80. Henri
Chapter 80
Henri
I’m getting a cup of tea and a sandwich from the fridge in the kitchen an hour later when snarls erupt outside. I freeze.
My wolf instantly comes forward, ready to protect me, her hackles raising.
Finn comes down the hall at a brisk clip and goes right out onto the deck. His quick movements send shivers up my spine.
Abandoning my lunch and with a more formidable wolf to lead the way, I follow Finn out onto the deck over to the rail.
The Leviathan squares off with the dusty white and cream wolf I know so well as Deacon. It looks brutal, and the noise coming from them only increases. I saw the fight between Finn and Deacon when Finn took Second. But The Leviathan is supposed to be unbeatable. Why would Deacon go up against him?
My words come out at a whisper. “What? No.”
“Henri.” Finn tries to pull my attention from the fight, but I can’t look away.
My fingers squeeze the deck rail.
“They’re playing. It’s not even all that vicious. They’re just being loud. See?” Finn points down to them. “Cade’s not even biting him, just making contact, teeth to fur.”
I watch more carefully, dismissing the sounds. There aren’t any speckles of blood tarnishing Deacon’s mostly white coat. The Leviathan stops, sneezing after getting a mouth full of fur, and Deacon stops circling to roll on the grass, seemingly scratching his back.
When Deacon gets up, Cade presses against him, and they head to the changing room.
“The boys needed this before it turned into a full-on brawl between them, with the two of them at odds and Deacon’s wolf coming into himself. This letting off steam brings them to a better understanding of who they are now together.” Finn pushes his shoulder against mine. “I know it seems like a lot all at once, and I don’t have Dinah’s gift to speak so definitely, but I’ve seen a lot of good men, like Deacon, either sort their shit or fail. And Deacon’s not in the latter category.”
“He’s struggling.” I worry my finger on the wood of the deck rail, looking at where the boys were play fighting a moment ago.
“Struggling is a part of the life experience. There’s no way to truly stop it, despite how much we want to protect our loved ones from it. There’s always something we need to fight through.” Finn’s words of wisdom match the worry I’ve been having. Life never gets easier.
The brothers climb the stairs to the deck, having dressed in the changing area down below, talking quietly between themselves.
As they crest the top step, Cade ruffles Deacon’s hair and speaks intentionally at a volume to be heard. “Go hang out with your mate. I’m going to make Finn really pissed off about a whole bunch of things so that he and Lena can both be crabby today.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Finn grumbles sarcastically.
Deacon offers his hand out to me. “Whatcha workin’ on, and can I convince you to play hooky with me instead?”
“I’m setting up some new meeting schedules. There are conferences that, despite the changes with Ansel—” I cut myself off. “I can’t play hooky, but I can take a lunch break, and then you can hang out in my office.”
“Deal.” He kisses the top of my head sweetly. “Let me go get cleaned up, and then we’ll eat?”