I hid my shock. What kind of kid described another as unnatural? That was a taught belief, not one you were born with. Suddenly I was acutely aware of why neither Logan nor Finlay had mentioned Reid.
They didn’t know he existed. It was the only explanation.
The Clarkson Clan had likely kept Reid hidden, not wanting to be tainted by the supposed shame of siring a human child.
It wasn’t something that would have been an issue in our clan, that much I was certain of. It’d be a surprise, sure. But they’d be protected. I couldn’t imagine Finlay, Calan, orLogan not going out of their way to make certain that the child in question was both safe and happy.
Why wasn’t the same happening here?
“I suggest ye watch yer tone,” I said sharply to Neil. “Are ye not taught to respect your elders here?”
Neil immediately dropped his eyes to the ground. “I didn’t mean no disrespect. Not to ye, anyway.”
“But ye meant to disrespect Reid. A fellow member of yer clan, who you should be protecting and defending. Are ye not taught that either?”
Neil’s face was beet red by this point. I should probably have felt guilty about reprimanding him, but this message was too important. If I could walk away from here knowing Reid had more of a chance of being accepted then I’d be a happy wolf.
“We are,” Neil said stiffly, finally remembering himself. “Forgive me. I spoke out of turn. You’re right. We should look after Reid.”
“Good.” I nodded, satisfied with his response. “Now get yer arse back on the field. You’ve got some goals to score.”
Over the next few days, Reid kept popping up. Whenever I broke away from the delegation, he’d appear at my elbow. The boy certainly wasn’t cowed by the fact that I was a shifter, which made sense given he’d grown up surrounded by them.
I didn’t mind his company. I might’ve escaped the endless meetings for a break, but having Reid chatting at my side was oddly relaxing.
And boy, could he chat.
“Did ye know that there were over fifty types of duck-billed dinosaurs?”
I glanced down at him in bemusement as we strolled through the grounds. “Is that so?”
He nodded emphatically. “Well, that’s how many have been discovered so far. Do you know what they used the duckbill for?”
“Canna say I do.”
His grin widened before he launched into a long list of various theories, covering everything from attracting a mate to felling trees. Once he’d exhausted that topic, he switched seamlessly to comparing them to triceratops, which apparently had existed during the same period.
That was pretty much all I took from the conversation, with Reid whizzing through facts too fast for my brain to process them. He didn’t seem to mind though or need any input from me. He just appeared happy to have someone giving him their full attention.
We rounded a corner and Reid came to a sudden halt. His words stopped mid-sentence as the blood drained from his face.
Standing a few feet away was Clyde, the alpha of the Clarkson Clan.
And Reid’s father. His alpha shifter father.
Clyde’s eyes narrowed in on his son. I didn’t know much about the alpha of the Clarkson Clan, and what Ididknow, I didn’t like. Seeing how he behaved around his human child would be very telling.
“Reid,” Clyde said slowly, strolling up to us. “What are ye doing, bothering Evan like this? You’re supposed to be in your quarters, not talking his ears off.”
“It’s fine,” I said lightly. “He’s been teaching me aboutdinosaurs.”
“Hmm,” Clyde said. There was no malice in it, just irritation. It was an expression I was familiar with. Both my parents wore it whenever I’d been caught somewhere I shouldn’t be. Which had been often. “Well, if he does become a nuisance, just let me know. You behave, boy, ye hear?”
Reid nodded, still pale. I eyed him curiously. It didn’t make sense that he was afraid of Clyde. His father’s reaction was mild at worst. Maybe Reid didn’t like breaking the rules. That’d make sense. Especially if he was unsure of his place in the pack. “Of course, Da. I’ll be good as gold.”
Clyde cuffed his son on the shoulder before offering me a short nod. “I’ll see you back inside in ten minutes, yes?”
I groaned inwardly. I’d much rather hang out with Reid and learn more dinosaur facts. Sadly, that wasn’t why Finlay had sent me here. “Aye. I’ll be right there.”
