Chapter 30
Colton received many appreciative back slaps from his brothers as everyone gathered in the great room before dinner.
Ian stayed by his side, telling his brothers how amazing it was to see a natural healer in action.
Colton knew Ian was proud of him, but all he could think of was the secret he was keeping from his mate.
Everyone enjoyed the celebration feast Dakota had made but Colton was on edge.
Throughout dinner, he plastered a smile on his face when Zane teased Jackson, and he laughed when Carson cracked jokes about being pregnant, but Colton knew his responses were phony; a secret was weighing heavily on his mind.
It had to do with a talk he and Ian had earlier in the day after Jackson and Steel left them.
The exchange started out innocently enough but soon grew into what Colton felt would be his certain doom.
Tonight, Ian would fuck and bite him to establish the mind link fated mates have.
Ian’s request caught him by surprise because it appeared out of the blue.
But in thinking back to the topic of conversation—the bond and connection between his brother and Steel—he should have seen it coming.
But he hadn’t and now found himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
He knew Ian had sensed his tension and was probably blaming it on Colton’s inexperience as a bottom.
But his mate was wrong. In college, he did both.
While he preferred to be the top, there were a number of occasions on which he bottomed and enjoyed it.
But his mate didn’t know that nor was he going to enlighten him about it.
No…his unease came from the knowledge of the mind link he and his mate already shared—the one he’d been blocking and hiding.
His only hope was to talk to Cody to find out how his brother kept his mind partitioned all these years.
But how to get his brother alone? That was the question Colton was wrestling with that made him miss Oracle’s announcement.
Startled after Ian elbowed him to get his attention, Colton looked up and saw Maximus coming toward him with a gift.
What the fuck is this about? Colton grimaced inwardly when he heard Oracle talk about the Fates decision to bring two special healers together as fated mates. Sucking in his breath, Colton wondered if Oracle was about to break her promise to him.
“I was given this gift to give to Ian and his fated mate by his parents a long time ago. You all have seen Ian’s wolf and know that he is royalty…”
“Wait a minute…royalty? What are you talking about?” asked Ian.
“Ian,” smiled Oracle, “you were born to the King and Queen of Scottish Wolves and were a very welcomed gift from the Fates. As I told you and Colton previously, no male Omega wolf had been born in over 700 years…that is, a royal male Omega wolf.
“When the war turned against the Scottish Wolf shifters, the King and Queen summoned your nanny and her husband. You were entrusted to them for your safety and smuggled out of the country…your identity kept secret. Unfortunately, your parents were killed as was every other Scottish wolf shifter. One day, Mystia appeared at your home in the Scandinavian Mountains. The Fates sent her to cast a spell so your true identity as a royal male Omega wolf would be hidden from everyone.”
Colton could feel Ian’s emotions as his mate sat next to him, frozen.
He reached over to hold his mate’s hand and found it to be ice cold.
Oh shit, my mate is going into shock! Quickly lifting Ian onto his lap, he wrapped his arms around him, giving him warmth and comfort.
Rocking his mate slowly, Colton murmured words of comfort into his mate’s ear, offering reassurances of his love no matter what Oracle revealed.
After giving Ian time to think about what she said, Oracle continued, “Your guardians loved you as if you were their flesh and blood and are so proud of the doctor you have become. They send their love and best wishes to you on finding your fated mate. Before you left Scotland with them, the King and Queen entrusted them to give you this at the time of your mating.” Then she turned to her husband. “Maximus, if you please.”
Maximus stood in front of Ian and Colton holding a small trunk, encrusted with gemstones and gold hammered straps and hinges.
Ian looked at it but couldn’t bring himself to reach for it.
His mind was still miles behind Oracle trying to come to grips that people he regarded as his parents were only guardians appointed by his real parents.
Shaking his head, he rejected that thought because his memories of the love and care they gave him as he grew up made them his parents.
Maybe not by blood but in every way that mattered.
Finally, Colton said, “Babe, do you want me to accept your gift?”
Nodding, Ian leaned back against Colton’s chest, afraid of seeing what was in the chest.
“Thank you, Maximus,” Colton said, taking the gift and setting it on the table in front of them. Rubbing his fingers over the gems, he asked Oracle, “What are these?”
“Smoky Quartz,” Ian said, faintly.
“Smoky Quartz?” Colton asked.
“The national gemstone of Scotland,” Ian murmured, gazing wide-eyed at the trunk.
Oracle smiled, “Smoky Quartz are very rare, brown gemstones found in the Cairngorms area of Scotland…a very rugged place. They are sacred and for many years only royalty could possess them.”
“Well, that makes sense,” muttered Colton. “Babe, are you ready to open it?”
“Yes, but would you please do it?”
Colton shifted Ian to one of his legs and then leaned forward to lift the lid.
Colton could see a glow coming from within which grew in intensity as the lid was raised.
When the trunk was fully opened, a collective gasp could be heard—everyone was astonished by the intensity of the light.
Reaching in, Colton drew out a very old manuscript, written in a language he didn’t recognize. He placed it in Ian’s hands.
Ian recognized the language immediately—he’d spent many hours learning it at his mother’s knee.
Carefully turning the first page, he scanned the words and realized he held…
the history of the Royal Scottish Wolf Shifters, from their beginning to the time of the war.
Looking up at Oracle, he said, “This is my history…my roots…where I came from. Why did my royal parents want me to have this when this history ended when they died?”
“Before I answer your question, what else is in the trunk?”
Ian then reached in and pulled out a golden crown which glowed with an ethereal light.
Setting it on the table beside the trunk, he reached in again and pulled out another crown—smaller in height—but glowing with the same light as the first. Then he found a key, covered in gold, as long as his hand.
Turning it over and examining it, he asked, “What does this unlock?”
