Chapter 14 - Flynn

“Grandfather Tomas?!” I exclaim when I enter the cottage behind the main house to find the older man fixing himself a stiff drink at my father’s bar. Most of the liquor bottles have still been packed in boxes ever since Mother and Father moved out of the main house.

I cheerfully chuckle as I stretch my arms out to hug Grandfather. The scent of musk and oak fills the air, and the scent of his cologne reminds me of the many adventures we had together while I was growing up.

Adventures that we shared with Finch.

My thought doesn’t go unnoticed when Grandfather steps back, his eyes softening with sadness as he stares into mine. We share a moment of silence for the fallen, his hand resting on my shoulder with a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

My heart squeezes too, but only from the emotions that I’ve refused to face. My vision blurs with moisture, and Grandfather sighs, picking up the glass of whiskey and offering it to me.

“Talk, boy,” he says coolly, crossing his arms against his chest when I’ve taken the glass.

I stare at the rippling amber liquid and frown. “Why didn’t you attend the ceremony?”

"Your induction or your union?”

“Both.” I look up glumly, passing the glass back to him. “I’ve already had enough to drink tonight.”

“Suit yourself,” Grandfather shrugs before chugging down the liquor. “I was in the Bahamas, if you must know. Now tell me, what’s going on with you? Why the long face, boy?”

“It’s just been…a lot.” I go on to tell Grandfather about everything that’s happened, including the alliance with the other Alphas and the threat that looms over the packs of Oklahoma. He listens intently, nodding slowly in acknowledgment of everything I tell him.

When I’m done, he takes a deep breath and grins. “Why do you think Finch backed out when he did?”

“Grandfather!” I exclaim in horror.

“Oh, save me the lecture, boy,” he grumbles, muttering some unintelligible words under his breath as he waddles to the settee beside the bookshelf. “When will you people ever learn to have a sense of humor around here? You know, I blame your father. But that would only mean that I’m to blame for how he turned out. I really wish his mother was still alive—your grandmother. She had a good sense of humor, that one.”

“I hardly remember her,” I lament with a smile as I’m hauled into the short lane that holds memories of my grandmother. “But I do remember how great her meat stew was,” I chuckle.

“The fallen only leave us with fond memories, don’t they…?" Grandfather sighs as he stares out the window, a wistful smile on his face. “But that’s no reason for us to stop living our lives the way we see fit.”

“I—” I begin, but Grandfather turns to me, his narrowed eyes veiled by the untrimmed brows that act like wolf whiskers on his human face.

“That goes for you too, Flynn,” he says sternly. “You should stop beating yourself up about his death. And start living a life that makes you happy.”

“My happiness is of no importance if I can’t protect the pack.”

“The way you couldn’t protect Finch?”

I wince when Grandfather hits the nail on the head, pursing my lips as I avert my eyes and stare at the rug. When silence stretches, I know I have to answer my grandfather.

“I couldn’t protect him,” I whisper, shaking my head as it hangs bashfully. “I wasn’t even there.”

“Are you questioning fate, boy? Do you not trust in the will of the Moon Goddess?”

I look up to find Grandfather shaking his head disappointedly. A pang in my chest has my breath catching in my throat.

It’s almost like he knows my deepest secret.

I shake my head slowly, my heart thumping quickly in my chest. “I wouldn’t be a believer if I questioned fate.”

“Then why don’t you accept it?” he puts forth. “Stop chasing Finch’s fate, and follow your own path, Flynn.”

Grandfather’s advice leaves me with rich food for thought. When Finch died, I’d become a selfish brute, chasing an image that wasn’t even mine to begin with, wearing his mask in his absence. I thought I was doing everyone a favor.

Most notably, I’d been denying how I truly felt all along.

Grandfather is right. His surprise visit must be the work of fate, popping up at a time of need when I wasn’t sure how to face Lila.

My mate.

My fated mate.

I have to accept my fate.

***

“What do you want?” I ask warily as I near the house, the stone path suddenly shackling my feet when I spot Cynthia near the porch.

I haven't seen her since the night I was sworn in as the Alpha of Blood Moon. After our terse confrontation, she seemingly disappeared.

I've been better for it, with everything that's been going on.

“I—I was coming to see you,” Cynthia says, a salacious smile curling her lips.

