by Mary Rundle
Nodding briefly, Fionn ducked his head, unable to look at his mate.
Gentling his voice, Hunter asked, “Is it about you?”
Nodding, Fionn kept his eyes on the floor.
Hunter looked at his mate, then pushing his chair back from the table, said, “Come here, my pet.”
Relunctantly Fionn did as Hunter asked, standing in front of his mate, then drew a sharp breath when his mate lifted him up and set him on his lap. “You know, when you left for your hoard, I behaved like a prick.”
Fionn’s eyes shot up to his mate’s face. Seeing the self-deprecating grimace on Hunter’s face, he asked, “What did you do?”
“Well, let’s see…accused Jackson of keeping you away from me…was rude to him… threatened him…need I go on?”
“Uh, uh, but why? Jackson’s a good guy…he took me in…and Theo and Norm too.”
“My wolf was sure you were in trouble and I was sure no one was listening to me. When I told Jackson, he…”
“Wait, Jackson knows you’re my mate?”
“Yes, he does. Anyway, when I told him you were in trouble…let’s just say, I didn’t get the response I expected. That pissed me and my wolf off. Long story short, I was an asshole.”
“Is Jackson angry with you, now?”
“No, we made up and he welcomed me by telling me all the secrets of the Blackwood Pack.”
“All of them?”
“If you’re asking if I know the powers the Fates have given to my cousins, then yes. The only thing Jackson wouldn’t talk about is anything concerning you…or I should say anything other than telling me about your father’s attempts to kill you, your uncle’s attempt to gain custody and your successful court battle to be declared an adult…but other than that, nothing. He said he didn’t have your permission to talk about your dragon. Given the extraordinary gifts my cousins have received, is it safe to assume you’ll be getting a gift too?”
Staring at his mate, Fionn was astounded at what Hunter knew about him. And he still wants me. Slowly he nodded.
“Do you know what it is?”
Shaking his head, Fionn blurted out, “All I know is I’m a Lunar White Dragon protected by the Goddess of the Moon who will give me a supernatural power that Jackson can control so I don’t use it to hurt anyone.”
“A white dragon? Then the pale dragon I saw with my wolf wasn’t a-a-a, fuck, I don’t know what to call it—a ghost or spirit of your dragon?”
“Nope, my dragon is with your wolf and has been since we claimed each other.”
“Holy shit! Do you know how rare a white dragon is? Fuck, of course you do.”
“I do. Is that a problem for you?”
Finally understanding why his mate was worried about the meeting with an Oracle, Hunter rushed to reassure him. “No, my pet. Not even a tiny one. Did you think it would be?”
“Uh, huh. Logan thinks my uncle wanted custody of me because of my white dragon. Kieran told me what happened to the last white dragon…FYI, he was killed. My mother told me I’d be safe here. I guess I should have told you all this before you claimed me, but…”
Tugging Fionn close to his chest, Hunter hugged him. “It wouldn’t have mattered one bit, my pet. I still would have claimed you.”
Chapter 24
Relief flooded through Fionn. His mate wanted him even though he was a white dragon. Fear of rejection had haunted him ever since Kieran told him who he was. And somehow Hunter figured it out and gave him the reassurance he needed to finally put his worry to rest. Winding his arms around his mate’s waist, Fionn laid his head on Hunter’s shoulder, inhaling the delicious scent he found there.
Happiness—that was the feeling Hunter felt as his mate hugged him back. A feeling he thought was gone forever when he decided to walk away from the Rolling Hills Pack. It was the hardest decision he ever made; giving up on a goal he’d aspired to for his entire life. But he’d do it again in a heartbeat to protect Quin. After his father died, he called a meeting of his father’s advisors, expecting to formally assume the Alpha position. What he wasn’t expecting was their ultimatum regarding his brother Quin and being warned if he didn’t go along, they’d issue a challenge.
Sitting there, in the council room, Hunter listened to men he thought were friends, only to discover that greed had turned their hearts to stone—even his father’s brother. Kicking himself for not figuring out what was happening while his father was still alive, Hunter knew he had no choice, really, because if he agreed to do what they were demanding, not only would he break his mother’s heart, he’d be sentencing Quin to a life of hell. He’d die first before he’d allow either of those things to happen. So, that night, instead of becoming Alpha, he walked away, choosing to put his family over his ambitions.
