by Maggie Walsh
Samuel’s eyes were full of confusion. Sasha could see the wheels turning in his head as Samuel worked to put all his words together and make the connections. Suddenly understanding appeared and Samuel’s eyes went wide as they filled with horror, but also hope.
* * * *
“Baby, you have company,” Raith said as he gently ran a hand down Aaron’s arm.
He didn’t want company. He didn’t want to see anyone right now. Too many changes had happened in his life over the past few days. Too many lies had been told his whole life, and now he knew the truth. Well, to some of his questions anyway, but he still had so many more. Like, exactly who was he and where did he come from? What had happened to his real parents and where were they? Was he taken from them, or did they abandon him? Did they just give him away because they didn’t want him? And why did it seem like his whole life, until he met his mates and his new family, no one had ever wanted him? And who was the man down in the cells who looked just like him? But it was more than just looking alike—the man was identical. He and whoever the man was were mirror images. So, who was he and why was he here?
“Aaron, can you talk to me, love?” Raith asked tenderly.
It wasn’t that he was ignoring his mate, or that he was angry with Raith. He just couldn’t face his men after everything that had happened. He was having a hard enough time with learning who those people really were who had raised him and finding out they weren’t his real parents, and that they hadn’t wanted him. Then there was the whole discovery that they truly were evil fucks who were trying to use their own son and take everything away from Storm so they could infiltrate the council. And even though they weren’t his biological parents, they were still his parents. They had raised him. And that fact made him ashamed.
The way they had spoken to the others, and the way they treated everyone and conspired against the council, made his stomach hurt and filled him with shame.
“Aaron, please let Shay and Kia help you,” Rory pleaded, but Aaron ignored him as his mind continued to race with a thousand questions.
And then there was Storm. What would happen to them now? Storm had said they were still brothers and that he still loved him, but what if now that a few days had passed, and he had time to think about everything, that Storm changed his mind?
“He hasn’t,” two soft voices said.
Aaron stiffened up. There were people other than his mates in their room. He didn’t want to see anyone right now. Didn’t Raith understand that? Didn’t his mate care what he was going through?
“He cares immensely, which is why he asked me and Kia to come see you. We can help you, Aaron. We can answer all your questions,” Shay said.
“You’re both new here so how can either of you answer my questions?” Aaron mumbled harshly.
“Aaron,” Raith admonished, then pulled the blankets off him and threw them across the room.
“Raith!” Aaron yelled as he rolled to his back and sat up, seeing Shay, Kia, and Cass were in the room.
“I know you are upset, and you have every right to be, but there is no way in hell I am going to let you get away with speaking like that to Shay and Kia. They are family now and we should all be welcoming them. Now, I know the wonderful man you are, and I know you didn’t mean to be bitchy with them. I think you know what you should do.”
Aaron sighed, looking away from Raith, and met Kia’s gaze, then Shay’s. “Raith’s right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take my bad mood out on you.”
“It’s okay, Aaron. Believe it or not, we understand. That’s why we’re here. When Raith found out all that we can do, he asked if we could come talk to you. To help you. And if you’ll allow us and give your permission, we would really like to,” Shay said, then sat on the foot of the bed.
“I’m not exactly sure how you can help me, but if my mate thinks you can, then I trust him. So, of course. What do we do?” Aaron asked and sat back against the headboard.
“May we both place a hand on you?” Shay asked.
“Um…sure,” Aaron agreed.
Kia moved closer as Shay stood and they both went to the side of the bed and sat beside Aaron, then each placed a hand on his arm. Kia closed his eyes, but Shay stared into Aaron’s. Aaron had no idea what was happening, but he suddenly felt like he wasn’t alone. It wasn’t the same feeling he got with his mates and knew they were with him because of their bond. This felt like someone was actually inside him.
“What’s happening?” Aaron finally asked after five minutes.
“Kia has traveled into your past so that he could see where your turmoil lies,” Shay answered.
“He what? But how? He’s right here,” Aaron said in disbelief.
“Kia,” Shay said, and suddenly Kia disappeared.
“What the fuck?” Aaron hissed and pulled back.
“It’s okay, Aaron. Kia is a traveler. He very rarely goes in physical form, but to prove to you that he can, he has gone.”
“Is he okay, sweet pea?” Cass asked anxiously.
Shay gave Cass a soft smile. “Oh, yes, mate. He is safe. He will be back when he learns what he needs to.”
“O…kay. And what are you doing?” Aaron asked.
“I am keeping Kia connected to here. Although he can travel back and forth on his own, when he travels in physical form, he likes to have that added support. Like a lifeline. Our connection helps him travel faster between there and here. I am also keeping you calm,” Shay explained.
“But I…wait. I do feel calmer. My thoughts aren’t all jumbled and racing.”
“Exactly.”
“Kia’s been gone for a while, Shay. Is this normal?” Cass asked in concern.
“Yes. Sometimes it can take him time to see everything he needs to witness and also make sure that no one sees him where he is.”
“People can see him?” Cass’s voice raised with his worry.
