Chapter Thirteen #2
It wouldn’t be easy to establish a bond with Adam at his age, but it was necessary.
The boy needed the guidance of an alpha, and his mother was no longer able to fill the role.
Raising brothers who’d looked to him their entire lives was different from dealing with a teenager who didn’t know the first thing about him, except that he’d gotten his mother pregnant and abandoned her.
The trail led upward. Maybe there was something in Adam’s blood, some instinct that guided him to the rocky lookout where so much Sin history had unfolded. Despite finding his daddy’s body there, it was a place of solace for Cyrus.
Adam was sitting on the edge, his feet dangling in the air. The drop was substantial and could kill him if he fell. At the very least it would lead to extensive injuries.
Rather than crowd him, Cyrus lowered himself to the ground ten feet away. The wind was noticeable this high up, making the leaves dance and the trees sway. Bees buzzed in the wildflowers. Birds darted from branch to branch. He watched and waited, his patience finally rewarded.
“I don’t want to stay here.” Adam tilted his head back and stared at the sky, shading his eyes against the glare of the morning sun. He lowered his gaze and looked at Cyrus. “But I don’t want to go back either. Not anymore.”
“What do you want?”
He flopped back on the ground and tucked his hands behind his head. Cyrus wasn’t fooled by the deceptively relaxed pose. Adam could be up and gone in a heartbeat.
“I want everything to go back the way it was ... before.” The poignancy of the wish made Cyrus’s chest ache.
“I don’t.” That got the boy’s attention. He didn’t move, but every muscle in his body tensed. “Because of what happened, I discovered I had a son.” It would be smarter to leave it at that, but Cyrus was playing for keeps this time. “And it brought your mom back into my life.”
Adam sat up and pointed an accusing finger. “You don’t care about either of us. Mom is some woman you fucked in a motel room a long time ago.”
A low growl vibrated inside him. “You talk that way about your mama ever again and you and I are going to have a problem.” Authority rang from his voice. He’d tolerate a lot, but he wouldn’t stand for the boy to talk about Vinnie that way.
“What do you care?” he challenged, climbing to his feet, his entire body vibrating with aggression.
Cyrus slowly stood and faced his son. “I cared then, and I care now. Why do you think I left without going to look for her all those years ago? You know what I am. I was protecting her.”
“Didn’t stop you from sleeping with her.” Hands fisted at his sides, Adam’s eyes flashed. He was fighting to keep his wolf from coming out.
“No, it didn’t.” Maybe it wasn’t right to talk about what happened between him and Vinnie, but if Adam was old enough to ask the questions, he was old enough to understand. “Your mother is special. I’ve never met anyone before or since who made me feel the way she did.”
“I don’t believe you.” He was breathing heavily, his pulse rapidly beating in his neck.
“Doesn’t change the facts. So, what are you going to do?” he challenged. “You going to run away again or are you going to stand beside your mom during this difficult time?”
Pure hatred reflected in Adam’s gaze. Cyrus would rather see that than fear or pain. The goal would be to guide it rather than allow it to consume the boy. “I’ll stand with her. We don’t need you.”
“Like it or not, you do need me. There’s a wolf inside you. Even now you feel him clawing to get out. You need to learn control, learn to become one.”
“And if I can’t, are you going to put me down and put me out of my misery?” He threw Cyrus’s cruel words from yesterday back at him. “I’m not like you or your brothers. I’m a hybrid, a freak.”
It was a blow to the heart, but not by word or deed did he let his son know he’d landed a direct hit.
“You’re my son,” he corrected. “You’re a part of me and your mom, the best part.
” He stalked over to him and yanked Adam into his arms. While he wasn’t rebuffed, his son remained stiff and unyielding.
“You’re my son,” he repeated. “I’m proud you’re mine.
If you falter, I’ll protect you. If you fail, I’ll be there to pick you up and help you.
You’re a Sin now. We protect what’s ours. ”
Little by little, Adam relaxed and leaned into him. “This doesn’t mean I like you.”
Cyrus bit back a grin, pleased by the show of spirit. “I like you enough for us both.” He held his son at arm’s length. “You need to shift again.”