Since then, he questioned if he’d acted in haste, if he could have made them see reason, if there was some other solution, if he should have accepted the challenge, if his brothers should have been consulted—the ‘if’ list was endless. But each time Hunter thought about that meeting, he could never figure out which choice would’ve been better than the one he made. That night, when he arrived home, Hunter sat outside, staring at their house—which wasn’t theirs anymore. It belonged to the new Alpha. Finally, when Mason opened the front door, and called to him, Hunter got up and went inside.
The reaction of his brothers was what he expected, but he didn’t expect the sad smile his mother gave him. She never said a word to him about his decision; in the end, life went on—he moved everyone to the new house he’d built and his brothers pursued their dreams. But in the dark of night, when he’d lie awake thinking of the life he was supposed to have, that’s when he knew he’d never get over it—missing out on the role he was born to play.
Until the moment his mate returned his hug. Happiness in his heart, soul and mind was his again; the Fates had given him a mate who healed his soul, giving him a new purpose, one where all his studying and training could be put to use. Leaning down, Hunter kissed Fionn’s head, vowing to the Fates he would not fail them— that he would cherish his mate forever. When Fionn finally sat upright, he noticed the joy on his face and, grinning in return, asked, “Better now?”
“Uh, huh, but would you mind if we met with Oracle tomorrow?”
“Not at all. I’ll let Jackson know. Now, what’s on the agenda today?”
“Do you like this room?” Fionn asked.
Checking out the suite, Hunter nodded. “It’s nice—good bathroom, pleasant sitting room, but more importantly, it has a giant kick-ass bed for our hanky-panky.”
“Then is it okay if I move in here with you? I just have a bedroom now, in the north wing, but Cody told me I could pick my room,” Fionn said. “Right now I’m next to Theo and Norm but they’re pretty loud at night. We could move to a suite over there, but I don’t know if any are available because Ki and Logan will need one and so will Zane and David. Plus, there’s going to be a bunch of newborn pups over there soon, so maybe being in the south wing would be better.”
“I don’t care where we are as long as I’m with you. Are you sure you want to be this far away from your friends?”
“I do. It’ll feel like I have some independence and I like that. And besides, I can see them any time I want. Does that make sense?”
“Perfectly. Why don’t we go get your stuff and bring it here?”
“Okay.” Jumping from his mate’s lap, Fionn began to get into his clothes. “Today is going to be a great day, I just know it.”
Grinning at his mate’s exuberance, Hunter dressed quickly and, reaching for Fionn’s hand, pulled him over. “Did I ever tell you how happy you make me?”
Fionn’s eyes rounded as he shook his head; no one had ever said that to him except his mother. Giving his mate a wide smile, he said, “The same goes for me about you.”
~/~/~/~/~
“Is this all you have?” asked Hunter, staring at three small trunks sitting in a corner of Fionn’s room.
Kneeling on the floor, looking under his bed, Fionn’s answer was a muffled, “Uhhh, yeah.”
“Pet, what are you doing?”
“Looking for something.” Sitting up, Fionn’s eyes searched his room, wondering where it was.
“What is it? Maybe I can help.”
“My backpack…it has my draw…oh shit. I left it in the kitchen last night,” Fionn said, groaning, remembering why he was there. “Hells bells, Dakota is going to kill me when he sees the mess I made.”
“No way, pet, he has to kill me since I caused you to drop everything.”
“Uh, uh, I’m pretty sure he’ll blame me.” Worrying his bottom lip, Fionn couldn’t make up his mind what to do. Facing Dakota was the last thing he wanted; he knew from past arguments with his father that angry confrontations never boded well for him. On the other hand, Fionn didn’t want anyone to see his drawings, especially those he was sketching during the past few days.
“Do you want me to get it?”
Shaking his head, Fionn wasn’t going to subject his mate to Dakota’s anger when it was he who dropped all the food on the floor. “Maybe I can go later tonight,” he said.
