Chapter Thirteen

Sean crossed his eyes at Nathan. “You are not calling me Gingerella! That’s crap!”

Nathan huffed and tapped his chin. “But it fits, with your hair colouring and the evil—

well, not half-brothers or step-brothers, whatever. But it works. And you got the handsome prince—okay you just got Alex—” He snickered and ducked when Sean took a swipe at him.

“Okay, okay, Alex is the handsome prince, whatever!”

“I am pretty good looking, I’ve been told,” Alex said as he entered the library.

Nathan snorted and made a shooing motion with his hand. “Oh, but it doesn’t count when mommy’s the one saying it, they have to say shit like that!”

Alex refrained from dragging Nathan’s mother into the potential verbal smack-down.

He’d heard about Nathan’s murdering his mother when Nathan had been a small child, and there was no way he’d make a joke involving her considering those circumstances. He could, however, prevent Sean from being saddled with a nickname that was likely to stir up bad memories.

Walking over to his mate, he held up an arm. Sean hurried over and snuggled against him. Alex stroked the soft, shiny curls, wound tight like strawberry blond springs. “Didn’t you say Joshua started making fun of you when your hair turned this colour?” Alex made sure to catch Nathan’s eye.

Nathan’s mouth rounded into an ‘o’ and he looked close enough to mortified to suit Alex, who gave the barest nod.

“Yeah, he did, but Nathan didn’t know.”

“Nathan knows now,” Alex said as Nathan bobbed his head. “And you should have told him. He can find something else equally awful but not cruel to call you.”

“I’ll work on it.” Nathan looked at Sean. “I wish you would have told me. I don’t know when I cross the line if there isn’t one drawn in the sand. Or chalked on the floor or whatever.”

Sean shrugged. “It’s fine. I just don’t like thinking about it so I don’t, I guess.”

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Before anything else could be said, Alison walked into the library. Her black hair was pulled up in a bun so tight it looked painful, Sean thought.

She looked kind of intense, but she’d always been nice to him.

Nathan took a look at her then frowned, nodding slightly. “I’ve got to go, Marcus is snapping his telepathic fingers at me.” He left without another word, loping from the room.

Alison closed the door and came further into the room. The serious expression on her face wiped the whole Gingerella debacle from Sean’s mind. She stopped in front of them and touched Alex’s arm briefly.

“There’s some bad news, Alex. Maybe you and Sean should have a seat.”

Sean asked before Alex could, knowing it would be hard for Alex to do so.

“Is Harley dead?”

“Oh! No, no, not that, sorry.”

Alex sagged against him and Sean couldn’t stop himself from shooting Alison a nasty look. To her credit, she did appear remorseful as she pulled

out a chair for her brother.

“Really, I am sorry, I just didn’t think, since you have your mate and all.”

Alison pulled another chair around for herself, across from them, as Sean plopped into his seat.

“Just because I have my mate—my incredibly wonderful mate—doesn’t mean I don’t give a shit if other people die! Shit, Alison, what kind of heartless bastard do you think I am?” Alex’s anger flared higher the more he spoke, but Sean didn’t try to stop him. He had a point.

“Well, I’m sorry, I said! I’m a bitch, I know. You’re right.”

Alex nodded and slouched in the chair. “Okay. I swear you’ve apologised to me more times since I’ve been back than in our whole lives before I left.”

Alison fidgeted, picking at a string on her cargo pants. “I missed you, and…

and I feel really bad about the way I acted before you left. I never should have thought you’d betray Marcus, much less actually say something like that out loud for everyone to hear.”

Sean’s eyebrows darted up. He hadn’t heard about that. Alison must have noticed his curiosity because she addressed him next. “Sean, I’m guessing Alex hasn’t mentioned that when I brought Stewart Combs in, he got hold of Alex’s gun and killed himself. I…well I was furious to have lost the only lead we had, and I accused Alex of being in league with your RENDERED

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brother. And, and I hit him, too.” Alison’s entire face was flushed and her eyes glistened. “I was a complete bitch, and Alex left because of me.”

