by Mary Rundle
“Can’t complain about that,” grinned Jackson. “What do you have in mind?”
“Not that…at least not now,” Steel smiled, running a finger down Jackson’s chest, prompting his mate’s nipples to pop up. “How did it go with Hunter last night?”
“Oh that. Okay, I guess,” Jackson sighed. “I don’t get it. I worshipped Hunter when I was young. Used to follow him around everywhere, but now, it’s different. I can’t figure it out…did I change so much or did he?”
“Can’t answer that, but if you want my guess, probably both,” Steel replied. “A lot has happened to you since you were a child, as it has to him. The trouble is, neither of you know what the other went through when growing up.”
“True, but he does know about what Josiah did to us…so why is he challenging me at every turn?”
“Did you ever find out why he gave up the Alpha position?”
“He still claims it has nothing to do with mom, so it’s not my business.”
“And that pisses you off?” Steel asked.
“He’s keeping a secret, just like he kept my mom a secret,” Jackson growled. “That’s a problem for me. How can I advise Fionn if I don’t know everything…well, everything important about his mate?”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that,” Steel said. “Hunter was raised to be the Alpha so everyone in his pack would have expected him to become it when his father died, right?”
“Right. The only way it wouldn’t happen is if he was challenged and lost. But according to Dylon, that didn’t happen.”
Nodding, Steel said, “Exactly! So what would make him walk away? It had to be something important and, after meeting Hunter, the only thing I can think of is a threat to his family.”
Pausing for a moment before responding, Jackson said, “But what could it be?”
“Maybe the question should be who…who threatened his family?”
“Makes sense, but it doesn’t help me. Hunter made it clear the subject is off limits.”
“Maybe it’s that he doesn’t trust you right now.”
“Shit, the feeling is mutual…how can I trust him when he kept mom a secret all those years, only to spring it on me when he arrived. What kind of person would do that?” complained Jackson. “And his excuses weren’t convincing—to me, anyway. He just rubs me the wrong way.”
Chuckling, Steel replied, “I think the feeling is mutual, babe. As for keeping your mom a secret, I thought he gave some pretty legitimate reasons why he did that, but maybe you’re pissed off because he didn’t trust you enough to tell you earlier. And maybe that’s why every time you’re with him, you turn into someone else.”
“I know, I know. Fuck!”
“Well, maybe when Fionn returns, things will get better.”
“I hope so, but…” Jackson said.
~/~/~/~/~
Crawling out of bed at the crack of dawn wasn’t what Mason thought he’d be doing after what had gone on yesterday, but Hunter’s text woke him up; his brother said it was urgent they talk. Slipping on sweatpants, he padded out to the motorhome’s living room, flopping down on the sofa. He needed coffee but was too tired to make it—Hunter could do it if he expected Mason to be coherent. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes, hoping to get some more shuteye before his brother showed up.
Surprised that Mason was awake, Hunter was nevertheless relieved, knowing he’d be able to pick his brother’s brain about what to do next. The great room was empty at this early hour and Hunter hurried through it to the front door. Slipping outside, he stood on the porch inhaling the morning air, feeling it infuse his soul and calm his disquieting thoughts. When they were finally in order, he headed for the motorhome.
Mason groaned as the cool air hit him when the door opened, knowing his chances for more sleep were gone. “Make coffee,” he ordered, his voice raspy.
“What?” asked Hunter.
Cracking one eye open, he stared blearily at his brother. “Make some fucking coffee if you want me to be awake for whatever you have to tell me that can’t wait for later.”
Snorting at his brother’s order, Hunter complied. Leaning against the counter, he glanced at his recumbent brother who’d been his confidante for so many years—that was, until he refused the Alpha position after their father died. When Mason confronted him privately, he should’ve explained why he’d done it, but he couldn’t take the chance the rest of his brothers might find out. So he kept quiet, driving a wedge between the two of them until the closeness they once shared was all but gone.
