Chapter 23

Trailing behind Steel, Cain tried to keep up, but his head felt like it was on a swivel, moving from side to side, as it took in his surroundings. Never in his life had he been in a house as big as this one, and it was blowing his mind. This was his new home and that thought kept rocketing around his brain until he was sure his head was going to explode.

Glancing over his shoulder, Steel grinned at the look on Cain’s face, remembering the same on Jackson’s the first time his mate took the tour. He stopped and turned around, waiting for Cain to catch up and when he did, Steel said, “This is the Great Room…the center of the house, and there are two wings off it, north and south…mainly bedrooms.” Then pointing left, he continued, “There’s the dining room and, beyond that, the kitchen.”

“Where’s the garden?” Cain asked.

“Out back,” Steel replied. “I can show you after you’ve had something to eat.”

The house and the property on which it stood puzzled Cain. No one had told him that some shifters were wealthy, but obviously some had to be to afford a place like this. In fact, in his entire life, he’d never known or even heard of someone being this rich and that meant Jackson could hire anyone he wanted to help with the ‘human problem’. He wasn’t sure if Jackson called it that, but that’s how Cain had started to refer to it in his mind. The ‘human problem’. He was a human so did that mean he could be a problem to Jackson, too? And if he became one, would Jackson kill him after he’d fulfilled his purpose ?

It was all too much for his brain to handle so, instead, Cain did what had helped him in the past; he shoved all his questions aside and thought only about the current situation. Turning his gaze downward as they made their way to the kitchen, he focused on the back of Steel’s shoes, staying so close to him that there was no way he could avoid bumping into him after the Alpha Mate stopped abruptly, once they were inside.

“What are you doing here?” Steel asked. “And where’s my dumb ass brother?”

“Stop calling him that,” Dakota said.

“Nope…not until he fixes his shit.”

“Your brother has ‘fixed his shit’ as you put it,” Dakota replied. “We talked, he listened to me and we came to an agreement about his control issues. And since you gave me the day off, we’re heading up to my special spot.” Then, lifting a packed picnic basket, he added, “We are gonna spend the rest of the day eating and doing the hanky-panky…something that’s been sadly lacking in our lives since Mac ordered me to stay in bed because of the complications.”

“Please,” Steel held up his hand. “I got the picture. Go…and take all your talk of hanky-panky with you.”

Listening, Cain didn’t understand most of Steel’s conversation with the man in the kitchen, but he did know what hanky-panky was. Peering around Steel, he looked at the man who’d planned what he thought sounded like a great afternoon, especially since it’d been a long time since he did the hanky-panky with anything other than his fist. And even that had stopped once they put him into solitary since he was under camera surveillance twenty-four hours a day .

Remaining silent, Cain watched as the man left, but not before memorizing his face so he could ask him about where to go to have some fun—that is, if he was given permission. Adding it to his list of things to ask Jackson about, Cain sat down in a chair the Alpha-Mate had pointed to.

“Anything you don’t like to eat?” asked Steel, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed against his chest.

It took a moment for Cain to realize the question was directed to him because he was busy looking around the kitchen Shaking his head, he said, “Nope…I like it all.”

“That makes it easy,” Steel murmured, taking the ingredients he needed out of the refrigerator.

After watching Steel start making scrambled eggs, Cain continued his survey of the room, impressed by the sheer size of it. Finally, when his mind demanded answers to the many questions floating in it, he asked, “Who were you calling a dumb ass?”

Chuckling, Steel threw ten slices of bacon on the griddle before saying, “My brother.”

“Why’s he a dumb ass?”

“He was screwing up with his mate, Dakota, who is also Jackson’s brother, by the way.”

“Dakota…that’s who you were talking to?”

“Yup…and I advise you not to piss him off since he usually makes all the meals.”

“He’s a chef?”

Nodding, Steel said, “He is…and a damn good one.”

“Are there any other chefs? ”

Pausing, Steel thought for a moment. “Well, I’d call Theo a chef-in-training.”

“Theo…that’s who I’m supposed to be helping in the garden.”

