Happiness is Earned (Second Chances Book 3), page 47
“It’s fine,” I say sleepily. “But since you’re here, can you get into bed and go to sleep?”
He nods. “Let me run to the bathroom, and then I’ll come cuddle.”
But I’m asleep before he even returns.
35
NORA
From the moment my eyes open, I know today is not going to be a good day.
I’m alone in my bed, which very rarely happens.
My motivation to get up and pee is non-existent.
My stomach is filled with dread.
My eyes are heavy.
My wolf is silent.
Today is not going to be a good day.
I lay here, trying to make my body obey me. I try to use the urge to pee to make myself move, the desire to eat to fuel both myself and my pup. But I can’t.
Today is a day where the darkness of my mind threatens to pull me under.
Today is a day where my brain has decided, for whatever fucked up reason, that we shouldn't live on this earth anymore.
And it’s hard to ignore it.
What kind of parent am I going to be if the first thought of the day is killing myself?
What kind of love will I be able to show my pup if I can’t even love myself?
What—
“Morning.” The dark voice comes from my dark mate, and as he trudges over to the bed, with his own thundercloud, I know that today might be bad… but it won’t be lonely.
Cevon’s here now.
And he’ll weather this storm with me.
NORA’S WOLF
My human is struggling. Her mind—our mind—is dark, and I don’t know how to help her.
She’s the vessel. She gets to make the decisions.
If it comes to it, I’ll stop her from hurting us. I’ll stop her from hurting our pup.
But she doesn’t have the desire to kill herself today. She can’t even move.
I’m trapped within. Trying to dodge the darkness, avoid the river, hide from the shadow men.
I’m scared. I don’t want to go back into the dark.
I don’t want to lose the motivation to live.
Our mind is broken, and I don’t know how to fix it.
36
MALACHI
“Nora’s staying in bed today,” I say, reading aloud the text message from Cevon, before looking around the breakfast table. It feels a whole lot emptier without her here, even if she takes up barely any space.
Atticus is opposite me on the table, drinking coffee and reading some article Micah found for him. Voss is exhausted and bleary-eyed, having been out last night and well into the early morning. He’s going to crash after breakfast, that's for certain.
But, without Nora here, we don’t need to go to the office for a review of tasks. It’s both a blessing and a curse. The blessing being it's easier on all of us, since the house is central, compared to the offices. But the fact that she's not here with us because she's struggling so badly?
It’s a bad fucking omen of the times to come, and I hate it.
I despise that she’s struggling. Cevon’s the one who alerted us to it, and I hope he manages to pry out any ideas of how we can help from her. She was so… happy yesterday. Was that faked happiness just for us? For our benefit?
“No,” Griffin says, looking at me with narrowed eyes.
“What?” I ask. I didn’t say that out loud, did I?
“She was genuinely happy yesterday,” he says, somehow reading my mind anyway. Creep.
“How do you know that?”
Atticus puts the papers down, and even Orson stops what he’s doing to listen in on this discussion. We can’t help it when it comes to Nora. We all want to know everything we can about her.
Fin shrugs, fidgeting with his cutlery as he looks at the plate instead of us. “I just know her mind. Sort of. She’s genuinely happy that we’re pregnant. She's just coming down from yesterday’s high and letting herself adjust.”
“I don’t really get it,” I say with a small frown. “She’s merged with her wolf now. Why is there still a… problem?”
“Have they merged?” Fin’s cool tone combined with the raised eyebrow unsettles me.
“They did during sex the other day.” I’m both smug and hesitant there, a feat I’m not sure how I’ve pulled off.
But, fucking hell, what a good time that was. The chasing, the playing, the heightened emotions and senses… the fucking bliss on her face when she finally merged as one with the beast that she's been denying for so long.
My tiger was having the best time of his life being able to play and engage with her that way. Nora’s wolf doesn’t get to come out and play as much as my tiger does, and I feel like I’m not as connected to her wolf because of that.
The bond between my tiger and I is very strong. I’ll shift for a run at least once a day, I’ll often take a cat nap in that form, or even spend the night in my shifted form. I merge with him on a regular basis, involving him in discussions, using his strength to get weaker shifters in line, and just genuinely working as a shifter should.
But Nora? She changes into her wolf only when she has to, and then pretends her wolf doesn’t exist for the rest of the time.
It’s not a way for either of them to live, but after all she’s been through? All they’ve been through? Her being alive has been the most important thing.
