Into The Woods (mxm)

Twenty Two

      Father leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Rumi lets out a shaky breath, nuzzling his face into Greyson's chest.

     "I should go see him now," Rumi says softly. His hands shake as he uses Greyson's shoulders to balance himself as he stands on wobbling legs.

      "Rumi-," I am interrupted by Rumi kissing me. I kiss back, wrapping my arms around his neck. Rumi pulls away to kiss my little baby bump. He then gives Greyson a kiss.

     Rumi leaves the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

     "Do you think he will be alright?" Greyson asks.

     "Yes. I think he will be fine."

     "So many families are being reunited."

     "Speaking of family... do you want to go visit my mother with me? We could all talk over tea and sweets."

     "Of course. Shall we?" Greyson holds out his hand and I place my own in his.

     "We shall."

      I smile, Greyson pulling me along with him down the hallway towards my mother's room.

Rumi

     I open the large double doors that lead to the library, my nose catching onto the familiar scent of my father immediately. He smelt exactly how I remembered his scent to be. It was his physical appearance that had me stunned into silence.

      Gone, was his grey-blonde hair. Now he had a bald head. He was no longer a portly man, his body lean and muscled. Alpha Asmodeus was right. He had in fact changed.

     The only thing about my father that had not changed was the soft glow in his eyes. A glimmer of the kind man from my childhood shown in his teary eyes as he stared at me with most likely mirroring the same shocked face that I had on.

"Rumi... my boy..."

My father pulls me close and tucks me into his arms. The last time I saw him I was much shorter. Now I am over a head taller than him.

My throat clogs up as my emotions skyrocket. My father's scent brings a certain comfort that I have not felt in years. I bring my nose closer to his sweat glands and inhale. He does the same.

"My, my. How you've grown," he says, pulling back to look me up and down. "You are a fully grown man now. Goddess, you look nothing like me." He chuckles, reaching up to touch at a blonde strand of hair that hangs in front of my face.

"Father. You're alive... I thought for sure that day you had died along with the rest of our people. Where have you been? What happened after I left?"

     "I went back and tried to save everyone I could. But by the time I made it back, it was too late to save anyone. They did not spare anyone. Not even children. I thought it would be best to look for you next. I figured that the rouges would come for you next. I could not find you. I lost your scent. So I went away and built a small bit to live in and had been there ever since. I believed that you were dead to so that is why I never looked for you. I am so sorry, Rumi. For everything. I should have seen the signs sooner. Maybe I could have prevented it."

     "It is alright, Father. What matters the most is that you are here with me right now. I have good news. I met my mates. I have two mates. Two. One of them, Prince Ansel, is pregnant with my pup. A little girl. My other mate Greyson is an Alpha. We have been getting along well with sharing a mate since we are both dominant wolves."

      "You have mates? Goddess, when will I get to meet them?"

     "Any time you would like to."

     "And a pup... Goddess... Have you thought of names for your pup yet? I remember fondly of the time I would lay with your mother in our bed and discuss ideas of what to name you for hours at a time. As I rubbed her belly, and you kicked against my hand from inside where you were nestled in her womb..."

      I smile down at my father, pulling him into another hug. "We have a handful of names we would like to choose from. Not one has stuck out to us yet. I am sure we will find the right name eventually."

      "And your brother...?" I see the question in Father's eyes.

     "He is alive and well. I named him Collin."

     "I would like to meet him now," my father says with certainty in his strong voice.
     "Are you sure? He is not your biological pup. I do not want to cause any conflict between both of you."

     "I hold no ill will against Collin. He was an innocent little pup. Unaware of his surroundings. He had nothing to do with the terrible choices that your mother made. I would like to meet him. Get to know him. If you will allow me to be close to both of you. I see Collin as my son even though we are not biologically related. As soon as your mother became pregnant with him, my wolf had instantly claimed him as my own."

"Alright... I will link him and see where he is now."

"Thank you," Father says, putting his hand on my cheek. I lean into his touch, Father reaches up and kisses my forehead.

"Thank you, Rumi..."