Chapter 7

A couple of days later, Naruto emerged from his heat, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. Minato entered the room with a warm smile, his eyes brightening as he surveyed his son. "I see your heat is over."

Laying on the bed, Naruto felt tears welling up in his eyes. Minato’s expression shifted to concern. "Naruto? Why are you crying? Your heat is over."

Naruto quickly wiped away his tears. "For once in my life, I wasn’t scared. The past few days were different. I’ve always been so afraid of an alpha breaking into the house, and it was painful. It was scary… but this time, I had help. I usually just hid away and stayed far from the windows."

Minato moved closer and wrapped Naruto in a comforting embrace. "You have nothing to worry about. That part of your life is over. Now come on, get dressed—your mother is making pancakes for breakfast."

A smile broke through Naruto's tears as he got out of bed. He headed back to his room, glancing at the bunk beds where Genji was just climbing down.

Genji smiled as he reached the bottom and pulled Naruto into a warm hug. "I’m glad your heat is over. You’re not in pain anymore, right?"

Naruto nodded, a soft smile lighting up his face. "Yeah, Dad helped me."

Genji paused, looking thoughtful before meeting Naruto’s gaze again. "Can I ask you something? When Mom and I went to the store, did you know you were going to be in heat that day?"

Naruto’s brow furrowed in confusion, but he nodded. "Yeah, I did. Why do you ask?"

Genji’s expression softened. "You know, I would have been there for you. I wouldn’t have left you alone when you were hurting. I want to make sure you're okay."

Tears of gratitude filled Naruto’s eyes as he hugged his big brother tightly. "Thank you, Big Brother. I’m so happy to hear that."

Genji smiled, a sense of warmth enveloping them both. "We’re family, and I’ll always be here for you."

To be continued...