But things are changing now. We’ve got a cub on the way, and I don’t want the mother of my children merely existing.
I want her thriving.
Which means she and her wolf need to get on the same page and work together as a bonded pair should.
“That was a one off,” Fin says, eyeing the table as he waits for someone else to pipe up and say they’ve seen it. Nobody does. “It’s a good sign, don’t get me wrong. It means that she’s making progress—both her and her wolf. They’re learning to co-exist as one.”
But they’re still not there. They’re still struggling.
“Fuck, she’s allowed one shitty day. She’s made astounding progress in the time we’ve known her. Remember when she pretended she wasn’t even a wolf?” Atticus’s crisp tone reassures me, and I nod. “She’ll be fine with Cevon today, and it doesn’t mean that she’s going to go into another depression.”
Which is fair enough. But that’s not my only concern. I look around the table, seeing them stuff their faces, and decide to brave the question nobody else is going to ask. “Is it really the wise choice to let the two depressed people comfort each other?”
Maybe that question wasn’t on everyone else’s mind. I get five identical dirty looks, and I can smell their judgement. Orson goes as far as scoffing at me, but everyone else is just dismissive.
Atticus turns to Devoss and asks how last night went and if he managed to find the information he was searching for.
Are they just going to ignore what I’ve said? I wasn’t kidding. I was genuinely concerned.
Cevon’s barely getting through the day as it is. Do we really want him and his brand of morbid thinking being the comfort for our mate? Sure, he gets her struggles more than we do…
“You asked for another night to figure shit out, which you’ve had,” Atticus says, frowning at Voss, who tried to pass on answering the questions. “So, what is going on? The time for silence is over.”
Voss sighs, shovelling the last spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth before sitting back in his chair with his coffee in hand. “We’ve angered the hunters.”
Micah snorts, smearing a forkful of his omelette into the ketchup. “And that’s an issue why?”
“Because they’re coming after Cevon.” Voss’s deadpan words cause my brother to choke on his food.
“Okay, sure, that’s a little less amusing, but it’s still not a concern,” I say, raising an eyebrow. Clearly, there’s more to it than just the hunters Cevon works with being pissed. Even if they outed him, they’d not retaliate immediately. He knows too much. With that realisation in mind, I sit forward in my seat as prickles race down my spine. “Which hunters?”
“Not his,” Atticus says, slowly piecing together the same thing I did. We share a nervous look. “Another circuit is looking into Cevon?”
“Yep.”
“How?” Orson hisses. The bear is furious, and he jumps up to start clearing the table. We’re not even fully finished eating, but keeping his hands busy helps his mind focus. “We’ve been so fucking careful at keeping his identity concealed. Not a single person knows he’s here outside of the family, and I highly doubt David has talked. We’ve made sure that any time we’re out, he’s safe, and—”
“Which is smart,” Voss says, quietly cutting Orson off. “Except there are still men alive who can identify Cevon as Lainey’s mate, so they’ve not had to search very hard for him.”
“Fuck.” My eyes widen, my tiger perking up from his cat nap inside my head. He’s not impressed that one of our own is being targeted.
He’s even less impressed that it’s because of Lainey, the stupid, poisonous bitch who took him from me in the first place.
“That makes no sense, though,” Fin says with a frown. “Why are they now looking into him? They not only left him alive, but they’ve not once followed up after him for five years.”
“Because of me,” Micah says, sitting up straight. His spoon clatters onto the table, little bits of yoghurt flying everywhere. “I’ve been looking into Lainey. I’ve stumbled across something, right? They’ve traced it not back to me… but to him.”
“We think so,” Voss says with a nod. Micah’s face drops, and he looks down at his hands. I can feel his shame. This isn’t his fault. “Our goal of demolishing Cevon’s hunters… of killing them all? We’re going to have to wait and make sure that we can take out this new group, too.”
“Or we’ll always be looking over our shoulders,” I say.
“And we can’t have that,” Orson mutters, sitting back down next to Micah with a sigh. He pats my brother’s thigh, and I appreciate him offering Micah the reassurance that my brother needs.
I was the one who got Micah to look into that cunt. It’s my fault, not his.
Well, it’s not my fault, either. I’m not taking the blame for her.
“Sebastian knows something,” Devoss says, and I clench my jaw. That fucking snake. “I was hunting leads down last night, but I’ve still got too many questions about him.”
