Sorell remembered Isaac's threat and rose to greet them, hating that he had to walk past his friends, walk past Felix. He reached Isaac, meaning to pull him into a friendly hug, but Isaac twisted, grabbing Sorell and shoving his tongue down his throat. His immediate instinct was to push him away but he knew what Isaac's reaction to that would be.
Someone—Sorell guessed Frannie—made a noise behind him like she was retching. He was barely keeping from retching himself. It was amazing how quickly Isaac had gone from something desired to something he wished he could avoid. Blackmail would do that. When he thought he could pull back without repercussions, Sorell leaned away. Isaac kept his gaze a moment longer, his eyes narrowing, an arrogant smirk on his lips as if he was reminding Sorell everything that was at stake. Sorell couldn't forget, it was basically the life and well-being of every person behind him.
He cleared his throat. "I'm sure you all know Isaac," he said brightly to a room of hostile expressions.
"I hope there are no hard feelings about me being here, considering the pack I lead," Isaac said, as if he cared. "Though you have an alpha from another pack here already." He indicated to Derrick. On face value his words could be taken as friendly, but Sorell knew their true intentions. Isaac wanted the room to know that he'd done his homework and knew who they were and where they came from.
"It's Sorell's party," Luke said, his arm draped protectively around Finn's shoulders. "If Sorell wants you here, then you are welcome."
Sorell winced as the attention of the room fell on him. He shrugged, attempting to seem like his normal self. "More people, more presents, right?" He smiled. "Isn't that how this works?"
Pippen entered from the kitchen on the other side, saving Sorell from trying to say anything else that made him sound "normal."
"The first course is ready," he said softly. His eyes found Sorell and looked daggers at Isaac. "The table isn't big enough for everyone, though."
***
Sorell leaned back and rubbed his too-full stomach. His gaze naturally rose to where Felix stood on the other side of the table; there weren't nearly enough chairs. The doctor held his empty plate, looking at Sorell with an odd, evaluating expression. When Felix realized he'd been noticed, his gaze dropped.
The twelve of them were huddled around the table. Frannie, Finn and Christian sat in chairs along with Sorell and Isaac. The rest of them had had to manage standing while consuming the exquisite four-course meal Pippen had prepared. Judging from the satisfied faces and full belly noises, Pippen would be fine to quit culinary school right now. It was great that he was so good at cooking, but Sorell was mostly happy Pippen had found a non-violent activity that he was good at and enjoyed.
Beside him, Isaac burped loudly. Is he trying to be obnoxious? Sorell wondered. "Great food," he grunted. "I didn't know you could cook," he said to Pippen.
Sorell stiffened.
"I wonder why it is that you know anything about me, Isaac," Pippen replied, his cold tone at odds with the turquoise, flowered apron he still wore.
Isaac dropped an oppressive arm over Sorell's shoulders. "You know, from Sorell. He likes to talk about you guys."
Sorell bit his lip hard. Isaac had basically called him a traitor in front of his own pack.
"I do know Sorell," Pippen said, still speaking softly. Conner moved to his side. "Enough to wonder what he's doing with you."
"And it's time for presents," Frannie said loudly, pushing back from the table while absently patting the back of the baby she had in a pack at her front.
Sorell attempted to stand, but Isaac used the arm still over his shoulders to push him down, forcing him to ungracefully plop back down on his chair, banging his elbow on the table as he did. Pippen hissed.
Sorell kept his gaze on the table. Empty plates looked back at him. Food that had been eaten by his family. The same family that would be in jeopardy if Sorell didn't get his act together. "Oops," he said, smiling. "How much whiskey was in that bourbon glaze?" He turned his head to Isaac, silently pleading. "Are you done?" he asked brightly.
He was doing everything he could to appease Isaac, but he could still tell it wasn't enough. Sorell would be paying for this whole party later. He resisted the urge to look for Felix. Sorell didn't mind paying any price if it kept any of his pack mates from paying.
***
Sorell looked at the presents left on the table. Three more. Then you can get Isaac out of here.
He should have canceled the party but he'd been too excited. Isaac made it clear from the beginning that he wasn't interested in playing the doting boyfriend. He'd asserted his dominance over Sorell's every action from the first moment.