Looking back, Hunter now clearly saw he was wrong; he should’ve trusted his brother. He’d thought many times about making amends, but any hope of repairing their relationship ended the night their mother died. Grief isolated each from the other and Hunter watched helplessly as Mason chose to suffer alone, rebuffing all attempts by Hunter to comfort him.
Sighing, Hunter poured the coffee into two mugs, setting them on the dinette table. Loathe to wake his brother who’d dozed off again, he kicked himself for being so thoughtless; Mason deserved better. Even after Hunter shut him out, he was always at his side, always helping, always providing the counsel he needed. Shaking his head, he headed for the door, deciding to let his brother sleep.
“Where in the fuck are you going?” growled Mason.
“I was going to let you sleep,” Hunter replied. “We can talk later.”
“Fuck you!” Mason sat up, rolling his head, in an effort to get the kinks out of his neck. “Sit your ass down. I’m up and obviously whatever you have to say is important, so go ahead.” Rising, he made a beeline for his coffee, deciding to drink it black, knowing he needed a maximum caffeine fix. Grabbing the steaming mug, he took a mouthful, savoring the heat and the flavor. Then he sat down at the table. Looking at his brother through clearer eyes, now, Mason said, “Now tell me what happened last night with Jackson.”
Hunter took a sip of his coffee, before setting the mug down as he thought about where to begin. Finally, he said, “Fionn’s father tried to kill him and would have been successful if Logan hadn’t saved him in time. According to Jackson, even though the High Council gave guardianship of Fionn to Cody and his mate Dylon, my mate’s father continued to pursue him.”
“Cody is the guardian of Fionn? I don’t understand, Hunt,” Mason said. “Is your mate underage? If so, shouldn’t you be talking to Cody instead? You know, getting his permission?”
“No, he’s not…at least not anymore. After Fionn’s father died, his uncle tried to get custody. Not that he was close to my mate but, according to Jackson, he was after Fionn’s hoard.”
“I’m a little confused. Does he still have a guardian or not?”
“He doesn’t have one anymore. Last week, there was a court hearing and the judge found my mate to be of legal age.”
Smiling, Mason said, “That’s good, right? Your mate is free to go home with us.”
“Yes…no…I don’t know. Jackson told me Fionn has the right to reject me as his Fated Mate. Did you ever hear of bullshit like this? I never did.”
“What the fuck is Jackie smoking? If this is his attempt to keep you from your mate then we need to hire a lawyer,” growled Mason.
“He claims it’s his rule and Fionn will be given the choice to accept me or not. According to him, he’s adamant about respecting individual rights and personal decisions about how pack members want to live their lives.”
“I don’t get it. Has all his Alpha power gone to his head?” asked Mason.
“I don’t fucking know. Last night, at times, he seemed almost like the Jackie I knew and then he would come out with shit like this and I wondered who the hell I was talking to.”
“Have you checked to see if Fionn is still with his hoard?” asked Mason.
“No, I promised Jackie last night I wouldn’t do it again and I won’t. After listening to all the crap Fionn has gone through since his mother died, I respect his reason for going to the one place no one can
reach him.”
“But that doesn’t allow you to protect him. Your wolf must be going crazy.”
Taking another sip, Hunter swallowed before answering. “Last night, after Jackie told me what Fionn suffered, my wolf tried to gain control several times and only Jackson’s Alpha power stopped it.”
“Holy fucking shit! That is not good.”
Smirking, Hunter said, “Try telling me something new. At least this time Steel didn’t make an appearance.”
“What’s with Steel? Do you know what kind of wolf he is?” asked Mason.
“A fucking big one, who can partially shift!”
“I know that but what kind of wolf shifter is he?”
“Not a clue, but then, I wasn’t going to stick around and ask him after he released me,” Hunter said. “But getting back to my mate, I don’t think Jackie told me everything. When he was telling me about Fionn, there were questions I asked that he refused to answer. Like how did Logan find out Fionn was being held a prisoner? And who killed Fionn’s father? Not that I have a problem with that one since I would have done it myself if the asshole was still alive.”
“He told you he wouldn’t answer your questions?”