“Bring him in, then,” Atticus says seriously. “All of the prisoners are awake and detained now, so I’m going to be making the rounds today. It won’t hurt anything to ready another box for him.”
“Are you interacting with everyone?” I ask my Alpha.
Atticus laughs and shakes his head. “No. My focus is on the main four. Kennedy, Neve, April, and Brandon. If anyone finds something worthwhile out, or I need to look closer at one of the others, then I will, but they’re the ones who were running the pack.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I say. “Leaves the rest of them for us.” I crack my knuckles, and he laughs again. I’m fucking ready for some bloodshed.
“Until they’re branded traitors and marked for death, Malachi, you cannot physically harm them.”
“I don’t need to raise my hands to them to do them harm.”
He rolls his eyes, but the quirk of his lips gives him away. “Amusing. But you’re not getting us into trouble. We’ve got enough going on without having to fight to keep you from jail.”
“Look at me, my name is Atticus, and I can roll my eyes,” Fin mutters, near silently, as he shoves half a croissant into his mouth.
“I’ll be continuing to look into Lainey,” Micah says before frowning. “Unless you think I should stop whilst we deal with this new set of hunters?”
“No,” Orson says, echoed by Devoss. But the bear continues alone. “I think we need to stick with it. Clearly, there’s something else there, something that we’ve not yet found, or we wouldn't have gotten such a drastic reaction from them.”
“The faster we can get the information on her,” Voss continues, “the faster we can find out where she comes from. I’ve not identified this other group, so this might be a lead.”
“So, we don’t know if it’s a whole group or if it’s just a band of them.” My musing wasn’t meant to be out loud, but it clearly helps.
“Exactly,” Voss says with a nod.
“Well, I’m glad my task of being the middle messenger man involves none of this,” Fin says, causing Micah to laugh.
Fin’s role is very simple. He’s at the garage, outfitting cars for us and our teams, whilst also being a middle point for passing on messages. Between the sketchy contacts Voss is working with, and our team, his garage has become a very good hub.
He’s working with some of our enforcers to learn how to use his excess strength in both forms. His griffin is strong, and if Fin relies on his instincts, he’s a formidable opponent.
Apparently.
But, in human form, he’s not quite there yet. Hopefully, once he goes through the regimen, his physical skills will be an additional asset.
“I’ll make sure to start covering my tracks,” Micah says, and I don’t say anything, but I think he should’ve really been covering his tracks this whole time. “But the goal is to now figure out which hunter family she’s been with?”
“Maybe,” Voss says with a frown. “Or maybe if we can try and figure out her actual bloodline, we’ll find out where she came from. It should be a hunter circuit close by. Cevon’s going to look into things properly, but has the information he gave you given you much?”
My brother sighs, and an embarrassed blush coats his cheeks. “I’ve been busy with the Tribunal and haven’t really looked into it. But by Monday, they should be sorted, and I’ll use my time to deal with Project Innocence.”
“Why are you not getting more help on this?” I ask with a frown.
Micah has been helping the Tribunal with getting technology set up at Riverstone because they’re going to be there for a while helping Tiernan secure both the packs, and also because they’re working with the people we’ve got there.
They need a hub, and, even from here, Micah’s the best there is. He’s doing his best to help them get set up. It’ll work in our favour, eventually.
“We’re keeping the loop small, remember?” Micah’s dirty look that he shoots my way causes me to roll my eyes.
“Well, yeah, on our stuff—”
“We’re keeping it all locked in tight,” Atticus says, and I nod, falling silent. “Especially now. I don’t want anything about Cevon being leaked. Not when his life is in jeopardy.”
“And Nora’s along with it,” Fin says quietly. My eyes widen, my tiger batting against my mind.
The fool that he is doesn’t understand that we can’t just kill randomly. His desire for blood knows no bounds. Idiot. We need to know who to kill. But once we do? All bets are off.
“I’ll sleep and then find Seb tonight,” Voss says, yawning. His exhaustion is evident, even after drinking two cups of coffee. He cocks a brow. “Unless you want it done sooner.”
“No, after you’ve gotten some sleep will be sufficient,” Atticus says, shaking his head. “Mal, head into the office and give him a reason to stay late before you come join me over at the cells.”
“Can do.”
“I’ll prep something for lunch for Nora and Cevon, then we can head over there,” Orson says, and Atticus nods.
