by Anya Byrne
A Future for His Werewolf Warrior
Lone Wolf Pack 6
Anya Byrne
Copyright 2015
Prologue
"But Will... This is completely unnecessary. I never wanted you to leave."
Will didn't look at Mathias as he added two more items of clothing in his bag. One of them was a tiny sweater—just the right size for a toddler—and Mathias's heart clenched. "Will, please..."
Finally, his longtime friend turned toward him. His eyes were tortured and guilty when he met Mathias's gaze. "I want to stay, Matt. God only knows Jessie loves you and I... Well, you're incredibly dear to me."
He hesitated and swallowed heavily, but Mathias heard what he didn't say, what that pause in Will's speech meant. Will didn't love him, not as a man, not beyond the bond of friendship they shared—not like Mathias wanted.
It hurt, but Mathias knew he could learn to accept it if only Will agreed to stay. "Will, I understand your point, and I respect your decision. But none of this means you have to go."
Will bit his lower lip, and despite himself, Mathias was drawn by the unconscious gesture, hypnotized by the sight of Will's full mouth. He jumped guiltily when he realized he'd been staring and tried to avert his gaze, but it was too late. Will had already spotted his little indiscretion.
"I wish I could give you what you need, Matt," the human said, his breath catching as if he was suppressing his tears. "I wish I could be what you want, but I'm not. And I know that you care about Jessie and me. If not for you, we might not even be alive. I owe you more than I could ever express, but you deserve more than gratitude, more than the friendship I can offer. The very least I can do is give you some space to find what you truly need."
Mathias knew the human meant well, but he'd searched for a mate for the better part of four centuries. All throughout his long years, he'd never experienced a genuine pull toward anyone—until he'd met Will.
But Will already had a mate, a werewolf named Dean Simmons. Mathias's hope had been that Will's heartbreak over Dean's betrayal would allow him to step in, but Will still loved the father of his son, and the pressure Mathias had put on him would now have him lose the closest thing he had to a family.
He could ask no more of Will. Doing so might shatter their relationship altogether, and Mathias couldn't risk that.
Swallowing around the knot in his throat, Mathias nodded. "At least promise me that you'll keep in contact. I'd be about of my mind with worry if I didn't know what happened to you and Jessie."
His friend's expression softened considerably. "Of course, Matt. I'll find a way to let you know how things are going for us. And don't be so concerned. You've trained me well."
That was true, and it provided some measure of comfort for Mathias. He had been horrified when he'd run into the then-pregnant human in a filthy bathroom near the Canadian border. Despite his courage and determination, Will had been largely helpless. Not anymore. Mathias had made sure that Will would be able to defend himself and his son if he ever needed to.
It didn't make it any easier for him to let Will and Jessie go. "When are you leaving?" he asked, barely managing to keep a tremor out of his voice.
"Tonight. There's a bus I want to—"
"Don't be ridiculous," Mathias interrupted his friend. "Take the car."
Will sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Matt, I already feel bad enough about this. I can't take more from you."
"It's just an object, Will," Mathias answered, fixing his friend with a steady look. "Don't be stubborn. You know you're going to need it, if not for yourself, for Jessie."
Mentioning the boy was a surefire way to get Will to agree to most anything, and predictably, Will did exactly that. "You're right, of course. I'll find a way to pay you back, I promise."
Mathias waved his friend's words off. The car was just a convenience. He could buy another one tomorrow if he needed it. "You taking it is enough."
Before Will could answer, a wolf pup bounded into the room, woofing gleefully. He sniffed Mathias's leg and looked at both him and Will, as if sensing the seriousness of the conversation.
Will chuckled and picked his son up. "Ugh... You're getting heavy. Soon, I might not be able to carry you."
In response, Jessie licked Will's cheek and set his head on Will's shoulder. Smiling softly, Mathias scratched Jessie's ear. Jessie turned his head, his tail wagging and his eyes dancing with glee and affection.
The next thing Mathias knew, a human toddler was jumping at him with a happy yelp. "Matt... Hug!"
Mathias enthusiastically complied, holding Jessie to his chest. "Yes, yes. I know. Brat."
More than a decade had passed since Jessie's birth, and Jessie still had trouble holding onto his human form. His birth had been quite traumatic, made worse by the fact that Will had desperately needed Dean next to him, and the blasted man had naturally not been there. But Mathias had taken over and pulled them all through. Slowly and surely, Jessie was getting better. "Tall!" he shouted again.
Taking his cue, Mathias lifted Jessie on his shoulders, and Jessie squealed in delight, clapping his hands. Will smiled fondly at them, and Mathias smiled back, even if a dull pain burned in his chest. Would Jessie forget him, forget all the games they'd played and the moments they'd shared? Would those memories fade away? How long would Will keep him out of their lives?
Jessie must have sensed something wasn't right, because he stopped his whooping. He patted Matt's head, gesturing to be lowered from his perch. Once more, Mathias complied, although he didn't actually let Jessie down from his arms. Jessie didn't ask for it. Instead, he hugged Mathias's neck and kissed his cheek. "Love you."
"Love you too, pup," Mathias whispered. He saw Will averting his gaze and continuing his packing, and hated himself for forcing the three of them to go through with this separation.
