He saw the questions in Casey’s eyes, but the cheetah clearly knew better than to ask them, especially right now. Dominic could literally feel the smoke coming out of his ears because of how angry he was.
Leaving Casey behind him, he stomped to the entrance and noticed the few shifters he walked by actually cringing away from him. Damn, he hoped he wasn’t scaring them too much. He had to calm down if he didn’t want to tear through the man at the front door before even hearing what he had to say. He wanted to know why he was going around saying he was his son.
He turned in the entryway and stopped, taking in the scene in front of him. Jamie had Adam perched on his hip and was talking with a man only a few inches smaller than Dominic. His blond hair was short and his eyes brown, and he had a big bag near his feet.
“Are you Delevan?”
The man stopped cooing at Adam and straightened. “Yes. Are you Dominic Nash?”
Dominic nodded and turned to Jamie, who was watching them with wide eyes. He also could see Joshua and Soren hovering near the living room’s door, keeping an eye on Delevan. “Jamie, why don’t you go up and put Adam in the nursery, then find Finn and tell him Ani needs him?” He made it look like a request, but it really wasn’t, and Jamie obviously knew it. The human nodded quickly and waved at Delevan before quickly leaving.
Next Dominic nodded at Joshua and Soren to let them know he had the situation under control. He knew he should have brought Delevan to his office, but he wanted to solve this problem and run to his mate as soon as possible. He crossed his arms on his chest and scowled at the man. “So, why are you going around saying you’re my son?”
Delevan’s reaction was not what Dominic had expected. The man burst out laughing before answering. “It’s because I am.”
Dominic arched a brow. “Care to explain?”
“Remember a woman named Marcy Atkins?”
Dominic raked his brain. He was eighty-three years old, so he had been far from being a virgin when he had met Ani, and it was true he had once enjoyed women as well as men. He just couldn’t remember all of them. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-two.”
Add to that a nine months period...Shit. “Yeah, I remember Marcy.” It had been a one night thing, even if he had known Marcy as a friend before that, and he did remember he had used a condom.
“Yeah, well, she told me you were my father, although now that I see you I’m not sure about that. You don’t look old enough to be.”
Dominic cringed. If Delevan was his son, then it was obvious he had never shifted, since he didn’t seem to know about shifters. Of course, Marcy had been human, so she wouldn’t have known either. “Don’t take this wrong, but how can your mother be sure I’m your father?”
Delevan’s eyes narrowed. “What the fuck are you saying? That she slept around?”
Dominic held his hands up. “That’s not what I meant. I remember Marcy, and she was a very serious woman.” They had both been in need of human contact that night, and he had left the town only days after that. He had been there only to talk to one of his friends anyway, and he had already been living in Whitedell by then.
“Yeah, she is, and if she says you’re my father, then I believe her. I’m not so sure about the age thing, though.”
“Are you willing to do a DNA test? If you really are my son, then I’ll explain why I look so young.”
He shouldn’t have hinted that there was indeed something going on, but he had the feeling that Delevan was telling the truth, and he didn’t know how he would be able to make Ani forgive him.
* * * *
Logically, he knew he shouldn’t be angry at Dominic. He knew his mate was a lot older than he was and had had other lovers before him, and from the stunned expression, Dominic didn’t seem to know about Delevan, but a son... Hell, Delevan was even older than Ani! Talk about awkward moments.
He hadn’t told Delevan that he was his father’s...husband. As nice as the guy seemed, it wasn’t something he felt like he should have said. It would have made the situation even more complicated, because as much as Dominic was convinced Delevan was not his son, the two looked too much like each other not to be related.
Ani hadn’t noticed until after Delevan had told him, but the two men had the same bone structure, the same hair color. Sure, Dominic’s eyes were amber and he was bulkier, but yeah, they did look alike.
He just needed time to digest the news that his mate had a son older than him. It wasn’t really surprising, given how long shifters lived, but it was still weird, and Ani so didn’t want to become a stepfather. Maybe once Delevan found out exactly what type of relationship Ani had with Dominic they could become more like brothers or something. That was if the man didn’t run away because Dominic was with a man, and he still wasn’t sure if Delevan knew about shifters or if he could shift.
“Ani?” A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He so didn’t want to talk with Finn right now, but there was only one way his cousin could know Ani was having a rough time, and it was because Dominic had told him. As nice as Dominic was, he was still the Alpha, and if he ordered someone to do something, they had to do it. With the situation they had, Ani was ready to bet that it was exactly what he had done—ordering Finn to see how Ani was.
“Just...go away, please.”
“No can do,” Casey’s voice answered. “The boss told us to check on you.”
“I don’t care!” Ani hugged his knees tighter and turned his gaze back to the garden. The window seat was his favorite place in their room. From there he could see the garden and the woods, and even a piece of one of the cabins that had been built recently. For now only two out of five were occupied. Denver and Jeremy had moved into theirs only a few days after the wedding, and Carl, Marian and Melissa had the other.