“I’ll work from home today then,” Micah says, looking around the table. “No point heading into the office alone.”
“Aw, you’re so lonely,” Fin teases. Micah throws a grape at him, and Griffin catches it in his mouth.
“He’s like a little squirrel,” I say with a smirk. “Storing his food in his mouth, devouring it…”
“And if you try and take it from him, he bites,” Voss adds, causing Fin to snarl and to try to bite Voss’s hand.
Micah and I laugh, but Atticus and Orson don’t find it anywhere near as funny. Atticus’s head has been up his ass since we left for the pack, and I really hope Nora cashes that date of hers with him in soon because they need it.
Alas, it won’t be tonight.
I’ve got an idea to help Nora and her wolf but also to get some time alone with her and Cevon. He’s been my best friend for so long, and in fifty years time, we’ll not even care about the brief bits of distance between us.
“Tonight, I’m going to see if Nora wants to come out with me for dinner,” I say, pushing away my mostly full plate. My tiger’s worked up, and it’s caused my appetite to disappear entirely.
I’ll eat the heart of whichever fuck I kill first.
“Are we doing that now?” Fin asks, raising a brow.
“What?” I ask, almost a little too defensively.
“Are we just calling different days to take her out?”
“She laid down the law not too long back, wanting dates, and then the attack happened, and Cevon…” Orson trails off and grins at Atticus. “You did good, leveraging a date from her. We’re very good at the sharing when we’re together, but we need to have moments alone with her, too.”
“That’s true,” I say. “I figured this would help her with her wolf, though. It wasn’t really a date activity.”
“What are you doing?” Micah asks curiously.
“I’m taking her to the Cat of the Jungle,” I say.
“Fuck,” Micah moans, true horror lacing his tone. He clutches his stomach dramatically. “She’ll never survive it, Kai.”
I roll my eyes, amusement flitting across my face. “She’ll have to merge with her wolf if she wants to even make it past one obstacle. That was my goal. To promote regular bonding with her wolf. To me, Nora still seems scared of her wolf. Scared of letting her wolf take over completely.”
I look around the table, seeing the nods, and it gives me a confidence boost when Fin doesn’t deny it as the truth.
“So, if she can use her senses whilst still being the one in control? She might start doing it more often.”
He nods. “Let me run to the bathroom, and then I’ll come cuddle.”
But I’m asleep before he even returns.
35
NORA
From the moment my eyes open, I know today is not going to be a good day.
I’m alone in my bed, which very rarely happens.
My motivation to get up and pee is non-existent.
My stomach is filled with dread.
My eyes are heavy.
My wolf is silent.
Today is not going to be a good day.
I lay here, trying to make my body obey me. I try to use the urge to pee to make myself move, the desire to eat to fuel both myself and my pup. But I can’t.
Today is a day where the darkness of my mind threatens to pull me under.
Today is a day where my brain has decided, for whatever fucked up reason, that we shouldn't live on this earth anymore.
And it’s hard to ignore it.
What kind of parent am I going to be if the first thought of the day is killing myself?
What kind of love will I be able to show my pup if I can’t even love myself?
What—
“Morning.” The dark voice comes from my dark mate, and as he trudges over to the bed, with his own thundercloud, I know that today might be bad… but it won’t be lonely.
Cevon’s here now.
And he’ll weather this storm with me.
NORA’S WOLF
My human is struggling. Her mind—our mind—is dark, and I don’t know how to help her.
She’s the vessel. She gets to make the decisions.
If it comes to it, I’ll stop her from hurting us. I’ll stop her from hurting our pup.
But she doesn’t have the desire to kill herself today. She can’t even move.
I’m trapped within. Trying to dodge the darkness, avoid the river, hide from the shadow men.
I’m scared. I don’t want to go back into the dark.
I don’t want to lose the motivation to live.
Our mind is broken, and I don’t know how to fix it.
36
MALACHI
“Nora’s staying in bed today,” I say, reading aloud the text message from Cevon, before looking around the breakfast table. It feels a whole lot emptier without her here, even if she takes up barely any space.
Atticus is opposite me on the table, drinking coffee and reading some article Micah found for him. Voss is exhausted and bleary-eyed, having been out last night and well into the early morning. He’s going to crash after breakfast, that's for certain.
