Of all the people in the world... Levi was probably the one who felt guiltiest about the fire, and Micah’s scars. Levi had also known how much Micah craved a bondmate. But none of those dates had worked out, and with every unsuitable alpha, Micah had lost a little more hope each time.
A year ago, Levi had finally gotten back together with his alpha. Micah had glimpsed the happiness radiating from them, Cole giving Levi the baby Levi had always wanted. They’d had a beautiful wedding on a bright spring day, with a little girl riding an airplane down the aisle.
Gods, that wedding. It had been so wholesome, and it had killed Micah a little inside, because Micah didn’t believe he would ever have one himself.
Still didn’t, in fact.
Levi’s nostrils flared. Then his eyes grew wide, and he glanced past Micah’s shoulder. “You have guests?”
Micah cracked a smile, embarrassed. “I have a couple of students sharing the apartment—York’s friends. They’ve just moved in.”
“Oh.” Levi’s gaze dropped to Micah’s neck, and locked on his scent gland—Kai’s bonding mark. “Wait...”
“It was an accident.” Micah flushed, his ears prickling. The bonding mark sat heavy on his skin. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
Except Kai chose that moment to step out of the kitchen, making a beeline straight for Micah. He held a small bowl with a spoon in it, stopping by Micah’s side in a rush of elm.
“Here,” Kai said, meeting Micah’s eyes first. “You said you wanted rice pudding.” Then he glanced at Levi, and nodded a greeting.
Under Levi’s too-eager stare, Micah accepted the bowl. There was nothing wrong with accepting Kai’s gift—Micah hadn’t even expected Kai to make the pudding. Except Kai’s fingers brushed Micah’s as he took the book, his warmth sending a blush through Micah’s cheeks.
“What was an accident?” Kai asked Micah.
“The, um. The mark.” It had been an accident, but it still didn’t feel right saying it to Kai’s face. Micah touched his neck.
“Oh.” Kai blushed, finding the romance novel suddenly very interesting. He flipped through the pages and paused, his eyebrows rising.
Micah glimpsed the word cock. And then he realized it was a sex scene. Kai was reading it. “Gods, Kai. Don’t, uh. Don’t read that.”
Kai glanced up, seeing right through Micah. Yes, Micah had loved those books a little too much. “Okay,” Kai said, closing it.
Micah’s neck burned anyway.
Levi gawped at them even more. Micah avoided Levi’s eyes. He knew Kai was young. He half-expected Levi to say something reproving, except Levi smiled.
“So, you and Micah...?” Levi asked hopefully.
“Who and Micah?” Spike stopped next to Levi in the hallway, smelling like onions and salsa and juniper—he’d just gotten off work. And this was probably the most awkward meeting with Levi, ever. “Kai? What did you do? Did you guys kiss without me?”
“I made rice pudding,” Kai muttered, looking away with his cheeks red. He was adorable like that. “Nothing else.”
Levi stared at all three of them. Micah’s face burned. Spike slipped in through the doorway, standing on Micah’s other side. Then he wrapped his arm around Micah’s waist, leaning in possessively. “Both of you look absolutely awesome,” Spike said. “I need a picture of Kai blushing.”
“Shut up,” Kai said.
“Spike,” Micah squeaked.
Spike hesitated, glancing back at Levi. “You aren’t from the college, right? I assumed you weren’t.”
Levi shook his head, laughing. “No, I’m a friend of Micah’s. We’ve known each other for a while.”
“Levi was York’s babysitter,” Micah said, willing the heat to leave his face. “He was there when, you know, the fire happened. Him and Cole.”
Recognition flickered in Spike’s eyes.
“Levi,” Micah said, feeling a little awkward. “If you remember Spike from that time...”
Levi blinked and stared. “That Spike? Gods, that’s... some coincidence.”
Was it a coincidence, though? Spike had said he’d had a crush on Micah for years. Maybe... the fire had led Spike to Micah.
“So you’re Micah’s alpha,” Levi asked slowly, glancing at Spike, then Kai.
Kai hesitated; Micah met his eyes, shaking his head slightly to tell him he needn’t answer. Kai smiled back.
“Yeah, I am,” Spike growled. “I’m staying forever if Micah lets me.”
Levi exhaled in a long breath, looking like the weight of the world was finally rolling off his shoulders. “I’m so glad to hear that. Micah deserves all the good in the world.”
Micah’s heart squeezed. He stepped forward, pulling Levi into a hug. Levi had finally understood that he wasn’t to blame for the fire, and now that he’d seen Micah with Spike and Kai, maybe his guilt would finally fade.
“Go home and share the news with Cole,” Micah said, smiling crookedly. “I know he’d want to hear it as well.”
“Does that mean I’m officially your alpha?” Spike’s eyes gleamed; he touched the small of Micah’s back, slipping his thumb under Micah’s shirt.
Micah’s stomach flipped. He wanted—gods, yes, he wanted. He’d caught glimpses of Spike here and there, the bright, excitable soul beneath his exterior. The man who had seen Micah’s scars, and kissed them all.
Micah’s breath stuck in his throat. He glanced over his shoulder, just to make sure York was still in his room. “I guess you are.”
Spike grinned, throwing his arms around Micah. It felt good, standing between him and Kai. It felt safe.
Micah hugged Spike back, grateful for his affection, and Kai’s nonjudgmental presence. Over Spike’s shoulder, Micah met Levi’s eyes. Levi smiled, bowed his head, and quietly left, his step far lighter than Micah had seen in the past few years.
16
Micah
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Kai and Spike lately,” York muttered. “What’s up with that?”
Micah froze, staring at the chicken pot pie filling he’d been stirring. Have I been that obvious? “We’re housemates now, so I figured we should, ah, get to know each other.”
Gods, that sounded so questionable.
Last night, and every other night since the brothers moved in, Spike had been slipping into Micah’s bedroom. They’d been getting to know each other, but in a far lewder way than York
