leaned into him, accepting his need for comfort. Willing to provide what he needed, including a deep inhale of his scent.
Keon nipped at the bruise on the side of his neck, determined never to heal. Unlike the true mate bond, a healed bite mark that acted as a permanent reminder of the bond, the chosen mate mark began as a bruise that faded into a birthmark. A reminder the bond was a choice, but still a part of them. Nothing was like the mating bond, reciprocated with equal strength. He hoped Jude and Gale could learn to be as open about their bond, soon.
Though Vihaans didn’t use the word, it felt like…love.
