“Agreed,” Carson said. “We’re translocating the boys and Mrs. B to the Blackwood Pack shortly, so if you come with us, we can see Dylon then.”
“Do you mind if we meet you there?” asked Brady. “I’d like to make a stop first.”
“Not at all,” replied Carson after hearing Remy’s approval through their mind link. “Does thirty minutes work for you?”
“Yes,” Brady said, “see you then.” Taking Lucius’ hand, he headed outside, leading them away from the cottage.
Mystified, Lucius followed until they were hidden by the trees. Then, yanking both of them to a stop, he asked, “What’s going on? Are we going to see my mother first?”
“Not yet,leelan,” Brady murmured. “There’s not enough time before our meeting, but I promise you, wewillgo.”
“Where are you taking me, then?” asked Lucius.
“I want to show you my…I mean, our home…that is, if you want to see it.”
Smiling broadly, Lucius nodded. “And your girls also?”
“Them, too,” Brady said, delighted at his mate’s eagerness to see his roses. “I might be a bit rusty with my translocation skills, so hang on tight.”
Lifting their joined hands to his chest, Lucius said , “It’s just like riding a …” as they disappeared in a puff of smoke before he could finish.
~/~/~/~/~
“Stop staring at them,” Sawyer growled at Glenn. “Alex is safe.”
His tiger didn’t agree. Ignoring his mate’s order, Glenn remained by the window, keeping his eyes on Alex and Fionn who were sitting together in the back garden and talking. About what, he didn’t know because Alex had blocked their mind link, so all he could do was try to read their body language to see if his mate was in danger.
“He blocked you because your fuckin’ tiger was growling constantly,” Sawyer said. “So suck it up…and stop giving Fionn the evil eye.”
“You need to relax,” Hunter said, handing a cold beer to Glenn before sitting down. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Really?” Glenn asked, twisting the cap off the bottle. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
Shrugging Hunter said, “Suit yourself…but just remember this…Alex has already figured out two things…one, you don’t like his brother…and two, you don’t trust him to decide for himself about Fionn.”
Snorting, Glenn turned back to the window. “Bullshit. Alex knows better.”
“Right…that’s why he blocked you,” Hunter smirked. “Fionn hasn’t blocked me because he knows I trust him implicitly. Right now, Alex is telling him about his childhood and it’s breaking Fionn’s heart. Whether you want to believe it or not, they both suffered because of the decisions Artur MacDùghlas made. And even though both have moved on, neither of them has really healed from the wounds of their youth. Now for the first time, they might have a chance…and each gain a brother in the process.
“I don’t know Alex, but I know Fionn,” Hunter continued. “His decision to meet his brother was hard for him to make, because the emotional luggage he’s been struggling with for years since his childhood has weighed him down. And then, for Fionn to discover his father had another son who, by all appearances was loved more than he was…well, let’s just say, I am damn proud of my mate for rising above all that shit.”
Joining Glenn at the window, Sawyer placed his hand on his mate’s back, slowly rubbing soothing circles on it. “Our mate is fine. He knows Fionn killed their father and why it happened. He isn’t blaming his brother for doing it…in fact, it’s the opposite…he’s blaming their father for treating Fionn so badly. This is heavy shit, tiger mate and Alex is gonna need us afterward. Will he be able to count on you being there when he breaks down tonight? Because trust me, it’s gonna happen.”
Turning towards his mate, Glenn’s eyes searched Sawyer’s face, finding only the truth of his words there. “What if…”
”Don’t go there…Alexdoesunderstand your need to protect him,” Sawyer murmured. “He’s not angry at you…but tonight, when his misplaced hero worship of their father comes face to face with the full impact of what MacDùghlas really was, it’ll take both of us to put our mate back together.”
“It’s that bad?” asked Glenn.
“Yeah, it is,” Sawyer replied, opening his mind link so Glenn could finally understand the pain Alex’s brother suffered under his unhinged father.
“Oh my gods!” Shaking his head at the horror, Glenn slumped against Sawyer as the full story of what happened to Fionn filled his mind.
