23. Chapter 23 #2
Cyrus gave him a look. “If it were done, you’d have seen it, Alpha, so yes, still.
” Cyrus rolled his eyes. He continued scrolling and going through, editing, and making sure everything was in place.
Every detail of the incident with Lotuslacker, what they knew about Liam’s involvement, Patrick, and the challenge.
They opted to leave out the part about the torture and Cyrus’s involvement in the challenge.
The council would know that Olive got caught in the crossfire for his beloved.
No one wanted to be the one to tell the council the whole truth. The council is involved in things that were rarely fun for anyone. It was best when they decided not to care, even if it meant not getting help from them as they should.
“It’s almost done, you can look at it, and I can send it off,” Cyrus insisted. “Then we won’t have to deal with any drama…”
Lily clicked her tongue, “Don’t jinx it!” she hissed.
Cyrus shook his head and continued typing.
“Let’s hope so,” Gabe mumbled.
“Uh, but…Cyrus, there was something I wanted to talk to you about?” Gabe said slowly.
Cyrus looked over at him. Gabe seemed reluctant with Lily in the room.
“What?” Lily said, looking around. “I was here first if you two want to talk or bang or something”—she cringed—“get a different room.”
Cyrus rolled his eyes. He saved his work and closed his laptop before getting up.
“Bedroom,” Cyrus said quietly and took his reading glasses off before leading Gabe up the stairs, not to his bedroom, but Gabe’s.
As soon as they were in there, Cyrus was expecting to be kissed or brought into some new drama.
Gabe surprised him by doing neither.
“So, I mentioned…the claiming ritual the other day,” Gabe said slowly, putting his hands into his pockets.
Cyrus blinked. “Oh, right,” he said.
Gabe stared at him. “We haven’t spoken about it since.” He tilted his head to the side, looking nervous.
Cyrus took a slow breath and several steps back until his but was against the end of the bed.
“It’s only been a couple of days,” Cyrus told him,.“I’ve been writing this and working with you to make sure the new and improved Crimson Lotus is running smoothly.”
His pulse was quick.
Gabe nodded.
“Do you not want to?” he asked. “I was hoping we could figure out when.”
Cyrus licked at his lips and looked to the side.
“I do,” Cyrus told him, but even he could hear the hesitance in his voice. His brow furrowed.
Gabe stepped closer and grabbed Cyrus’s laptop from his hands, and placed it on the bed beside him.
“I just…” Cyrus sighed, “Kasper and I had known each other a year and had been dating for five months before we…did the ritual. You and I, we…” He struggled, his throat tight. “I don’t want you to think that I—”
Gabe tilted his chin up, cupped his hands with his face, and shook his head.
“Hey, no, it’s okay. You’re not ready,” Gabe said slowly and sighed. “I was just so happy you’re alive, that we got through this, that…you love me. I moved too fast. I didn’t think about how serious the ritual is, especially for you.”
Cyrus swallowed hard. He didn’t want to disappoint Gabe. He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. Quiet. Gabe moved to sit down on the other side of him where his laptop wasn’t.
“It’s okay,” Gabe insisted. “Honestly I’ve been worried about it too.”
Cyrus looked over at him. “Yeah?” he asked.
Gabe sighed. “Yeah.” He chuckled. “I want to get to know you more too. The you that isn’t stressed because there’s a new Alpha or…another pack that wants to take us down.”
Cyrus smirked. “So the stressed me isn’t good enough?” he asked.
Gabe sassed him, “Oh no, definitely not.” He slid a hand onto Cyrus’s arm.
“Things need to settle is what I’m saying.” Gabe shrugged. “I mean, we only just sent Patrick away, and the report to the council hasn’t even been sent yet.” Gabe motioned toward the closed laptop on the other side of Cyrus. “I don’t want to rush into anything.”
Cyrus let out a slow breath. “Okay,” he said, “me either.”
Gabe smiled and leaned over, pressing his lips to Cyrus.
Cyrus wasn’t used to it. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be used to it, but right then, it felt both right and strange. To have someone he felt so strongly about again. Who made him feel like the future wasn’t going to be a grey sky of wondering what life would be like if Kasper was still there.
Cyrus kissed Gabe back slowly and brushed his fingers along Gabe’s jaw line for a moment.
Gabe did the same along with Cyrus’s beard.
“You know, I kind of like your beard when it’s a little…messy,” Gabe teased him.
Cyrus nipped at Gabe’s bottom lip, and instead of replying in words, he responded by kissing Gabe a little deeper.
After another moment, he pulled back just enough to talk against Gabe’s lips.
“You know, this doesn’t mean I’m going to go any easier on you,” Cyrus whispered.
Gabe chuckled softly, and Cyrus could feel the heat from Gabe’s face when he blushed.
“Good,” Gabe mumbled and kissed him one more time before getting up from the bed.
Cyrus looked at him with a brow cocked.
“What?” Gabe asked, “You need to finish that report, don’t you? I’m going to let you finish it.” He smirked crookedly before opening the door.
Cyrus shook his head and slightly narrowed his eyes as Gabe left the room.
He sat down on the bed to continue working on the report. It was fifteen minutes later that he was finally bringing his laptop and its fifteen pages of mindless detail back downstairs to show Gabe.
He rounded the corner to the entertainment room.
“Finally done,” he said.
Gabe was scrolling on his phone while sitting in the seat he had been in before.
“Great.” Gabe sighed. “Now I get to spend twenty hours reading it.”
Cyrus rolled his eyes. “If you take twenty hours to read this, I’ll be very concerned.”
Gabe chuckled.
Just then, Lily squealed from her place on the floor and went hopping up.
“Tatiana!” she whisper-yelled.
Cyrus set his laptop down and went spinning around to look.
“You’re finally home.” Lily smiled. “Oh my goodness….”
Cyrus’s gaze shifted down to look at the tiny bundle in Tatiana’s arms. Wrapped in a soft yellow and purple floral blanket was a little baby with light brown skin and thick brown hair already as curly as ever.
Cyrus felt his heart squeeze.
“Oh wow,” he mumbled and stepped closer.
Lily put a hand over her mouth and hopped a little.
“Oh, they’re so cute!” She giggled.
Gabe got up as well.
“Alright, let’s not crowd her,” she insisted. “Since…Cyrus drove me and waited eleven hours in the waiting room. He should get to hold her first.”
Cyrus had seen the baby right after, but he knew better than to ask Tati to hold her daughter within the first twenty-four hours of her being born.
Cyrus swallowed hard and stepped over, gently taking the baby in his arms, and he smiled.
“Oh…she’s precious,” he whispered, feeling his throat tight. “Did you decide on a name yet?”
Tatiana smiled, and her gaze shifted behind Cyrus. “Gabriella.”
Cyrus blinked and looked back down at the sleeping baby in his arms. So soft and beautiful.
“Wow, Tatiana…I…” Gabe stumbled over his words.
“You’re the start of something new in this pack,” she said with a slow breath and her glittering eyes. “So is she.”
Gabe stepped over, and Cyrus watched as the two of them hugged.
Cyrus gently rocked Gabriella for a moment before Gabe stepped over to touch her hand.
“To the future,” Lily said as she also stepped over to hug Lily.
Cyrus looked up from the baby and over at Gabe.
“To the future,” he said quietly.