Chapter 14 #2
Now he had two Fated Mates—something he, and probably his parents, never knew could happen.
He wondered what they would think about it, especially since one of his mates was a grizzly bear.
Or what his former Alpha would do when he found out he had more than one mate.
Probably order all of them to be put to death, if Norm was right about the reason their parents sent them to Arald’s in the first place.
Then, it had only been the two of them, but now, there were three of them—all gay.
And if the Alpha gave that order, Smokey would probably attack and Norm would join in, but there wasn’t any way they could win against the Alpha’s enforcers.
Picturing the bloody aftermath, Theo sighed.
Ollie watched Theo’s shoulders droop and heard his deep sigh.
He never meant to upset his cousin, but by the look of it, he had—deeply.
Rising, he slowly walked over to Theo, stopping behind him.
Hesitating for a moment, he raised his hand and let it hover over his cousin’s shoulder, wondering if his touch would be welcomed.
Then, Ollie slowly lowered his hand until it rested on Theo.
“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to upset you,” he murmured, slowly rubbing his cousin’s shoulder.
Shaking his head slightly, Theo said, “You didn’t…
I just wish I knew why my parents did what they did.
Without that piece of the puzzle, I can’t move forward…
I’m just caught in a dark hole with no way out.
” Turning his head, Theo glanced up at his cousin.
“I have tried to forgive and forget…move on with my life…but I can’t.
It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, suddenly something will trigger a memory of what my life was before Arald’s… and then…”
“I think that’s normal,” Ollie replied. “It takes a long time to forget memories…especially good ones.”
“But that’s the problem,” Theo said. “Don’t you see?
Right now, it’s only my memories I have to deal with, but it’s only gonna get worse when my cub is born.
Every time my cub does something, I’ll want to share it with my parents…
or take pictures to send to them…or have my son grow up spending time with his grandparents.
None of that can happen right now. And those memories are gonna hurt worse because I’ll always feel like I’m hurting my son by taking those things away from him.
And it’s all because I don’t know why my parents sent me away.
” Theo turned back to the flower he still held.
“I know it doesn’t make any sense, but…”
Sitting down next to his cousin on the old log, Ollie grasped Theo’s hand tightly and said softly, “You’re wrong, Theo. It makes perfect sense. When my parents died, I spent months…even years, trying to answer the question of why it had happened to them. I know what it feels like not to know.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Theo fought the tears falling at the memory of their death.
He was barely in his teens, yet he remembered wondering how Ollie could live without his parents.
For weeks, he had nightmares about it happening to his parents, and every time he woke up screaming, they would join him in his bed and hold him until sleep reclaimed him.
It took a long time before he felt safe again.
Opening his eyes, he brushed the wetness away before looking at Ollie. “How did you survive?” he whispered.
Using his thumb, Ollie wiped a stray tear from his cousin’s face before saying, “Your parents, but mostly your dad…whenever I needed to hear my father’s voice I’d call, and as soon as your father answered in a voice that sounded so much like my dad’s, my world would right itself.
Both of your parents were there whenever I needed anything, from help with settling my parents’ estate, to deciding whether to join Frontline Doctors.
But there was one thing they did that helped me tremendously. ”
“What was that?” Theo asked.
Looking down at his cousin’s hand in his, he squeezed it softly, saying, “They promised me they would always be there for me because we were family forever.”
A shuddering sob broke loose from Theo’s chest, then another and another, until his tears were streaming down his face.
Throwing his arms around Ollie, he hugged him tight, swearing to himself never to let go.
His cousin had lost so much more than he had, because even though Theo and his parents weren’t close anymore, there was still time to repair their relationship.
“My parents were right,” Theo whispered in Ollie’s ear.
“We are family, and don’t you forget it.
Always and forever, I’ll be there for you. ”
“The same goes for me,” Ollie murmured. “You can always count on me, no matter what you need…and so can my nephew to be.”
Leaning back slightly, Theo gazed at his cousin’s face, smiling at the love he found there. “You’re gonna spoil him, aren’t you?”
Nodding happily, Ollie said, “Yup…so don’t even think about trying to stop me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Theo said, giggling. “Though my mates might have a thing or two to say about it.”
“Pish, posh,” Ollie replied. “Uncles have certain rights that supersede the rights of parents.”
“Oh yeah? And what rights are those?”
Before Ollie could answer, a rough voice called out, “Theodore?”
Not recognizing the voice, Theo stiffened, shivering at the threat he heard in it. Slowly releasing his cousin, he paused for a moment before looking around the meadow. When he saw the man standing at the edge of the tall grass, he gathered his courage and asked, “Who are you and what do you want?”