“He’s going to be so disappointed by reality,” Killian said.
Crush snorted. “He’s older than both of us combined. I think he’s very familiar with reality.”
Gavric turned to them, his forehead wrinkling. “We were just attacked, and all you can talk about is dicks?”
The hurt wolves were already getting back to their feet. All the same, Killian felt bad that they were bleeding because of him.
Gavric wasn’t looking at Killian, though. Instead, he was scowling at Crush, eyebrows drawn low. “I didn’t want to say this in front of the whole pack last night, but what gives, Crush? For years, you’ve been distant with us. Sure, you attend the big pack dinners and birthdays, and sure, you dumped a ton of cash into the pack coffers. But you haven’t been around; you haven’t been a brother to me in years, it feels like.”
Crush froze, his eyes growing wide. “I’ve never treated you differently.”
“No, you just disappear all the time!” Gavric flashed his teeth. “What did we do wrong?”
Crush was so still, he could’ve been marble. “No. Fuck. That wasn’t you, it was me.”
Gavric scoffed. “Yeah, that’s what they always say.”
Crush glanced around, his ears twitching as he listened for danger. “Look, this isn’t the right time to talk about it. But I promise it was nothing you did. I just had something I was going through. Am still going through.”
Oh,Killian realized. This was about the old medical debt and Crush’s guilt about the omegas that he had never managed to find.
“You should stop punishing yourself,” Killian said quietly, slipping his hand into Crush’s. “It’s been long enough.”
“I can’t when they’re still somewhere out there.” Crush sighed heavily. “If they’re even still alive.”
“You have more friends now, right?” Killian said. “Maybe someone might know something, or they might find something new.”
But he knew how difficult it was to tell someone a humiliating secret, much less multiple people.
Crush sighed. “I’ll work on it.”
Gavric was watching them both shrewdly. “Is this why it’s taken you so long to get together with Killian? Because of whatever you’re hung up on?”
Crush stiffened. “What?”
“We heard about the omega you were obsessed with, the day you met him,” Gavric said with a glance at Killian. “But there was no news about you doing anything with that attraction until now.”
Crush scowled deeply. “I was working through my issues.”
“Yeah, you only showed up whenheneeded help,” Gavric said dryly.
Crush’s ears turned red. “I was giving him time to recover from the kidnapping.”
Gavric rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Good to know I’m not the one who messed things up.”
He reached out though, clapping Crush on the shoulder. “Don’t be a stranger. Come home more often.”
Crush relaxed slightly. “Yeah. I will. Thanks.” He gripped Gavric’s forearm and pulled him into a quick hug, then glanced around at their packmates. “Are Bond and Weir...?”
“They look fine. I’ll give you updates,” Gavric said. “Go help Titan’s furry butt.”
Crush nodded and shifted back into a wolf. Killian took Crush’s gun, climbing onto his back. “We’re heading to Uriel first, then Titan. Send backup.”
“Will do.”
Crush checked that Killian was holding onto him. Then he took off at a graceful lope toward Uriel and Bruiser.
“Are you okay?” Killian asked after a few seconds.
