“If…”

Veho hadn’t meant to keep the other wolf hanging on the edge of his cliff. As a matter of fact, he actually had more to say but someone failed to copy the last paragraph, but it seemed the words had gotten stuck somewhere between his mind and his mouth, leaving the younger male to fill in the blanks with whatever his wild imagination could provided. Indeed, the medic’s own mind was whipping in four directions at once, providing him with countless possibilities and paths this could lead. His ears continued to flex forward and back, mirroring his inability to settle on one line of thought as he tried to process exactly what was going on, what was being asked of him…or perhaps, what he was asking to be a part of.

Fortunately, it seemed @Rook had given the topic a considerable more amount of thought (and for this the medicine man was grateful, at least one of them was wise enough to think of solutions rather than wallow in his own self pity). With a soft huff, he finally lifted his face from the other wolf’s thick ruff, ears settling on a forward pivot as the alpha explained what Veho himself could not form into a coherent sentence. Perhaps it was easier that way, hearing it from someone else instead of being the one to suggest he insert himself in a relationship already formed, but he bobbed his head, indicating he was finally on the same wavelength his lover had been on all this time. Maybe Belladonna had been right all this time – it seemed a lot of anguished could have been spared for all parties involved if he’d simply spoken to Rook about it instead of making assumptions and expecting only the worst.

Mouth twisted in to a wry smile, he tucked that little life lesson away for later. He could examine it when emotions were not running so high they were practically palpable in the air.

“If @Quil finds this arrangement agreeable, then so do I. I am, after all, no threat to her rank, nor her status as breeding female,” he hummed softly, mind rolling over the traditions they were smashing through. In reality, unless the pair invited it, he was of no threat to pass his genes on at all (no matter his own interest in procreating and growing the Macieo family to the next generation). Veho was not an ambitious man – already, he ranked as beta, to be close to Rook, but he would be more than happy to extend his advising efforts to the Queen, as well. The unit might even function better, were it more cohesive, but everything still rested on the woman’s opinion. Would she mind sharing some of Rook’s affection, now that she knew where it had gone? Would being doted upon by two instead of one be enough to keep her satisfied, happy, and feeling like she was loved?

“It matters little what the others will say, though I do not think this should give cause for abandonment. We are not running a kakistocracy here, after all. Nothing will change – we will simply stop sneaking around like naughty children,” Veho hummed after a moment, turning his eyes back towards Rook. “Grizzly Hollow is a haven – do no harm. If we are happy, and respectful of one another, I see not why it should be shunned. As far as Tomen goes, I think we should be honest with him. You are his parents. Nothing will change that. I would not dream of interfering with whatever you or Quil intended.”

There word would be law, but Veho felt certain the trio had given the wolves of Grizzly Hollow no reason to doubt them, individually or as a unit. No one had been favored or outcast – even now, when emotions were high, the other members of their pack had not felt the repercussions. If the medic felt that any of them would be unable to separate work from their personal relationships, he’d not have agreed so readily. So he only hummed and sighed, a tired smile settling on his lips as he leaned against the younger wolf’s shoulder. He wasn’t wrong – rules seemed to mean absolutely nothing to @Rook Lyall. Perhaps that was what made him such a fine leader, that he was able and willing to break tradition when the situation called for it.

“I do think honesty is the best policy, in that regard, or else you will spend the rest of your life explaining to Tomen why you hid the truth from him in the first place.” Such was the nature of children, the medic thought wryly, and Tomen was no fool. The son of two clever wolves, he was already developing a sharp mind of his own, and even if the trio attempted deception, he was fairly certain they’d be unable to keep at it for long. The same could be said for Borden’s death, and he could only hope Rook and Quil handled that situation the same.

On a more selfish level, the medicine man did not wish to earn the prince’s ire, not when he cared so deeply for the boy’s father…and when he was willing to open his heart to the boy’s mother, as well.

The next statement, however, hit Veho in the chest like an elk’s hoof. All the breath was knocked out of him in a single wheeze, and he was left to stare at his lover blankly, simply unable to comprehend what the man had suggested for several long moments. “A family?” he parroted dumbly, mind reeling as it tried to put the pieces together. “But that-- How would we--?”

They were both males, he thought wildly, making that very suggestion utterly impossible. And while he found the idea of raising a pup with Rook (and with Quil by default, though how intriguing the without was stipulated – preparing for the worst?) intriguing, even appealing, the feasibility seemed well and beyond the pair of them. They would need Quil to have any puppies – to invite another female to breed in their pack seemed utterly disrespectful, and not something one would bring up with their alpha.

After several moments (and much longer than the man actually cared to admit), he huffed a soft sigh and fixed Rook with a crooked smile. “Warn a man before you propose something like that,” he teased softly, arching a tawny brow. “You’ll kill me with shock, if you aren’t careful, and then where will we be? As pleasant idea as it is, I fail…to see how that would properly work, between the two of us. Adopting a pup without parents, perhaps? If you mean for me to actually sire a child, well--”

Well, he loved the idea, the medicine man realized, the very revelation stealing his breath away. But hadn’t he just promised not to threaten Quil’s place? He’d not let his own personal desires become a barricade to working out this triumvirate peacefully.

“—I believe that may prove to be much more difficult, given pack dynamics, don’t you agree?”

“I suppose so,” Veho sighed indulgently, leaning over to return the nudge. Perhaps it had been a bit dramatic, but didn’t such a statement allow him room for a bit of melodrama? One shoulder bumped into another, and for a moment, he was content to enjoy the silence, as well as the bit of warmth radiating from the other wolf’s body. That they didn’t need all the answers at that moment was a bit soothing, he decided, and allowed the questions to filter slowly from his mind. Rook’s reassurance was rewarded with a smile, this one much more solid than the ones earlier, and he hummed as he bobbed his head.

Ah, yes. The mushrooms. He’d almost forgotten about them!

Leaning down, he began to roll the little caps back to his leaf, tipping his head as he peered up into those mismatched eyes. “Yes, they are. I thought to store some away for the winter, since the porcupine…ate most of our stores.” It probably would have been stoned out of its little mind, or perhaps even poisoned, had it lived long enough to leave the medical den. As it were, he bobbed his head again, making way for Rook to pick up the parcel if he so wished. “I would like that. Let’s…let’s go home, Rook.”

It was said with a heartfelt smile, crown pressed to crown as he hummed softly – happiness was here with Rook Lyall.

Fade.