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she saw into him, or at least as far as anyone could see. The visions wrapped around him and hid him from her sisters, but she could always tell if he meant his words, and so she never asked him to give his word to her. It felt good to be asked, like he was truly a person.
    “I promise,” Ghost said, with a tiny shiver. “Now go, and talk to Mother.”
     
    ***
     
    “How does the leg feel?” Mother asked, watching Gerry as he heated water for tea. “It was a long walk from the Witch’s house.”
    Gerry looked over his shoulder at his alpha with a grin on his face. “You asked me that a double hand of times on the way home, and you made us rest three times. It’s a little sore, but I can bear weight on it just fine.” He measured tea into the large pot they used and put out three mugs. As much as he hated the prospect of Conn’s dramatics, Conn needed to be a part of the conversation. That was how families worked, as Mother had said more times than Gerry cared to count.
    “Should I worry, about this talk you want to have?” Mother did not sound any different than usual, but Gerry knew him well enough to pick out the faint note of concern in the calm voice.
    “No, don’t worry. Call it growing pains.” Gerry opened the front door. “Conn? Come have tea.” He went back to the hearth to pour the hot water over the leaves in the pot, bringing it to the table to steep.
    Mother set the pot of honey next to the teapot, getting down a loaf of rich brown bread and setting it on a board with a knife. Conn came in, hurrying over to the table to claim the seat beside Mother, while Gerry took the bench opposite his family, rehearsing his words in his head one last time.
    “It isn’t tea time,” Conn said, but he reached to cut a thick slice of bread anyway.
    Mother poured the tea, his strong hands around his cup as he waited for Gerry to speak. Conn stirred a bit of honey into the tea and nibbled on some bread, dark blue eyes fixed on Gerry.
    “You know that we’ve talked about my starting a family on my own one day,” Gerry began, pleased to hear the steadiness of his own voice. “I wasn’t ready to hurry out the door, but I think we all know I have an alpha personality, and certainly you’ve been teaching me how to be a proper alpha, Mother. How to provide for a family, how to care for dependents, and I’m grateful to you for that.”
    “No gratitude is needed,” Mother said, but Gerry heard the pleased note in the older man’s voice. Conn did as well, judging by the dark look he shot Gerry, as well as the way he moved a little closer to Mother.
    Gerry took a deep mental breath and tackled it. “I’m not unhappy as your dependent, but I want more. You’ve been preparing me for the day when I’d reach out and find someone of my own. And I think I’ve found a reason to reach for more. I’m pretty sure I’ve found someone I want to ask to join me as my first dependent.” He waited for the reactions he was sure would come, Mother with questions about his plans, Conn with recriminations and accusations. It was not a long wait for Conn.
    “Wait, what? You’re just going to fucking leave us? Just like that?” Conn asked, his cheeks flushing with temper. “After all Mother’s done for you?”
    “Conn.” Mother’s voice was quiet, but Gerry heard the authority in it. Conn turned around to look up at Mother.
    Before Gerry could say a word, Mother continued. “Gerry and I have talked about this before, for almost a year now. Gerry’s a good hunter, and he works well with me as a guard, but a man wants more sometimes than to be a dependent. Gerry has the makings of a good alpha, one who’ll care for his dependents. If that’s where his path takes him, who am I to argue with the guidance of the Lady?”
    The younger man lowered his eyes, and Gerry could almost hear Conn’s thoughts. It would give Conn all of Mother’s attention, but Gerry figured Conn liked the idea of having two caretakers. The