But, without Nora here, we don’t need to go to the office for a review of tasks. It’s both a blessing and a curse. The blessing being it's easier on all of us, since the house is central, compared to the offices. But the fact that she's not here with us because she's struggling so badly?
It’s a bad fucking omen of the times to come, and I hate it.
I despise that she’s struggling. Cevon’s the one who alerted us to it, and I hope he manages to pry out any ideas of how we can help from her. She was so… happy yesterday. Was that faked happiness just for us? For our benefit?
“No,” Griffin says, looking at me with narrowed eyes.
“What?” I ask. I didn’t say that out loud, did I?
“She was genuinely happy yesterday,” he says, somehow reading my mind anyway. Creep.
“How do you know that?”
Atticus puts the papers down, and even Orson stops what he’s doing to listen in on this discussion. We can’t help it when it comes to Nora. We all want to know everything we can about her.
Fin shrugs, fidgeting with his cutlery as he looks at the plate instead of us. “I just know her mind. Sort of. She’s genuinely happy that we’re pregnant. She's just coming down from yesterday’s high and letting herself adjust.”
“I don’t really get it,” I say with a small frown. “She’s merged with her wolf now. Why is there still a… problem?”
“Have they merged?” Fin’s cool tone combined with the raised eyebrow unsettles me.
“They did during sex the other day.” I’m both smug and hesitant there, a feat I’m not sure how I’ve pulled off.
But, fucking hell, what a good time that was. The chasing, the playing, the heightened emotions and senses… the fucking bliss on her face when she finally merged as one with the beast that she's been denying for so long.
My tiger was having the best time of his life being able to play and engage with her that way. Nora’s wolf doesn’t get to come out and play as much as my tiger does, and I feel like I’m not as connected to her wolf because of that.
The bond between my tiger and I is very strong. I’ll shift for a run at least once a day, I’ll often take a cat nap in that form, or even spend the night in my shifted form. I merge with him on a regular basis, involving him in discussions, using his strength to get weaker shifters in line, and just genuinely working as a shifter should.
But Nora? She changes into her wolf only when she has to, and then pretends her wolf doesn’t exist for the rest of the time.
It’s not a way for either of them to live, but after all she’s been through? All they’ve been through? Her being alive has been the most important thing.
But things are changing now. We’ve got a cub on the way, and I don’t want the mother of my children merely existing.
I want her thriving.
Which means she and her wolf need to get on the same page and work together as a bonded pair should.
“That was a one off,” Fin says, eyeing the table as he waits for someone else to pipe up and say they’ve seen it. Nobody does. “It’s a good sign, don’t get me wrong. It means that she’s making progress—both her and her wolf. They’re learning to co-exist as one.”
But they’re still not there. They’re still struggling.
“Fuck, she’s allowed one shitty day. She’s made astounding progress in the time we’ve known her. Remember when she pretended she wasn’t even a wolf?” Atticus’s crisp tone reassures me, and I nod. “She’ll be fine with Cevon today, and it doesn’t mean that she’s going to go into another depression.”
Which is fair enough. But that’s not my only concern. I look around the table, seeing them stuff their faces, and decide to brave the question nobody else is going to ask. “Is it really the wise choice to let the two depressed people comfort each other?”
Maybe that question wasn’t on everyone else’s mind. I get five identical dirty looks, and I can smell their judgement. Orson goes as far as scoffing at me, but everyone else is just dismissive.
Atticus turns to Devoss and asks how last night went and if he managed to find the information he was searching for.
Are they just going to ignore what I’ve said? I wasn’t kidding. I was genuinely concerned.
Cevon’s barely getting through the day as it is. Do we really want him and his brand of morbid thinking being the comfort for our mate? Sure, he gets her struggles more than we do…
“You asked for another night to figure shit out, which you’ve had,” Atticus says, frowning at Voss, who tried to pass on answering the questions. “So, what is going on? The time for silence is over.”
Voss sighs, shovelling the last spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth before sitting back in his chair with his coffee in hand. “We’ve angered the hunters.”
Micah snorts, smearing a forkful of his omelette into the ketchup. “And that’s an issue why?”
“Because they’re coming after Cevon.” Voss’s deadpan words cause my brother to choke on his food.
“Okay, sure, that’s a little less amusing, but it’s still not a concern,” I say, raising an eyebrow. Clearly, there’s more to it than just the hunters Cevon works with being pissed. Even if they outed him, they’d not retaliate immediately. He knows too much. With that realisation in mind, I sit forward in my seat as prickles race down my spine. “Which hunters?”
