Walking down the stairs, I reach the bottom when Jonah squeals.
“Look at me,” he says, and my heart stutters frantically as he slides down the banister, falling off the side. I shriek when Andrei grabs the back of his pants before he hits the ground, holding him in the air.
“What did I say about doing that?” Andrei scolds him before setting him on the ground. Jonah picks out the wedgie that Andrei just gave him after grabbing him.
“But Pop did it,” Jonah whines.
“Pop is old and senile. Don’t listen to everything Pop says,” Andrei tells him.
“I am not, and I am not that old,” Derrick grumbles, walking out with his hands in oven mitts and a floral apron around his waist. Jonah laughs at Derrick’s attire.
“Quick, dinner,” Derrick tells him, and he rushes off into the kitchen. “And I am not old,” he tells Andrei
“Not old, huh? That’s why I had to peel you off the banister when you got your leg stuck,” Andrei tells him, shaking his head and following Jonah.
“It’s my sciatica. It has nothing to do with old age,” Derrick tells him, muttering under his breath, when Andrei laughs.
“Something smells good,” I tell Derrick.
“Roast and I made chocolate pudding. Kat always loved chocolate pudding,” he announces, leading me into the kitchen.
“Have any of you told Kat about Jonah?” I ask them.
“Yes, she will be over Tuesday when Dominic comes to visit,” Andrei tells me.
“Dominic is coming here?” I ask, and Derrick and Andrei both nod.
“Why?” I furrow my brows.
“No idea, but he said he is bringing Kyan, his son, with him,” Andrei says.
“Kyan is strange,” Jonah says, making me look at him.
“You met Kyan. Was he mean to you?” I ask.
“No, he is alright, but he always looks sad. He didn’t talk much,” Jonah says, looking up and licking his lips as Derrick sets his plate in front of him.
“How old is Kyan?” I ask Andrei, who shrugs.
“He is nine. Kyan has powers too. He showed me this black mist stuff. It was cool but also scary, it was so cold and sticky, but then his dad got mad and said he shouldn’t show people,” Jonah says, and Derrick stares down at him for a second before glancing at Andrei and me.
“Well, you should never be mean to anyone just because they are a little odd,” I tell Jonah, slightly creeped out. Surely, he imagined it.
“No, he is alright, I like him. He asked if I would be his friend,” Jonah says, stabbing a roasted potato with his fork.
“You said yes, didn’t you?” Andrei asks him, and he nods.
“Yep, he is my friend. Can he come over to play?”
“He will be here on Tuesday,” Andrei tells him, though I can tell he is nervous about Dominic coming. So am I. What if he tries to take Jonah from us?
“Jonah, come here for a second,” Andrei says, pushing his chair out. I watch as Jonah goes to Andrei. He swallows his food quickly, and Andrei brushes his lip covered in gravy, wiping it on his pants.
“Dad, can you pass me a can of lemonade?” Andrei asks, and Derrick grabs one from the fridge, cracking the can for him and handing it to Jonah. Jonah sips it before placing it down.
“I thought I couldn’t have bubbles at night,” Jonah says, knowing Malik and us never gave him a fizzy drink late in the afternoons. It always made him hyper.
“Just tonight okay, I need you to do something for me.” Andrei tells him.
“Can I drink more lemon bubbles?”
“Yes, but do you know how Clive took you away?” Jonah nods.
“Well, we don’t want that to happen again, so we need to make you a pack member until the adoption process finishes. If you are a pack member, they won’t be able to take you from us.”
“But I thought I couldn’t become pack because of Uncle Clive,” Jonah asks.
“You aren’t supposed to without parental or guardian consent, but you are ours now, so I give you permission,” Andrei tells him, looking at me nervously.
He can face serious consequences if it is ever revealed that he did this. But Andrei will take that punishment before anything has been legally documented to ensure he remains with us.
“I should have done it in the first place,” Andrei mind links me, and I press my lips in a line but nod, knowing what he is risking.
But this will ensure he stays here. They won’t pull a boy his age from a pack. It would cause him too much pain to sever a pack bond, and they won’t be allowed to remove him until he is old enough to decide for himself.
“I will give you some of my blood, then I need you to repeat these words, okay?” Jonah nods.
“I need you to say that I, Jonah Marshall, pledge my life and loyalty to Alpha Andrei Hartley of the Howlers Pack. Ok?”
“Does that mean I have to call you Alpha? I thought you wanted to be my dad,” Jonah asks.
“You can call me whatever you like, and I want to be your dad. I just need you to do this to make sure no one takes you from Sage and me,” Andrei tells him.
“So I can still call you dad?” Our little boy asks, clearly excited.
Andrei nods. “Yes, or Mr. Andrei, whatever you like.”
“I like dad better,” Jonah says, smiling at him.
“So do I,” Andrei tells him, leaning forward and kissing his head.
“Ready?” He asks him. Jonah nods, and Andrei bites his hand above his thumb, and Jonah scrunches his face up before biting down on Andrei’s hand.
“Gross, I am not a vampire,” Jonah says, and Andrei gives him a look.
“Oh, I, Jonah Marshall, pledge my life and my loyalty to Alpha Andrei Hartley of the Howlers Pack,” Jonah says, his brows scrunch up, and I feel the pack bond stretch taking him into its safety net, tethering him to the pack and us.
Andrei passes him his lemonade, and Jonah drinks some. “Good boy, now go eat your dinner, then you can have some pudding,” Andrei tells him.