Tank had been gravely wounded, his throat almost completely torn out and his vocal chords severed. When he’d shifted to jumpstart the healing process, he hadn’t healed quite right—something that could occur when a wound was too severe or the shift was delayed.
Now, it was difficult for the male to talk, especially for long stints or too loudly. Luckily, Hunny took good care of Tank, and since she’d entered his life, his ability to hold conversations had drastically improved, but it still didn’t ease the remorse Murphy felt.
Clearing his throat, Tank continued, “I tried to talk to you that day I walked in on you hurling your damned coffee cup across the room. Instead, you brushed me off. So yeah, I went to Mom,the clan doctor,and voiced my concerns. If anyone should know of my Alpha’s condition, it’s her.”
“You should have tried harder to discuss this with me,” Murphy growled, his bear bumping against his mind, demanding to be set free. “Now I have Jasper lurking outside my home like a damned creeper, and I’m assuming the phone call from Dad last night was about all this shit.”
“I won’t apologize for what I did. I’m worried about you. We all are.” Tank scratched his beard absentmindedly, his browneyes focused intently on Murphy. “That’s not why you’re here, though, is it? You don’t want an apology. You’re here because I told Nessa about your condition.”
“She didn’t need to know!” Murphy snapped, the leash he kept on his bear slipping for a second.
His hands shook as the beast tried to force its way out, and he bit back a snarl. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a shuddering breath, willing himself to relax.
“She didn’t?” Tank scoffed as Murphy opened his eyes. “Look at you, Murphy. You’ve been a mess ever since she was attacked. You’ve become withdrawn and easy to anger whenever someone pays you a visit or if the slightest shit goes wrong. She needed to reject you so that you could move on. Clearly, it’s working, considering you’re finally out of your house, knocking down my goddamn door to talk.”
Just hearing about the rejection made Murphy’s vision turn red. He pushed into Tank’s space before he could help himself, snapping a hand around his brother’s neck. Tank, to his credit, didn’t fight against the hold, despite his own dominant nature.
“What you told her to do was unforgivable,” Murphy grated out through clenched teeth, his skin itching as his bear rose ever closer to the surface. His fingernails lengthened into thick claws, though he kept them from piercing Tank’s skin. Barely. “Nessa is mine.”
Tank’s brows shot up in surprise, and then the bastard chuckled. The sound was as full of humor as it was rusty, pissing Murphy off even more than he already was.
Did Tank think this was a joke?
“Why are you laughing?” Murphy asked darkly, tempted to toss Tank through his front door.
“I had a feeling you wouldn’t let her reject you.” Tank grinned, even as Murphy squeezed his throat. “You didn’t, did you?”
Growling, Murphy shoved his brother away and dropped back into his chair. Grabbing the armrests, his claws pierced the heavy plastic. “No, I didn’t let her,” he admitted reluctantly. “I couldn’t.”
Rubbing his neck, Tank sat in the chair beside Murphy, staring out at his front yard. “What are you going to do now?”
“She wants me to come to her when my mating sickness is overwhelming.” Murphy leaned back in his seat, feigning a comfortability he didn’t feel. He didn’t know how this situation would work for him and Nessa in the long-term, but couldn’t deny the temptation to be near her any longer.
“I’m surprised you let her leave last night,” Tank stated. Murphy growled at him in warning, not wanting to continue that line of conversation. Tank didn’t heed it. “Nessa’s a good person, Murph. But more importantly, she’d be goodforyou. If you can’t let her reject you, then for fuck’s sake, mate her.”
“You know why I can’t have a mate.” He growled. “Now, Nessa does too.”
Tank’s head swung toward him. “You told her about Sachi?” he asked incredulously.
Murphy nodded, looking down at the porch floor. “It was only fair to tell her everything. She didn’t understand why I was avoiding her. Because of you,” he bit out, “she thought I hated her.”
“You were a complete dick to her when you first met,” Tank said with a huff. “I doubt I convinced her of anything she didn’t already believe.”
Murphy frowned as his bear whined at the thought of Nessa thinking he hated her. “Regardless, we’ve agreed to be friends.”
This time, Tank turned fully toward him, practically drilling a hole into Murphy’s head with the force of his gaze. “Friends?” The skepticism was heavy in his voice.
Unable to help himself, Murphy grated out, “Best friends, actually.”
“And you agreed to that?” Tank snorted. “You don’t stand a chance of resisting Yapper Two.”
“Yapper Two?” He furrowed his brow. “What the hell is that about?”
Tank pointed toward his cabin. “Yapper One is sleeping upstairs.”
Murphy blinked at his brother, both shocked and annoyed. “Do you seriously call your mate a yapper?” He might be mad at Hunny, too, for going to Nessa about his issues, but she was his sister-in-law, damnit. He didn’t like anyone making fun of her.
“I call your mate one, too,” Tank muttered under his breath. Pushing up to his feet, he shook his head. “I’m going to warn you now, Murph. I tried the friendship route with Hunny. It was stupid, and it only delayed the inevitable. Whatever you’re planning with Nessa, you need to brace yourself for the only possible outcome.”