“Fine, if you want to make this difficult, I’ll show you!” Finn was getting angry, and it was never a good thing. Ani’s cousin had changed a lot since he had mated Bryce and had moved in the mansion. Well, Ani guessed that he too had changed. It made a big difference not having to be afraid of being who he really was, and to his dismay he had discovered he was quite childish. He knew he should just have opened his door since there was no way Finn was going to just go away, but he was sulking, damn it! That was something that should be done in private!
Finn shimmered into the middle of the room, a wide-eyed Casey with him. It always took a while for others to get used to shimmering, and Ani couldn’t help but chuckle at the look on Casey’s face, amazed but a little sick.
Finn stomped to him and grabbed Ani’s face with his hand, turning it so that they could face each other. “Is it the stupid I’m not good enough thing again? That’s why you’re avoiding Dominic?”
Ani scrambled to get up. “What the fuck, Finn? Does it always have to be my fault? Don’t you ever fight with Bryce for something he did?”
“Umm, guys, calm down. Dominic didn’t tell us why you were angry, he just said to come and check on you. Does it have to do with the guy you came in with?” Casey asked.
Finn looked from Casey to Ani, confusion on his face. “What guy?”
Ani wasn’t sure how he could be able to explain what had happened without revealing what Delevan had said. He knew he could trust Casey and Finn not to say anything, but still...telling them wasn’t his decision to make. “I...yes, it had to do with Delevan, but I can’t tell you what happened, not yet.”
“Did he do something to you?” Finn asked, worry literally pouring out of him.
“Oh, no. From the little I talked with him he’s a really nice guy, really. He just...he told me something, and it got me upset, but I’ll get over it.” He knew he would. He loved Dominic, and it wasn’t like he had gotten a woman pregnant after meeting Ani. He wasn’t even angry with him—he wasn’t angry period. It was just a lot to take in.
“Baby? Can I come in?” Another knock came from the door and Ani rolled his eyes. Was he really that mu
ch of a drama queen that everyone was so worried about him?
He moved to the door and opened it, gesturing his mate inside. “This is your room too, you know. You don’t have to ask me if you can come in.”
“I know, I just wanted to give you your space if you needed it.” Dominic’s smile was soft but guarded, as if he wasn’t sure what to do. He probably thought Ani would be angry or would start avoiding him again, just like everyone else. Geesh, make one error and they all think I’ll do the same thing every time we fight.
He just couldn’t resist the spark of helplessness in his mate’s eyes. Ani stepped into Dominic’s arms, sighing when the man hugged him tight. “I’m not angry, I just wanted a little time alone to think. It’s...Delevan was a surprise. A very big, very unexpected surprise.”
“That he is,” Dominic chuckled before going serious once again. “But I have to tell you that I was wrong. He really is my son.” Ani heard Casey and Finn gasp and Dominic turned to them. “I trust you that this will remain between us until Jared has the results of the DNA test.”
Casey nodded. “Of course. Just, uh, what is he going to do? Is he staying with us?”
Dominic sighed and Ani could feel he was frustrated. “Yeah. I asked him to do the DNA test, but from what he told me I don’t doubt he’s my son. The only problem is that he doesn’t seem to know about shifters.”
“Shit! Are we going to have to find a way to hide it from him? Cause that’s not going to be easy, especially with the kids.”
Dominic shook his head and hugged Ani closer. He took advantage of that to stand on his tiptoe and stretch as much as he could to bury his nose into Dominic’s neck, deeply inhaling his mate’s scent. He might not have a shifter’s nose, but even he could smell the wild, musky scent of Dominic. “I’m going to tell him. It would be impossible to keep it a secret. Just look at Adam. He’s always shifting back and forth. No, I’ll tell him, I just wanted to come and check on Ani first.”
“We’ll leave you to it then,” Finn said. He stopped near them before following Casey out and smiled hesitantly at Ani.
I’m sorry, cuz. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like that.
Ani smiled back. Don’t worry. You just want to make sure I’m happy, and I know it. I would do the same thing for you.
Okay. We’ll talk later, right?
Sure.
The smile Finn then gave Ani was positively wicked. Bye, daddy.
Ani flinched at the way his cousin had called him that. He couldn’t be Delevan’s father, damn it! But he knew everyone—okay, mostly Bryce—was going to tease him to death.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have to be Delevan’s father, right? I mean, it would be too weird and kind of creepy since he’s older than me, an—”
The kiss Dominic gave him stopped his rambling. Damn, those lips!
“No, you don’t have to be his father. Maybe you can be his friend, though? I know you don’t like this situation, but he’s my son.”
Ani cupped his mate’s cheek. “I was just surprised. I actually like Delevan, you know? Why don’t we go and talk a bit with him?”
Dominic smiled predatorily. “We’ll go as soon as you explain to me what you were doing on your own on the road that leads to the house.”
Uh oh. Ani was in trouble.
* * * *
“I really should paddle your ass.”
“I, uh, well...” Ani’s stammer was cute as hell, but Dominic couldn’t let that distract him. That or the trembling lower lip he just wanted to suck on, or the apprehensive look in Ani’s eyes that just made him want to wrap the man in cotton and hide him from the world.
“Love, you could just have told Denver and Joshua that you wanted to go in town.”
