23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

As part of my seize-the-day resolution, I summoned Ben and Noah to my office. Greg had ostensibly left to do a perimeter and roof check before we set off for Fellworth House but I knew that it was really to give Ben and I some privacy.

My brother arrived first and started pacing anxiously. He and Roan had talked, and Ben understood the importance of the introduction to Noah. But if I was leaving the mansion to jaunt across the country for a dubious welcome from the Staffordshire pack, I wasn't leaving him wholly without allies.

Noah had been born pack and he could guide Ben in a way that I couldn't. I hoped that Ben's presence could give Noah a new purpose, but I was fully aware that his wolf having bonded with Ben might cripple him. Anxiety curled in my gut and I did my best to ignore it. There was a quiet rap on the door. ‘Come in!' I called .

Noah popped his head around the door jamb. ‘You wanted to see me?' he asked dubiously, as if he couldn't understand why anyone would want to see him.

I smiled warmly. ‘Yes. Do come in and shut the door behind you.'

He walked in and looked curiously at Ben, who had stopped pacing and had frozen mid-step. Ben's eyes were gold and wonder was dancing across his face. ‘Noah,' he whispered, his voice full of affection.

Noah frowned in confusion. ‘I'm sorry, do I know you?'

I introduced him. ‘This is my brother, Ben.'

Noah blinked. ‘He doesn't look like you,' he said inanely. He didn't: Ben was dark to my fair, broad to my athletic slim.

‘I'm adopted,' I explained. ‘But he is my brother in every way that counts.' I paused, unsure how to proceed.

The truth? Esme suggested.

I still wasn't in the mood to talk to her after her little stunt with the suitors, but she was right. The truth it was. ‘My brother was attacked by a werewolf. He was dying and he wasn't shifting because there was no wolf waiting for him. I … I reached out to the only wolf I knew who was without a human and I pulled him into Ben.'

Noah started to tremble.

The Great Pack had said that Roan would cease to exist within the Great Pack itself, so I could only surmise that I had somehow piped him from the afterlife itself. It was a terrifying thought. Glimmer's gift of power had always proved unusual, but this was something else. If anyone learned what I could do, I'd be in a Connection black site before you could say ‘science experiment'.

Noah, though, deserved the truth. ‘Roan,' I confirmed abruptly. ‘I pulled Roan into my brother's body to save his life.'

‘Roan?' Noah whispered as he took a step towards my brother.

Ben's eyes glowed golden as he nodded. ‘Yes, Noah, it's me.'

Noah flung himself into Ben's arms with a sob and Roan hugged him back fiercely, stroking his back soothingly as he cried. I felt like I was intruding on a very personal moment but I couldn't sneak out without drawing attention to myself. It was better to sit and wait.

Eventually Noah pulled back, all the tears gone and a smile on his lips. ‘I can't believe it,' he said. Joy lit his eyes and it was wonderful to see him looking happy again. ‘It's a miracle.'

I cleared my throat. ‘There's a fly in the ointment, gentlemen.'

‘Not one that I can see!' Noah laughed. ‘Roan isn't dead! This is the best day ever.'

I smiled; his happiness was infectious. ‘I hear you. But the thing is…' I took a deep breath. ‘I think I pulled him from the afterlife.' I licked my lips. ‘No one can learn the truth, Noah. If anyone learns the depth of my piping power…'

The smile faded from his face. ‘The Connection will take you.'

‘The Connection or someone else,' I agreed, thinking of the Domini. ‘I have so much I still want to do for the werewolves. This is my destiny. We can't tell anyone that Ben's wolf is Roan, not even your mum and dad.'

‘I understand,' Noah said slowly. Looking dejected, he stepped away from Ben. ‘I'll keep my distance.'

I smiled. ‘Actually, I have a plan.'

Roan's golden eyes leached to Ben's usual brown colour. ‘She always has a plan,' he snorted. He held out his hand. ‘Hi, Noah, nice to meet you. I'm Ben.'

Noah took his hand and shook it politely. When he released it he said, ‘Nice to meet you, Ben, but in the Other we don't tend to shake hands.' He touched his hand to his heart and bowed. ‘We do this. My honour to meet you, Ben.'

Ben grimaced. ‘Lucy did say but I forgot.'

