by Kate Wendley
He could literally feel Sebastian’s anger and hatred of him from such a close distance, but Sebastian eventually sat back down and grumped, “So talk.”
Torin cautiously raised his eyes to Sebastian’s profile. “In private.”
Sebastian turned his attention back on him and narrowed his eyes, looking like he was trying to figure out what was going on, but eventually gestured with a thumb toward the private rooms along the outer wall of the club. Torin didn’t look directly at him, but kept his senses open as he stepped past and led the way to an empty room. He felt everyone’s eyes following him and he realized Anthony was right. Everyone paid attention to what Torin did. He did have real power here.
He walked into a room and kept his back to Sebastian as he came in behind Torin and shut the door.
Sebastian growled irritably, “What do you want?”
He took a deep breath and tried to calm his temper. He leaned over and put his hands on the small table in the room and caustically chuckled.
“You know, I never liked you. I was a new alpha and here’s this kid that suddenly had this freak power and I had no idea what to do. So I ignored you. I hoped someone would take pity on you and the whole mess would resolve itself while you faded into obscurity.” He stood up and turned around, leaning against the table with his arms crossed. Sebastian’s eyes were wide in surprise.
“But no, you kept trying to be part of the pack, kept trying to be with your friends, and even tried to get my support. Except I didn’t want some punk kid reading my mind and seeing that I was winging it all along. Why the hell would I want people to know that?”
Sebastian looked more and more startled.
“Shit, and then you got wild. Wild and unruly, and finally Anthony stepped in. He took you under his wing and then suddenly you were alpha. What the hell? That wasn’t what I wanted. He said he was trying to help you get control over your new power, not help you take over the pack.”
Sebastian’s temper roared back to life. “Fuck you. He didn’t make me alpha, he was just trying to help me control this stupid power.”
Torin sarcastically said, “He gave you his blood. Of course you’d grow stronger.”
“His blood made me stronger but you know that isn’t what makes an alpha. It’s something else entirely.”
Torin waved it away. “Fucking Christ, I know that, just shut the hell up for a minute.”
Sebastian’s jaw tensed just before he rushed him. He was so quick, Torin was confused at first about what was happening. Sebastian had him pinned on top of the table just before he tore into his neck. His bite was harsh and painful, a deep, sharp ache screaming through Torin. He tried not to fight it because it would only make things worse.
He gripped Sebastian tightly, grunting at the pain of his teeth tearing into him. Warmth flowed over the back of his neck and he knew it was his own blood. He was too vulnerable in this position, so he let go of Sebastian and went still, hoping he wasn’t planning on actually tearing out his jugular. Shit. He’d totally fucked this up. He’d wanted to call a truce, not actually die by his alpha’s hands.
Sebastian thankfully released Torin, dripping blood on his face as he angrily seethed, “I’m the fucking alpha now and I’ll bathe in your goddamn blood. I’ll rip your fuck buddy Suzanne’s goddamn head off, and anyone else who tries something. I remember, and my wolf remembers, everyone who turned against me back then, and I know everyone who’s against me now. I’ll destroy all of you and enjoy it if you keep fucking pushing me.”
Sebastian shoved him for effect as he let up on him and slowly stepped back from the table. Torin’s guts turned inside out because Sebastian was telling the truth. “Jesus, what did I do to you? What did I turn you into?”
Sebastian swiped the back of his hand across his bloody mouth, then curled his lip. “You give yourself too much goddamn credit. You didn’t turn me into anything. You were just a fucking bump in the road of my life. I made me.”
Torin looked away from him in a show of submission, fighting the urge to put his hand over the bite on his neck to slow the flow of blood. His self-healing power should close the wound soon enough, but if he lost too much blood he’d get shaky. Being physically weak around Sebastian didn’t seem like a good idea right now, not that it ever was.
He cautiously raised his eyes to his alpha and said, “I want a truce.”
Sebastian huffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.”
“You guys cut me out of the loop of all the decision making around here and I want back in.”
Sebastian actually paused at that, looking unsure of what to make of him. Finally, he sneered, “You cut yourself out. You never made it any secret how much you hated me or Anthony or Zach.”
“I still don’t understand how you and Anthony became friends.”
“Fuck you.” He pivoted towards the door and reached for the handle.
“Wait! I’m not trying to fight with you. I really want a truce. Anthony made me a proposition and I want to take him up on it. It’s not going to work without your support, though.”
“Then I guess you’re screwed.”
“I’m serious man! Come on!”
Sebastian stopped and really looked at him. Torin took that as a good sign, though the silence stretched longer than he knew what to do with.
Sebastian finally said, “What was Anthony’s proposition?”
“He said if I quit fighting you guys he’d hire me for something more prestigious. I want that. I want to be a bigger part of everything that goes on around here, meaning I’d be working with you guys. Me and my stupid pride will just have to deal with the fact that you’re alpha and I’m not.”
Sebastian studied him for a while, then leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms and putting his foot up behind him. His homicidal mood seemed to be mellowing.
Torin held his gaze, then forced himself to look away. It wasn’t a good idea to always challenge the alpha.
He snidely said, “You want to work with me and Anthony and Zach.”
