Chapter 41 Theon
THEON
“Where are they?” Theon demanded as they were led into the main foyer of the Shifter house.
“Hello to you too,” Giselle said pointedly from where she stood next to Kylian. She eyed everyone trailing in after him. “Your entourage grows every time I see you, Theon.”
He paused, helping Tessa with her jacket before passing it to Luka to hang on a hook.
“Introductions can wait, Giselle,” Theon answered. “Show me to Axel and Kat, please.”
“It’s rude,” Kylian said, arms crossed over his broad chest.
“It is,” Theon agreed. “But I do have some developments to discuss with you after I have seen Axel.”
They weren’t happy about it, but they finally acquiesced, leading them down a hall to a guest wing.
Theon knocked once on the door, and the moment he heard Axel call “Come in,” he was pushing it open.
A rush of relief washed over him at seeing them whole and safe, and in Kat’s arms was a tiny bundle wrapped in a forest green blanket.
“Axel,” Theon said, his name a little hoarse as he took the scene. His younger brother, a father.
Tessa cleared her throat, standing back near the door with Luka. “Congratulations.”
Axel smiled wide, walking over as he said, “Thank you, baby doll.”
Theon reached for him, pulling him into a hug. “You’re a father,” he said, his voice low.
Axel huffed a laugh. “Yeah. How fucking weird is that to say?”
Releasing him, Theon glanced at the bed where Kat was watching them with a small smile. “Can I see them?” Theon asked.
“Of course,” Axel replied, leading him over to the bed.
Theon bent down, pressing a soft kiss to Kat’s cheek. “Congratulations, Katya.”
“Thank you, Theon,” she murmured. She looked tired, but her eyes were bright as she snuggled that babe closer.
“He’s healthy?” Theon asked, seeing dark hair and a mix of his parents’ complexions.
“He’s perfect, according to Cienna,” Kat said with another tired smile. “Do you want to hold him?”
And the next thing he knew, he was the one holding that little bundle close. He adjusted the blanket to see his face more, and they were right. He was absolutely perfect. Sleeping and healthy and whole. He’d made it.
He turned to find Tessa still by the door, but Luka was striding closer, coming to a stop to peer at the babe.
“Did you settle on a name yet?” Luka asked, glancing up at Axel.
“Maddox,” Axel answered. “Maddox St. Orcas.”
A small bark of laughter came from Tessa, and they all turned to her. She was watching Axel in amusement. “You really named him after the lead singer of your favorite music group?”
“Who said that?” Axel asked, trying and failing to look innocent.
“Axel, is she serious?” Kat demanded.
“Of course not, kitten,” he said, throwing a wink at Tessa. “Besides, it’s too late now. We already named him.”
Kat tipped her head back, her eyes falling closed. “I swear to Anala, Axel. First, I get kidnapped, then you name our child after a singer.”
“Kidnapped?” Theon demanded, his head snapping up. “What is she talking about?”
Axel sighed before launching into the story of Maddox’s birth. Waking up from being drugged. A bloody rampage through the House of Four. Delivering the babe himself.
The more Axel spoke, the closer Theon pulled Maddox to his chest. It shouldn’t have surprised him that his father was involved in this, but to learn how close he and Bree had come to succeeding?
“Easy, Theon,” Luka said, reaching to take the babe. It was only then Theon realized some of his darkness had appeared, creeping along the floor.
Luka turned, and Theon followed his gaze, finding Tessa leaning against the wall. Corbin and Lange had drifted in and were chatting with Kat now, but Tessa stayed back, listening to everything from afar.
“You can come closer, beautiful,” Theon said with an encouraging smile.
But she just shook her head, glancing at Axel. “I’m fine.”
Focusing on the bond, he tried to feel out her emotions, but whatever she was feeling, she had it blocked from them. Which was worrisome. They all blocked their thoughts from the bond most of the time, but she hadn’t blocked her emotions since the bond had been repaired.
Tessa? Are you all right? he asked, Luka watching her now too.
I said I’m fine, she answered.
“You’re really not going to come and see your nephew?” Axel asked, sauntering over to her.
She gave him a weak smile. “I figured I’d keep my distance. After everything.”
Axel frowned. “We’re past that, Tessa. I’m sorry if you thought otherwise.” Tessa gave him another weak smile but didn’t reply. “Wait, did you think I was still holding that against you?”
“No,” she answered quickly. “I was just…giving you space.”
“Well, stop,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her across the room in excitement.
