Steph's Outcast

She gazes up at me, her eyes full of emotion, and then quietly lets go of my hand. I am moved by her words—and still as besotted with her as ever—but I do not know why she is here. What is she asking? "You…came all this way to apologize?" I glance over at the hunter hovering a short distance away. "With O'jek?"

"Oh." Steff flushes, and then shakes her head. "No, actually. I came here to tell you that I didn't choose at first, but I'm choosing now. I should have told you when you confronted me that I choose to be yours, that I always choose to be yours. That being with you brings me joy. That I want to be your mate and Pak's mother." She bites her lip, clasping her hands in front of her as if she is worried she will reach for me again. "I love you, and I want to be with you. And if you don't want to go back to the others, then…I'll be Outcast with you."

"What?" O'jek interrupts, startled.

My son flings himself at Steff, and she lets out a startled squeak before wrapping her arms around him. She smiles, hugging him tight, but her gaze is on me. Her eyes are full of questions and hopes.

"You…would be Outcast with me?" I ask, incredulous.

Steff holds Pak against her, settling him against her body as if he has always belonged there, and for a moment, I am jealous of my small son. She nods, giving me a tentative smile. "I love you. I feel things for you that I've never felt for anyone else, not even Flor."

"Flor?" O'jek sputters, utterly confused.

Steff ignores him. "I love you," she tells me softly. "I'm sorry I hurt you. But I want to be with you, if you'll have me."

My heart is full. I want to crush her to my chest, but Pak is in the way. I reach out and touch her cheek, stroking my fingers over her face. She turns and presses her mouth to my palm, and I am hit by a bolt of intense need. My mate. My female. She has come for me. "You have my heart, my Steff. I will go back with you."

"Oh…are you sure? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable—"

I shake my head. "You need people. Pak does, too. I will learn to get used to it." I brush my thumb against her mouth, and when she nips at it, my cock stiffens. "I just want to be with you."

Her eyes shine with happiness, and Steff presses a kiss to Pak's forehead even as she gazes at me. "Pak, baby, I'm going to press faces with your daddy now," she tells my son. "Go see O'jek."

That breaks me from my trance. I pull back, frowning as I look up at the Shadow Cat hunter. "Not O'jek, no. I do not want him near my son."

I expect O'jek to scowl in our direction, to say something cutting and unpleasant. Instead, he shifts on his feet, a strange look on his face. "Steff is not the only one that needs to apologize," he grits out, as if the words are painful for him. "I was wrong."

"Wrong?" I echo, confused.

"I said things to hurt you." O'jek scratches at the back of his head as if uncomfortable. "I wanted to make you angry, because I was jealous. You have a mate, and a kit, and I have nothing." His jaw clenches and he glances away. "But I did not want to drive you away. You belong as much as anyone else does. And…you are my brother."

He is acknowledging that we share the same parents? I look over at Steff, wondering if she has put him up to this, but she only shrugs. I get to my feet, shaking off snow, and approach O'jek. "You say you are my brother…but I am Outcast. Shadow Cat does not like outsiders, especially Outcasts. What will I'rec think?"

O'jek's expression hardens. "I do not care what I'rec thinks. You are my blood, and I would like to get to know you." He puts a hand on my shoulder, clasping it. "The old ways were wrong."

I do not know if I trust him fully, but it is a start. I nod, and touch his shoulder briefly.

"Will you return with us?" O'jek asks.

I turn and look over at my mate. She stands up, setting my son on his feet, and Pak rushes over to cling to my leg, all smiles. Steff moves toward me, too, her expression a bit more hesitant. When I smile down at her, all her hesitation disappears. She flings herself at me, her arms going around me, and I hold her tight.

28

JUTH

Time alone with my mate is near-impossible on the journey back. I want desperately to kiss her—to press faces, as Pak says—but she is exhausted and it is cold, and Pak is all excitement, bouncing from her lap to mine when we sit by the fire. O'jek is thawing as well. We talk some, but he is far more interested in my son. He creates a little spear for Pak and spends much of our traveling time teaching him how to hunt, pointing out tracks and signs that game has come through. Pak is initially wary, but by the end of the first day, he is following behind O'jek like a tiny shadow.