In the beginning of their relationship, Sorell had enjoyed the power struggle games they played. A little dominance was sexy in the bedroom. Bowing to Isaac's every whim in front of his pack was torture. His wolf wanted him to jump up and tell his pack mates that he was being blackmailed, that he was doing it all for them, but that wouldn't help anything, so he bowed. He was too embarrassed to look any of them in the face, especially Felix, who had taken up residence in the dark corner of the living room and hadn't moved or spoken the entire time. He looked like a statue standing there, observing the room, half in shadow.
At least he was getting birthday presents for the first time. So far he'd gotten a sweatshirt, two bags full of books from Frannie, and the newest first-person shooter game that he and Conner liked to play. Felix had gotten him a heart rate and fitness tracker that he could wear on his wrist. It was a thoughtful and very doctor-type gift. Sorell appreciated it, but was still a little disappointed. What did you expect him to give you? Sorell wouldn't even begin to try and answer that question.
Soon, there was only one left. "This is from me," Christian said, eyes sparkling. "I had it specially made." He winked.
Sorell pulled the tissue-wrapped parcel out of the gift bag. He unwrapped it, seeing it was a T-shirt, he held it up to see what was written on the front. "Life doesn't suck balls for a lot of people." His throat felt tight and for a horrible moment he thought he might cry. Leave it to Christian to remember a random moment that was actually one of the most important moments of Sorell's life and then to make something to remember that moment by. Isaac scoffed, his palm pressed down on Sorell's leg where it was nearly on top of his dick. "What the hell does that mean? Your life doesn't suck. You're with me." He puffed out his chest and Sorell caught quite a few of his pack mates rolling their eyes. Not Felix though. Felix had suddenly disengaged himself from the wall and strode towards Sorell purposefully.
Sorell didn't trust the doctor's expression. "I forgot," Felix said, his voice low and deep. "I got you a second present." He reached down and with a speed that made Sorell question Felix's human status, he pulled him up out of Isaac's grasp and into his arms. Felix's eyes were dark and haunted as he covered Sorell's lips with his own.
***
Felix couldn't believe how warm and inviting Sorell's mouth was. The younger man had parted his mouth in surprise allowing Felix the access he demanded to slide his tongue in and explore the other man further. It was as if the two of them were suspended in time. As if nothing existed but their bodies forming to one another.
He'd tried to remain uninvolved. Frannie had mentioned how important this night was and Felix used every ounce of his willpower not intervening despite the way that dick had ceaselessly pawed at Sorell, even when it was clear to everyone in the room that he didn't enjoy it.
It wasn't his place to tell Sorell how to live his life—he had no claim on him—but when he witnessed Sorell's face fall after Isaac had berated his gift, he couldn't stand back anymore. Felix had needed to comfort him as much as he needed to breathe.
Felix pulled away and smiled. For the first time in a long time, Felix felt like he'd done absolutely the right thing. Sorell remained, his eyes closed, his mouth parted half open, frozen in their kiss.
"What the fuck?" Isaac bellowed.
Felix watched fear fi
ll Sorell's eyes. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled him behind his body, shielding him from Isaac. In the blink of an eye Felix could no longer even see Isaac as every shifter in the room, save for the ones who had babies strapped to their fronts, stood in front of him growling and posturing. The room was a second away from chaos and Felix couldn't even feel sorry about it.
"It's time for you to go," Luke said calmly.
Isaac looked like he was going to argue. Felix wished he would. Actually, he wished everyone in front of him would stand aside so Felix could throw him out.
At the last moment though, Isaac unclenched his fists and stood straight. "Of course. Sorell?" He held his hand out like a master would for his pet.
Felix stiffened. There was no way in hell that—
Sorell stepped by him. Felix grabbed his forearm. "What are you doing?" he hissed.
"Felix...I...thank you for my gift. Both of them," he whispered before pulling loose.
"Be sure to stop by my place sometime," Isaac said arrogantly. "I'll buy you all a drink."
Felix was stunned into inaction as he watched Sorell go, leaving the pack house hand in hand with Isaac. The door shutting, latching closed, was a noise that would haunt him.
