by Mary Rundle
“Yes,” Ian said, “Colton, show Mac his office, please. When you are through, you can do Dakota’s ultrasound.”
As he rose from his chair, Mac said, “Just want to mention I’m sorry about Kieran yesterday. If I had any understanding of what could happen, I would have stopped it.”
Ian shrugged. “As my mate pointed out to me, no one could have stopped him once he decided to help Hope. So my anger directed at you was inexcusable. Go read and then we can talk more.”
“C’mon, Mac.” beckoned Colton. “Your office is next to Ian’s.”
~/~/~/~/~
After his presentation and answering his bosses’ questions, Carson took his seat at the conference table, waiting for feedback on his grant recommendations. Outwardly, he looked calm and self-assured, but inside his stomach was doing flip- flops. If Maximus and Slate were satisfied with his work, it would bode well for him when he requested a transfer.
Closing the last grant application folder, Slate looked at Carson. “I’m impressed. I couldn’t have done better myself. As far as I’m concerned, I’m in complete agreement with your proposed course of action regarding all the applications.” Glancing at his father, he asked, “Your thoughts, Dad?”
“Same here. You’re doing a great job,” Maximus said, looking approvingly at Carson. “Is there something else?”
“Yes sir. I’ll be leaving California, but don’t want to leave Dire Enterprises so I’m hoping there’s a position I can transfer to.”
“I’m sure we can find something for you, but may I ask why you’re leaving your pack?” asked Maximus.
“It’s personal, sir.”
“I see.” Leaning back in his chair, Maximus studied Carson and, seeing the sadness in his eyes, asked, “Does Jackson know about your decision?”
“Not yet. Cody and Colton do, but I wanted to firm up my plans before I spoke to Jackson,” Carson replied.
Maximus nodded. “And having a job would make it easier to get the Alpha’s support, hmmm?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do Cody and Colton know why you are leaving?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll talk it over with my sons and get back to you. Do you have any preference as to where you’d like to go?”
“No sir…except some place out of the country.”
“Would this be a permanent move?” asked Slate.
“Yes, at least for the foreseeable future,” Carson said.
“Is there a deadline for your departure?” asked Slate.
“Not really, but I’d like to leave sooner than later,” Carson replied.
Maximus rose, signaling the end of the meeting. “Understood. In the meantime, please proceed as per your recommendations on the grant applications.”
After his bosses left the room, Carson slumped back in his chair and took a deep breath. A small smile formed on his face before expanding to a wide one as he realized neither Maximus nor Slate said no to his request. Gathering up his stuff, Carson felt happier than he’d been in a long time. He was on the right track.
~/~/~/~/~
Two hours later, Mac closed the last medical file, dropping it onto his desk, staring at it in stunned disbelief. Thinking back to his conversation with Sawyer and Robin about the power of the Shaman, he realized it was nothing compared to what he’d just learned. An Alpha/Omega hybrid…two of them…mated to Dire Wolves who are apparently no longer extinct. Holy shit, Daniel is one of them! My second cousin is a Dire Wolf.
Shuffling through the files again, he pulled out the Shaman’s, flipping it open. Another male omega with powers given to him by the gods...I’ve never seen anything like this before. Momentary panic hit him as he realized the enormity of the responsibility before him. What if I make a mistake? What if something happens through no fault of my own? Then what? What about Hunter if that happens? Will my cousins blame him for my failure?
“The answer is ‘no’,” Colton said, leaning against the doorframe.
Startled, Mac looked up. “You can read minds, too?”
“I don’t have too…you were thinking out loud.”
“Fuck!”
“You read about Jackson, right?”
“Yup…I’m still trying to wrap my head around it…an Alpha/Omega hybrid…how fucking rare is that?”
Colton smiled. “As far as I know there are only two in the world…but getting back to your concerns, Jackson was dying and there wasn’t anything Ian could do to help him. None of my brothers, me included, had any thoughts about blaming him for what was happening to our Alpha. It’s life…and my brothers and I know only too well how shit can happen.”
