"Miles?"

The pregnant male Luna looked up to see his grandmother Abby Mae Bethune (his only surviving relative since his parents were kidnapped and slaughtered when he was two years old) came into the room, concern on her face. "Hey, grandma," he said, sitting up in the bed that he was lying down on.

"Miles, you look a bit upset," Abby Mae commented. "IS this about-"

Miles nodded, letting a tear fall down his face. "I still can't get over the fact that Carson's still not awake by now," he said sadly. "If only I had done more to protect him from Keith and those other asshole wolves and stopped Regan from making the biggest mistake of his life, none of this would be happening by now."

Abby Mae sat down on the bed on Miles' right. "Son, you did all that you could," she commented. "You joined others in making sure that Carson had enough to eat when he was told to eat bread and water twice a week. You made sure that he didn't freeze to death when winter came and didn't die of heatstroke during the summer. And when Ciara and her family were away and Carson was beaten to a pulp, you'd heal his wounds. All in all, you did everything possible to make sure that Carson Hadley was comfortable and given some light of hope in his dark world.

"And after he was rejected, you made sure that he got out of this place so he performed the Soul Conversion to live out the rest of his days as a human. All in all, you showed Harvey and Delia that you were ready to fulfill your duties as Ciara's mate. I couldn't be more proud of you than I already am. And I know that you'll make sure that your baby is welcomed into this world with lots of love, so you're on the right track to being a good dad."

"Thank you," Miles replied. "I just hope that Carson wakes up soon. He's too special to be treated like trash."

"Don't I know it, child. The Moon Goddess herself has a son from her womb and he is blessed to be a part of a royal line," commented Abby Mae. "Now, you get yourself some rest and I'll send Laurel for some dinner for you."

Miles nodded. "Grandma? If this kid's a boy, would Carson mind if I named my son after him?"

Abby Mae smiled widely. "I bet that he'd be tickled pink," she replied. "And I want you to promise me that you'll make Carson your godfather as well."

Miles smiled. "That's my plan."

*************

Meanwhile, Kings Iain and Archer DuBauer, the parents AND brothers of Carson Hadley, were snuggled up on the couch while listening to some jazz on the radio in the den. "Iain?" Archer said.

"Hmm?" his mate said, lost in his mate's touch after a long day with meeting with various Alpha leaders and Hunter Matriarchs with their top warriors and hunters (and even several human dignitaries).

"I'm thinking about our son and brother Carson. He's still in a coma and our Mother- the Moon Goddess- hasn't told us whether or not he'll wake up soon," Archer said, taking a deep breath. "I'm worried that we won't ever get a chance to"

"Stop, my love," Iain cut him off as he sat up and turned to face his saddened mate and brother. "Our Mother has big plans for us- Carson included since he is our brother and son. It's no doubt in my mind that She wants Carson to rest a little while longer while we deal with Regan ourselves. That brat doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as Carson after what he did."

"Don't remind me," Archer said, frowning at the mention of the pariah. "I have half a mind right now to slash that idiot's throat my claws. My wolf Morpheus agrees with me right now."

"And so does my wolf Heimdall," Iain agreed. "But our Mother has a plan for everything. I vow to you right now that once Carson wakes up, our son- our BROTHER- will be trained to be the next ruler of the supernatural with us and his mates by his side. And the Elite Eight will make sure that they will love him with all of their hearts."

"They better," Archer smirked. "I hate for them to lose their manhoods if they turn sour."

"They won't," said Eurydice as he and his fathers came in with boxes of pizza in hand. "If they don't want me to turn them into chickens or stone, they'll do right by my new bestie."

"You're really invested in Carson," Iain commented, accepting a box of pizza. "I'm betting that you have a shopping excursion on hand when he wakes up."

The dark-skinned, fire-colored phoenix lowered his eyeglasses. "You already know it, Your Graces," he drawled. "Louboutins, Dior, Givenchy, Kenneth Cole, Tom Ford- he'll be dressed to the nines and have his mates drooling all over him when Bianca, Fianna, and I are finished with him."

The young Werewolf Kings laughed heartily, the comfort of their Mother surrounding them with love as they enjoyed a meal and the company of a spunky phoenix with opulent fashion sense and a no-nonsense, unfiltered personality that was as big as the city of Dallas. As for Carson, the faith of him waking up was as solid as Iain's vow.  And nothing would revoke it, not even by the hands of Death itself.