“Axel, really I—” She snapped her mouth shut as Luka shifted a little so she could see Maddox. Her violet eyes slid over the babe, and she curled her fingers into her palms. “He’s beautiful, Axel,” she said softly, staring at Maddox a few moments longer. “I’m going to say hi to Kat.”
She slipped away, crawling onto the bed to join her friends. Theon immediately felt some of the tension lift down the bond, her shoulders relaxing as she fell into conversation with them. He could hear bits and pieces while they filled Kat in on what they’d learned of Lange and Corbin’s lineages.
“That was weird, right?” Axel asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, a little,” Theon agreed. “There’s been a lot going on though. Speaking of, we have some good news.”
“That’s a nice change from the fuckery we’ve been experiencing lately,” Axel grumbled. “What is it?”
“With Tessa now the Arius Lady, we can go back to Arius House,” Theon said. “You and Kat can come home.”
Axel stared at him, his brow furrowed. “I can’t go to Arius House, Theon. Not right now anyway.”
“Father is in hiding here in the Underground, trying to take your son. Cressida is taken care of for now. It’s safe there for the three of you.”
“Yeah, but that’s not my place anymore.”
“What do you mean, it’s not your place? It’s our home, Axel,” Theon argued.
“Don’t be stupid. Arius House never felt like a home, Theon,” he said. “But that’s not why. I’ve built alliances here. Relationships with the leaders. I can’t just leave. Not when Bree is still a threat to the Underground.”
“She’s a threat to you. Kat. Your son,” Theon emphasized, motioning to Maddox. “Staying here puts you all at risk.”
“And others just risked their lives for us,” Axel shot back. “Cade and Rayell turned on her. The Shifters solidified their alliance by sheltering us here. Cienna has taken over the Apothecary District and leads the Witches. I cannot just abandon them after all that. I’m one of them.”
“He makes good points, Theon,” Luka said. “From a strategy side, he needs to stay. He’s built something here.”
“It’s not safe,” Theon argued.
Axel scoffed. “It’s never been safe anywhere.”
“Axel—”
“We’re staying here, Theon,” he said, cutting him off.
“I cannot leave the very people I’ve spent months convincing we care.
Besides, I have a score to settle with Bree.
I’m not saying it’s forever, but I am saying I need to stay here for now.
Starting a war with Bree and then leaving before it’s finished is not an option. ”
Maddox started fussing then, and Axel scooped him up from Luka’s arms and took him back to Kat. The three of them were somehow already this synchronized unit. His entire life he’d been protecting Axel, and now he was a husband and a father. A leader of the Underground.
“If we’re sticking to the plan, you have to let him do this,” Luka said in a low voice as Tessa came closer. “We need him and the Underground.”
“Yeah,” Theon said quietly, watching his younger brother.
Because he could still see the child, eyes wide with fear when Theon told him to go find his best earbuds.
The brother he’d taken the blame for so many times to keep their father’s wrath from him for as long as he could.
The one who’d somehow kept his sense of humor throughout their sordid childhood.
The one who’d somehow, despite that sordid childhood, become one of the most noble people he knew while he had nearly become his father.
“We should go speak with the Shifters,” Tessa said, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Tessa, are you all right?” Luka asked, eyeing her.
“Of course,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“You’re acting uncomfortable.”
“We’re in the Underground,” she said dryly.
“Right. That’s it,” Luka said, conveying just how much he didn’t believe that.
“We should go speak with Kylian and Giselle,” she said again, clasping her hands in front of her. “Corbin is anxious.”
“He’s not the only one anxious right now,” Luka muttered.
“Luka, drop it,” she snapped, her power flaring slightly.
Theon’s brows rose in surprise, and he glanced at Luka, a mutual understanding passing between them. They’d drop it for now, but they’d be bringing this up again later.
She turned away from them, clearly done with the conversation when she said, “Corbin, are you ready?”
The male was standing near the bed, and he pulled at the back of his neck. “I mean, can you ever really be ready for something like this?”
Lange was climbing off the bed. “It’s going to be fine. If you’re not comfortable, we say fuck ‘em and leave.”
“Saying ‘fuck ‘em’ to the Alpha and Beta is not advisable,” Theon said.
“Kylian and Giselle are formidable,” Kat cut in. “But only because they are fiercely protective of their family. Which you are a part of.”
“We’ll be back after this,” Theon called to them, Axel holding Maddox while Kat prepared to feed him.