Chapter 9

9

Dylan rubbed a hand over his face as he pored over the clan's finances. He knew that the bottom line would work out just fine. It always did. He was generous with helping any clan members in need, but he didn't go overboard. It didn't hurt that the clanhouse had been part of the family for such a long time because a mortgage on such a prime spot would be outrageous. He focused on the hard facts and figures, relishing just how definitive they were. Two plus two equaled four, and no one could argue with that. Something so absolute was just what he needed in his life when everything else felt like chaos. Multiple times, his bear nudged him about Stacey. She was right next door, never too far away, no matter how buried in invoices he might be in his den. It wouldn't take more than a few steps to get to her…

No. He had work to do. Back to the math of it all.

"Damn, Dill," Will's voice lilted at him from the doorway.

He should've shut the door. "You know I hate it when you call me that."

"Oh, come on. It makes our names rhyme. Isn't that how it should be with twins? Names that rhyme or start with the same letter or have a similar meaning? It was always cute when we were kids." Will strolled into the den casually as if Dylan weren't up to his eyeballs in work.

"We're not kids anymore," Dylan reminded him. "I've got a lot of paperwork to go over right now."

"Yeah, I'm sure you do." Will plopped down in the chair on the other side of Dylan's desk without an invitation. He scanned the framed pictures on the wall behind Dylan. "Always got something keeping you occupied, right?"

Dylan's teeth ground together. "That's pretty much how it is when you're Alpha." He meant for the remark to be at least a bit of a jab. Will had always resented how the order of inheritance had worked out in their family, but the truth was that it was the best for the whole clan. Will would've made a terrible Alpha. It was hard to imagine he'd ever do anything as tedious as paying bills and balancing the budget.

"Hmph. Well, I'm surprised you've got time to look over all those facts and figures when you've got a MILF next door like the one I just saw," Will remarked.

Dylan's head snapped up. His bear shoved forward, making his vision focus sharply on his brother. He couldn't mean anyone other than Stacey. Every muscle in Dylan's body tensed, preparing to protect her, no matter the cost. He knew, though, that the more he reacted, the more Will would press. "She's new in town," he said simply. "A human. You should stay away from her."

Will lifted a hand. "Hey, things just happen sometimes, you know? I was out in the yard with Barney, and the gates between the yards were open. She came flying out of the house when he started digging in her flowers."

Dylan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. That wasn't a very neighborly thing to do, no matter who lived next door. "That's not cool, Will."

"Oh, I think she's pretty cool," Will laughed. "Came outside practically naked, in this short little satin robe. I'm guessing she's probably about our age, but she's got some legs on her. She's got a few other appealing parts, too. I just might have to let Barney into her yard again, but next time, I'll be the one digging. Into her pants."

"You stay the fuck away from her," Dylan growled. His back prickled as his ebony fur threatened to burst through the surface of his skin. The thought of anyone, especially Will, near Stacey was almost too much to handle. He knew those features Will was so appreciative of all too well, and another surge of rage shot through his body.

His reaction earned another laugh from his brother. "Easy there, big boy. Do you have a soft spot for her? I'm not sure why you'd be so concerned about a human."

That was something Dylan had already questioned himself about frequently. Stacey was beautiful, and there was no doubt about that. He enjoyed the voluptuous curves of her body, dimensions she seemed to embrace just as well as he did. He liked the dark gold of her hair and the way it filtered across her face or swept over her shoulder in the wind. Then, there was the dark blue of her eyes, like the bay on a perfect day. They sparkled at him just like the water did.

But she was still human. That made everything far more complicated. "Concerned? Isn't it obvious, considering what she is? We've got a human right here next to our clanhouse—four of them, in fact. Her mother and her two kids live with her. That's a lot of eyes on us. We've been free to run our bears along these shores for generations. You might've been gone for several years, but I didn't think I'd have to explain something like that to you." Granted, Will probably wasn't too worried about his secret while he was out in the middle of the ocean, with no one but the wind, water, and Barney to see him.

"Sure. Of course. Still, I'd happily volunteer myself to get to know her a little better and see what she's really all about. You know, for the sake of the clan and all." He gave Dylan a crooked, confident grin that encompassed just what lengths he might go to in the course of such an investigation.

Dylan's bear surged within him once again. He braced his foot hard against the floor, trying to concentrate the energy of his beast where Will couldn't see it. He didn't need his brother to think he was getting any more under his skin than he already was. "I'm already taking care of it. You don't need to worry about it."

Will's eyes had been roving the room, but now they zeroed in on him. "You sure? "

The only thing he was truly sure of was the fact that he wasn't going to tell Will what was happening inside him. Stacey was more than just a neighbor and more than just a human. She was also more than just an attractive woman he'd spent some time with, which was all the more reason to keep Will at arm's length. He hadn't told anyone what he was feeling for Stacey, and he sure didn't trust Will enough to let him in on it. Dylan did need to figure out if Stacey could be trusted with something as important as the Brighams' secret, which meant he needed to put his bear in the backseat for a while. It was time to pump the brakes until he knew more about her. He'd still have to see her and spend time with her, but he'd have to keep himself in check. "Yeah. I've got it. I think the bigger question at hand is about you."

