Chapter Three #2
Alan suspected he’d always worry about hurting Matthew.
It was probably because of their bond, but Alan wouldn’t want anyone to have to talk about something that had happened to them if it still hurt them to this day.
Matthew seemed to be okay with it, but a lot of people wouldn’t be.
Frankly, it was surprising that Matthew was.
“To answer your question, I manipulate electricity,” Matthew continued.
Alan frowned. “What does that mean, exactly?”
Matthew held his hand out. For a second, nothing happened, but then, Alan noticed the tiny bolts of electricity running over his skin.
He sucked in a breath and leaned closer, careful not to touch Matthew.
He didn’t think Matthew would hurt him intentionally, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t get hurt at all.
“It comes in handy when we raid the labs,” Matthew said as he lowered his hand. “That’s why we created our little group.”
“The tribe?”
“Not the tribe, no. We live with them now because we have similar goals and because a bunch of us have found mates within the village, but we were raiding labs before meeting them. We banded together after we were rescued from the labs. We slowly found each other, and we started sharing living spaces. We always talked about the labs and what had been done to us there, and eventually, someone had the idea of helping the people who were still stuck there. Our group grew, and we started going out on raids. Eventually, we found the tribe, and they offered us a place to call home. It was a massive change considering how we used to live. It’s good, though.
Having so many people to rely on offers us a protection we didn’t have before. ”
Matthew still hadn’t been explicit about what he meant when he spoke about the group with which he raided the labs. Alan could take a guess, but he wanted to be sure. “So this group of yours, what’s it called?”
Matthew smiled and shook his head. “We don’t really have a name. We call ourselves mutants, and I guess that stuck.”
“Mutants?”
“Aren’t we? We’re certainly not what we were before. Hayes isn’t human anymore. I’m not just a wolf shifter anymore. There’s more to me, with the electricity coursing through my body. Mutant isn’t an insult. It’s a descriptive word, and I feel it describes us. We all do.”
“And you go out there and rescue people.”
Matthew groaned. “Please don’t say it like we’re real-life superheroes. People have already said that to us, and I don’t think any of us feel that way.”
Alan thought they were kind of like superheroes, but he wasn’t going to push. He hated what Matthew and his people had gone through. What the labs had done and were still doing was awful.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured.
“What are you sorry for?”
“That you had to go through all of that. That, in some way, I contributed to hurting people. All the names I researched for Victor, of the people he wanted to help, or so he said. What if this is what happened to them? What if they were captured and taken to the labs and tortured the way you were?”
Matthew didn’t hesitate when he answered. “Even if that is what happened, none of it was your fault. You were trying to help those people. You thought you were. If anything bad happened to them, it was entirely Victor’s fault, and you shouldn’t blame yourself for it.”
“I don’t know if I can stop myself from doing it. I can’t deny the fact that trying to help might have hurt those people more than helped them.”
“There’s still time for you to help. None of this was your fault, but now that you know, you can do more. You can help take Victor down.”
And hopefully, the rest of the Glass Research Company, too.
Alan believed that Morin wasn’t involved with what was happening right now, but maybe saving his company wasn’t a good idea.
Maybe it was time to put it to rest. It wouldn’t be Alan’s decision.
As long as Morin stopped whoever was involved and ensured they couldn’t hurt more people, Alan would be satisfied.
“So, now you know my little secret,” Matthew said.
Alan snorted. “I really don’t think that being able to shoot electricity from your fingertips is a little secret.”
Matthew grinned. When he was like this, he looked younger and at peace.
Alan was stunned to realize that he was the one doing that, but he liked it.
He wanted to make Matthew smile, especially after what he’d learned about Matthew’s past. He had no idea how Matthew had grown up, if he had a loving family, or if he’d been on his own for a while, but what had happened in the labs was enough.
“Maybe not little,” Matthew agreed. “But you know my one secret. Anyway, I don’t know about you, but talking about these things makes me hungry. We should grab a bite to eat.”
Alan was all over that. “On one condition.”
“Only one?”
“For now. We can grab something to eat, but we won’t talk about the Glass Research Company or anything that has to do with them. I don’t want us to bury our heads in the sand, but I want to spend a nice afternoon with you. I want to get to know you.”