Torin slowly said, “Yes.”
Just as sarcastically, he said, “So you can have a better job.”
“So I can be part of what’s going on in this family and this community rather than being on the outside of all the important stuff. I’m sick of being left out. I want part of the action.”
Sebastian still seemed suspicious of him, but he was looking more and more calm.
Torin said, “I’d like your support. I know I’ve been an asshole to you and I want to move past that. I’m ready to make a change.”
Sebastian quietly scoffed. “Why now? You’re never made it any secret that you don’t like Anthony or any of the vampires, and you definitely don’t like me, or Zach for that matter.”
Torin looked helplessly around the room while he considered the right words to say to get Sebastian on his side. “Anthony can be pretty persuasive, and he’s in charge of a lot more than I ever imagined.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes, and an evil smirk spread across his face. “He threatened your ass, didn’t he? What was the threat?”
Torin stared at him for a time, then blew out a breath and looked away. “That if I didn’t cut the crap he’d cut all ties with most of the shifters in this city and leave everyone to fend for themselves. That he’d leave their financial support up to me.”
Sebastian’s smirk faded, and he was quiet for too long.
“So do I have your support? If I talk to Anthony will you back me up?”
He narrowed his eyes in contemplation and caustically said, “Sure. You quit being a jackass and I’ll support you. We’ll see how long that lasts.” He reached for the door and said, “But I wouldn’t talk to Anthony for a few more days at least. Maybe longer. He’s pretty pissed off right now.”
Torin stilled. “Why? Because of me?”
Sebastian snidely said, “I wish. He’s pissed at me.”
Torin decided to leave that topic alone, and didn’t try to sto
p Sebastian from leaving this time.
**
Sebastian’s head was spinning. For years he wanted to feel like he belonged to his pack, and now that Torin wanted a truce, he wasn’t sure if this was just some fucked up trick or if it was for real. He didn’t know what to think and wished he could confide in Jade. If only they were close enough for that.
He went downstairs to clean Torin’s blood off him while he thought about what just happened. He just tore a big goddamn hole in Torin’s throat, and Torin barely tried to fight him. Huh. In a strange way that felt good. Torin didn’t freak out about Sebastian being an animal. In fact, it felt weirdly like they were brothers who always fought, but when it came down to it, they understood each other better than most people ever possibly could. Dammit. The one person he could truly be himself with and Sebastian didn’t trust him at all. Fuck.
And that whole conversation with him just now made him realize that deep down he’d always craved Torin’s approval. Good or bad, Torin was wolf, so he was family. It made him feel not so alone that he finally accepted Sebastian, even if it was with strings attached.
He pulled his phone out and texted Jade. Whether or not there were things that weren’t quite working right with her, he still felt like shit for the way he talked to her earlier.
He texted, ‘I’m sorry for tonight. I didn’t mean those things I said.’
She responded pretty quickly. ‘Ok. I know you were having a bad night honey.’
He reluctantly smiled, but his heart still hurt. She was a nice person, so why was he such an asshole to her? ‘Can we talk?’
‘Yes. Tomorrow night.’
‘Ok. Good night.’
He put his phone away feeling just a little less shitty than before.
**
Sebastian sat in the club at a table by himself around midnight. It was a busy night, the club full of a bunch of energetic shifters and a handful of vampires that liked to come here and be themselves. Fights sometimes broke out, but mostly everyone liked to be somewhere they didn’t have to hide their non-human personality traits. He’d been people watching for a couple hours, though he wasn’t all that interested in anything going on.
His guts turned when Anthony showed up. Anthony wasn’t a very expressive person, but Sebastian had known him long enough to be able to read the subtle things that clued him in to his mood, not that his blood connection didn’t also help.
Anthony was irritated, but he didn’t seem as pissed off as earlier. He wondered what that meant and knew he had to be a man and find out what was going on. He was alpha and if he’d turned someone wolf, he needed to find out and help take care of it.
He watched Anthony go into his office before nervously joining him. Anthony didn’t turn to face him, but Sebastian could feel his attention on him.
“Hey.” He paused for a brief moment but didn’t really expect Anthony to say anything, which he didn’t. In fact, he could feel Anthony’s temper rising as he stood there. It didn’t do much to help the bile in his throat from settling. “How’s Kaia? Did you notice anything from her?”
Anthony turned and looked at him, his eyes dead. “No, I didn’t sense anything from her. Yet.”
Sebastian locked eyes with him, unsure what to say. Anthony was motionless as they stared at each other, but he broke off eye contact after a short time and turned back to his computer.
Sebastian sighed, then quietly said, “I’m sorry,” before leaving the room.
He went upstairs and sat in the library on the sixth floor the rest of the morning. There was a lounge area situated in front of a large picture window that overlooked the greenery outside. It was full of trees and darkness this time of night. It was also a great spot to lay on the floor and look up at the starry sky. He spent hours staring into the night as he contemplated everything and nothing, feeling like he had no say or control over anything in his life.
He could leave this place and go out into the world on his own, but what good would that do? If he left Atlanta he’d just have to prove himself with some other pack in some other city and have a new family’s politics to deal with. No, his family was here, and he needed to be a man and take responsibility for his mistakes. That was one thing he could control… his character. He was who he was and he was going to own up to it.