“But you saved him.”
“Yes. It was the first time I used my power—the power I never wanted—but when I was standing there, watching my brother’s life ebb from his body, it all became very clear to me why I was given it. And in that moment of clarity, I thanked the gods and Fates for deeming me worthy enough to receive Raphael’s power.”
“I don’t have your power.”
“No you don’t, but it doesn’t matter. My power is only one method of helping someone, it’s not the only one. For instance, no matter how much I want to help my mother, my power is useless on her. But look at what you did. You kept her alive after her sister died until Kieran could help her. I read your notes…I know what you did and, frankly, I’m in awe of your skills. You did everything possible and then, when none of it worked anymore, you went outside the box and tried new things, all in an effort to keep her alive until she got here. I know how impossible it is to keep someone alive who doesn’t want to live, and yet you did it for months.”
Embarrassed by his cousin’s praise, Mac’s cheeks grew red. “She’s family,” he muttered.
“True,” Colton said, tilting his head, studying his cousin. “You should know I’m very protective of my mate—Alpha genes and all that—especially now that he’s pregnant.”
“Totally understandable.”
“But you should also know I’m very happy Ian will be under your care.”
“You are? Why? Frankly, I don’t know why I was given this assignment; there are far more experienced doctors in Frontline,” Mac said.
“Yes, I know, but Oracle picked you and she’s never wrong,” Colton chuckled. “If she knows you’re capable enough to handle Dakota’s Dire Wolf pregnancy, then I have no doubt you’ll deliver three healthy pups for Ian and me.”
“That’s what worries me,” Mac frowned. “I know nothing about a Dire Wolf pregnancy.”
“Neither did I. But Ian sent me a bunch of stuff which I’ll dig out for you and you do have Jackson’s medical records as a guide,” Colton assured him.
“Thank goodness, because I’ll need all the help I can get,” replied Mac.
“C’mon, Dakota is waiting for his ultrasound. My brother’s eager to get back to his kitchen and, right now, all he needs is an all-clear from Ian about the pup.”
Scooping up the files, Mac rose and joined Colton. “Then let’s not keep him waiting, shall we?”
~/~/~/~/~
Opening his eyes, Hunter smiled, finding the bedroom bathed in late afternoon golden light and his mate still asleep. Not that he was surprised since their last round of sex had been spectacular—and because both had slept little the previous night. Hunter had been consumed with the need to mark his mate. At first he chalked it up to Fionn’s disappearance, but as the night wore on, his desire to fuck never let up, driving him to take Fionn repeatedly. Thankfully, his mate liked it, always pushing Hunter for more.
It was Fionn’s eagerness and openness to try new erotic things that really surprised him. After learning his mate was just eighteen, Hunter wasn’t going to urge him to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with, wanting to make sure his mate progressed at his own speed. But Hunter soon discovered his concerns were unwarranted; from the moment Fionn jumped into his arms in the kitchen, it was Hunter who had a hard time keeping up.
His mate’s exub
erance about anything sexual excited and delighted Hunter. There was a constant joy in their love making, something he never had with anyone else and Hunter knew he’d never get enough of it. But there was something else about Fionn he sensed—his mate’s submissive nature. This puzzled Hunter, especially since his mate was a dragon, but when Fionn finally yielded to him, their orgasms were explosive.
Burying his nose in Fionn’s hair, Hunter inhaled deeply of his mate, imprinting the scent in his heart and soul. Unable to resist, he tugged his mate closer to him, needing to feel Fionn’s dragon heat against his skin—something else he’d never get enough of.
“When do I get to meet your brothers?” murmured Fionn, his voice heavy with sleep.
“Whenever you want…maybe at dinner.”
“Sounds good. I was an only child and I missed not having any siblings.”
“Sometimes I missed not being an only child,” laughed Hunter.
“No you didn’t.”