“No, I didn’t,” Alex said, sounding so tired Sean ached for him. And he had his answer about what had happened to Stewart Combs, the fool. Alex turned sideways in his chair, as much as he could, and looked Sean in the

eyes. “I left because I was embarrassed, because my pride took a hit and I couldn’t accept that. I ended up telling everyone in earshot, everyone who was there when Combs killed himself, that I’d been in love with Marcus. To make it even worse, I also told them that I’d had sex with Joshua.”

Sean knew Alex wasn’t in love with Marcus, and figured he could find out easily enough what had been going through Alex’s mind to make him think that. And he would, but there was the other matter. “You didn’t have sex with Joshua.”

Alex shook his head slowly. “No, I didn’t, but I told you, you were the first person I’d ever been able to admit it to, that Joshua raped me.” His cheeks coloured when he said it, and his voice quavered, but Alex didn’t hesitate. It was, Sean knew, a sign of healing. Alex was confronting his past and dealing with it instead of hiding from it.

“He couldn’t even say it to me,” Alison murmured. “Alex carried that alone, all these years, and I never knew. If I’d been less self-centred and less concerned with making rank, maybe I’d have noticed something horrible had happened to my brother.”

Alex shook himself, like a dog shaking off bath water. “Enough of everyone blaming themselves. What happened, happened, and I didn’t deal with it at all, but now I am. We all need to move beyond our pasts.”

Sean couldn’t agree more. He just wished his brother would stop being a threat to his future.

“Right, again, you’re right.” Alison sat up straighter and touched the bun at the back of her head. Sean wondered if there was a reset button under there since every trace of emotion disappeared off her face. “I got way off track there, but that all needed to be said. Now, Colby called and said he got an anonymous call on his cell phone. The number was blocked, and he replayed the phone call—thank goodness he thought to record it, gotta love smart phones.

The voice was distorted, but the called claimed to be a relative of one of the shifters who helped Dobson escape in Arizona. He said his brother was

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off the make and model, licence plate, and what might have been the VIN

number for all Sean knew. “And his brother called to tell him the whole Dobson pack was heading to Cincinnati to set up a new regime in our old HQ.”

Alex was out his chair in a flash, pacing the few feet between his and Alison’s chairs.

“Who is going to the old building? Does anyone know if this was just an attempt to mislead the guard? Has Colby found out who the shifters are who helped Joshua escape?”

Alison caught Alex’s wrist. “Stop, please, you’re making me dizzy. Sit back down with your mate or something, but quit pacing. It’s hard as hell on my neck and eyeballs.”

Alex sat back down and put his arm over Sean’s shoulder. Alison flicked a quick smile.

“Y’all look so cute together. Now.” All trace of teasing was gone. “Colby and half of his team are already on a plane to Cincinnati, and you know how much shifters hate flying, but not a single man or woman protested.

And every one of them wanted on that plane. The other half is still in Arizona.”

“Okay, and the rest of it?”

“We don’t know if it’s an attempt to mislead us or not. We have to take both possibilities into consideration. Three, really. One, that Dobson really is thinking of setting up a new regime, which will lead to complete slaughter of his pack should any of them refuse to disavow him. Two, he’s still in

Arizona skulking around. Or, he’s on his way here, probably even very close to us. He’d try to distract us, divide out guard, then attack. Marcus sent a half dozen guards on a different plane right before I came in here.”

“That leaves six of you here,” Alex pointed out. “As well as Marcus, Nathan, myself, and Sean.”

Alison nodded. “Yes, and two more. Aidan and Zane should be arriving any time now.”