“Why?”
He wasn’t getting it. “The more you shift, the more in tune you’ll become with your wolf. Try to suppress it and you’ll have an angry, unmanageable beast on your hands.”
Adam shuffled his feet and stared out at the vista. “What if I can’t?”
“You can. You already have. The only thing holding you back is fear.” He could practically see Adam’s hackles rising. A wolf his age wasn’t about to back down from a direct challenge. “Better to test it here than around your mom until you’re sure you have control.”
“Could I hurt her?”
“I don’t know.” It was good he was asking questions, trying to learn.
“I want to say no, but there’s no telling until you and your wolf fully integrate.
That comes with time, something we’re short on.
” Normally a wolf out of transition would have weeks to experiment in a safe environment.
They had to leave sometime today to head back to West Virginia.
The color leeched from his face. “Don’t let me hurt her.”
“I won’t. You have my word.” That wasn’t something he gave lightly.
“A Sin’s word is his bond.” It was time his son started to learn about the other half of his heritage.
“It wasn’t an accident you came up here.
This was my mama’s favorite place on the mountain.
She’d spend hours up here. She would have loved you. ”
“She would have been my grandma. What happened to her?” He pulled off his boots and socks.
“She died giving birth to Silas.”
“Geez, I’m sorry.” Distress coated every word. “I miss my grandma. Mom’s mom. She had heart problems.”
“It’s tough losing someone, but I’m glad you had her in your life.” Adam had been robbed of so much, and Cyrus feared things were going to get worse before they got better. “Hold on to the good memories.”
“Is that what you do?”
“Yes.” Cyrus glanced up at the sky. “Daylight’s wasting.”
Adam jerked to attention, his jaw thrust out. He yanked off his shirt and tossed it onto the ground. “What do I do?”
“Relax and embrace your wolf. He wants to come out.”
Adam rolled his shoulders, much like a fighter before a bout, and huffed out a breath. “I can do this,” he whispered. Fur rippled on his bare arms. He jolted and it vanished. “That’s so weird.”
“It’s your wolf. It’s not separate from you, but part of you.” Cyrus raised his hand and claws slid from the tips of his fingers. “It’s like any other skill. Once you practice it will become second nature.”
“Like I sucked at basketball when I started, but now I’m good at it.”
“Exactly like that.”
He took another deep breath. This time when fur pushed out from beneath his skin, he didn’t fight it.
“That’s it,” Cyrus encouraged. “You’ve already done this once. Remember what it was like.”
Black eyes locked on him and Adam began to change. He fell forward, his hands and feet becoming paws. His forehead flattened and his jaw elongated. He shook off his jeans and took his first cautious step.
“You and the wolf are one.” Cyrus crouched down and held out his hand. “One strengthens the other. Always remember who and what you are.” The wolf cautiously sidled closer, drawn by the promise of acceptance from an alpha. “You belong to this family. You are one of the pack. Never forget that.”
He swallowed heavily when Adam lowered his head, allowing him to touch him.
The human side of him might want to shun and hate Cyrus, but the wolf craved the sense of belonging, understood there was strength in the pack, even if it was a small one.
Funny how bringing Vinnie and Adam here had made him think in terms of a pack. Until now, it had only been family.
Only that wasn’t quite true. Things had begun to change when Eli had brought Kinley home. There was no turning back the hands of time for any of them. They’d do what they always did—handle whatever came their way.
“You ready to go back to the house?” Vinnie would be frantic with worry.
The juvenile wolf backed up and snarled.
“How about we run back?” Running with another wolf for the first time was an exhilarating experience. Adam danced with excitement.
Feeling more lighthearted than he had in a long time, Cyrus folded his son’s clothing before stripping out of his own and securing it all in a makeshift bundle. “Watch.” Between one heartbeat and the next, he went from man to wolf, towering over the smaller one.
There was awe in the younger wolf’s eyes, along with a hint of fear. Grabbing the bundle between his jaws, Cyrus led the way. When he was sure Adam was following, he picked up the pace and took the boy on a wild race he’d never forget.