From his peripheral vision, he saw Keith turn his head and look at him. “What do you mean? You realized right away. You told him he wasn’t your mate.”
“That’s only because of you.” He drew in a deep breath and tried to articulate the confusion that had clouded his mind. “Whatever it is they made infiltrated my head. Everything was out of focus and hazy, but there was this message that he was my mate invading my brain. With you, it’s different. I don’tthinkyou’re mine, Iknowit. Heart to soul, bones to blood, Iknow. We’re connected, fated. I want to breathe you in, consume you, make you smile, keep you safe. I sense you inside every part of me.” He shuddered. “You’re everything to me, Keith Iredell. Your essence fills me so completely that there wasn’t space for their trick to take hold. But if I hadn’t met you…” He shook his head and gulped. “I’d like to tell you that I’m too strong for it to have worked on me, but that’d be a lie.”
Keith placed his hand over Brian’s, gently removed it from the steering wheel, and brought it to his mouth. He pressed his lips to Brian’s palm and then brushed his cheek against it. “Thank you. For the longest time, I’ve been mentally carrying a list of injustices, mistakes, and failures. It became an obsession, and I clung to it with everything I had and let it dictate everything I did.” He clutched Brian’s hand with both of his, rested it on his lap, and looked out the windshield in the direction of the Green Field Alpha house. “It’s time to clean out the mess so I can burn that list and start fresh. For my pack, for you…” He drew in a deep breath and whispered, “And for myself.”
Chapter 14
Hands crossed over his chest, Keith leaned against the side of the car, tipped his head up so the sun could warm his face, and inhaled the scents of his home pack. He had left before he was eighteen and returned seven years later with the goal of being laid to rest in his packlands. By then, he was so exhausted and demoralized that he hadn’t been able to focus on anything until his mate’s arrival had snapped him back to reality. If he had been even a little clearer-headed, he would have realized that Rupert Jackson was much worse than a weak, power-driven Alpha.
What he could smell and sense around him wasn’t merely the stifling effect of a leader who didn’t have the strength to connect his pack to Mother Nature; there was something rancid in the air and essence of his pack. Whatever chemicals and witchcraft Rupert had been using likely hadn’t been limited to what Keith had already seen. Mother Nature wasn’t just disconnected from Green Field, she was angry and the land and pack were withering and rotting as a result. It was long past time for him to step up and lead.
Sensing his mate, he turned his attention to the front door of the Alpha house. Brian had insisted on confronting Alpha Jackson alone, so Keith had stayed outside. He didn’t push back because he was of better use there anyway. Brian wouldn’t have trouble defeating Rupert on his own, and this way, Keith could stand guard and prevent anyone else from going into the house. That was assuming Rupert had the guts to face Brian.
“He isn’t there.” Brian’s face was pinched in frustration. “Allegedly.”
That answered that question.
“Where else could he be?” Brian asked as he walked over to him.
“Well,” Keith clasped both sides of Brian’s collar and tugged him close. “Either someone finally turned in a circle three times while chanting a magical incantation by candlelight and he’s been banished to his native place in hell”—he kissed his mate’s perfect lips and felt his tense muscles relax—“or he’s hiding from you inside the house.”
“Mmm.” Brian’s eyes slid shut and he leaned into him. “Mate,” he murmured and kissed Keith back. The pressure and warmth were perfect, but eventually what Keith said must have registered because Brian’s eyes snapped open. “What did you say? An incantation? What do you—”
“That part was a joke. Probably. The second one’s true though.”
“You think he’s hiding inside?” Brian frowned. “I guess that’s possible. I tried to root him out by scent, but the entire place smells like him, so it was impossible. I walked through the whole house, even that basement you were in. No luck. And nobody in there would talk to me.”
“They aren’t friendly to outsiders. I warned you about that.”
“I know you did but...” Brian let out a frustrated breath and glared at the Alpha house. He was adorable.
“I can go and—”
“Absolutely not.”
Grinning at his sweetly protective mate, Keith said, “Come here and give me another kiss.”
“Keith, this is a serious situation. I need to—”
He darted forward and nipped Brian’s ear.
“What are you—”
Before Brian could finish his sentence, Keith pulled him closer and pressed their lips together. He didn’t rush, nibbling, licking, and coaxing until he was sucking on his mate’s tongue and enjoying the press of his bulge against his groin.
“Mate,” Brian moaned. “I need you so much. I can’t lose you.”
“I need you too,” Keith whispered. He gently brushed his fingers through Brian’s hair. “Let’s wrap things up here so we can sate those needs.”
Brian dropped his forehead to Keith’s shoulder and nuzzled his ear and neck. “I have to find that asshole first.”
“Try the closet in the mudroom off the back of the house. Push aside whatever’s in there and you’ll find a door leading to a basement that’s not connected to where I was staying when you found me.”
“How do you know that? There is no possible way you can scent his location from all the way out here.”
“I can’t.” Keith smiled at him. “But when I was staying in the basement, I could sense him nearby and I remember the house staff using the other portion of the basement for storage when I was a kid. My guess is he turned that space into his fortress of doom.”
“Stop making me laugh.” Brian snickered. “This is literally a life and death situation. We should be serious.”