“Well, not exactly, but all he would say in response to my questions was I would have to wait until Fionn came back.”
“Why couldn’t he tell you? I don’t get it,” Mason said.
“Well, I don’t either and that’s why I need your input on all this.”
“You better start again from the beginning,” Mason said, now wide awake.
Chapter 12
Theo carefully slid out from under Norm’s arm and leg that were pinning him to the bed. Noting the time, he quickly dressed and then, quietly slipping out of their room, headed for the kitchen. He wasn’t sure Dakota would be there this morning but if he wasn’t, Theo would start making breakfast by himself. It was the meal he had the most confidence in doing so he was pretty sure everything would turn out all right.
Humming to himself, he hustled into the kitchen and finding it empty, grabbed the eggs and bacon, setting them on the island along with everything else he needed. Working efficiently, he added seasoning to the scrambled eggs, whisking them before pouring them onto the griddle next to the sizzling bacon. Taking a deep sniff, he basked in the aroma of the cooking food
Crossing the great room filled with the scent of breakfast, Steel grinned at the thought his mother had returned early and wanted to surprise him. Pushing open the kitchen door, he stared at Theo, dancing to some imaginary beat while standing at the stove. “Hey, Theo…”
Startled, Theo swirled around, holding out the spatula like a knife, ready to do battle. Seeing who it was, he lowered his arm. “Don’t you know better than to sneak up on a person? I could have hurt you, then what would the Alpha say? He wouldn’t be happy, I know that much.”
Squeezing his lips together, Steel fought back the laughter threatening to erupt at the image of him being attacked by a spatula. “The Alpha would blame me, Theo,” Steel said.
“That’s a good thing, too, otherwise pooh bear would have to defend my honor.”
Chuckling, Steel replied, “Jackson would have my ass for spooking you.” Walking over to the cupboard, Steel removed the serving platters, setting them on the counter next to the stove. “I’m really sorry but I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in here. Dakota is still down in the hosp…”
“Oh my god! Is he okay? Nothing happened to the pup did it? I was going to visit him last night but pooh bear told me to let Kota rest,” Theo interrupted.
“As far as I know, he’s fine. Slate spent the night with him and if there were any problems, he would’ve sent me a message.”
Biting his lower lip, Theo fretted about his friend and mentor. Turning back to the griddle, he flipped the strips of bacon, wondering what to do next. Suddenly Steel stood next to him, taking the spatula from his hand. Looking up at the Alpha Mate, Theo asked, “Am I doing something wrong?”
“Not at all,” Steel assured him. “Dakota, Slate, Ian and Colton won’t be coming up so I thought you could take some breakfast to them.”
Grinning, Theo replied, “Yes! Good idea! I’ll make up trays for each of them right now.”
Smiling, Steel grabbed another dozen eggs and started cracking them in a bowl, glancing at Theo occasionally, who was bustling around the kitchen filling each tray with enough food to feed an army.
Pulling Dakota’s serving cart out of the pantry, Theo loaded it up and said, “As soon as I give them their breakfast, I’ll be back to help you.”
“Sure, but try to spend a little time with Dakota, will ya? I know he’s worried about what condition his kitchen is in,” replied Steel.
“Uhmm, okay,” Theo said dubiously, looking around the kitchen. “Do you want me to tell him the truth or…?”
Hesitating for a moment, Steel surveyed the kitchen, realizing for the first time how messy it had become. “Oh shit. You better not. If he asks, just tell him I swear it’ll be perfect by the time Ian lets him out of bed.”
“Good answer,” Theo grinned. “After breakfast, I can help you as long as the Alpha doesn’t have anything for me to do.”
“He won’t, cuz I have an ‘in’ with him.”
Giggling, Theo wheeled the cart out, eager to see Dakota.
~/~/~/~/~
Opening his eyes, Fionn grinned at the glow of his gold. Turning onto his back, he shut them again, feeling the calmness of his cavern. Even when his mother was alive, there was always an undercurrent of tension; they never knew when his father would show up. But now, here, he could feel for the very first time in his life what it was like to live without fear or anger permeating the air around him.