“What about your friend? Theo is it? He brought us breakfast. Can he bring it here?”
Fionn’s face brightened. “Good idea.” Picking up his phone, he typed out a quick message to his friend. “Okay, we can go now. I asked him to bring it to our room.”
Hefting a trunk onto each shoulder, Hunter said, “I’ll take these two suckers.”
Carrying the third, Fionn, followed his mate out of the room, smiling as he watched Hunter’s sexy ass wiggle.
~/~/~/~/~
After reading the notice setting the date of the hearing regarding the estate of Artur MacDùghlas, Penn dialed Jackson, then drummed his fingers on his desk, waiting for him to answer.
“Hi Penn. How come you always call just when I’m about to call you?”
“I guess it’s just my sixth sense,” Penn chuckled. “Go ahead, you first. What did you want to talk about?”
“My cousins arrived for a visit the other day…hell, there isn’t any other way to say this and I know it’s hard to believe, but…my mother is alive. She survived the massacre and they brought her here.” Silence greeted Jackson. “Penn? Are you there?”
“Uhmm…yeah…sorry, I’m just processing it…I don’t know where to begin…did she witness Josiah doing it? Does he know she survived?”
“Yes…and no. Long story short, my mother and her friend saw the whole thing as they hid in some bushes. The next day she was in shock and her friend called my aunt who sent my cousin, Mac—he’s a doctor—to get mom. As for Josiah…I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know she survived. Also, you should know my mother isn’t in good shape. Right now she’s in a coma and Ian doesn’t know if she’ll wake up.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Penn murmured. “Please let me know if I can do anything to help.”
“Thanks. Now it’s your turn. Why did you call?”
“A couple of things. First, I have a hearing date regarding the settlement of Artur MacDùghlas’s estate and Fionn will have to be there. Is he still in Scotland?”
“No, he’s back so that shouldn’t be a problem,” Jackson said.
“Good. I’ll send you both a copy of the notice.”
“By the way, Penn, you should know Fionn has met his Fated Mate and as far as I know, he’s claimed him.”
“Wow! Do you know who his mate is?”
“Yeah, he’s my cousin, Hunter Evans.”
“One of the cousins who brought your mother?” asked Penn.
“Yes, Hunter is the oldest of my six cousins and I expect he’ll want to be at the hearing,” Jackson said.
“Send me his contact info and I’ll copy him in.”
“Done,” Jackson said, after messaging Penn. “What else?”
“It’s about Kieran—when he and his friends were kidnapped and held by Arald in Tajikistan. If you remember, the High Council is pushing for depositions for him, Theodore and Norman, but I convinced the head prosecutor to accept sworn statements from Theodore and Norman. However, Kieran will still have to do a depo at the High Council. Of course, Logan now has rights since he’s mated to him and he can put conditions on it.”
“If I recall correctly, Logan can refuse to allow it, correct?”
“He can, but I must warn you if he does, then I expect Arald’s defense attorneys to move for dismissal of all charges,” Penn said.
“Let me discuss it with Kieran and Logan…by the way, you should also know Kieran is pregnant.”
“Hmmm, in that case, one of the conditions Logan can insist on is no traveling for Kieran, meaning either the prosecutor and defense attorneys will have to come here or, if not, then allow Kieran to do a video deposition.”
“Good to know. I’ll get back to you after I speak with them,” Jackson said.
“I appreciate it.”
“Is that all?” asked Jackson.
“For now, yes.”
Jackson ended the call after they said their good-byes, then leaned back in his chair, thinking about Fionn’s last hearing where Cody had overheard Fionn’s uncle and the judge conspiring to cheat him out of his inheritance. Sending a quick message to his brother and Dylon, Jackson set his phone down just as a knock sounded. “Come in.”
Dylon walked in, taking a seat across from Jackson. “I got your message about Fi’s hearing.”
“That was fast.” Jackson chuckled.
“Yeah, well, I was on my way to check out the work in the twins’ nursery when I got your text, so I made a quick detour,” Dylon said.
