“He is.”Nico hesitated.If he and Mackenzie were going to be friends for the long term, Mackenzie should know that he was a carrier—and a future alpha.Only one of those details mattered in this conversation, though.“I’m a carrier, too,” he confessed.“And while I’ve never been pregnant and don’t have a partner, I understand where Dean is coming from.He wants to stay with Jasper and have his baby here.He wants to raise them in the forest.That’s what I would want, too.”
Mackenzie stared at Nico for a moment.“Not that you have a choice.”
“That’s true, but even if I did, I wouldn’t leave this place, even though it’s become dangerous.I have faith that we’ll stop Silas sooner rather than later, and when we do, the forest will be peaceful again.There have always been bad elements.I don’t think that’s ever going to change, but the same goes for humans, right?Some of them are nice, and some of them are like Silas.You can’t protect your brother or me from everything and everyone.There’s always going to be a danger just to be alive, and Dean has decided how he wants to deal with that.”
“And even if he hadn’t, it’s not my decision to make, so I should keep my mouth shut.”
Nico chuckled.“That’s true, too.Dean has already made his decision.He’s not leaving.He’s staying with Jasper.You can either support him or fight with him, and I don’t think that’s what you want.”
“We’ve already agreed that this is the only option, but I’m still freaking out.I want Jasper to like me, even though I suggested Dean leave him.”
“I promise everything will be fine.Jasper wants to protect Dean, too.He’ll know where you came from when you suggested that.Hell, he might even have thought the same thing.”
Mackenzie slowly smiled.“I wonder if he suggested it to Dean.”
“Even if he did, I don’t think Dean would have said yes.”
“You and Jasper have a lot in common.You love Dean and want to protect him.Focus on that instead of on how different you are, and everything will be fine.”
“I really hope you’re right.I can’t mess this up.”
Mackenzie was being a little dramatic, but Nico understood.He couldn’t messthisup, either.He didn’t want to lose Mackenzie.
But he was hiding something pretty big from Mackenzie, and he couldn’t help but wonder what Mackenzie would think when he found out.Would he be angry?Would he put distance between them?Would he even understand what it meant for Nico to be a future alpha?
Nico didn’t know, and right now, he was too scared to find out, so he was more than happy not to say anything.Maybe he’d tell Mackenzie the next time they met, when things calmed down with Dean and Jasper.
Because as much as he wanted to keep the secret forever, he wouldn’t be able to.
* * * *
MACKENZIE FELT SO NERVOUSthst he might be about to puke in Jasper’s bushes.Not only was he meeting his brother-in-law, but he was also meeting another alpha.
Jerome and Thomas hadn’t been intimidating.Mackenzie had also already met Jasper, who’d been there when their family had first arrived in the forest.It wasn’t the same thing, though.Back then, Dean had insisted that Jasper was only his best friend.He hadn’t been pregnant, and Mackenzie and Jasper barely had time to talk.
And Mackenzie had gone and insisted that Dean leave Jasper and run away from the forest.
Mackenzie eyed the house.He could do this.He and Jasper wanted to keep Dean safe, so surely Jasper would understand where Mackenzie had come from.Besides, he wouldn’t have agreed to having Mackenzie over for dinner if he didn’t want him there, right?
Mackenzie didn’t know, but he was about to find out.
Well, he was about to find out if he managed to find the guts to knock on the door.He’d been staring at the bushes for what felt like an eternity, wondering how offended Jasper would be if heactuallythrew up in them.He needed to knock and go in, but instead, he was wasting time.
The best way to calm down was to think about something that wasn’t this impending dinner, and of course, Mackenzie’s thoughts went straight to Nico.
The man was a carrier.That meant he could have babies.Just like Dean, he could get pregnant.
He’d make beautiful babies if he decided to ever have kids.He was a very handsome man, just a few inches shorter than Mackenzie, with blond hair and warm eyes.He was young, though, so Mackenzie doubted he’d ever thought about having kids.
Or maybe he had.Mackenzie had no idea how carriers were raised, but he’d heard enough to know that until recently, their position in the forest hadn’t been great.He was glad things were changing, both for Nico and Dean.
The door swung open, and Dean appeared.He arched a brow, but he didn’t say anything.He was still angry with Mackenzie.
“I’m sorry,” Mackenzie said.
“What are you sorry for?”
“I shouldn’t have told you to leave, but I was trying to protect you.I’m not a shifter.I don’t know this place well.As far as I was concerned, leaving was the only way to keep you safe.”
