Chapter 4
Daniel
Claudia had been here just days ago, shooting her mouth off—and now Matthew showed up scared, acting like the devil was after him.
Coincidence? Daniel didn’t think so.
His gut told him that bitch was out for blood.
Well, not actual blood. There was no way she’d get her hands dirty—and God forbid she broke a nail.
Just because she was an alpha didn’t mean she was the kind to throw down and come in swinging punches.
She had razor-sharp claws and pointy, pointy teeth.
Then again, so did he. And unlike Claudia’s fox form, his bear had both a size and strength advantage. If it was a fight the vixen was looking for, he’d be more than happy to give her one.
He felt a little bad blowing Carson off. Carson, unlike Matthew, had a fated mate—a great guy, an eagle shifter named Griffin. Whereas Matthew… well, that all depended.
Daniel wasn’t quite ready to face him just yet.
Instead of turning right and heading across the lobby to his office, he turned left toward the break room. He poured two coffees, adding cream and sugar to one—just the way Matthew liked it. After all this time, he still remembered exactly how he had taken it.
Not only that, he remembered far too many things he wished he didn’t.
Now Matthew was here, waiting in his office. Daniel had touched him, held him—and for those few seconds, he’d been in heaven and hell. His fingers twitched around the mug handles.
Did he truly want to dredge up the past?
If the man in the ill-fitting suit, who seemed eager to be rid of the papers he held, was anything to go by, then Daniel had no choice. The moment the stranger saw him, he zeroed in, pushing the papers toward him.
“I must inform you, sir, that you have been served by the Shifter Council.”
What the fuck? Well, that didn’t take long.
With both hands full, there was no way Daniel could actually take the papers—not that he wanted to. Just the thought of touching them made his gut twist. He didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what they said. He could guess.
“Fine. I’ve been served. You can put those papers on the counter over there.”
Daniel picked up his pace, power-walking to his office without sparing the court officer a second glance.
Kicking the door shut did little to shake off his irritation.
Just one look was all it took for his pulse to spike. Ten years bled away, and he was staring at the omega of his tormenting dreams.
Before he could say a word, Matthew was speaking.
“Sorry. So sorry—I didn’t mean to interrupt. But I didn’t know who else to turn to and—Claudia threatened to take Toby. She insists that he’s her legacy. That he’s her ticket to everything she’s ever wanted. But we both know that can’t be.”
For a split second, Daniel wished he didn’t know what Matthew meant.
Except he did. And he’d been forced to live with that knowledge.
Now Matthew was here, asking for help, upending his life all over again—and this time, Daniel wasn’t sure he could walk away.
All this time, he’d been lying to himself. Shutting it all out. Telling himself it didn’t happen.
Facing the truth—facing Matthew—hurt.
Sitting this close to him, breathing in his scent, holding himself back from touching him… hurt.
Every damn day since he’d been forced to walk away from the only omega he ever wanted, his life had been—empty. Like his bed. His house. His heart. And don’t forget his fridge.
Part of him resented Matthew.
He’d been living his perfect life. With his… wife. His perfect house. His perfect son. And his—okay, slightly less than perfect dog. The same dog that was currently chewing on Daniel’s desk leg.
That wasn’t the point.
The point was, part of him didn’t want to help.
He didn’t want to be pulled in. Didn’t want to have his heart ripped out and his reputation destroyed—again.