“When Kia travels in his astral form, no one can see him, but in his physical form, yes. So, if he went back to say, the day you turned five, you and anyone else there would suddenly see him pop in. So, he needs to be cautious so he can hide and still see and hear what is happening.”
“What if someone does see him? Could they hurt him?” Aaron asked.
“Unfortunately, yes. That is also one of the reasons Kia doesn’t travel in physical form too much. But he is fine right now. I promise. I can feel him with our connection. Here, mate, hold my hand,” Shay offered and held out his hand to Cass.
Cass clasped their hands and then sighed in relief. “I can feel him. He’s not scared and I don’t get a sense of danger, but he feels…sad? Is that right, Shay?”
“Yes, I feel it, too.”
They sat silently for another ten minutes, then Kia suddenly appeared.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Cass asked and wrapped his arms around Kia.
“Yes, mate. I’m okay. Just a little tired. I traveled quite a bit,” Kia answered.
“Shay said you actually traveled to my life. My past. Where did you go? What did you see?”
Kia’s eyes filled with sadness. “I saw glimpses at your life here and there. I saw you as a child and a few times as a teen, then an adult. I saw you go to medical school, then when you were forced to return home. Meeting your mates, and a few times since. As well as what happened the other night, and what happened downstairs.”
“So how can all of this help me? I don’t understand,” Aaron said in frustration.
“You’re afraid of losing your brother. That is your biggest fear and stress right now. You believe that now that you have found out that Storm is not your biological brother that he won’t want you anymore,” Kia answered.
“What? No, Aaron. Storm loves you,” Rory exclaimed.
“Rory, we understand your need to jump in and help your mate. To comfort him and try to quell his fears, but if we are to help him, we need to do this our way. He needs to make all the connections himself to our questions,” Shay said gently.
&n
bsp; “I’m sorry.”
Shay gave Rory a bright smile. “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You’re a good mate, Rory.” Rory gave Shay a shy smile, then stepped back, taking Raith’s hand as they both watched.
“So, you are afraid that others will think badly of you because of the things your parents did,” Kia said. “You are ashamed of them and think that their actions reflect on you. But you’re wrong, Aaron, especially with this family. Not one person here thinks any differently of you. They all love and respect you. You’ve heard the phrase, ‘The sins of the father’? This is it exactly. You cannot be blamed or held accountable for others’ choices. You had no idea who or what those people really were, or what they were doing. You only found out along with everyone else. And you took care of it immediately. You stood up to them, defended yourself and your family, and defeated them.”
“You also worry where your real parents are and whether the parents you always knew as your parents had anything to do with them not being around,” Shay added. “You’re wondering if your real parents didn’t want you and just abandoned you or gave you away. I can tell you that some of the answers to those questions are right here in this house, and I think you have a suspicion where.”
“The man downstairs,” Aaron stated.
“Yes. Samuel. He has the answers you seek, but also know that he is just as confused as you are. He’s scared. Lost. None of his life has been his own. He has spent his whole life in captivity, being forced to do things he never wanted to do,” Shay said.
“How do you know this, Shay?” Aaron asked.
“I have seen it. Like I said before, I have visions, and most of them are prophecies. I also know that you have suspicions of who Samuel is. And that makes you sad and angry to think that you were tossed aside and he wasn’t. But that is not the case at all. You need to speak with him.”
“If none of this happened, and I grew up with my real family, I would never have had to go through what my parents put me through. What they are still putting me through,” Aaron said dejectedly.
“Yes, that’s true, but that’s for another moment. First, let’s get back to Storm. Say it, Aaron. Get it all out,” Kia pushed gently.
“I lost him once already. They made me lose him. Storm and I were so close growing up. He wasn’t just my big brother—he was my best friend. They took that away from me and made Storm and I hate each other. They caused all those fights, arguments, and bad feelings. Storm and I have worked hard and have just gotten our relationship back. Now, what will happen? I can’t lose him again. It hurt too damn much the first time and I don’t want to go through that again,” Aaron cried, as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Shay grabbed his hand in comfort. “I don’t think you will.”
“But now that he knows I’m not really his brother, will he walk away? And what if Samuel is who I think he is? Will that make Storm walk away and forget about me?”
“I think Storm is sitting at home thinking the same things you are, Aaron. The last time he saw you or spoke to you was the night you found out you weren’t really brothers. Well, you are brothers, just not by blood. But he hasn’t heard from you, either. You need to talk to Storm. Now, I haven’t met him yet, but like all of you, I have seen you and feel like I already know you, so I think it’s safe for me to say that if you talk to Storm, you will see that he is just as worried about you not wanting to be his brother anymore. And I think he will tell you that what your parents told you doesn’t change a thing. That you are still his brother and always will be,” Shay said.
“And as far as those horrible thoughts that no one has ever wanted you, I think you need to really look at that honestly,” Kia said. “The three people who you thought were your parents may not have wanted you, but that was because they were assholes. Storm did want you, right from the moment he met you. Again, it was those assholes that clouded his thoughts. Once they and Seth were out of Storm’s head, he came right back to you and has done everything to fix your relationship.”
“You’re right about that. Storm has,” said Aaron. “And he did call me so that he could warn me about our parents coming in the first place. And he took my feelings into consideration when Seth wanted to return to the pride.”