“That’s good because I want to get to know you, too. And I agree. No more talking about work.”
To Alan, it didn’t feel like just work, but he nodded anyway. For the rest of the afternoon, he could focus on Matthew and what their future might look like. Their problems would still be here tomorrow, unfortunately.
Matthew guided Alan toward the diner. It was small but looked clean, and Alan’s stomach was already grumbling as they reached the door.
Before Matthew could open it, though, raised voices caused both of them to turn.
Alan saw the change in Matthew immediately.
His body tensed, and he moved in front of Alan as if to defend him.
It was as hot as it was concerning because Alan didn’t want Matthew to need to defend him from anything.
Victor couldn’t have found him, right? There was no way for him to even know about the village’s existence. It was well hidden. Alan hadn’t known it was there, but he was glad it was because it meant he’d survived. He wouldn’t have if Matthew and his friend hadn’t found him when they had.
But it wasn’t Victor. A small group of people stood at the edge of the forest. They were all wearing uniforms and looking around warily as if they expected the people in the village not to want them there. From the way everyone stopped and stared, Alan suspected they weren’t wrong.
“Who are they?” he asked, leaning closer to Matthew.
Matthew sighed. “Between the labs and the hunters, we need help. Moore had to call in the council.”
Alan turned back toward the group. Clearly, the council had agreed to help.
* * * *
MATTHEW AND THE OTHERS had known that a team of enforcers was coming, but he hadn’t expected them to make such an entrance. Moore was going to be pissed, but then, that had more to do with the fact that he didn’t want enforcers here at all.
Matthew couldn’t say he blamed him. The council had never been there for any of them.
Most of them had been rescued by other mutants or had rescued themselves.
The council had never seemed to really care about the people in the labs.
If they did, the labs would be a thing of the past already.
Instead, people like Matthew, Moore, and the other mutants had to take care of this themselves.
But as little as Matthew liked the council, he had nothing against their enforcers.
He didn’t know them. He could also admit that he and the mutants needed help.
They’d been trying to deal with both the labs and the hunters on their own, but it wasn’t working.
There were too many labs and hunters and not enough mutants.
If they truly wanted to make a difference, they needed to accept help.
And it looked like that help had just arrived.
Matthew hesitated. He wanted to meet these people. If he was going to work with them, he needed to know them. At the same time, he was on what might be considered a date with Alan. He didn’t want to dump his mate here and go make friends.
“What now?” Alan said as he stared at the enforcers.
“I imagine they’ll go to Rikar’s house. They’ll want to talk to him and Moore.”
“What about the other mutants?”
“Well, we’ll all eventually work together, so they’ll probably want to meet us, too.”
“And me.”
Matthew’s stomach dropped. Yes, they’d want to meet Alan, too. Matthew didn’t know if they were aware of what had happened to Alan a few days ago, but they’d need to be informed. Once they were, they’d want to know more about Victor and what he’d been up to.
“I guess we might as well go back,” Alan said.
“It can wait. We can have something to eat and only then return.”
Alan shook his head. “I’d rather get this over with, to be honest. I’m sick of repeating the same story.”
“You can just tell them that you’re not up to it, then.”
Alan turned to Matthew. “Are you trying to get me to change my mind about talking to them?”
“Not exactly. I just think you shouldn’t do something you’re not comfortable with.”
“I’m sorry to say that that boat’s already sailed. I’ve done plenty of things I’m uncomfortable with recently.”
“Then you shouldn’t do them again.”
Alan shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Besides, you’ll be with me, won’t you?”
Matthew offered Alan his hand. Alan didn’t even hesitate to take it, which made Matthew smile. They’d met in less than ideal circumstances, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t make do and find a good relationship. They needed a little time, and Matthew would make sure they got it.
“I’m not leaving you,” he promised. “No matter what happens or what they ask. And if you want to leave, you just tell me, and I’ll get you out of there.”
“They’re council enforcers. I’m pretty sure they can force me to stick around.”
“They might be council enforcers, but I don’t think they’ve ever dealt with us mutants. I’m not the only one with a power, remember?”