AARYN

Reth's eyes were bright and slightly red in a way that made Aaryn's stomach drop. But the older man didn't flinch away, or try to hide his emotion. He stared Aaryn down, pressing the urgency and love of his words in. And Aaryn felt each one of them land in a hole in his heart and begin to fill it.

"Here's the way I see it," Reth said quietly, "and the way I want to ask you to see it from now on: You are one of us, Aaryn. You were one of us before you mated El, but the truth is, walking the Flames and Smoke just makes it more… formal. Aaryn, you are a second son to Elia and I, and we want you to come to us that way. Not as an outsider. Not even as a friend. We want you to come to us as family. And me… I want to be that male for you. The father you missed having. I know it's hard—you're going to get things wrong, and so is she. And anytime I'm talking to you, I'm always going to have Elreth's good in the back of my mind. But it sounds like, reading that letter, your father would have done the same. Which makes me grieve the loss of him even more. What he's said in that letter? I couldn't have said it better myself. And I'm so grateful that he chose to share that with you. That he prepared for it in advance. Because… because Elreth is precious to me. And giving her to you—even though I trust you, and I know you love her… you won't understand until you have your own, but trust me, Aaryn, with the exception of my own mate, giving my daughter to you is the biggest act of trust that the Creator has ever asked of me. I'm just grateful He gave you both the bond. It's an affirmation that soothes my fatherly heart."

Aaryn swallowed. "It isn't just the bond, Reth. I love her. I always have."

He nodded. "I know. That's why I'm willing to do it. She is better off with you in her life."

"Even if I can't protect her? Because I can't shift?"

Reth turned and held his gaze, his eyes alight not just with emotion, but with humor. "You and I both know my daughter is more than capable of defending herself. What she needs isn't a bodyguard. It's someone who will protect her heart. She needs someone who lets her rest. Someone who will be her safe place to land—someone who can bear her burdens, and stand at her shoulder when she has to face her fears. Which she will do because she's courageous and strong.

"No, Aaryn, there isn't a single thing about you that I would change for her. The Creator knows what He's doing when he brings two Anima together in this way. I haven't doubted it for a second. But I am a male, I bleed just like you do. And I am not always right."

"Wait, wait… can you say that again. I wasn't sure I heard you—" Aaryn teased.

Reth growled, but his lips twitched towards a smile. "What I'm saying, Aaryn, is that you are a son of my heart, and from tomorrow you will be a son of our family. I do not pretend to be the father of your birth. But I would happily be the father of your future."

Aaryn had to look away, blinking and swallowing to keep the tears at bay. "Thank you," he murmured.

Reth put a hand to his shoulder and squeezed. "Let us be there for you, Aaryn. Let me show you the way as best I know how. I know you won't be me. And I know we'll butt heads at times. But I also know you are a good male. And good for my daughter. Good for our family. So, I make this commitment to you: Even if you disagree with me, even if you defy me, you will always be welcomed as family in my den." The former King's deep voice was resonant with a vow, and it broke Aaryn open inside.

He covered his face with his hands to hide his emotion. "Thank you," he choked out.

"Don't thank me," Reth murmured kindly. "Just live as a part of our family. Stop holding yourself back. Be with us, as one of us. To us, you already are."

Those word spoke to something inside Aaryn just as deeply as his father's letter had. He snapped his head up to meet Reth's eyes, and found Reth with silver tears welling.

For a second he couldn't breathe. But then the male leaned forward, nudging him with a shoulder. "I'm only going to say this once, because I'm embarrassing myself, but… I want you to be absolutely certain: It isn't a burden for us to love you, Aaryn. It's a joy."

Aaryn's mouth dropped open as something inside him, some hole that he'd carried since his days as a pup, was suddenly filled to the brim, overflowing with love and acceptance, and healing.

"But…"

Reth shook his head. "It's just true, son. Stop letting yourself believe that somehow you're not enough for us—or for anyone else. The issues you've had to face, the way you've handled them. I admire you. I want you in my pride. I want you in my den. I want you watching over my daughter.

"You are a good male, Aaryn. The best kind. No matter what your father did, he was too. I regret that things had to go the way they did. I regret that I didn't find you sooner and try to step into those shoes earlier in your life. But I do not regret that you have become a part of my family. And I know I never will."

Aaryn was stunned. Then, to his embarrassment, he bent forward, weeping like the cub he was when he lost his real father… and for the relief of knowing he still had one.

*****

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