‘And that's where my plan comes in,' I interjected. ‘Noah, Ben is new to being a werewolf and new to the Other. He desperately needs a guide.'

‘I wouldn't say desperately,' Ben muttered, folding his arms. ‘I'm sure I can muddle through.'

‘If it was just my pack here, you might be able to – but we have the Devon pack here. They came to attack us but I killed their alpha, so now their pack is also mine. However, that doesn't mean they want to be here or they want to be friends. And we also have the added complications of the Werewolf Council staying here, comprising thirteen beta werewolves who are a bit too used to throwing their weight around. We couldn't be in a trickier position.'

‘Plus someone killed Larsden,' Noah said pointedly.

‘Yes, thank you, Noah,' I said drily. ‘I hadn't forgotten, but Larsden is rather low down on the priorities' list right now.'

Ben blinked at me. ‘Murder is low down the list?'

‘Yes,' I said grimly. ‘Survival is at the top.'

‘I thought you were proclaimed our Queen.' Ben was obviously confused. ‘Surely this is the safest place you could be.'

Noah shook his head. ‘She's got a huge target painted on her at the moment. She needs to travel to the seat of power and get the Crown of Torr in order to be formally crowned. Once she's done that, if someone else fancies a crown … under our rules they just have to kill her. Bob's your uncle, you're King.'

Fucking Bob, Esme muttered.

‘This is bad.' Ben's jaw was working. ‘What can we do?'

‘This isn't a "we" problem, it's an "I" problem,' I clarified.

‘Fuck that,' Ben growled. ‘You're my sister. I'm not letting anything happen to you on my watch.'

I grinned. ‘I appreciate the thought, bro, but in Disney terms you're Bambi – brand new and skating on thin ice. The best thing for us both right now is for you to find your feet, and that's where Noah comes in.' I turned to Noah. ‘Forgive me if this is indelicate, but your mother indicated that you're gay?' Noah nodded. ‘Great. My brother is pan, so I was thinking – how would you both feel about fake dating?'

Sally, Noah's mum, had inadvertently come up with the solution to my problem. ‘Dating gives you both the perfect excuse to hang around with each other even though Ben is new to the pack. Once Ben has found his feet, you can "break up" and tell everyone you're just friends, but by then people will be used to seeing you together. That way, Noah gets to see Roan and Ben gets to learn about the Other with someone who knows it intimately. No one will look at you twice.' I regarded them steadily. ‘What do you think?'

Ben looked cautiously towards the younger man, waiting to see his reaction. Noah gave a decisive nod. ‘Yes. I'll do it. It's the perfect cover.'

My brother nodded. ‘I'm game,' he said lightly.

I grinned. ‘Perfect! There's one last thing. We can't keep calling Ben's wolf "Roan". A little change is needed so let's make him Rohan. It's similar enough for Roan to get used to, but different enough that no one will question it.' I looked at Ben. ‘What do you think, Roan? Are you okay to become Rohan?'

Ben's eyes glowed gold. ‘I am, my Queen.' He bowed respectfully low.

I beamed. ‘Wonderful. I suggest you two hammer out the details between you over a beer. Noah, Ben will meet you in the kitchen in a moment.'

Noah recognised a dismissal when he heard one. ‘My Queen.' He bowed and left.

I looked at Ben; now it was time to sow some seeds. ‘Noah was attacked recently in the mansion by some of the Devon werewolves.' My lip curled back in a sneer. ‘They thought he was less because he doesn't have his wolf. I made it clear that he is still pack, wolf or no. '

I met my brother's warm brown eyes. ‘Please do your best to keep him safe.' Implying that it was a difficult or even an impossible task made it something my brother couldn't resist; he loved a challenge. Not just that, but he was a protector to his core.

His shoulders squared and his eyes glowed with righteous anger on Noah's behalf. ‘Absolutely,' he promised. ‘I'll start now.' He left for the kitchens.

I smiled. No doubt Ben's heart was still aching from Pollyanna's cold behaviour, but when he was recovered … perhaps the men could drop the "fake" part of the plan. And perhaps that's exactly the future the seer had seen for Ben.

I wondered what, if anything, she'd seen for me. Would Fellworth House be my doom or my salvation?