“Good. The more of us there are, the better off we’ll be. “

“My feelings exactly.” Alison stood and patted Alex’s shoulder. “So no one is to be outside, unless Marcus okays it. Which he won’t. We need to keep all of our senses alert for signs of Dobson or any of his pack. Sean, if you can think of anything that would be helpful to us if it comes down to us fighting Joshua’s pack, please let Alex know. Or me, but I figured you’d confide in your mate first.”

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“Of course.” He watched her leave then Sean stood up and climbed onto Alex’s lap. “I have a very bad feeling about this.”

“Me too. Do you know how to fire a gun?”

* * * *

Sean looked at Alex like he was crazy. “No, Joshua always said shifters were meant to fight muzzle to muzzle.”

Alex crooked his neck and peered back at Sean. “Was he a wolf when he abused you, or when he tortured Marcus?”

“No.” Sean blinked, confusion darkening his features. “He was in his human form, but…well, it just seems like he’d attack in this case at least as a wolf.”

“Not if he has a hostage. He’d have a difficult time hanging onto Harley and fighting, although I guess he could always have someone else holding him. Even if Harley was tied up or unconscious, he’d want to keep someone with opposable thumbs on him.”

“I can see that,” Sean said as he stood and helped Alex up. “But shooting a running wolf in the right spot would take a skill I wouldn’t have. I don’t think I could shoot anyone, either.”

“You’d be surprised at what you are capable of doing to protect someone you care about.” Alex hook his arm through Sean’s as they headed out of the room. “One thing I don’t want it for you to be put in the position of having to choose whether or not to kill your own brother if it comes down to that. You would kill him, if it were him or me.”

Alex knew it even if Sean didn’t. He didn’t want Sean to carry the guilt from taking his brother’s life, though. Sean was too tender-hearted not to let it tear him apart. He’d recover, eventually, but that guilt would always be there.

“It would,” Sean admitted, delving into their link. “But you’re right, too, in that I would kill him before I let him hurt you. I would at least try to cripple him if it came down to him or one of our other pack members. Except for Marcus and Nathan, since they are our Alpha Anax and his mate.”

“The need to protect our AA is almost as strong as our need to protect our mates—if we’ve accepted our Alpha Anax as our leader.” Alex stopped in the hallway as voices rang

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out from the living room. “Shit.” He knew those voices, and wasn’t sure he was ready to see the shifters they belonged to.

“What?” Sean asked, tugging on his arm. “Who is it? You’re heartbeat just accelerated.

You smell like you’re nervous, almost afraid.”

Alex wanted to run, that’s what he wanted to do. The urge hit him out of nowhere. He could take his mate, leave, they could hide somewhere no one would ever find them…

“Someone would find us, and neither of us would be happy without a pack.

Who are these shifters making you think about taking off?”

It wasn’t running, Alex told himself as he practically dragged Sean back into the library and locked the door. It was just giving him a few minutes to explain things. “That’s Marcus’

brother Aidan and his mate, Zane. I was Aidan’s captain when he took over while Marcus was missing. He…he thought I had something to do with Joshua as well. That I’d let Combs get my gun on purpose or something so he could kill himself. I didn’t. I just wasn’t thinking, and it cost me—their trust, Alison’s, and—”

“And what, Alex? What else did it cost you?”

Alex gathered Sean into his arms and buried his face in those silky curls. “It brought me to you, so I can’t regret any of it. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t had my little snit fit and taken off? We might never have met each other. The thought of that makes me ache clean to my bones.”

“Alex,” Sean murmured as he tipped his head up. Alex looked into his warm light brown eyes and let the last of his regrets and shame go just before Sean melted his knees with four little words. “I do love you.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t elegant or even intelligent, but Alex did well to get even that out as he slid down to the floor, his back getting scraped by the panels of the door. “I knew, I told you I knew, but hearing you say it…Damn, Sean, you about stopped my heart.” “I love you, too,” Alex whispered against Sean’s lips, then he kissed Sean as if he needed to in order to survive, which he thought just might be the case.

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