Plating the scrambled eggs and bacon, Steel placed it down in front of Cain before handing him a fork and knife. “Yeah, Theo has started a garden and can use some help. What do you want to drink? I have juice, water, coffee.”

“Water’s fine,” Cain muttered, staring at the huge pile of food in front of him. It reminded him of the portions he got in prison, but just like then, he couldn’t eat that much no matter how hungry he was. He’d quickly realized, though, that none of the other inmates had a problem devouring every last scrap of food on their plates and finally figured it was because they were shifters. And though no one ever confirmed that assumption, it now appeared that it was correct.

Setting the bottle of water down on the island, Steel saw the look of dismay on Cain as he looked at the food in front of him. Curious, he asked, “Is something wrong?”

Shaking his head, Cain picked up his fork and started to eat slowly, hoping it would allow him to clean his plate. He didn’t want to start off by insulting the Alpha Mate by not eating everything, but unless his stomach grew ten times larger in the next few minutes, he was afraid that was exactly what he was going to do. If only there was… Pausing, Cain asked, hopefully, “Is there a dog in the pack?”

His brow furrowed as Steel thought about the question and the reason behind it. Not coming up with one, he said, “No…why do you ask? ”

“No reason…just wondered if someone had a pet,” Cain mumbled before he shoveled another forkful of eggs into his mouth. Luck definitely wasn’t on his side as it had been in prison. In there, he’d given the food he couldn’t eat to another inmate in exchange for protection. It worked well until his cellmate decided Cain belonged to him and made sure his protector knew it. From that point on, he spent his days avoiding his cellmate the best he could, but at night, when the cell doors were closed and locked, Cain lived in a hell few could ever imagine.

Pouring coffee into a mug, Steel thought about Cain’s answer, sorting out the possible meanings, but none of them made any sense. Sitting down across from him, he sipped his coffee while surreptitiously studying him. It was obvious something was the matter because Cain was eating much too slowly for a man who’d previously said he was so hungry he could eat a cow.

Keeping his smile at that comment to himself, Steel remembered when he was young and had said the same thing to one of their parents’ guests. That guest was a human, too. And just like that, he figured out why Cain was hesitating when it came to eating. Early in his business career, he’d failed to close a deal with a human and couldn’t figure out why. His father had laughed when he told him about it and gave him advice that he’d obviously forgotten until now: When dealing with humans, think like a human.

Now, taking a fresh look at Cain’s reaction, it became crystal clear to Steel. Getting up, he got another plate and said, “I forgot I was going to have something to eat, too. I’ll just make some more for me.”

“No!” Cain exclaimed, quickly shoving his plate across to Steel. “I mean, you don’t have to do that…I have pl enty…more than I can eat…here, have some of mine.”

Smiling, Steel grabbed a spoon and scooped a big portion off Cain’s plate. “Is that okay? I can put some back.”

Shaking his head vigorously, Cain snatched his plate back before Steel could return any, saying, “No, no, that’s fine.”

Steel sat back down and began to eat, satisfied he had solved the problem, but he would have to tell Dakota and Theo about making smaller portions for Cain, just as they did for Sofia.

~/~/~/~/~

Brian had left after helping move all the luggage to Kieran and Logan’s room, leaving Reif to say their goodbyes to Remy, who promised to return soon with his mate. After thanking the Ruler for his gift, Reif watched Remy disappear before heading back to the nursery where he knew he’d find his mate.

Walking down the hall, Reif pondered Brian’s reaction when Kieran had told them the purpose of his and Logan’s visit. Though it wasn’t obvious to the others, he’d picked up on it immediately, but couldn’t figure out what triggered it. Was it the length of the Shaman’s stay? Or maybe it was his meeting with the Alpha of the English and Welsh Wolves. After thinking it over, he’d bet on the latter and, if he was correct, then why? As far back as he could remember, Brian never mentioned the Alpha nor did he regard him as dangerous when Reif had asked him about potential threats.

Reif entered the nursery and just as he suspected, Brian was sitting on the floor next to the Nessies. Moving quietly over to his mate, Reif sat down across from him and looked down at their sons. “Still sleeping I see,” he whispered.

“Ay…they are.”

