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Rowan tensed underneath him, torn between wanting to please him and refusing to be mean to his people.
“I…”
“You have my permission,” Milo said, patting his stomach, and Rowan relaxed.
“Don’t upset him,” he told Ethel, and Ruben made a whipping motion with his hand.
“Quit it,” Ray said, putting his hand on Ruben’s wrist and pushing it down. Milo frowned at that, throwing a look at Ray, who shook his head. As if Milo would just let it go like that. Ray had explaining to do. Loads of it.
“Maybe we could just state why we’re all here and then leave them be?” Raina suggested, winking at Milo. He decided she was probably his favorite non-Rowan Rangecroft.
“We’re still waiting for Riley,” Rowan’s mother said.
Ruben snorted. “As if Riley’s gonna come.”
“She’s not coming?” Rupert asked. “I specifically told her that everyone is required to come.”
“She said, and I quote—” Ruben looked at his phone. “—I would rather floss with male pubes than have a group discussion about my brother’s love life, end quote.”
“Ew,” Raina said.
“It’s really not that bad,” Ruben said, earning himself a slap on the head. “Ow, Mom. What the hell?”
“Just felt like it.” She shrugged and Milo found himself smiling despite the tension and worry he was feeling.
“Can we please get back on track? I have a meeting in an hour,” Troy said, looking at his watch. “I don’t even know why I’m here.”
“Because there’s too many Rangecrofts in one room and we need a voice of reason,” Raina said. “Also you’re Rowan’s best friend.”
“When I said yes to your proposal I did not mean yes to being the family mediator. Same goes for the best friend duties!”
“It was in the fine print.” Raina patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay,” Rowan called, his voice rumbling from beneath Milo’s ear, and he mewled softly at the sound.
“That’s insane,” Ruben said.
Raina nodded. “I never thought I’d see it in person, to be fair.”
“See what?” Rowan asked. “Someone needs to do some explaining here. Finding a mate isn’t really a huge deal, so what’s with the group meeting?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Raina asked and Milo looked up to see Rowan frowning at her. Clearly he wasn’t the only one confused by whatever was happening.
“I mean, obviously it’s the best thing and I’m happy I found mine, but you didn’t stage an intervention for Raina and Troy,” he said.
“Because Troy is a full dragon and not a mythical, extinct half-breed nobody has seen in centuries?” Raina said, and Milo felt the exact moment Rowan truly heard the words because his heart stuttered under his cheek and his entire body locked, tense and vibrating with suppressed energy.
“What?” Rowan asked.
Milo felt his anxiety spike. He clawed at Rowan’s chest, trying to get closer to him, trying to burrow under his skin.
He didn’t like the thick, oppressive tension in the air. He didn’t like the implication that there was something wrong with him. Something that called for an intervention. Were they taking him away? Were they prying Rowan away from him? Would he lose him before he even got to truly have him?
He didn’t want that.
“No,” he whimpered, pushing his face into Rowan’s chest.
“Mi,” Rowan called, but he shook his head.
