Chapter 33
Colton studied Wesley for a moment before asking quietly, “Do you think so little of your son that he’d want you to die so he could live?”
Shaking his head, Wesley muttered, “It’s the only way to save him.”
“Bullshit!” Colton exclaimed. “You would be condemning him to live with your guilt for the rest of his life.”
“My guilt?”
“Yes, your fucking guilt. The guilt that’s written all over you about your failure to protect him.
Now you probably think sacrificing your life will erase your guilt for that.
But did you ever stop to think of what it’s going to do to your son…
or your wife?” asked Colton, pausing for a few seconds to let Wesley answer.
When only silence ensued, he continued. “No, you didn’t, so let me tell you that if you go through with your plan, Theo will spend the rest of his life riddled with guilt, blaming himself for everything.
And his cub? What kind of life will he have with a father who is so… so…”
“Stop!” Wesley said, holding up his hand.
“You’ve made yourself very clear…but I feel helpless!
I can’t remember what happened to Theo the night our Alpha locked me and Heather up, but if my son went through anything close to what we did, I owe him for not saving him from it.
And if that means giving up my life so Theo can have one, then so be it. ”
“No…that isn’t what Theo needs,” Colton replied softly.
“How the hell do you know what he needs?” shouted Wesley.
Colton remained silent for a moment before saying, “Because I know Theo and what he went through. He needs you, now…alive, not dead…to help him put the pieces of his life back together…to make him whole again. Only you and your wife can do that.”
“What about his mate? Isn’t he helping Theo?”
“Of course he is, but his mate cannot replace you or your wife.”
Shaking his head, Wesley muttered, “Then we’re all doomed. Without my bear’s strength, Theo and his cub will die, and if that happens, so will my wife.”
“Maybe not.”
“What do you mean?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Colton said, “You’ve already seen what I can do.”
Hope suddenly filled Wesley’s eyes as he remembered Colton had saved his wife. “You can help Theo survive his pregnancy?”
“If need be,” Colton said, “but medicine has come a long way in the last few years, and I’m confident Theo and his cub will be fine, though there is one thing you can do to help your son.”
“What? Anything!”
“Tell Mac everything you know about Ghost Bear pregnancies…especially those that happen before the age of 25.”
“I can do that, but I’m not an expert. Most of what I know has been handed down by word of mouth.”
“Old wives’ tales are usually based on truth.”
“Right,” Wesley murmured to himself, already thinking about the advice his mother had given him when Heather was pregnant with Theo. “I remember…
“Hold that thought,” Colton said. “It’s late, and you need some rest. We can talk tomorrow…after you've had breakfast and met with Jackson.”
Wesley opened his mouth to argue, but when a yawn emerged instead, he sheepishly looked at Colton and nodded. “It’s been a long day…a good one but still too long.”
Smiling, Colton said, “C’mon…let’s get you into bed.”
~/~/~/~/~
Logan followed Kieran, jotting down notes about his mate’s renovation ideas for Ian’s castle.
He wasn’t sure how much time Ian, Colton, and their three children would spend in Scotland, but his mate was right about turning the cold, stone castle into a home filled with warmth and love.
While it was up to Ian and Colton to provide the love, he certainly could give them the warm and cozy environment it now lacked.
This job would be the biggest he had ever tackled, but he was confident he could do it.
“Macushla! Are you listening to me?” demanded Kieran.
“Huh?” Logan looked up at his mate, who was tapping his foot impatiently with his hands fisted on his hips in front of a huge, old, wooden door while displaying the most adorable pout he’d ever seen. “Of course I was…see all my notes,” Logan said, smiling and holding up his notebook.
“Humpf.” Kieran turned around and pushed the door open.
“As I was saying, this was Ian’s room when he was a pup, and I thought it would be perfect for Lory but then maybe his two sisters should be in here with him too so then they would have each other’s company, you know, until they get used to living in Scotland and make new friends.
Of course, maybe Ian and Colton want them to have their own rooms, and they can, but not at first cause I wouldn’t want them to be scared or lonely here.
And this room is big enough for three cribs and everything else they need.
But maybe Lili and Killi would prefer being in a room together since they are girls and you know how boys can be with teasing their sisters. ”
“I don’t think that would happen until they were all older,” Logan said weakly, remembering the teasing his younger brothers had done to his sisters.