Chuckling, Hunter said, “You’re right. I wouldn’t have traded my life for anyone else’s. Of course, the thought did cross my mind when I got blamed for something that one of my brothers did when we were younger.”
“Which one?”
“Which one what?”
Turning over to face his mate, Fionn said, “Which brother caused you the most problems?”
“Oh, easy…Sawyer. He’s a free spirit and made it his personal mission to break as many rules my parents made as he could.”
“But you love him.”
“I do…I love all my brothers,” Hunter said.
“Who are you closest to?”
“Probably Mason. He’s the nearest in age to me and always had my back.”
“Who’s the youngest?”
“Quin.”
“You’re protective of him.”
“Very much so.”
“Why?”
“Because he needs me the most.”
“Why?”
Laughing, Hunter responded, “You sound just like him.”
“How?”
“Quin has a knack of understanding what people really mean when they say something; he can suss out the motives behind their words.”
“And you think I do that?” asked Fionn.
“In a way, yes. But getting back to my brother…Quin’s a special soul; kind, loving, always seeing the world through rose-colored glasses that can lead to trouble if he runs across someone who uses his trusting nature against him.”
“Has that happened to him?”
“Yes, several times.”
“Do you think he’ll like me?”
“I think he’ll love you, my pet.”
“What about your other brothers…will they like me?”
“Absolutely. However. they just better remember you belong to me,” Hunter growled.
Giggling at the possessiveness in his mate’s voice, Fionn felt cherished and loved. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Go ahead, pet. What do you want to know?”
“Well…do you work?”
“I do. My company does investment management, trust services, financial and estate planning.”
“A numbers man.”
“Yup,” Hunter replied, puzzled by his mate’s tone. “Is that a problem?”
Looking down at his mate’s chest, Fionn thought about Hunter’s question, wondering how he should answer it. Going with the truth, he said, “My father was always angry at me because I wasn’t interested in learning finance. He’d yell at me that he didn’t give a shit whether or not I liked it, I had to learn it since I needed it to manage my hoard.” Glancing up at his mate’s face and not seeing anything but love, he continued, “But I don’t. I have more money than I could spend in ten lifetimes so why the hell should I have to manage it?”
Hunter thought for a moment before saying, “Then why did your father push you to do something you obviously didn’t want to do?”
“Because he found out I wanted to be an…” Fionn stopped, not sure he was ready to tell his mate about his dream.
Seeing his mate’s hesitation, Hunter linked his fingers through Fionn’s, putting them against his heart. “Can you feel my heart beat?”
Fionn nodded.
“My heart beats for you…whatever you need, I will get you. Whatever you want to do…I will support you. Whatever I can do for you…I will do…because you are my everything and I want you to be happy… and only if you’re happy, can I be.”
Tears filled Fionn’s eyes. It had been a long time since someone loved him just as he was. The years of his father’s hatred fell away, pushed out by his mate’s love and, in that moment, Fionn’s heart finally opened wide, giving him back his ability to trust.
Chapter 27
Taking a deep breath, Fionn blurted out, “I want to be an artist!”
Moved by Fionn’s trust in him, Hunter kissed his mate’s forehead. “I think that’s great. The world needs more beauty in it.”
“You do?”
“I do, pet. Theo mentioned you draw and I’d love to see your work…when you want to show it to me.”
“Most of my drawings are with my hoard because I was afraid my father would destroy them, but I bought myself a sketchbook in Scotland and I can show you those,” Fionn said, excitedly climbing over Hunter to reach his backpack on the floor. “I began when I was very young…I was sick and had to stay in bed a lot. My mother gave me some paper and pencils to keep me busy. When she saw what I’d drawn, she hired a teacher who taught me how to use different mediums, but in the end, I loved using my drawing pencils best.” Yanking the bag off the floor, Fionn sat back on his heels, looking at his mate. “I haven’t shown these to anyone else.” Opening his backpack, pulling out his sketchpad, flipping through it until he found the first one he wanted to show his mate, he then handed it to Hunter. “When I was at my hoard, all my muse wanted me to do was to draw you.”