Chapter 19
Jade pecked at her dinner, disappointed at how bland and unemotional Sebastian’s apology was. There were no flowers on the tables this time to help soften it, either. Anthony’s name didn’t come up once, so she still had no idea why he was upset at Sebastian, and it felt like the nail in the coffin that she had to hear through family gossip about his bloody fight with Torin last night.
Was he keeping things from her because he wasn’t interested in a deeper relationship, or was he still trying to protect her from the harsh stuff in his life? She wished things could go back to when everything was good between them.
“It’s ok, honey. I know you have stuff that… happens… that you can’t always talk about. I want to be there for you however I can, though.”
He was quiet for a time before staring blankly down at his food and nodding. He finally took her hands in his and said, “I don’t want to fight. I’m sorry I was such a jerk last night. I mean it.”
Her heart unclenched. With her cat fully awake inside her, she was nearly overwhelmed by the vulnerability she felt from him. He held her hands for a long, long time, and she decided deep down that she wanted to make this work.
**
Torin sat at the bar with Greg and Eric, a couple wolves who normally didn’t hang out over here in Sebastian’s space, but they amazingly went wherever Torin did. It was an eye opener to realize everything Anthony said was true. He still had power in this family, even if he wasn’t alpha anymore. If Anthony could turn that into some kind of life Torin felt proud of again, well, he was ready. He’d do whatever was necessary to make it happen, so he sat here with the guys and tried to get comfortable being around his alpha.
Sebastian knew he was here and gave him suspicious glances now and again. When his girl finally left for the night, Torin stopped him before he went back to the kitchen.
“Hey.”
“You fucking look in Jade’s direction again, I’ll rip your head off. Got it? And any of your suck ups, too.” He gestured towards Greg and Eric.
Torin put his hands up in surrender. “She’s off limits, got it. I’m not here to fight, remember? I want to tell you something.”
Sebastian irritably grumbled, “What.”
“It should probably be in private.”
He grumbled again, but nodded and led the way to a private room. Once they were alone, he demanded, “What is it? I have work to do.”
Torin playfully huffed, “You’re not an easy guy to talk to, are you?”
“Fuck you! Who’s fault do you think that is? As soon as I gained this fucking touching power you made sure no one talked to me. You can all fuck off and die for all I care. The only reason I even give a shit about any of you is because Anthony wants me to. If he weren’t trying so hard to make this fucking family work, I’d be out of here. He’s my family, not you.”
Torin stared at him in shock, then stupidly said, “But you’re wolf. We’re your family.”
Sebastian got in his face and sneered, “You’re nothing to me. My true family are the people who were there for me, who tried to help me when I needed them, even if they didn’t know how. Anthony and Zach were both willing to do that and they had no reason to even fucking care. My pack should have cared more than them. My pack should have been there for me. You’ve all been dead to me since the day Anthony offered to help.”
It was weird to hear that their alpha hated them all, and it finally made it click in Torin’s brain how badly that must’ve hurt when he rejected Sebastian all those years ago. But the shame and humiliation he felt from this young, freak kid besting him by accident still stung.
Except he wasn’t a young kid anymore. He was a h
ard core, Alpha Wolf force of nature now.
Sebastian stared him down for a few more seconds, then turned to leave in a huff.
Torin didn’t know how to make any of this right, so he just said, “I heard Ethan’s been doing some weird stuff at home. He’s been hanging out a lot with George, one of his vampires, his old Master I heard. They’re doing something that the wolves can feel in the air, but they’re not sure what it is.”
Sebastian turned back around in irritation. “What does that mean?”
Torin shrugged. “I don’t know, but I heard through a very quiet grapevine that Ethan’s trying to learn to do something. He even called all his vampires home to him one night. The vampires didn’t seem to know what was going on, except for George anyway. The wolves think George is in on whatever’s happening, that he’s pushing Ethan into it.”
Sebastian started looking more worried than mad. He grumbled under his breath, “Goddammit. And it has to be while Anthony’s still pissed at me, doesn’t it.” He huffed, rolled his eyes, and turned away again.
“Sebastian, wait.”
He glared at him and Torin fought to get his words out. “I’m… sorry. For everything. I mean it.”
They stared at each other for a tense moment before Sebastian flatly said, “Sure you are. You’re sorry when it’s convenient for you to be sorry. When it gets you something you want.”
Torin wanted to kick his ass for throwing his apology back in his face. Sebastian had no idea how hard it was for him to say it in the first place. But as he slowly walked away, almost looking like he wanted Torin to say something more, he realized this partnership was going to be hard for them both. Torin’s pride still stung, and Sebastian didn’t trust anyone except the Master Vampire and a couple of freaking jaguars. Shit.
**
Sebastian didn’t like it that after Torin told him about Ethan, one of Ethan’s vampires was suddenly in the club chatting Anthony up. He told Zach in private about what Torin said, and they both kept an eye on Anthony while he talked to the man. Zach did his usual nosy crowd surfing and found out the vampire actually was George, which didn’t make either of them feel any better.