“I-they’re not in trouble, are they?”
Dominic had to keep the smile from appearing on his lips. Ani was in trouble but he was thinking about the others. His mate had a big heart. “No, they’re not in trouble. I know they didn’t do anything wrong, and in the house they don’t have to follow you so they wouldn’t have known you had shimmered away. You, on the other hand, are in trouble.”
“Are you going to punish me?” Ani’s expression was both wary and anxious, and Dominic knew he had to be careful with his answer.
“Of course not. You’re not a child and you’re able to make your own decisions. I just want you to think about what would have happened if someone had wanted to take you. You know I’m working on forming a council who would rule over shifters, and not everyone is happy about that.” To say the truth, almost no one was, but they still needed it. Shifters needed a superior authority that would take care of making everyone respect the law and punish those who didn’t as well as protecting shifters from humans and other species that might be a threat. “What if one of those people who don’t want me to succeed had taken you to use you against me? I wouldn’t survive it if something happened to you, baby.”
Tears immediately filled Ani’s eyes and Dominic felt a pang of guilt. but what he had just said was the truth. He didn’t know if he would have the will to go on if something happened to his mate. Ani was the sun that illuminated his days, the reason for which he was working so hard to give shifters and other paranormal’s a safer life. Still, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for playing that card, but he was doing it to keep his mate safe.
“O-okay. Ne-next time I’ll tell you.”
Dominic hugged his mate and softly kissed Ani’s forehead. “That’s all I ask for. I know we haven’t been mated for long and we still have to adjust, so if there’s something that’s not working for you, you have to tell me, okay? I just want you to be happy, but your safety is off limits. For that one thing I want you to listen to me and do as I tell you.”
Ani nodded into his chest. The sobs and sniffles didn’t last long, thankfully. “Now, are you ready to go break the news of shifters and our relationship to Delevan? That’s going to be entertaining.”
Ani chuckled and he knew they were all right. Dominic couldn’t help but always have this fear in the back of his mind that one day Ani would start withdrawing from him again. He wouldn’t allow it.
Dominic had left Delevan in the upstairs living room. He had hoped that way no one would find out about him, because he didn’t want to tell the pride members about his son until he was a hundred percent sure it was true, and most of all not before telling him about shifters. He was sure word had already gone out that there was a human in the house, but that wouldn’t help with the kids, especially Adam. That kid was making Jeremy crazy by shifting when he shouldn’t, like when he was supposed to eat his vegetables. That was always funny to watch.
“Dominic?” Jared called from behind them before they could get to the living room. Dominic didn’t think he could already have results, but then Jared always surprised him.
“Yes?”
The bobcat had a stack of papers in his hand. “I have the preliminary results on Delevan.”
“Already?”
“Well, I know it’s a priority. Anyway, I can tell you that Delevan is half shifter, half lion in fact.”
Dominic already knew that since he knew Delevan was his son. “Any idea why he never shifted or if he is going to be able to do it?”
“No, it’s too soon for that, I’m sorry. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something more.”
As soon as Jared was out of sight Ani pulled Dominic to the living room door and asked, “So, are you ready?”
It made Dominic smile to see his mate always so worried for him. “Lead the way, baby.”
Ani tried to free his hand from Dominic’s grasp, but he wouldn’t let him. They were going to tell Delevan that Ani was his father’s mate anyway, so there was no reason to hide.
Dominic’s son was sitting on the couch and looking down at his hands when they entered. “Oh, no one gave you anything to drink. I’ll go.”
Dominic stopped Ani. “Stay
. You know as well as I do that there are drinks in the fridge behind the bar.” Dominic knew Ani was nervous, and he didn’t want that. This was his family, and he hoped they would get along. He could see the curious glances Delevan was giving them, so he pulled Ani with him and sat on the couch.
“I don’t have the results yet, but with what you told me I think you’re right.”
“So you’re saying you believe you’re my father?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I haven’t been there while you were growing up, but I didn’t know about you. Marcy never told me.”
“Yeah, well, mom is proud. She knew it wasn’t what you wanted, and she didn’t want you to sacrifice your life, so she decided to raise me on her own.”
Ani’s face scrunched but he didn’t say anything, at least not out loud.
Shouldn’t she have told you anyway? He’s your son as much as hers.
Maybe she thought I didn’t want him but would have raised him because I thought it was my duty.
Still, she should have given you the choice if she knew how to find you. He’s your son.
She didn’t know, but she could have found out. She knew of some friends I’m still in contact with, even now.
“Okaaay. You guys are weird, you know?” Delevan’s voice brought them out of their conversation. “It looked as if you were mind talking or something.”
“Sorry.” What else could he say?
“So, if you believe me, does it mean I can stay here with you?”
“Yes, I’ll let you stay, but I’d like to know if you had a particular motive for leaving your mother’s house.”
“Yeah, I do. She never told me about you, that’s why. She told me my father was dead, and I believed her until I met one of your friends in town. He said I looked like my father, and since mom didn’t know much about you, I asked him to tell me stuff, and he ended up telling me you were alive.”
Ani [Whitedell Pride: 7] Page 7