The Defiant Claim (The Claim: Book 2) LGBT

Chapter 34 - Mik

Valentine's Day.

It haunted Mik. He didn't know what to do. Dinner didn't sound special and they didn't have a table to spread out all of Sam's favorite food anyway.

He found the oil Oshki spoke about. How had he forgotten about it?

The next day after his talk with Oshki, he went out to hunt—but stopped first at Luna and Noodin's house.

Luna Aki answered—her mate being out to attend to his alpha duties.

She smiled warmly at him, her hand subconsciously rubbing her large stomach. "Hello Mik. What can I do for you?"

He bowed his head and inclined his neck respectfully to her. "I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you... Would that be okay even though Alpha's not around?"

Her smile widened. "It's no problem at all. Come on in."

Stepping inside, the smell of cookies baking in the oven greeted his nose. "I won't be long. Sam thinks I went out to hunt."

"Is this about Sam?" She waited for him to take his boots off before taking his coat from him and nudging him to the kitchen table.

"Yes and no," he replied. "Valentine's Day is coming up and I get the impression that it's a big deal... At least, it is for Sam."

"The first one is always extra special for mates." She had a knowing glint in her eyes as her smile lifted slightly higher on one side.

He lowered his gaze and cleared his throat. "Yes, well... I... I want to do something special for him, like make all his favorite dishes for him, but I don't know what they are and I don't have a table..."

She frowned. "You don't know Sam's favorite dishes yet?"

He hung his head shamefully. "No... I thought you would know so I could surprise him."

She strode past him to the oven to check on the cookies baking inside and pulled them out to cool. "Well, that's a shame."

"Would you be able to teach me how to make all of his favorite foods? I want to get them exactly the way he likes them."

She turned off the oven. "Sure."

He inclined his head, exposing his neck in a show of submission. "Thank you. And how can I get a table?"

She smirked. "Yes, my mate told me what you did to the last one. I was informed not to help you get a new one."

Mik's eyes widened. "Please? I won't wreck it. I swear."

She hummed, tapping a finger to her chin in contemplation. "I'll see what I can do but I remember Noodin telling me that you needed to learn the value of ownership. If everything is provided at no cost to you, how will you learn to appreciate it?"

Mik stared at her as he thought over her words. When had he appreciated anything given to him? His birthday gifts he used and appreciated, but he didn't earn them. The cabin and everything in it was used and donated—no one cared what happened to them but Noodin did make it clear that he wasn't going to replace anything.

"Then... can someone teach me how to make a table?"

She looked at him curiously. "I was thinking more along the lines of sending you up north to help build the house they're working on and give you a new table as payment but that could work too."

"Help build a house?" He looked down at his hands. What did he know about building a house? "Is that wise? I don't know anything and I don't want to be far away from Sam."