“Hmm,” Kieran hummed, walking around the room, looking out the windows and poking into the alcoves built into the stone walls.
Stopping in front of the biggest window, Kieran murmured, “This faces east so they could see the sunrise every morning.” Then, swirling around, he pointed to the wall opposite him.
“Their cribs should go there…it would be the perfect spot for them to see the pink sky before the sun appears.”
“Babe, you do know it rains a lot in Scotland, especially during the winter months.”
“That’s why this room needs to be done in shades of yellow and pinks cause that way they will be surrounded by a sunrise.
Isn’t that the bestest idea I ever had? Can’t you see it now?
” Kieran asked, twirling around with his arms outstretched.
“All of these walls covered with yellow and pink fabric, bringing sunshine into each day regardless of the weather outside. The floor will have the softest, warmest rug, and the ceiling should be the Scottish blue sky. You know, I don’t think there’s a better blue than the blue of a Scottish sky…
oh, and maybe there should be some white fluffy clouds floating in it…
just like there are on a sunny day during the summer.
” Looking at his mate, he asked, “Don’t you think it would just be perfecto for Lory, Lili, and Killi, macushla? ”
Smiling tenderly at Kieran, Logan said, “I can’t imagine anything better for the prince and princesses. Why don’t you do a mood board for Ian and Colton so they can get an idea of what the finished spaces will look like?”
Grinning mischievously, Kieran said, “Already done.”
Smirking, Logan bent down and kissed his mate before murmuring, “You knew I would agree, didn’t you?”
“Absolutment!” Kieran giggled, throwing his arms around Logan’s neck and giving him a lip-smacking kiss.
Logan cupped Kieran’s butt with his hands and lifted him up against his chest, then whispered in his mate’s ear, “Are we finished with the tour of Ian’s castle because I think it’s time for some hanky-panky.”
“Yup and yup!” Kieran exclaimed, hooking his ankles over Logan’s ass. “Let’s go!”
Grinning, Logan headed for the door, but before he reached it, his phone buzzed. “Oh shit,” he growled, stopping. “I'd better get that.”
“Don’t you dare put me down, macushla, I can do it,” Kieran ordered, reaching his left hand into his mate’s jacket pocket.
After a few moments of digging around, he triumphantly pulled Logan’s phone out and held it up.
After opening the text, Kieran read it, then said, “It’s from the Alpha of English Wolves.
He wants to know if we can come tomorrow since his wife wants to meet her new son-in-law, Tristan. ”
“How did he know we planned to see him?” Logan asked, with a frown, before he resumed walking.
“Heath told him. According to our spirit, Heath’s mother is eager to meet me, but she already had the trip to see Tristan planned so now Heath’s father is trying to figure out a way they can meet me and keep their original plan to travel to California.”
“We can’t go tomorrow because I’m not finished here.”
“Yes we can, macushla. Your dragon can fly us there tomorrow night, and we can stay for a couple of days before we come back here. See? Easy-peasy!”
Chuckling, Logan said, “No, my love…I can’t arrive there in my dragon form without raising a ton of questions.”
“Duh, I didn’t mean you should land in the middle of their pack, but we can find a place outside their border to land and go the rest of the way on foot.”
“I don’t know,” Logan murmured cautiously. “I would prefer to arrive during the day…it makes it easier to see who’s around.”
“Right,” Kieran murmured, thinking about the problem, before suddenly shouting, “O.M.G.! I just got the bestest idea ever! Sawyer can cloak us, then you can shift into your dragon…we can fly there tomorrow during the day cause no one will see us and then after we land, Sawyer can uncloak us. See? Easy-peasy.” When his mate didn’t respond immediately, Kieran pleaded, “Please, macushla…our spirit said it’s important we go tomorrow. ”
Unable to resist his mate’s plea, Logan agreed. “But only if Sawyer can cloak us, okay?”
Nodding happily, Kieran gave his mate another kiss before ordering, “Move it, macushla! You promised me hanky-panky!”
“And that is what you shall get,” Logan growled.
~/~/~/~/~
It was the buzzing of his mate’s phone that woke Steel up at dawn.
After rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes, he glanced at Jackson and found him in a deep sleep.
