My resignation wasn’t beginning instantly. I promised my boss that I’d stick out the rest of this trip, which meant I had one more meeting before we could go.
Honestly, I was excited for it because, ever since I met these guys, Zevo had become my sounding board, and I had a feeling I was going to have a lot more to sound off about soon.
Chapter Seventeen
Griffith
What I’d forgotten when I remembered the few triads in our sleuth was that they were always two omegas and an alpha. A fact soon to be brought home to me.
As we drove up to the two-and-a-half-story log cabin where my parents lived, I was so proud to introduce them to my new mates. For the last several years, both of my fathers had been pushing me to find someone. They said if Fate had a mate for me, I’d have met him already, and the time had long since arrived for me to “settle.” As they had.
“The trees are so huge,” Kyle said, nose pressed to the passenger-side window. “It must have been wonderful growing up here.”
“The redwoods are pretty magical. I tried to climb to the top of them so many times, both as a boy and as a bear, but I never got all the way.”
“They’re thousands of feet tall. You could have broken your neck.” Kyle grabbed my arm, distress written across his features. “How high did you go?”
“Not thousands of feet, but they are a few hundred, the bigger ones. And I never made it more than halfway up.” I parked and we all piled out of the car. Starting up the stairs to the front porch, I noticed nobody was following. “Guys?” I turned to find them standing next to the nearest redwood, heads tipped back.
“Halfway?” Kyle asked faintly.
“Or maybe a little more. Come on in and meet the folks.”
Kyle breezed past me, but then he stopped and gave me a fierce look. “Don’t climb them anymore.” Our omega had a bossy nature. It was too adorable.
Falkan came up even with me and took my hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it. “Our omega worries.”
“Yes. It’s sweet.”
“It is, but just to put it on the record…if I find you climbing a tree, I will let my dragon pluck you off it for your own good.”
I started to argue then pictured his dragon’s sharp, powerful talons. Would he even be able to negotiate the tree branches to get close enough to pierce me with them? Surely he would want to hurt me…but was it a chance I was willing to take just to prove a point?
No. It was not.
“I appreciate your care for my well-being. Bears do like to climb trees, and I won’t promise not to ever climb any, but no going hundreds of feet up a redwood. Deal?”
He hugged me. “The dragon wouldn’t hurt you.”
“I appreciate that.”
We were both laughing when we joined Kyle on the top step. “You two all right?”
“Great.” I hugged him next. “My parents are going to be so happy to meet you.” I reached for the door and twisted the knob. “Dads, I’m home. And I brought a surprise.”
My alpha father was seated on the curved leather couch in front of the fire, reading the newspaper. He’d never entered the digital age. My omega dad hurried in, drying his hands on a towel. “Son. Why didn’t you call and say you were coming and bringing friends? I’d have made something special to eat.”
“Hi, Dad.” I hugged him and leaned past him. “Hello, Father.”
“Griffith. What brings you here in the middle of the work week? Are you taking a lot of vacation again?”
My cheeks warmed. I’d rarely taken even a day off, unless they summoned me home for something or other. “No. I lost my job.”
“You were taking off too much time, weren’t you.” He tsked and returned his attention to the paper, but I wasn’t going to let him get away with that accusation this time.
“The company closed. But thank you for all your faith in me.” I heard Falkan clear his throat behind me and clamped my lips closed for a moment until I could regain my composure. “Father, Dad, this is Kyle and Falkan, my mates.”
I don’t know what I expected. Hugs? Smiles? Handshakes all around? With all their insistence I mate and give them grandchildren, I expected something positive, but what I got was the complete opposite.
