Light chuckles circulated, and we watched them expectantly.
Trevor kept his eyes submissively low, remaining silent and waiting for Austin to speak. I’d never heard of a mated couple in a pack being gay, so Austin’s response wouldn’t just be a matter of opinion but would determine whether Trevor remained in the pack or not. He was seeking his Packmaster’s approval.
Austin swirled a french fry in ketchup, bit it in half, and then leaned back in his chair. A wonderful close-lipped smile stretched across his face before he spoke. “Don’t look at me. It’s your question to answer. Whatever you decide, I’ve got your back.”
Trevor’s shoulders sagged as if the weight of the world had been lifted from them.
April wept, staring between the two men and covering her mouth with a trembling hand. The smoky eyeliner around her eyes left a sticky trail down her cheeks.
Trevor forcefully scooted back, throwing William off-balance and causing him to stumble.
“I don’t like being boxed into a corner,” Trevor growled.
My heart sank. He wasn’t going to accept.
Trevor faced William, body tense, a pensive expression on his handsome face. Without warning, he swung his arms around William’s neck and held on tight. William grinned, embracing his mate and holding on as if it meant saving his life.
A slow round of applause erupted, with Wheeler clapping and Denver whistling with his fingers.
Trevor looked at the group, combing his hair down with his fingers, unable to wipe the contagious smile off his face.
He studied April for a minute and shook his head. “Hot damn, you’re a mess.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Trev?” she said, sniffling. “I thought we were best friends.”
He used the hem of his white shirt to wipe the dark smudge off her cheek. “Because, Miss Romance, you would have given it a push years ago, and I wasn’t ready. Hell, I thought Will was romancing the ladies undercover; I didn’t have a clue. I hoped, but he was pretty good about hiding it. Don’t cry, babe. Your nose swells up and you look like Rudolph.”
“Trev, I love you so much. I’ve always wanted you to be as happy as I am.”
Tears welled in his eyes, and he knelt down in front of her. “April Showers, always showering me with love.”
They hugged it out, and I rested my head on Austin’s shoulder, drawing in his musky scent mixed with sweat. Maybe most women were repulsed by a man who didn’t douse himself in cologne, but I loved the smell of my alpha male. He wrapped his right arm around me and kissed the top of my head.
“Did you doubt me for a second?” he whispered above all the congratulatory comments from the pack as they rose from the table and descended on William and Trevor.
I lifted my chin and steadied my eyes on his. “Just when I think you’re going to start following pack tradition, you remind me that you’re a better man than that.”
“Can we go play games?” Lennon asked, jumping to his feet and pushing in his chair.
“Yeah, I’ve had enough mushy stuff,” Hendrix agreed.
Izzy playfully pinched his side, and he squirmed.
Austin cleared his throat. “Not today. We have work to do.”
“Austin, they’re just kids. Let them play for a little while,” I said.
He leaned in close, his voice low, just for me. “I get what you’re saying, but if something happens to them because I didn’t prepare them for what’s coming, I’ll never live with myself. I’m not just Uncle Austin to them; I’m their Packmaster.”
I smoothed my hand down his firm bicep. “When we go home, we’ll work on digging trenches and traps, but five minutes in the arcade while we eat isn’t going to hurt anything. Put them on the sniper game and call it training if you want.”
Austin waved a french fry in front of my mouth, and I took a bite. “I’d move the world for you, Ladybug.” He nodded at the boys, and they took off in a flash.
A feeling of dread came over me when I thought about our future. Austin was right; I needed to stop looking at them as boys. Watching them take turns on the sniper game made me realize the world I grew up in no longer existed. We weren’t raising children but men and women who would fight alongside us. My baby would have an even greater expectation placed on him or her as the child of a Packmaster. As much as I’d always wanted a normal life, my life would never be normal again.
At least not by human standards.
“Whose room are y’all going to live in?” Wheeler asked, stripping all the vegetables from his hamburger.
My mom stood up, hands on her hips. “I’ll not have anyone in our house living in sin before they make it official.”
Maddox laughed and swatted her playfully on the butt, which caused my mother to blush so hard that Maizy giggled and quickly turned away.
“That may be a problem,” William said. “I don’t think the Council has ever done anything official with a gay couple.”