“You bought a house? Without telling me?” Tarou pouts.
“Aw, don’t be like this, baby, we know how you hate hotel rooms. And this way, we have privacy and space away from everyone so we can have,” Sari runs a fingernail along his forearm.
Katsu raps his knuckles on the table. “If you are busy, we can leave you to it.”
All three of them look up and glare.
“My child, you are not getting out of this so easily,” Tarou says formally.
“Who said it was easy,” Katsu murmurs.
“Oh, you are so adorable, my son, your sense of humour is exactly like mine.” Freddie says and grips his hand hard.
I exchange a glance with Sebastian, and we carefully look away from each other. Katsu is clearly an exact replica of his father, even down to temperament, but who am I to argue?
Tarou turns his attention to Fox. “So, my favourite son, tell me the amazing talents of your new bonds.”
Fox hesitates. “Uh, we don’t have bonds yet.”
The three gasp. “No bonds?” Sari whispers, appalled.
Freddie leans forward, whispering in horror. “But why?”
I squirm.
“We’re taking our time, getting to know each other,” Fox says, but he’s losing steam fast under their disappointment.
Freddie gasps, and her eyes fill with tears. “Oh, they aren’t fully committed. We could lose them. We have to do something, Sari.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline. That escalated fast.
Katsu rubs his forehead, looking like a mirror as father and son do the same motion without even noticing. It is startling but also really cute.
“We are committed; we’re just seeing the event through,” Fox says, trying to reassure them.
Are we? I turn a stunned look on him. There’s less than two weeks before the Winter Solstice, and he’s saying at the end of that I will be bonded and part of a pack. I want it so badly, but…
“We haven’t discussed that yet,” I remind him.
His expression falls. “Oh. I thought…”
Freddie wails, and Tarou catches her, rolling his eyes heavenward as Sari weeps inconsolably.
Katsu turns his head, studying first Sebastian and then me. He makes a decision; I can almost see it in his expression. He stares into my eyes and dips his chin slightly. The relief I feel is intense, but more, I believe him.
“Stop it.”
His bark draws all three of them up. They all looked shocked.
“But we’re just…”
“We will decide when we want to bond. Just because we have not done so yet does not mean we aren’t fully committed to each other. As far as I am concerned, this is my omega, and these are my alphas.”
“Really?” Freddie whispers, her hands clasped in front of her. “They are really ours? I always wanted a daughter.”
Ours? Are they claiming me? Wow, I don’t know what to say.
The air is thick while Sebastian waits a moment. Then he inclines his head. “Yes, I claim them.”