Shifting his gaze to Brian, Reif studied him, noting the tension in his body and, though his mate was trying to hide it, he knew Brian too well for it to escape him. “That was a surprise wasn’t it?” he murmured.

Glancing quickly at Reif before returning his gaze to their sons, Brian asked, “What was?”

“The gift from Remy.”

“Ay.”

“Really nice of him to do so.”

“Ay.”

“Takes a lot of worry off of us.”

“Ay.”

“I thanked him for getting the Shaman here in time.”

“Guid.”

Reif mentally rolled his eyes at Brian’s stubbornness. It was one of the things about his mate that had amused him on occasion, but now it was just frustrating. Deciding he’d had enough of Brian’s one-word answers, he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me there was an Alpha of the English and Welsh Wolves? My fathers could have paid him a visit.”

“Stay away from him,” Brian growled under his breath. “He canna be trusted.”

His mate’s response told Reif there was more to the story and, while he was pleased that he had penetrated his mate’s defense shield, he kept his face expressionless. “Okay…then I think you should tell the Sh aman about that…you know, better to be forewarned.”

“Ay.”

“You should also tell me so I can make sure our Nessies are safe.”

“They’re safe.”

Reif had had it. “Why? Because you say so? Not good enough, Nessie. I deserve to know what set you off when the Shaman mentioned the Alpha of the English and Welsh Wolves. What’s his name and how do you know him? Why shouldn’t the Shaman or me, for that matter, trust him? Does he hate you? And if so, does that mean he’ll also hate our sons? And if that’s true, what will he do when he finds out about them? Should I prepare for an attack from an army of wolves? See? Just saying our Nessies are safe won’t work.”

Sighing, Brian stood up and gestured for Reif to follow him out of the nursery and into the next room. Shutting the door after his mate had joined him, Brian leaned against it and said, quietly, “When I first got to England, I asked the Alpha for permission to stay in his territory.”

“He refused,” guessed Reif.

Snorting, Brian said, “He did more than that, he sent his enforcers after me…to kill me. Luckily, a witch warned me and I escaped. I ended up in Scotland and got permission to stay here.”

Appalled at how close his mate came to death, Reif reached out and pulled his stoic mate into his arms, hugging him tightly. “So that’s why you didn’t want to go to London with my fathers?”

“I canna go in his territory. ”

“Why didn’t you tell me this?” asked Reif.

“I dinna want ye to get killed,” Brian murmured against his mate’s neck.

“Wait a second,” Reif said, pulling back from his mate. “This happened before you came to Scotland? That’s a long time ago…surely that Alpha is dead by now.”

“Ay…he is.”

“Did the new Alpha ban you from his territory too?”

“The witch who helped me escape told the old Alpha I was dead. I canna take the risk, because of our sons, that the current Alpha finds out I’m alive.”

Nodding, Reif murmured, “Nessie, you have to tell the Shaman and Logan about it…otherwise who knows what might happen if the current Alpha is like the old one.”

“I know…” Brian replied, his voice fading as his mind went back to the night he nearly lost his life. He owed the witch everything—not only his life that night but the life he had now. Coming back to the present, he looked at Reif. “I’ll tell the Shaman…I promise.”

“Okay,” Reif murmured, tugging his mate close to him again. “But I swear if the current Alpha turns out to be as big an asshole as his ancestor, then I intend to kill him because I won’t put our Nessies at risk.”

“No!” Brian exclaimed. “I dinna want ye to get hurt!”

“I won’t, trust me. When I tell my fathers about the threat the Alpha poses to their grandsons…well, don’t be surprised if a hundred sea dragons show up, ready to fight for our sons.”

Brian’s lips twitched. “A hundred, ye say? ”

Shrugging, Reif replied, “Maybe more. You met my fathers…do you honestly think either of them would stand by while someone is threatening their grandsons?”

“Naw…but ye better make sure Angus dinna find out or ye be dealin’ with a very angry Scottish wolf. There’s nothin’ he likes more than a guid fight.”

“Duly noted,” Reif replied, grinning. “Now since we’ve handled that, are you ready to go back to our sons? Or is there another dark secret you’re keeping from me?”