“Not his,” Atticus says, slowly piecing together the same thing I did. We share a nervous look. “Another circuit is looking into Cevon?”
“Yep.”
“How?” Orson hisses. The bear is furious, and he jumps up to start clearing the table. We’re not even fully finished eating, but keeping his hands busy helps his mind focus. “We’ve been so fucking careful at keeping his identity concealed. Not a single person knows he’s here outside of the family, and I highly doubt David has talked. We’ve made sure that any time we’re out, he’s safe, and—”
“Which is smart,” Voss says, quietly cutting Orson off. “Except there are still men alive who can identify Cevon as Lainey’s mate, so they’ve not had to search very hard for him.”
“Fuck.” My eyes widen, my tiger perking up from his cat nap inside my head. He’s not impressed that one of our own is being targeted.
He’s even less impressed that it’s because of Lainey, the stupid, poisonous bitch who took him from me in the first place.
“That makes no sense, though,” Fin says with a frown. “Why are they now looking into him? They not only left him alive, but they’ve not once followed up after him for five years.”
“Because of me,” Micah says, sitting up straight. His spoon clatters onto the table, little bits of yoghurt flying everywhere. “I’ve been looking into Lainey. I’ve stumbled across something, right? They’ve traced it not back to me… but to him.”
“We think so,” Voss says with a nod. Micah’s face drops, and he looks down at his hands. I can feel his shame. This isn’t his fault. “Our goal of demolishing Cevon’s hunters… of killing them all? We’re going to have to wait and make sure that we can take out this new group, too.”
“Or we’ll always be looking over our shoulders,” I say.
“And we can’t have that,” Orson mutters, sitting back down next to Micah with a sigh. He pats my brother’s thigh, and I appreciate him offering Micah the reassurance that my brother needs.
I was the one who got Micah to look into that cunt. It’s my fault, not his.
Well, it’s not my fault, either. I’m not taking the blame for her.
“Sebastian knows something,” Devoss says, and I clench my jaw. That fucking snake. “I was hunting leads down last night, but I’ve still got too many questions about him.”
“Bring him in, then,” Atticus says seriously. “All of the prisoners are awake and detained now, so I’m going to be making the rounds today. It won’t hurt anything to ready another box for him.”
“Are you interacting with everyone?” I ask my Alpha.
Atticus laughs and shakes his head. “No. My focus is on the main four. Kennedy, Neve, April, and Brandon. If anyone finds something worthwhile out, or I need to look closer at one of the others, then I will, but they’re the ones who were running the pack.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I say. “Leaves the rest of them for us.” I crack my knuckles, and he laughs again. I’m fucking ready for some bloodshed.
“Until they’re branded traitors and marked for death, Malachi, you cannot physically harm them.”
“I don’t need to raise my hands to them to do them harm.”
He rolls his eyes, but the quirk of his lips gives him away. “Amusing. But you’re not getting us into trouble. We’ve got enough going on without having to fight to keep you from jail.”
“Look at me, my name is Atticus, and I can roll my eyes,” Fin mutters, near silently, as he shoves half a croissant into his mouth.
“I’ll be continuing to look into Lainey,” Micah says before frowning. “Unless you think I should stop whilst we deal with this new set of hunters?”
“No,” Orson says, echoed by Devoss. But the bear continues alone. “I think we need to stick with it. Clearly, there’s something else there, something that we’ve not yet found, or we wouldn't have gotten such a drastic reaction from them.”
“The faster we can get the information on her,” Voss continues, “the faster we can find out where she comes from. I’ve not identified this other group, so this might be a lead.”
“So, we don’t know if it’s a whole group or if it’s just a band of them.” My musing wasn’t meant to be out loud, but it clearly helps.
“Exactly,” Voss says with a nod.
“Well, I’m glad my task of being the middle messenger man involves none of this,” Fin says, causing Micah to laugh.
Fin’s role is very simple. He’s at the garage, outfitting cars for us and our teams, whilst also being a middle point for passing on messages. Between the sketchy contacts Voss is working with, and our team, his garage has become a very good hub.
He’s working with some of our enforcers to learn how to use his excess strength in both forms. His griffin is strong, and if Fin relies on his instincts, he’s a formidable opponent.
Apparently.