“Penn called about Fionn’s final probate hearing. He’s sending me a copy of the notice which I will forward to you. Do you have a plan to handle his fucking uncle?” asked Jackson.
“Yup,” replied Dylon, “and I’ll be going with Fionn again.”
“Fine, but you better clue Hunter in on your plan since he’ll be there also.”
“Noted,” Dylon said, before standing. “By the way, Cody wants to bring the twins to see his mom, do you have any objections?”
“Not at all…I was thinking of doing the same with Daniel, but check with Ian first.”
“Will do.”
After Dylon left, Jackson checked his other messages, forwarding the one from Hunter to Oracle requesting a postponement of his mate’s meeting with her. He wasn’t surprised at Fionn’s hesitation to meet with her today; the only thing he could do was to remind the young dragon he wasn’t alone anymore. Hearing another knock, he called, “Come in.”
Opening it a crack, Theo peeked in and, seeing the Alpha alone, asked, “Do you have Fi’s backpack? Steel said he gave it to you.”
“I do.”
“Can I have it? Fi asked me to bring it to him.”
“Sure, it’s over on the love seat,” Jackson said. Then, thinking for a moment, he said, “Theo, I’m sorry about how I behaved the other day. I was angry about something I shouldn’t have been angry about and you ended up as collateral damage.”
Stopping in his tracks, Theo stared at his Alpha. As far as he knew, Alphas never apologized for their actions, at least his old Alpha never did. Flustered, Theo nodded and scurried over to grab his friend’s bag. After mumbling ‘thanks’ to Jackson, he quickly left, closing the door quietly behind him.
Sighing, Jackson turned his attention to the pile of paperwork facing him, promising himself he’d make it up to Theo, somehow.
~/~/~/~/~
Unpacking two of the trunks, Fionn sorted his clothes before hanging up his suit and dress shirts in the closet and putting the rest in a drawer and on a shelf.
Examining his mate’s meager wardrobe, Hunter asked, “Fionn, did you leave some of your clothes in Scotland?”
“No. Why?”
“Oh, right,…you still have a trunk to unpack.”
Dragging it into the closet, Fionn said, “This one’s filled with my personal stuff…not c
lothes. After my mother died, my father refused to buy me anything to wear. It was one of the ways he tried to find out where my hoard was. By the time Ki rescued me, most of my clothes were too small or too worn so I threw them away and bought some new stuff with the credit cards Jackson gave me. But I didn’t charge a lot to them because it just didn’t feel right…I mean, I’d never met Jackson, didn’t know if I was even going to stay with the Blackwood Pack. But then, when I became part of Theo, Norm and Ki’s family, I decided to stay.” Fionn flopped down next to Hunter on the bed. “Once my father’s estate is settled, I plan on setting up a bank account and getting my own credit cards and I’m gonna repay Jackson the money I spent.”
“If you need any help, let me know.”
“I will.”
“So what’s next on the agenda?”
“Well, I gotta go to my hoard to get the gold rings for my nipples.” Shaking his head, he continued, “I can’t believe you had the same idea as me. I love the piercing you have at the tip of your cock so, this morning when I was blowing you, I decided to do my nipples.”
“No fucking way!”
“Yup. I love the idea. The only thing is you can’t come with me when I visit my hoard…at least not yet, but Mystia said she can change that in case I ever wanted to take someone with me…and I want you to see it. My dragon has been after me all morning to take you, because he wants your wolf to see it.”
“Who’s Mystia?”
“She’s a witch…a very good one. She created the cavern for my hoard and the portal for me to access it. Nobody can find it because it’s under one of those mountains out there,” Fionn said, gesturing toward the window.
“How do you contact her?” asked Hunter.
“Through Jackson. He knows her, so I have to ask him. In the meantime, I’ll just go get the rings.” Standing up, Fionn summoned the portal, but before stepping in, he said, “Don’t ever step inside until Mystia alters it; otherwise you’ll die.”
Seizing Fionn’s arm, Hunter asked, “You will be right back…right, my pet?”
Nodding, Fionn said, “I promise. It’ll only take me a few minutes to find the rings.”