Yesterday proved to him that being free of constant strife had a positive effect on his muse. Sketching late into the night, Fionn fed his soul the same way that gold fed his dragon. And finally, when he fell into bed, sleep came quickly, though his dreams were haunted by the face he’d drawn. Now awake, his fingers itched, wanting to draw, wanting to capture more expressions of his mate’s visage.
Fuck! All I want to do is draw more sketches of him, so why the fuck am I afraid to go home and meet him? Fuckingbedamned!
He wished he could talk to Ki, have him explain what was happening to him and why his mate was all he could draw. Maybe his friend could help him decide what to do about it. But it would have to wait. He just wasn’t ready to meet the man, and he still wasn’t sure he wanted a mate. I don’t want to give up my freedom!
Groaning, he sat up, scrunching his nose as he sniffed the dry sweat on his skin; he needed a shower, but that could only happen if he went home. Pondering it, he decided to go home, quickly shower and return to his hoard before anyone knew he’d been there. Grinning, he rose and entered the portal.
~/~/~/~/~
After checking in on their patients, Colton sat across from his mate in Ian’s office, eating the breakfast Theo delivered. Yesterday was unbelievable, not only because his mom was alive but also for the shitty way Ian treated a fellow medical professional. He’d thought about it overnight, trying to figure out what Mac had done to provoke Ian, but nothing came to mind. If anything, his mate should’ve thanked Dr. Evans for saving Kieran, instead of snarling at him. Looking at Ian, he asked, “Babe, how are you feeling today?”
“Good. Hope’s vitals remained steady, maybe even improved a little bit, and Dakota is much better. I sent a text to Logan, asking him to bring Kieran down after breakfast because it’s time to do an ultrasound and see how his pup is doing.”
“What about Dakota? Shouldn’t he have an ultrasound too?”
“Of course, but tomorrow,” Ian replied. “I’d rather he rest today.”
“Fine. I’ll schedule it for three,” Colton said. “By the way, have you gone through all of Dr. Evans’ notes on mom?”
“Not all.”
“See any problems from what you’ve read?” asked Colton.
“No,” Ian
looked at his mate. “Did you expect any?”
Glancing down at his empty plate, Colton then looked up at his mate. “Yesterday, you were quite angry with him and I couldn’t figure out why.”
Sighing, Ian scraped the last bits of food off his plate, gathering them into a little pile in an effort to delay answering. Finally, he said, “Kieran’s heart had stopped because he overdid it. Removed too much at one time and, while it’s true, he did save your mother’s life, I’d have never allowed him to do it when it could’ve cost him his life…and the life of his pup. At first, I didn’t know Mac was a doctor and, of course, I assumed he wouldn’t know who Kieran was. But when I got there, he talked about Kieran’s aura being lighter.” Ian paused, shaking his head.
“That’s when I got angry,” he continued. “You see…not everyone can see auras. It’s an ability—like your natural healing ability. Your cousin admitted he saw how black Kieran’s aura had become and yet did nothing to stop him. Then I found out he was a doctor and…I’m sorry, I know he’s your cousin, but I was furious he would risk Kieran’s life to save your mother when there wasn’t any certainty of the outcome.”
“But Kieran did save Mom.”
“Yes, he did…at least she’s alive, but Hope doesn’t want to live. You heard Dakota. And unless she finds the will to do so, I’m afraid, the prognosis is very bleak,” Ian explained.
“What can we do to help her?”
“Hope has to wake up. Her reason for living is right here… it’s you and your brothers. Until she knows that, she will continue to decline.”
“I get that,” said Colton, “but what can we do to help her wake up?”
“Nothing,” replied Ian. “The only possibility is Kieran—but I’m very hesitant about him trying again. If something happened to him or his pup…”
Colton nodded. It would devastate Logan. Then, thinking back to Ian’s reaction, he said, “It wasn’t Mac’s fault…what happened to Kieran. The only person I know who can stop him is Logan.”