“The door to your castle.”
“My castle?”
“Yes, your castle in Scotland. Is the trunk empty?”
Ian peered over the edge of the ancient box and saw one other item.
Scooping it up, he sat back against his mate, holding a ledger in his hand.
He caressed the cracked, worn, dark green cover, imagining his royal parents writing in it.
Slowly opening it, Ian looked at the figures on the first page and cried out, “Is this for real?”
“Yes, Ian, the ledger details the wealth of the Scottish Wolf Royal Family. It has grown and is now about ten times the amount listed there.”
“But what am I going to do with it? I’ve more than enough money I saved from my job with Frontline Doctors. And a castle? I don’t need it. The same with these crowns. Trust me, I won’t be wearing them in the operating room.”
Oracle chuckled, “No, I am sure of that. Now I will answer your question about the history. At your birth, the Shaman told your parents you would be the savior of your people. Of course, no one knew at that time there would be a war which would wipe out the Scottish Wolf. But it did happen. You are now the King of the Scottish Wolves and Colton is your Consort.”
Oracle continued, “However, the Fates were not bound by your royal roots when picking your mate; instead they focused on the other part of you the Shaman disclosed after your birth. And that was your ability to help the sick and injured. No, you are not a natural healer like Colton, but you possess innate medical knowledge which is why you advanced through your schooling and training so quickly.”
“I’m not moving to Scotland. My home is here with my mate.”
“As it should be. Together, you and Colton will help many wolf shifters with your combined gifts. I know these revelations can be overwhelming, so I will offer you a piece of advice, if I may.” After seeing Ian nod, Oracle continued, “Take some time to think about what you can do with your new found wealth. Talk it over with Colton. You will be here for two more months, so there is no rush in making a decision.”
“I shall, Oracle,” Ian said and though he sounded composed, he was far from feeling any emotion other than panic.
His mirthless smile signaled his true feelings to Colton and he appreciated his mate’s hand soothingly rubbing his back in an attempt to relax him.
But Ian knew it would be a long time before he would ever feel totally at ease considering what he’d learned tonight.
He carefully returned everything to the trunk and closed the lid.
Then he stood. “If you don’t have anything else to tell me, I’d like to return to our room with my mate.
Of course, Jackson, if you need me, just call, okay? ”
Colton got up, hefted the trunk onto his right shoulder, and pulled his mate close to him, wrapping his other arm around Ian’s waist. Heading for their bedroom, he was determined to give Ian the support he needed tonight after such a life-altering revelation.
Crap, and I thought finding out he was a male Omega was shocking!
Nope, this tops that. Then something Oracle said popped up in his head.
What the Fuck? I’m his Consort? What does that mean?
Once their bedroom door was closed behind them, Colton set the trunk down on the floor in their closet and led his mate to their sitting room.
Lying down on the sofa, he pulled his mate down on top of him, resting Ian’s head on his chest. He said nothing while massaging Ian’s muscles which were tight with the stress of the evening.
He kissed the top of his mate’s head repeatedly while nuzzling Ian’s soft hair.
Gradually, he felt his mate relax and finally heard Ian’s soft snores.
Not wanting to wake him, Colton pulled a throw from the back of the sofa and tossed it over both of them before succumbing to sleep.
~/~/~/~/~
Dylon knocked on his boss’s office door.
Rudy wanted to see him but the enforcer who gave him the message couldn’t tell him why.
Shrugging, he headed over to see him. It was quiet these days—ever since the kill order for the brothers had been rescinded so he hoped Rudy had a job for him.
He checked to make sure his clothes were clean and neat.
His boss ran a tight ship which was just fine with him.
A tight ship meant rules were followed and he was that kind of guy.
Hearing a muffled voice inviting him in, he opened the door and walked in where he was greeted by six of the largest enforcers in the Silver Point pack. Dylon ignored them and walked over to his boss’s desk. “Hi boss, you wanted to see me?”
“Have a seat Dylon, I have something to show you.”
He sat in the chair facing his boss and was curious about what he was about to see.
Dylon, looked at the monitor Rudy had swiveled toward him and waited.
When the image came up on the screen, Dylon’s mouth flopped open after realizing he was watching himself.
Tuning into his voice, he heard himself answer a woman’s questions about his mission to find the brothers and kill them.
He sat quietly until the video ended and then turned to his boss who was watching him with an inscrutable expression.
Dylon said the first thing that popped into his head, “This is a joke, right?”
Rudy studied him for a few moments before replying, “No Dylon, it’s not. Someone sent this to the High Council and they sent it to us. Now what I want to know is why does this video show you talking to a stranger about the Alpha’s personal orders? Why would you do that?”
Dylon searched his memory but couldn’t recall ever being questioned or, for that matter, recorded.
It had to be a set up, but by whom? And why?
Was it one of my fellow enforcers? His mind flipped through his fellow enforcers one by one and still couldn’t come up with a name of someone who had cause to be angry at him.
“Boss, I don’t know who or how that video was made, but I swear it wasn’t me. I don’t know who they got to play me but that is not me…I would’ve remembered. Besides, I wouldn’t do that. I have no beef with this pack, or you or anyone else here.”
“Dylon, it is you. Now I want to know why you did it and don’t give me any shit about not saying those things. You cost this pack business and almost screwed up a deal our Alpha made that would benefit everyone. I don’t know why but I intend to find out. Now for the last time, why did you do it?”
He had no answer to give since he had no memory of the incident ever happening. He needed to get out of there and do his own investigation. “Boss, I honestly don’t know anything about it. But if you give me a chance, I promise I’ll find out who’s behind this.”
Rudy contemplated Dylon’s request, weighing his options before realizing he only had one choice. “Lock him up boys until he comes around and tells us who he’s working for.”