But, in human form, he’s not quite there yet. Hopefully, once he goes through the regimen, his physical skills will be an additional asset.
“I’ll make sure to start covering my tracks,” Micah says, and I don’t say anything, but I think he should’ve really been covering his tracks this whole time. “But the goal is to now figure out which hunter family she’s been with?”
“Maybe,” Voss says with a frown. “Or maybe if we can try and figure out her actual bloodline, we’ll find out where she came from. It should be a hunter circuit close by. Cevon’s going to look into things properly, but has the information he gave you given you much?”
My brother sighs, and an embarrassed blush coats his cheeks. “I’ve been busy with the Tribunal and haven’t really looked into it. But by Monday, they should be sorted, and I’ll use my time to deal with Project Innocence.”
“Why are you not getting more help on this?” I ask with a frown.
Micah has been helping the Tribunal with getting technology set up at Riverstone because they’re going to be there for a while helping Tiernan secure both the packs, and also because they’re working with the people we’ve got there.
They need a hub, and, even from here, Micah’s the best there is. He’s doing his best to help them get set up. It’ll work in our favour, eventually.
“We’re keeping the loop small, remember?” Micah’s dirty look that he shoots my way causes me to roll my eyes.
“Well, yeah, on our stuff—”
“We’re keeping it all locked in tight,” Atticus says, and I nod, falling silent. “Especially now. I don’t want anything about Cevon being leaked. Not when his life is in jeopardy.”
“And Nora’s along with it,” Fin says quietly. My eyes widen, my tiger batting against my mind.
The fool that he is doesn’t understand that we can’t just kill randomly. His desire for blood knows no bounds. Idiot. We need to know who to kill. But once we do? All bets are off.
“I’ll sleep and then find Seb tonight,” Voss says, yawning. His exhaustion is evident, even after drinking two cups of coffee. He cocks a brow. “Unless you want it done sooner.”
“No, after you’ve gotten some sleep will be sufficient,” Atticus says, shaking his head. “Mal, head into the office and give him a reason to stay late before you come join me over at the cells.”
“Can do.”
“I’ll prep something for lunch for Nora and Cevon, then we can head over there,” Orson says, and Atticus nods.
“I’ll work from home today then,” Micah says, looking around the table. “No point heading into the office alone.”
“Aw, you’re so lonely,” Fin teases. Micah throws a grape at him, and Griffin catches it in his mouth.
“He’s like a little squirrel,” I say with a smirk. “Storing his food in his mouth, devouring it…”
“And if you try and take it from him, he bites,” Voss adds, causing Fin to snarl and to try to bite Voss’s hand.
Micah and I laugh, but Atticus and Orson don’t find it anywhere near as funny. Atticus’s head has been up his ass since we left for the pack, and I really hope Nora cashes that date of hers with him in soon because they need it.
Alas, it won’t be tonight.
I’ve got an idea to help Nora and her wolf but also to get some time alone with her and Cevon. He’s been my best friend for so long, and in fifty years time, we’ll not even care about the brief bits of distance between us.
“Tonight, I’m going to see if Nora wants to come out with me for dinner,” I say, pushing away my mostly full plate. My tiger’s worked up, and it’s caused my appetite to disappear entirely.
I’ll eat the heart of whichever fuck I kill first.
“Are we doing that now?” Fin asks, raising a brow.
“What?” I ask, almost a little too defensively.
“Are we just calling different days to take her out?”
“She laid down the law not too long back, wanting dates, and then the attack happened, and Cevon…” Orson trails off and grins at Atticus. “You did good, leveraging a date from her. We’re very good at the sharing when we’re together, but we need to have moments alone with her, too.”
“That’s true,” I say. “I figured this would help her with her wolf, though. It wasn’t really a date activity.”
“What are you doing?” Micah asks curiously.
“I’m taking her to the Cat of the Jungle,” I say.
“Fuck,” Micah moans, true horror lacing his tone. He clutches his stomach dramatically. “She’ll never survive it, Kai.”
I roll my eyes, amusement flitting across my face. “She’ll have to merge with her wolf if she wants to even make it past one obstacle. That was my goal. To promote regular bonding with her wolf. To me, Nora still seems scared of her wolf. Scared of letting her wolf take over completely.”
I look around the table, seeing the nods, and it gives me a confidence boost when Fin doesn’t deny it as the truth.
“So, if she can use her senses whilst still being the one in control? She might start doing it more often.”