But it was far too late to change things, or to take back what had been said and done. A few hours later, Will was throwing his and Jessie's bags in the trunk of the car. Jessie was already buckled in, and he seemed quite enthusiastic for the upcoming trip. He'd deflated a bit when he realized Mathias wasn't coming along, but the excitement of something new had now taken over again.
Will was nowhere near as happy. As he shut the trunk, he turned toward Mathias. For a few moments, they just stood there, in front of the house they'd shared, staring at each other. It was Mathias who broke the heavy silence. He pulled Will into his arms and hugged him tight. "I'm going to miss you, Will."
The human allowed himself to be held, and squeezed Mathias in turn. "I'm going to miss you too."
Under different circumstances, just Will's heat and scent would have triggered a treacherous response in Mathias's body, but this time around, it didn't happen. The grief of the impending separation was too strong to allow any sexual arousal. Mathias's wolf whined in distress, while his Sidhe half mourned their future, and the life they could have had.
When they finally broke the embrace, Will stepped back and took a deep breath, as if bracing himself. "Bye, Matt," he whispered.
Mathias couldn't say 'farewell' in return. It hurt too much and it seemed too final. Instead, he replied, "Take care of yourselves."
Will nodded and slid into the driver's seat of his car. In the back, Jessie turned and waved, shouting, "Love you."
Those were the last words Mathias heard from Will and his son before the car pulled away and disappeared into the distance.
Chapter One
"Jessie needs your help."
The words echoed through Mathias's brain as he drove through the quiet streets of Willow Cove. He dreaded what he
'd find in Will's home, because nothing short of an emergency would have made Will ask for his help again.
Will had told him that much on the phone. "Jessie's pregnancy has complications," he had explained. "I'm worried about him. He's showing signs of pre-eclampsia, and the fact that he has twins..."
Mathias hadn't hesitated for a moment. "Of course I'll come," he'd promised.
And now, here he was, ten minutes away from the place where he was supposed to meet Will and his... lover. Just the thought made Mathias grind his teeth in frustrated anger and guilt.
He'd made a big mistake in going through with the challenge against Dean Simmons. He knew that now. That didn't make it any easier for him to accept the fact that Will would never be his. In a way, he was worse off now that he'd actually met Dean. Before the challenge, he'd been able to hate the man, seeing him as irresponsible and cruel, but after that, he'd realized Dean genuinely loved Will, to the extent that he'd been willing to sacrifice himself for the human.
His hands trembled on the wheel as he thought back to the last time he'd seen Will, at the betrayed look in Will's eyes. His stomach roiled, his vision went a little blurry, and he barely managed to avoid crashing the car.
He was so tired, too tired to continue to wait and to fight. Sidhe might be long lived, but at one point, the ongoing struggle against his loneliness and his dual nature had simply become too much.
Will needed him, though, and so did Jessie. A pregnancy like Will had described could easily kill Jessie, and that was something Mathias could not allow.
Just like that, his mind cleared and he found solace in his renewed decision. Right on time, too, because his senses—both Sidhe and werewolf—caught a feel of Will's familiar scent and energy. Predictably, Dean Simmons was with him, and so was another werewolf Mathias didn't recognize, perhaps one of Dean's sons.
They were waiting for him outside the town, where the main road veered into a smaller, barely visible path. Mathias parked the car, already guessing there was bound to be an unpleasant conversation before he got anywhere near Jessie.
Well, might as well get it over with. Mathias wasn't looking forward to it, but judging by Will's stance, neither was his friend. With a mental sigh, Mathias slid out of his vehicle and made a beeline for the three men.
"Hi, Matt," Will greeted him in a quiet voice. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
"You don't have to thank me. You know I care about Jessie as if he were my own."
Dean's jaw tightened, even if Mathias hadn't meant the words as a slight. He supposed that was still a sore point—the fact that Mathias had been there during Will's pregnancy and Jessie's early years, while Dean had not. Nonetheless, the Alpha werewolf didn't snap at him as he perhaps wanted. "We still appreciate it," he replied, extending his hand to Mathias.
Looking at Dean, one would have never said that the last time he and Mathias had seen each other, they'd been fighting for their lives, and for Will. Even if a part of him would always resent Dean, Mathias took the man's hand after only a brief moment of hesitation. "I appreciate you trusting me with this."
At his words, the other man present stepped forward, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Mathias. "I hope our trust isn't misplaced," he said, narrowing his eyes. "My name is Saul Simmons and I'm the Alpha of this little pack. You are welcome in our territory for as long as you need to stay to help Jessie, and we are very grateful for the assistance you provide. However, I must caution you against any action you might want to take that would be hostile to my father."
"I wouldn't have come here if I had hostile intentions of any kind, Alpha Simmons," Mathias replied calmly. "The last thing Jessie needs when he's in such a serious condition is to have another factor of stress added."
Some of the tension drained from Will's shoulders, his energy settling in a calmer, less anxious pulse. "Quite," he said. "Come on now. I told him you'll be visiting, and he's quite excited to see you."
Will's words surprised Mathias, and gave him a measure of cautious hope. "You mean he remembers me?"
