“Jasper was attacked and stabbed.Luther says he’s all right, but I need to go.”
“Do you want me to drive you there?”
“No.Go back to badger territory.I’ll call you to let you know how Jasper is as soon as I know more.”
“Wait, Dean.”Mackenzie wasn’t letting his brother leave without knowing, dammit.
Dean closed his eyes.“It’s positive,” he whispered.
Mackenzie opened his mouth, but what could he say?Dean needed to go.Right now, Jasper was the only thing that mattered.
He reached out and squeezed Dean’s shoulder.“You’ll work it out.Now go to your man.”
Dean didn’t argue.They left the apartment, and Mackenzie watched him climb into his car.He wished there was more he could do for his brother, but there wasn’t, and this gave him the opportunity to freak out without Dean seeing him.That way, he’d be ready to help Dean when Dean needed him.
Fuck.Dean waspregnant.
* * * *
NICO WASN’T SURE WHATmade him stop and look at the man.He was standing next to his car, a coffee in his hand, looking in the distance.He wasn’t drinking the coffee or doing anything else.He was just staring at nothing.
Whatever was happening to him was none of Nico’s business, but he was intrigued.He was also kind of worried.The man looked like he might need help, and the fact that he was handsome didn’t have anything to do with it.Nico just wanted to be sure the man was okay.No one could blame him for that, right?
Nico cleared his throat, but the man didn’t react.Nico had to step into his line of sight for him to do anything, and when he did, the man was startled so hard he almost dropped his coffee.
Nico raised his hands, hoping to show the man that he wasn’t dangerous.“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to scare you, but you look overwhelmed.”
The man snickered, but it didn’t sound happy.“That would be because I am.”He turned and put his coffee on the hood of his car, then rubbed his face with both of his hands.“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?I could call someone for you.”
“The people you could call shouldn’t be called right now, but I promise I’ll be okay.”
That statement was intriguing.“You also look like you want to talk.”Nico really should be going home.He was in Northwood because he had a few errands to run, but he was sure that his father would find him something to do when he got home.He was enjoying the tiny bit of freedom.
He loved his father, and he’d known what he was doing when he’d agreed to take his brother’s place as the heir, but sometimes, he just needed a few hours to himself.Things would’ve been more relaxed normally, but with Silas and everything else happening, Nico’s father was focused, and he expected Nico to be, too.Nico usually was, but he also needed space to breathe, which was why today was for him.He didn’t think his father would mind.
The man hesitated, then grimaced.“Unfortunately, what happened today isn’t my secret to tell.It’s why I can’t talk to my family, either.”
“Then tell me something else.”
The man stared at Nico for a second before blurting out, “Did you know that men could get pregnant?”
Nico blinked.That wasn’t a statement he’d expected to hear in Northwood.Everyone here knew that men could get pregnant.They were told about carriers when they were children.
But this man didn’t look like he knew.There was something weird about that, mostly because it didn’t make sense.“Everyone in the forest knows about carriers,” Nico murmured.
“Well, I didn’t, probably because I’m not from here.”
Nico frowned.“You’re not part of the human team, though.”They usually wore uniforms, and this man didn’t.
“I’m not,” the man confirmed.He offered Nico his hand.“I’m sorry.My name is Mackenzie.My brother is on that team, and we recently found out that part of our family had been stuck in this forest since it was closed off.”
“You’re human,” Nico said as he shook Mackenzie’s hand.
“That obvious?”
Nico chuckled.“Well, you didn’t know about carriers, so a bit.”