A smile that churns my gut, twisting it into unimaginable knots that send bile rising in my throat.

“We need to talk,” she continues, coming down the path and meeting me halfway.

I take a cautious step back, my spine becoming ramrod-straight when her perfume overpowers the air I'm breathing. It's a scent I don't wish to inhale—the smell of a she-wolf who isn't my mate.

“Is it important?” I ask, mentally clicking my tongue disdainfully.

“It's…” Cynthia bats her eyelids at me the way she always did whenever she seduced me. “It's about us,” she purrs, taking another step forward that only forces me back.

With a begrudging frown, I glare at her with all the ferocity I can muster.

“Us?!” I spit sardonically. “There is no us, Cynthia.”

She's taken aback by the rage in my tone, a hand flying up to her neck in disbelief. “You don't mean that, Flynn…I know you—”

“You. Know. Nothing,” I grate out, low, becoming too agitated by her presence. I have no idea how I dealt with her for ten years. In hindsight, perhaps her lips were poisonous, and she had me under a spell. “If you aren't here to relay a message from the ex-Delta, then there's nothing for us to speak about.”

“Flynn—”

“Uh-uh!” I hold up a dismissive hand. “I am your Alpha. Don't forget that.”

With bitter words of contempt, I push past Cynthia and head to the main house, not sparing a single look over my shoulder. I couldn't care for the she-wolf—not anymore. Always at the forefront of the smear campaigns against Lila, I'd somehow been roped in by the Delta's daughter.

It will never happen again.

Especially after tonight.

I enter the house quietly, being careful not to make a sound in case I startle Lila. Though I've finally worked up the courage to speak to her, I don't wish to bombard her with the truth about who she is to me.

Not yet, anyway.

Until she knows that I'm truly remorseful for my past behavior, I can't let her know that she's my fated mate.

She might think that it's the only reason why I'm apologizing. Deep down, I know this is more than just fate. It's something I've wanted for a very long time. Something I've been denying myself for the sake of an image that wasn't even mine to begin with.

Grandfather Tomas was right—I need to live in my truth. My authenticity. If that means that I was secretly attracted to Lila through the years I spent tied to someone I couldn't stand, then so be it. It's one thing to be physically attracted to a she-wolf who doesn't fit the standard dictated by society. It's another thing for that she-wolf to be the Alpha's fated mate.

It's a destiny I won't deny anymore. Even if she doesn't have a wolf. Even if claiming her through marking won't bring about those special gifts.

All that matters is that I finally become the Alpha I was meant to be, for my fated mate.

With most of the house shrouded in darkness, I steal toward the staircase when I stop midway, a rich fragrance capturing my senses. I turn to the kitchen, the aroma growing stronger and more distinct.

It can't be…

Changing course, I follow the direction of the rich scent of meat and spices, my airways enveloped while nostalgia strums my heartstrings.

How is it possible that the kitchen is immersed in the aroma that would only ever surround it while Grandmother was alive? Did the conversation with Grandfather conjure her spirit, allowing her apparition to cook the pot in front of me?

I gasp in shock when I lift the lid to find the richest meat stew within. The walk down memory lane quickly turns into a sprint as I grab a spoon and stuff my mouth with tender meat drenched in peppery gravy.

Like a man starved, I heap spoonfuls in my mouth, not stopping until I end up biting my tongue.

Sucking a breath through my teeth, I'm holding the empty spoon in front of my face when realization dawns on me.

It wasn't my Grandmother who miraculously visited from the other side to cook me my favorite meal.

It only could be the sole other person who lives in the same house as I do.

Lila…

“ Alpha Flynn!” Delta Howard's voice calls out urgently through the mind link. “ We have a problem!”

“ What is it now?” I mentally groan. I'm in no mood for Dorian's antics like the last time my attention was urgently called by the border patrol officers.

“ Please…!” his voice rings out like a desperate cry, and I can sense that he's on the move, running, his wolf mentally panting. “ You must make haste, Alpha! The rogues are here!”

Dropping everything I was doing or thinking about prior, I rush out of the house and invoke my wolf as quickly as I can. Sprinting forward, I follow the howl in the distance—an emergency call from the south border to warn us of the danger threatening to trespass our boundaries.