“I didn’t think you were back already,” Spike said, sliding his arms around Micah’s waist, dropping kisses all over his face. “How was your day?”
Micah tensed, his eyes darting to Kai, and back to Spike. Something was wrong. On instinct, Kai stepped closer.
“Micah?” Spike asked, looking into his eyes.
The professor sighed, rubbing his face. “Some things happened today. I don’t think this is... a good arrangement for all of us.”
Kai’s stomach dropped. What, you want to break up?
“I don’t understand,” Spike said. “What happened?”
Micah glanced at the kitchen doorway. Then he turned down the burners on the stove, and sagged against Spike, looking so dejected that Kai prowled forward, sandwiching Micah from his other side. He wanted to protect Micah, so nothing could make him look so hopeless again.
Slowly, Micah turned to lock gazes with Kai. “It mostly affects you,” Micah said quietly. “I met Bernard today. The college president. He doesn’t want to approve your scholarship appeal.”
Kai’s chest squeezed. He’d been hoping to get back the other half of his scholarship. “Why?”
“Because—” Micah hesitated, biting his lip. “If... I told you that your dad isn’t really your dad, would you believe me?”
Spike frowned. Kai just stared. “What?”
“Remember I asked if you were related to Bernard Hastings?” Micah grimaced when Kai nodded. “It turns out that somehow... you share his genes. He’s had a paternal test done in secret.”
Kai remembered an odd cheek swab he’d done during his yearly physical exam, but he hadn’t thought much of it at that time. “So... he’s my actual dad.”
“Very likely, yes.” Micah winced. “It wasn’t a conversation I was supposed to overhear. I’m sorry.”
Kai’s thoughts whirled. Dad isn’t my dad? He thought about the aging alpha living with his mother, the man he’d called Dad ever since he was a child. The alpha who had stared blankly when Kai got full marks on his exam, and whom Kai had tried to convince to set down his beer bottles. It had never worked.
Sometimes, Dad cared about Kai. Sometimes, he didn’t, to the extent that Kai loved him and hated him in equal measure.
“How?” Spike asked, meeting Kai’s gaze. “You don’t know who your bio omega dad is, so...”
“I guess my omega dad slept with Hastings,” Kai muttered, rubbing his temples. Then he had me, and Dad either knew about Hastings, or he didn’t.”
Dad had had too many unfaithful omegas, and he’d been so absent from Kai’s life, that Kai wasn’t wrecked by the news. But it still shook him anyway, like claws piercing under his skin.
“Should I have told you?” Micah took Kai’s hand, peering worriedly into his eyes.
“I’ll be fine,” Kai muttered. “Just have to let it sink in.”
“What’s Hastings being Kai’s dad have to do with his scholarship?” Spike scowled.
Micah closed his eyes. “He doesn’t want his wife to make the connection. Apparently she’s seen Kai on the court. Bernard wants Kai out of Meadowfall College.”
Yeah, okay, now Kai felt like hitting something. What kind of parent was that bastard? Even Kai’s dad... At least Dad had brought food back sometimes.
I have that bastard’s blood in my veins. There wasn’t a more revolting thought.
And yet... What would happen to Kai, if he couldn’t continue on in Meadowfall College? What about the efforts he’d put into his basketball career?
Panic flickered into Kai’s heart.
“I’ve thought about it,” Micah continued hesitantly. “You could apply for a scholarship at other colleges. Highton’s a good one for basketball. They’ll be happy to have you, and you’ll get a much better shot at being picked by the NBA.”
Kai froze, his breath catching. Leaving Spike and Micah, to pursue his dreams? Now?
His stomach squeezed and flipped. “I—I need to think about it.”
Over Micah’s shoulder, Spike’s gaze dulled. “You promised to stay until I graduate and get a job.”
Kai swallowed. He looked at Spike’s torn expression, and said, “Yeah, I’ll stay.”
But deep down, he wasn’t so sure. How many times in your life did you get to join the most prestigious basketball league? Kai had been playing all his life to win.
It was better than thinking about Dad, or Bernard Hastings as his father—the alpha who had found out, and proceeded to cast Kai aside.
“What’s Hastings like?” Spike asked dubiously. “I’ve heard shitty things about him.”
Micah breathed out slowly, not meeting their eyes. “He’s a cruel person. I—I dated him briefly, in the past.”
Then he flushed, and turned back to his pot of pasta sauce.
“You dated him?” Spike looked incredulous. Kai wasn’t even sure what to think, anymore. This was too much to deal with.
“So if you and Hastings somehow had a child, that could’ve been Kai, too?”
“What the fuck,” Kai spluttered.
Micah looked just as horrified. “No!”
“Okay, forget I said that.” Spike frowned. “Back to Hastings.”
“No,” Micah said firmly, keeping his gaze down. “We’re not talking about him.” A flush went up his neck, though, like there was something else he was hiding.
“York isn’t his kid, right?” Kai asked.
Micah shook his head vigorously. “No!”
“Okay. That’s all I need to know.” Kai held Micah’s hand, filing away all his thoughts. There were too many things going on, and Micah still looked uneasy.
“Why’d you not want to meet us today?” Spike asked, reading Kai’s mind. “You couldn’t even message us. York had to do it.”
Micah sighed. “I think Bernard smelled Kai on me. And Harold—the chemistry department head—he recognized both your scents. I slipped up and didn’t erase it.”
And that threatened Micah’s job—the only reliable source of income any of them had right now. Kai’s stomach turned.
“Shit,” Spike said.
“We’ll hold off on marking you, if that’s what you want,” Kai said, the words sour on his tongue.
Micah looked dismayed. “I just have to remember to erase it.” Then he flushed. “I... like belonging. To both of you.”
That sent a happy rumble through Kai’s chest, easing the weight on his heart. Micah liked being his.
On Micah’s other side, Spike brightened, nuzzling Micah’s temple. Kai slipped his arms around Micah, dragging his wrist down Micah’s warm, narrow chest. He pressed his