“Exactly. So, you see, Storm does want you. Then think about all the people in this family. Your mates want you and so does everyone else. So, to keep those negative thoughts in your head, which were put there by Seth in the first place if I remember correctly from my visions, is just wrong,” Shay added.
“I wish I could go back and change everything that happened. Or even just what happened to me and Storm,” Aaron said sadly as he looked down at his lap.
“And that would be the worst thing you could ever do,” Kia replied.
Aaron’s eyes went wide in shock as he jerked his head back up to look at Kia. “Why? If I could go back and make sure that Storm and I never lost each other in the first place it would save us both so much pain and suffering.”
“Are you sure about that? Think about it, Aaron. The main reason I have to be extremely careful when I travel is because I cannot allow even one small thing to be changed in those past events. Say you were never found by your parents, and Storm never insisted they keep you. Or your biological family raised you. You would not be here today. None of us would,” Kia answered.
“What do you mean?” Aaron asked, tilting his head, as his brows dipped and his eyes filled with confusion.
“Jesse and Taylor came here and met Micah and Gabriel, so that would still have happened, but none of the events after that,” Shay explained. “Taylor got sick, so they sent for you. But if you were raised by your real family, or the parents you knew didn’t find you, or keep you, then you wouldn’t have been there for them to call on in the first place. Then Taylor never would have lived. No other doctor could have saved him. That would have destroyed Gabriel, which in turn would have destroyed our mate Cass, and so on. Sebastian never would have been sent out there to get you, so Storm would never have met him, and Raith would never have met you. Raith also would never have met Rory. If he never met you then he wouldn’t have been at that club that night, and Rory would still be trapped in the life he was in when you found him, or worse.”
“And with no Rory, there would be no Adam, so Viktor never would have found his mate,” Kia added. “Then you have Noah. Without Sebastian finding Noah in his astral form, would Storm have been there at the time he appeared? And even if he were, would he have slept right through it, or even believed it to begin with? Maybe not. Sebastian’s influence on him helped him to see that Noah was real. Then Noah would never have been rescued. Which means Raffy wouldn’t have been either, so Christian wouldn’t have met his mate.”
“And when Ryland and Dare came looking for Noah, Micah, Jesse, Gabriel, and Taylor never would have met Noah to say they knew where he was, so would Ryland and Dare have gone home?” Shay continued. “Would they have their mates now? Everyone’s influence on each other helped each of you make decisions in your life. Dale would have died, and without Dale, Dante and Dare would have never made it. Dale is who truly changed Dare. Because of Dante’s anger over Dare’s treatment of Dale, he banished him, which that whole experience made him open his eyes and see he was a fool, and he changed. And then none of those sweet babies would be here.”
Holy shit. Shay was right. He had never thought of it that way. Aaron thought as he sat up straight in the bed and looked at his mates. He couldn’t imagine Rory still being trapped with that monster, and Raith being alone and never finding Maddy and Sage.
“The first attacks by the rogues. If you hadn’t changed Taylor everyone in this house probably would have died that night. Then there was also the great attack. The Thanksgiving attack where all the leaders were killed. If Ryland wasn’t here, or Taylor changed, then they wouldn’t have been here to ward the house, protecting all of you.”
That’s right. By him accidentally changing Taylor into a hybrid super om
ega, Taylor had been able to save them from that first attack and ward the house on Thanksgiving.
“Then there is Evan and his boys. They never would have come here if you all were killed during the attack, so your mate never would have found his sons. Without the battle that killed Alison, he never even would have known he had them to begin with. If not for Maddy, Raphael senior would have never survived. Fallon and Trevor would most likely be dead. And who knows where Milo would be right now after losing his little brother. We can keep going and connect the dots to no one finding their mates, but Jesse and Taylor. And after Jesse lost Taylor, and Micah lost Gabriel, and probably Castiel, would their mating have survived? Would they have both been killed or captured in the first rogue attack? So, you see, as painful and agonizing as things have been at times, all of that needed to happen to bring us all to this time and place,” Shay continued.
“Shit. Holy shit, you’re right,” Aaron exclaimed, awestruck.
“And all of these events, even those of all the others, the ones not directly happening to you, helped make you who you are today. Who you all are. To bring us all together to fight,” Kia said.
Chapter Nine
Once his mates started making the connections to everything that had happened in the past three years, Cass’s thoughts began to race, making the rest of the connections they hadn’t mentioned. The realization of what they said hit him hard. Where would they all be now if none of that happened? Would Malachi, Brighton, Minos, and Hades have succeeded in their evil plans? Would his and Gabriel’s father Lucius still be alive?
That last thought sent fear through Cass that he hadn’t felt in a long time, and suddenly he was very cold. He moved back but kept quiet as he watched his mates help Aaron. What they did was truly amazing. It made him fall in love with them a little more.
“I need to talk to Storm. Then I need to go to Samuel. Would you come with me, mates?” Aaron asked.
“Of course, baby. Rory and I are always here for you,” Raith replied. He and Rory went to Aaron and wrapped him in their arms, comforting him.