It took a full minute for the people in the living room to move again. They all seemed just as stunned as Felix. Like a volcano building pressure, Felix turned and punched the brick fireplace. Instantly, Felix was mortified at his outburst. The other people in the room, two of them related, looked at him with expressions that ranged from curious to pity.
"Sorry, Frannie. Oh God, your fireplace."
Frannie disappeared and came back with an ice pack. "It's brick, you didn't hurt it. How's your hand?"
Now that she mentioned it, it stung. His fingers should have been broken. He wiggled his fingers. Hurt like hell, but each moved as he asked them. He pressed the ice pack against his knuckles anyway. "I'm sorry, guys. I ruined the party."
"It was ruined the moment Sorell said that dillhole could come in," Pippen muttered. He stopped, standing abreast of Felix, facing the opposite direction. "You didn't do anything wrong, Doc."
Despite Pippen's claims, the party was clearly over. Though, that could have had more to do with Sorell leaving than Felix's kissing him. Christian looked very much like he wanted to stay and probably give Felix a hug, but Derrick herded him out the door, the triplets back in their stroller. In the end it was only Felix, Frannie, and Finn who remained. Frannie still looked at him like he had been naughty and Finn's face was frozen in a state of confused wonder.
Felix understood the expression, it was how he felt on the inside. Kissing Sorell had been the most wonderful thing he'd ever done. His body felt like it was vibrating, fighting the urge to go and retrieve Sorell, despite his choosing to leave.
Felix exhaled harshly. "I feel like I'm going insane." Felix rubbed his eyes with one hand and then looked up at his younger brother from beneath his palm. "Sorry, Finn."
That got the three of them laughing again. They ended up on the couch together. When the laughter subsided Frannie got up and poured three glasses of wine. "We should have invited Farley."
Farley, the fourth sibling, was not exactly the black sheep of the family. More like the lazy brown sheep of the family who didn't do much but who was really good at fantasy football.
"He doesn't even know Sorell," Finn said, taking a long sip of his wine. He swallowed thoughtfully and then brought his gaze back to Felix. "So, you kissed a guy."
"And he liked it," Frannie taunted.
When Felix thought back to the kiss he realized he didn't see it in those terms. He'd kissed Sorell. Sorell was a guy. A shifter, but still a man. But he had also been someone in trouble, someone Felix had thought needed saving. He closed his eyes and groaned. His damn hero complex. It had gotten people killed back in Zambia and it had gotten him thoroughly rejected now. "I'm an idiot," he said.
"You aren't an idiot." Frannie was as fast to defend him as she was to refill his glass. "You protect people. You protected both of us, even when that protection felt a little like smothering." She gave Finn a knowing look.
"You mean well," Finn said finally.
Wasn't that the problem? He meant well, his motives were pure. But, if he was honest, he couldn't claim all of his motives were one hundred percent pure when it came to Sorell.
Sorell doesn't want you, buddy. And who could blame him? Felix was older—not ancient—but he had some salt springing up in his pepper. He was also broken and haunted. All in all he didn't make a very enticing package.
"Hey," Finn said, nudging him with his shoulder. "He was a dumbass for leaving you. For leaving the house."
Felix couldn't agree. Even in the confines of his mind he couldn't call Sorell a derogatory name. He'd chosen another man over him, seconds after Felix had kissed him, and Felix still wanted to hunt him down and drag him away from that other man. By his hair if need be.
He sighed. Great. Now he was having caveman fantasies. "I think I've done enough damage around here. And I'm pretty sure my hand is going to keep swelling. It will probably be best that I am home where I can whimper alone." That was partly a lie. His hand felt fine, oddly enough. But he did need to lick his wounds.
***
Felix ran down the dirt path, impatient to get this part of the nightmare over with. He heard the baby crying in the distance. Kofi's house loomed in front of him, the bloody door swung ajar. He touched the door. It felt real. Every part of this nightmare felt real every time. That was the worst part, knowing he was asleep, knowing what was coming, because he'd lived through it already—
The sound of his doorbell sliced through the dream, yanking Felix back into the safety of being awake. He glanced at his phone, earlier than even his normal wake-up time. Anyone who visited now wasn't coming with good news.