It didn’t surprise him since yesterday had been pretty stressful for his mate.
Unwilling to wake him, he reached over and grabbed Jackson’s phone.
Holding it up, he blinked several times before the notification came into focus.
Reading it, he cursed silently before setting the phone back on his mate’s nightstand.
Weighing his options, Steel decided to let Jackson sleep while he solved the problem.
Gently sliding out of bed, he padded over to the closet and slipped into jeans and a t-shirt.
After checking the baby monitor, he grabbed his phone and headed towards the door.
Opening it quietly, he stepped into the hallway and, closing the door behind him, headed toward the location stated in the text message.
Reaching the library, Steel pushed open the heavy door and entered, surveying the room for their missing human.
He wasn’t sure if Jackson would be pleased that Cain had finally left his bedroom or pissed that the human had been out all night.
If it were up to him, Steel thought it a good sign Cain felt comfortable enough to leave his room, even if it was when everyone else was asleep.
His eyes finally located Cain, curled up in the oversized and overstuffed chair, surrounded by books and sound asleep. Walking over to him, Steel’s bare feet made no sound, but when he pulled over another chair to sit on, the slight scraping noise it made was enough to wake Cain up.
Startled, it took Cain a moment to realize where he was, but when his gaze landed on the man sitting across from him, a small yelp escaped.
“Sorry,” Steel said softly, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Remaining silent, Cain stared at Steel for a moment before lowering his eyes.
It was another lesson he’d learned in prison—never lock eyes with another inmate because it could be regarded as a challenge.
Even though Steel reminded him of Sarge, he wasn’t sure of his reaction, so it was best not to look at him directly.
Afraid of why the Alpha Mate was there, he murmured, “Sofia said it was all right for me to be here. Was she wrong? I’ll go, but please don’t send me away. ”
Cain’s actions surprised Steel. They were unlike those of the humans he’d known through his work at Dire Enterprises.
He was used to them showing off. His father often referred to them as braggin’ and struttin’—each human wanting to be the biggest, baddest alpha male in the room.
But Cain, here, was behaving more like an omega, quiet and shy—totally opposite of his behavior stated in his file.
Which description is correct? Only time will tell.
“No, you’re fine,” Steel replied. “You can go anywhere in the house.” His gaze fell on the books stacked on the table next to Cain.
Pointing to them, he asked, “Do you enjoy gardening?”
Running his hand over the book in his lap, Cain smiled at the roses pictured on the cover. Nodding, he whispered, “One of my foster moms had a garden, and she used to let me help her.”
Steel chuckled. “I love looking at flowers but didn’t spend any time growing them. It was easier to just buy a bunch for my mother’s birthday.”
Cain said quietly, “Most of my foster dads did that.”
“The hardest part for me was deciding which flowers to buy. There were so many to choose from in the florist's shop.”
“I know,” Cain said, glancing up at Steel shyly. “The first time one of my faster dads took me with him to buy roses for my foster mom, I couldn’t believe there were so many types. I wish I could grow all of them.”
Chuckling, Steel said, “California has a great climate and lots of flowers can grow here. I can give you a plot of land if you want to try growing some.”
“I’m supposed to help Theo with his garden.”
“Have you seen it yet?”
Shaking his head, Cain murmured, “Sophia said it was too dark last night.”
“That’s right. She gave you a tour last night,” Steel said. “Did you enjoy it?”
Nodding, Cain looked around the room, his eyes bright with happiness. “I liked the library best.”
“I don’t blame you,” Steel smiled. “I insisted my architect include it in his plans for the house. He tried to change my mind, but some of the best times in my life when I was young were the ones I spent in my father’s library, so, of course, that was a must for this house.”
“Me, too…I mean, none of the houses I lived in had a library, but there were usually ones in the towns so I spent as much time there as I could in them.”
“Hmm…I bet you enjoyed the quietness.”
“Yeah, I did…there was always so much noise in the foster homes because there were a lot of kids…at least most of the time.”
“Well,” Steel said, “there was only my brother when I grew up, but he was a troublemaker so when I had enough of his shenanigans, I headed for the peace and quiet of the library.”
“Are you and your brother close now?”
“Yeah, he eventually grew up and lives here with Dakota.”