"Not in detail," Will replied, "but he remembers... feelings. Most of his memories from that period in his life are somewhat indistinct, but strong emotions have lingered."
Mathias's heart clenched. He remembered the young boy kissing his cheek, the tongue of a wolf pup licking his face, the wave goodbye, and the whispered 'Love you'. He wanted to thank Will for allowing this despite the way he'd nearly shattered their relationship, but he had a feeling his friend knew exactly how he felt.
Besides, now was not the time for earnest speeches. Jessie's situation was serious, and the faster Mathias reached him, the better.
As if guessing his thoughts, Dean provided the more practical details of how they'd proceed. "The house is this way," he said, pointing toward the dirt road. "It's fairly straightforward to reach, but we'll drive ahead, and you can follow."
Mathias nodded. He didn't think the man was waiting for a reply, so instead he headed back to his car. Will and the others wasted no time in going through with the plan. No sooner had Dean gotten behind the wheel than the vehicle of his hosts was heading out, disappearing on the dirt road and through the forest.
Mathias followed, just like he'd been instructed. All things considered, the meeting had gone fairly well. The tension between him and Dean was not unexpected, but if they could be civil and polite to one another, it would be enough for the purpose of his stay. Both Dean and the rest of the pack seemed to feel the same.
It didn't take long for them to reach the cabin that was the home of the Lone Wolf Pack. Will had told him bits and pieces about it, although never in detail, since it had been something private related to his and Dean's past. It was on the tinier side, clearly not built to hold a large number of people, but another house was already in construction. Something about the place gave Mathias a strange feeling of warmth, a melancholic yearning that reminded him of distant days, of times when he too had a real home.
Perhaps he should go visit his grandmother. He hadn't seen her in quite a while, and she always had a great deal of advice for him. She was very vocal, particularly when she thought he was feeling sorry for himself and giving up far too quickly. And how odd that her words and his many arguments with her would occur to him now.
He would have truly been bemused, but he never, not once, lost sight of the true seriousness of the situation. He never once forgot that the boy he'd once helped raise—now a man—was in real trouble. And even if he'd had any inclination to do so, Will's expression would have never allowed him to.
The moment they both got out of their respective cars, Mathias caught Will's eye. It was only for a second, but in that instant, Mathias had a clear memory of Will as he had been more than fifty years back, terrified and unable to protect his then-unborn child. The moment faded, and Will straightened his shoulders.
“Come on. They'll be waiting.”
“They” turned out to include Jessie's mate, who decided to intercept Mathias at the door. Once again, Mathias found himself being eyed with clear distrust, but he couldn't blame the man for it. He was basically entering the lair of a wolf, one where his ill mate lay—and that heightened the natural protectiveness of Alpha wolves even more.
Like he'd done earlier, he extended his hand to the other werewolf. “I'm Mathias Girard. I'm here to help.”
“So I'm told.” The man looked past Mathias's shoulder, presumably at Will. “Andreas Brandt.”
He took Mathias's hand and squeezed so hard it hurt—despite Mathias's Sidhe and werewolf abilities. The warning was clear, but Mathias didn't flinch. He simply met Andreas's gaze calmly, and it must have worked because Jessie's mate let go. “Come on in. He's waiting.”
Jessie was lying in bed, leaning against the pillows and speaking with another human. Or they must have been speaking earlier. When Mathias entered the room, they were literally just waiting, and Jessie seemed to be holding his breath—which wasn't a very good thing for him given his condition.
The words were on Mathias's lips before he could stop them. “Hey, there, pup. Looks like you've gotten yourself in a bit of a mess.”
For a few instants, Jessie gaped at him, and Mathias almost thought he shouldn't have used such familiarity with the younger man. As it turned out, he shouldn't have worried, because Jessie's smile widened and his eyes glinted with gratitude, recognition and maybe unshed tears. “Seems so, yeah. Can't say it's not worth it.”
It didn't surprise Mathias at all that Jessie felt that way. Still, he couldn't help but note the slight tremor in Jessie's voice, the awareness of how easily things could go wrong.
Mathias made his way to Jessie's side, with Jessie's human friend giving him room to maneuver. “So... Twins.” He pointed discreetly toward Jessie's swollen belly. “May I?”
Jessie nodded and reached for Mathias's hands. He placed them on his stomach and held them there. “Please let it go,” he murmured in a barely audible whisper. “Let him go. They're happy together.”
“I know, pup.” Mathias smiled, a little pained. “I realize that now. Even old wolves can learn new tricks from time to time.” He cleared his throat and arched his brow at Jessie. “Now stop worrying about everyone else and relax. I need to see what I have to work with here.”
Jessie nodded and lay back on the bed. His mate came to sit with them and so did Will. If Will had heard what his son had said, he didn't show it, and in the end, for the moment, it didn't matter. Mathias focused on Jessie, on the three lives relying on him, and allowed his Sidhe ancestry to take over.
****
Willow Cove was the epitome of a small American town—quaint, stagnant, silent... peaceful. It had changed little since the time Ward visited it when he'd been young. As he drove through its streets, he felt almost guilty that he found it so alien.
