“She’s fine. Colton finally allowed me to hold her, but holy shit, did he hover over us, constantly giving me instructions on what to do and not to.”
Snorting at that image, Carson said, “Reminds me of Steel when Daniel was born.”
“No shit! Maybe Ian will have the same calming effect on our brother that Jackson had on Steel.”
Chuckling, Carson said, “Maybe, although I have a feeling our brother will only get worse before he mellows out. Soo…what’s up…now since we established the newest members of the pack are good?”
His grin slowly sliding off his face as he listened to his brother, Carson’s stomach once again twisted into knots. After promising to talk to Remy, he ended the call, sitting back, lost in thought. His wolf knew it…and now, whether he was prepared or not, it was time for him to accept the danger at his doorstep. Now he and Remy would have to make some hard decisions about keeping the boys safe.
~/~/~/~/~
Sitting at a window table in a café across from his son’s studio, Josiah spied the enforcers Rudy had assigned. Snorting quietly to himself, he knew Kahn would have spotted them right away; no matter what other people thought, Josiah knew his son wasn’t stupid. And that’s what pissed him off most. Together, they’d have made a great team—easily assimilating other small packs, giving Josiah enough power that even the High Council would be unable to stop him.
During Kahn’s childhood, he’d spent countless hours figuring out the details, but that all came to an abrupt halt when his Shaman told him the truth about Kahn.A fucking pansy.Even now, after all those years, he remembered the punch to his gut when he found out.
Refusing to accept it, Josiah was determined to prove the Shaman wrong. From that point on, he pushed his son hard, demanding Kahn engaged in activities his father deemed suitable for the son of the Alpha. Grunting as memories of that time came back to him, he glanced up at the studio’s large windows overlooking the street, startled to see his son staring down at him.
His eyes locked with Kahn’s and, for a moment, Josiah was transported back to the day his son was born. Holding the tiny pup in his big hands, he remembered the love and trust he saw in Kahn’s eyes as the pup gazed at him. Blinking several times, he wiped it from his mind, knowing his son no longer felt that way about him.
Rising, Josiah threw money on the table before leaving the café. Unable to resist, he glanced up again at Kahn’s window, only to find the shades now drawn. Chiding himself for his weakness, he headed down the street, shutting the door on that part of his life. Pulling out his burner phone, Josiah dialed a number. When the call connected, he growled, “I’m on my way.”
~/~/~/~/~
Leaning back in the old-fashioned, padded chair, Brady closed his eyes briefly, needing to rest them after the long day. After checking on him, Kieran had offered to stay with Lucius so he could get some sleep in the adjoining guest room, but Brady refused the offer, preferring to be present when his mate awoke.
As the room grew dark, Brady turned on the small lamp next to the bed, highlighting the beauty of his mate’s face. Alone now, he was free to look unhindered, and his eyes roamed over Lucius, taking everything in from the sharp angles of his face to the air of youth that belied years spent as a vampire.So young…yet so old.
Life was precious to Brady; he never wished for anyone’s death, despite the severity of their sins…harsh punishment, yes, but never the ultimate penalty, even if the law allowed it. Not many lawyers shared his belief, but then he never could understand how anyone felt they had the right to assume the role of the gods. But now, looking at his beautiful mate, and having had access to Lucius’ memories of his master’s cruelty, he finally understood and owed a big ‘thank you’ to the person who’d killed Valerian.
Smiling at the memory of his mate’s blood in his mouth, Brady already knew he loved Lucius. And even though the claiming wasn’t complete, that small detail didn’t matter to his heart; it had already decided he belonged to Brady, unwilling to consider any other option. But while his heart had the freedom to selectively choose facts and truths, he did not. It was important to him that Lucius be free to decide his own fate, including whether he wanted to claim Brady or not, no matter how much pain being rejected might cause him. Ignoring the conflict between his heart and mind, Brady fell into a light sleep, keeping a light touch on his mate’s chest.
