Bas knew that Noah was telling the truth. Hudson had been adorable earlier with all his worry for him. Not that Bastian wanted Hudson to be anything but happy. He’d been annoyed when he’d first heard his name. Peeking over the branch he’d been napping on, Bas had gotten one good look at Hudson and he’d known.
It was so damn obvious that Bas wanted to smack himself.
Hudson was his.
The entire point of coming to this place with the family was because mates were being found. Bastian’s mate had been found. It might be unbelievable that he was one of the lucky ones but Hudson was everything that Bas hadn’t known he needed.
Just seeing the human peering up at him with concern and fear had drawn out every protective instinct Bas had.
His mate.
Bastian had found the one person that the fates thought was his perfect match.
Once he was close to Hudson, it had been impossible to resist scent marking the human as his. He might have gone a little overboard but with another human so close, Bas’s shifter side wouldn’t be denied. It didn’t matter that Hudson had been with his own brother. Not when Hudson hadn’t smelled like Bas.
By the time Logan was carrying Bas back to the bakery, Hudson had reeked of Bas.
He gave a pleased rumble just thinking about it.
Bastian had even gotten a little taste of his human with the lick he’d snuck in.
“Anything you want to share with the rest of us?” Noah asked quietly.
Returning his attention to the familiar, Bas lifted a brow. There was no way the little one knew.
Noah grinned.
Was there? Bas narrowed his eyes.
Noah’s smile grew.
It had to be impossible. Bas had barely come to terms with finding his mate. If Noah had known, he would have said something. Wouldn’t he?
“Why are Bas and Noah staring at each other like that?” Logan’s loud whisper seemed to draw everyone’s attention to them.
Noah smirked before he looked over at the lion shifter. “Like what?”
Logan stuck out his bottom lip. “Like you have a secret.”
Dean was watching them and suddenly his eyes widened.
Well, there went Bastian’s plan to keep things private.
“What’s going on?” Nate demanded. He rose from Craig’s knee with his hands on his hips. “There are no secrets between family.”
But was he family? Sure, Bas felt close to the men that he considered friends but wasn’t family pushing it? Bastian felt like he hadn’t been around long enough for that.
“Secret?” Noah repeated as he batted his eyelashes innocently. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”
No one was buying that act.
Bas tightened his arms around Noah. He wanted to strangle the little shit but that would probably upset Dean, and Logan, and hell, all the other boys. “You’re a brat,” Bas snarled in Noah’s ear.
Dean chuckled and nodded. “No one ever believes me when I say that.”
“Hey!” Noah exclaimed.
Bas pushed Noah gently toward the mage. “You can have him back.”