Hunter’s eyes looked at the drawing, astonished at a portrait of himself, so realistic he felt he was looking in a mirror. Fionn had captured him perfectly. “Oh my gods, pet, this is fantastic! You are so fucking talented—I’m impressed, really, really impressed. It would be a terrible shame to deprive the world of your talent.” Shaking his head, Hunter continued, “You did this after seeing me just once…from memory?”
“Uh, huh. There are others I did of you but this is my favorite.”
“May I see more?”
“Sure. I also sketched a bunch of my friends when we were in Scotland.”
Slowly flipping through the pages, Hunter studied each drawing, awed at the talent his mate possessed. Fionn’s ability to capture his subject’s moment in time was extraordinary. Pausing at one his mate had done of Kieran and Logan, he felt the love they had for each other radiating from the sketch. “What did your father think about your talent?”
“Until my mother died, he didn’t know I drew. He wasn’t around a lot; he was mostly at his chateau in France. When he was in Scotland, my mother made sure my teacher stayed away,” Fionn said, angrily. “One day he caught me sketching and he tore up the picture, saying I was wasting my time—that I had more important things to do, like learning about business.”
Reacting to his mate’s anger, Hunter looked up at him. “Jackson told me your father refused to help your mom when she was sick. He sounds like a real asshole for doing that. Couldn’t your mother access her hoard so she could get the medicine she needed?” Then Hunter quickly added, “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay too.”
“No, it’s all right. When my mother married my father, he took control of her hoard and put it in a trust that only he could access. I could never figure out why he did that, but I recently found out my mother’s family sold her to my father and I’m guessing that was part of the deal. And I couldn’t use my hoard because, until I was 16, it was under the control of our family’s attorney. So if I wanted anything from my hoard, I needed my father’s permission—which he never gave. Af
ter my mother died, I finally figured out why he refused all the requests I made when my mother was ill. The greedy bastard wanted it all for himself. He would have gotten it too, if Ki hadn’t rescued me.”
“I owe Kieran a lot for saving you, my pet.”
“Me, too,” Fionn chuckled. “He and Logan took me to Ian after he got me out of the cave. There wasn’t anything Ian could do because I just didn’t want to live anymore, at least not with my father. But Ki…he wouldn’t leave me alone. He got into my mind and just kept talking and talking and talking until I finally woke up just so I could tell him to shut up. I never met anyone who could talk as much as Ki does. My world changed that day…for the better.”
“So did my world when I found you,” Hunter smiled. “Luckiest day in my life.”
Gazing at his mate, Fionn lost himself in the love Hunter had for him. A love so wide and deep, he’d never find where it ended. Leaning forward, he softly kissed his mate’s lips, feeling the bond between them as Hunter responded.
Setting Fionn’s drawings aside, Hunter pulled his mate close to him, deepening the kiss. His body responded as Fionn’s heat ignited his need. Falling backward on the bed, Hunter took his mate with him, settling Fionn on top of him, his hands roaming down his mate’s back until they ended up on Fionn’s perfect bubble butt. Taking a globe in each hand, Hunter squeezed them, loving their firm resilience. Keeping his lips against Fionn’s, he murmured, “These are mine.”
Whimpering at Hunter’s declaration, Fionn felt his body respond to the mastery of his mate’s voice. Melting into Hunter, he relished the closeness, seeking to be one with his mate. Running the tip of his tongue along his mate’s lips, Fionn then pushed in, wanting to taste him again.
“Hunter, answer your damn phone!” Robin yelled, pounding on their bedroom door. “I’m not leaving until you do!”
The knocking echoed through Fionn’s head, interrupting his exploration of Hunter’s mouth. Finally, when he could no longer ignore it, he whispered against Hunter’s lips, “Mate, someone’s at the door.”
“Ignore it.”
“I think it’s your brother.”