Felix looked out the peephole. He saw only empty hallway. He opened the door, curiosity overcoming sense. Sorell slid in with a soft groan, almost unconscious. He had many new bruises that if Felix had to guess, had happened recently and probably covered much more of his face than he could tell right now. He had a cut on his arm and his pant leg was torn, blood peeking out from under the fabric.
"What the hell?" Fury rose in Felix, but he tamped it down when Sorell whimpered. The sound was full of pain and shot straight to his heart. He lifted the shifter up and carried him with one arm supporting his shoulders and the other behind his knees. He had questions—so many questions. But first, Felix needed to decide if there was an injury on Sorell that required more advanced care. He set him down on his couch. Sorell tried to move, mumbling something about getting blood on the fabric, but Felix pushed him back softly against the cushions. "Don't worry about the fucking couch." It took everything in him to stay calm. He had to though, at least for as long as it took to assess Sorell's injuries.
Felix looked over Sorell's body methodically. He had multiple bruise and lacerations. Nothing looked too deep. He kept pressure at the wound on Sorell's arm and it stopped bleeding within minutes.
Felix could sew stitches in his apartment if need be, he'd performed more intricate procedures under worse conditions, but nothing looked too deep. He had been more worried about his ribs. Sorell's breathing was shallow. Felix pressed on the area carefully. "Does it hurt more when I do this?"
Sorell shook is head no. That was a relief, he wouldn't have to worry about the broken rib puncturing a lung or nicking an artery. It was also lucky considering how worked over Sorell looked. It was clear that he'd been thoroughly beaten up and thrown around and Felix knew exactly by whom.
Once he was sure Sorell wasn't in further immediate danger Felix went to the kitchen for some painkillers and handed him a glass of water before shrugging on his jacket.
"Where are you going?" Sorell croaked. Judging from the bruises around his neck he'd been choked as well.
Felix added that knowledge to the fountain of reasons why Isaac should no longer exist. He felt out of control with
anger, there had been only one other time in his life when Felix had felt so angry and that had not ended well, either. "I'm going to kill the fuck face who did that to you."
Sorell bolted from the couch. "What? No!" He winced and flopped back down.
Felix went to him and readjusted the pillows behind his body. "You shouldn't move unnecessarily. None of your injuries are life-threatening, but I can't imagine any of them feel very awesome and they need you resting to heal."
"How can I rest when you said you're going off to your death?"
Felix snorted. "You think highly of me."
"I think you're a human."
"Which makes you think I can't protect you?" Was that why he'd left him earlier to go to Isaac, because he thought Isaac could protect him better? Felix was never one to say "I told you so," and he still wouldn't, but it just made his blood boil hotter.
"Please, Felix. I'm sorry I showed up on your doorstep. I couldn't think of where else to go. I didn't know if I needed real medical assistance and if I showed up looking like this at home...Pippen would freak. And he had just gotten to a point where he seemed so...gentle."
Felix wouldn't have used that word to describe Pippen. He'd witnessed the shifter debone an entire chicken with better speed and precision than a surgeon.
"Wake up, Sorell." Felix leaned over him, whispering. "You don't want me to kill him and you don't want Pippen to, either. You must really fucking love this guy to still be protecting him."
Sorell gave him a withering look. "You can think what you want."
Felix sat back on his haunches beside the couch and resisted the urge to grab Sorell's hand to comfort him. Felix was too angry and Sorell obviously wouldn't have appreciated the gesture.
"I know I can," Felix retorted. "I don't get it, but I don't have to. As your doctor, I'd advise against dating Isaac the same way I'd advise against slamming a fifth of vodka every night, because one of those nights, it's gonna kill you. But, like an alcoholic, you won't stay away from Isaac unless you want to, so why waste my breath?" He was being harsher than he had wanted to be, but the idea of Isaac putting his hands on Sorell was making him angrier and angrier. He hated seeing Isaac paw at Sorell during the party, he saw red fire when he imagined Isaac harming him.
Wolf's Mate Mpreg Romance Box Set Page 36