"What about me?" Will asked casually, shrugging off the question and letting his gaze move up over the bookshelves and along the windows. "You already know everything there is to know about me. We might've had time and distance between us, but we're still twins, right?"

It was yet another appeal to their blood tie, just as he'd done out on the beach when he'd first arrived. Dylan had known right away that Will was trying to charm himself back into the family. It was hard to judge whether or not he should allow it, and that was exactly why Will was there right now. He was family. They were brothers. Just as Stacey's humanity made things complicated, so did the blood that he and Will shared. Trust had to be earned, though, regardless of any common DNA.

"I mean, what are your plans?" Dylan asked, leaning back in his chair and abandoning any further thoughts of finishing his paperwork. Will was a distraction, but he was also a problem that Dylan needed to make sure he handled. "Did you come here because you're done with the fishing trade, or is this just a short sabbatical from the open ocean?"

Will's eyes now traced the floor but with a sense of curiosity and observation rather than shame. "Well, you know, the fishing industry isn't quite what it used to be. At one point, as long as a man could get his hands on a decent vessel, he was practically guaranteed a decent income. Long hours, of course, and even longer stays away from shore, but the return was worth it. These big corporate fishing operations are literally drowning out little guys like me. By the time I sell my catch, there's not much left over to live on. "

Or go drinking and gambling with, Dylan added privately. He knew his brother wasn't exactly the type to work up a monthly budget and handle it responsibly. Will was the kind who would spend the last fifty dollars in his pocket simply because he could. There was always the temptation of something new and exciting around the corner. "That's a shame."

"Tell me about it." Will's eyes rose over Dylan's head once again. "There are also some areas that have been so overfished by these big businesses that they're just dead now. I won't bore you with all the environmental implications, but let's just say the whole deal is bad."

"Have any leads on other jobs?" Dylan watched his brother carefully, wondering about his true motivation for returning to Truro. Keeping him close made knots of tension form in Dylan's shoulders, even if it was the right thing to do. If Will had genuinely come home because he was in between jobs and needed to get back on his feet, then that was fine. But Will had a habit of working subversively toward a goal no one knew about. It was a shame he couldn't trust him. Life would be a little easier .

"Oh, not just yet. I'm going to look around, though. Something will probably pique my interest."

Noting those roving eyes once again, Dylan had a feeling Will was looking for something other than a job. "Is something bothering you? You've been checking out every detail of this den, but nothing here has changed much since you left."

Will's eyes landed on Dylan again, full of innocence. "Just a bit of nostalgia. It's been a minute, and it's nice to see that you really can come home again. Anyway, I've got a few repairs I need to make to my boat while I'm anchored here. Guess I'd better get those done before some amazing job opportunity comes my way. I'll catch you later."

"Yeah." Dylan squinted at Will's back as he watched him go, not feeling any less suspicious of him than he had before. In fact, Will's behavior only made him trust his motives for being there even less.

With his morning completely disturbed at this point, he left the den. The packhouse was quiet, and it was easy to find Lila in the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, absently eating a generous slice of Boston cream pie while reading a book. She glanced up when he walked in. "What's the matter?"

"Why do you ask?" Dylan sat down across from her .

She tipped her head to the side. "I can tell by the look on your face. It's a look I've been seeing more and more of lately."

Dylan shifted in his seat. Lila would be the future Alpha, but she was still young. She didn't have to know everything about his life, especially when he was still figuring it all out for himself. "I'm just thinking a few things over. I was wondering if you'd be willing to do me a favor, though."

"As long as it doesn't take me away from this, then probably." Lila stabbed a forkful of her cake.

He shook his head. "Nope, you've got plenty of time to eat that before tomorrow night. I was wondering if you'd be willing to babysit Vivian and Elijah."

A slow smile curved her lips. "Sure. They're sweet kids, and I think they like hanging out with me. But why do you ask?"

She was trying to corner him on exactly what was happening with Stacey, but it was easier to talk to her about it than to Will. "Stacey and I are going out for a bit."

That smile widened. "It's nice that you're getting out and going on dates. You haven't done that for a while."

No, he hadn't. In fact, as Lila was growing up, he'd been careful to keep any of his dates confined to the times she was in Boston with her mother. There was less to explain and fewer questions. But Lila was an adult now, and he had no reason to hide it any longer. The thing was, he couldn't really consider it a date. "I'm just doing what I need to do."

"Right. Finding out about her and all of that." She waved her fork in the air, bits of custard sticking to the tines. "You're a very devoted Alpha."

"Are you mocking me?" he asked, feigning anger but knowing she'd be able to tell the difference. They'd spent the winters apart, but he was still close to his daughter. That was something Dylan cherished.

"Not at all, not at all." She scooped up the last of her dessert. "I'm just stating the obvious. But anyway, I'm more than happy to watch her kids."

"Thank you." With that out of the way, Dylan attempted to return to his work. He could concentrate even less than he could before. What was Will up to? Did Lila actually suspect Dylan's true feelings for Stacey, or was she just getting a kick out of teasing him?

Instead of getting any real answers, he was only finding more questions.