by Anya Byrne
"What is this, Elena? What sort of game are you playing?"
"No game," she replied. "I am here as a representative of the Gathering, to ensure the challenge goes through within the terms that were discussed. Beyond that, you're free to handle your pack business as you wish."
There was something unpleasant in her tone, an 'until' she didn't have to vocalize. Finn clenched his fists. "What of my father?"
"Debts are always paid with something." The woman—Elena?—narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you even realize the extent of the strain you and your family put on the Secrecy Accords? One human mate... Maybe. Two human mates, becoming a problem. Three? Impossible. A single human isn't an issue, but what you have is a whole circle, families you've drawn into our world, other humans that will eventually learn about the existence of werewolves. Friends, siblings, parents. So far, you've been fortunate enough to remain silent and keep it from them. But we're not stupid, Alpha Simmons. There's only so much we can hide until the silencers have to step in."
Suddenly, Parker knew. He finally grasped the reason why Erdi had been there that day. "He was supposed to kill me and Finn too."
He whispered the words under his breath, more to himself than anything else, but she heard him anyway. "Indeed," she replied. "He didn't, and that was something he had to answer for within his guild. Not our affair. You remained a problem, and to add to that, another Alpha's son was killed because of you."
"You must be joking," Saul snapped. "If Alpha Adler had simply stayed out of Simmons territory, none of this would be happening."
"It would have happened," the woman told him. "You know it as well as I do. That is why you left your pack when you mated your human." She waved her hand between Finn and Parker. "This sort of thing cannot be integrated within our society."
"And your solution is just standing there while my mate is being threatened?" Finn snarled.
She shrugged. "The challenge needed to end. It was an acceptable risk."
An acceptable risk. Because Parker was human, and even if he was Finn's mate, he would always be seen as inconvenient, an insect to be stomped on with the first occasion.
He sensed Finn's anger through their bond, and he sent waves of comfort, trying to get Finn to calm down. It didn't matter. The opinion of these people didn't matter. The challenge was over and Parker was fine. They had other things to worry about.
Finn must have gotten the message because he abruptly changed the topic. "Where does that leave my father?" he asked.
"Didn't you hear me the first time, or are you being deliberately stubborn? All right, I'll put it this way. An Alpha's eldest was killed. Wendel Adler's response to your actions was not sanctioned by the Gathering, which was why his son's death was also included in the silencer contract. However, since the contract was not completed on your side, he demanded reparations—the life of Dean Simmons' eldest."
By Parker's side, William gasped, and Parker remembered that Jessie was the oldest of the Simmons brothers. Fuck. Given the fact that Jessie was just a half-breed, the Gathering must have eagerly agreed to the suggestion.
"Dean Simmons offered himself in his son's place," Elena continued. "We agreed it was an acceptable solution. Wendel also wished to challenge you for the leadership of the Simmons pack, which is his right. We decreed the challenge would have to wait until the not-involved humans were out of the way. I believe the result is fair to all."
"Fair? My father didn't do anything wrong." Finn growled, sounding like he was about to tear her throat out like he had done with Adler. "But you don't care, do you? You can just change the rules when you think it's convenient."
"That's the whole point of the Gathering, Alpha Simmons. We make the rules."
For the first time, it occurred to Parker that she was calling Finn Alpha, like it was a done deal, like Dean truly was no longer an issue. Finn couldn't have missed it, because he took a threatening step forward.
"Do you even know what rules you're following? You set up this challenge, and allowed them to attempt to distract me by shooting at my mate. You took my father from me. You have no right. We've broken no law."
"But you would have," Elena snapped. "We had permission from the Gathering to enforce your compliance when it came to facing Alpha Adler in battle. Beyond that, there's nothing more you need to know."
Finn snarled at her, but Elena didn't look intimidated. "Go back to your mate and your child, Alpha Simmons, and don't do anything that might endanger them, or the rest of your family."
The threat inherent to the words made Finn falter. He froze before he could reach her. His fists were bloody, Parker realized. His claws must be digging into his own flesh.
This was so unfair. Parker had expected anything, but not this. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't do anything, and neither could Finn. Their hands were bound.
It was perhaps a good thing that the sound of an approaching vehicle broke the standoff between Finn and Elena. "Ah," she said with a slight, unpleasant smile. "Now, for the sign of our goodwill."
Goodwill? What a ludicrous word to hear from her—almost as ridiculous as 'fair'. Still, Parker couldn't help but hope that something could still be salvaged out of this disaster of a situation, and he waited, his heart racing as he watched the car come closer.
The vehicle pulled in, and two stoic-looking werewolves stepped out. The man they guided out of the car looked a little worse for the wear, a bit battered and bruised. Even so, he managed to shake their hands off of him with a disgusted, furious snarl.
Saul heaved a breath of relief. "Andreas. Blessed be the moon."
Yeah, that was kind of how Parker felt. Since everything seemed to be going poorly, one piece of good news really helped.
Andreas walked to the fallen body of his former Alpha, and actually spat on it. With a nod of acknowledgment toward Finn, he made a beeline for Saul. Parker got a glimpse of Andreas's eyes, and he found them haunted, as if he'd seen too much in the time he'd been away.
Saul must have noticed that too, because he just squeezed Andreas's shoulder and gestured for the other werewolf to head into the house. Andreas grabbed William's arm as he passed and dragged the unresisting human along.
And just like that it was over. One of the now quiet werewolves grabbed Wendel Adler's body. Eyeing Finn with visible apprehension, they slowly retreated. Elena followed their example, getting into the car that had brought Andreas. Argent was the only one who stayed. "Alpha..." he tried to tell Finn.
Finn cut him off with a single gesture. "Save it. I don't want to talk to you now."
He pivoted on his heel and turned toward Parker. Parker was moving before he even realized it. He met Finn half-way and hugged Finn tightly, as tightly as he could.
Parker buried his face in Finn's naked chest, holding on to reassure himself that Finn was truly okay. At some level, he was happy, because he wasn't the one who'd lost his mate. And it was horrible and selfish, and it left a bitter taste in Parker's mouth, but he couldn't help the way he felt.
It didn't even matter that Finn was still completely naked. Parker's human sensibilities would have stirred embarrassment, but right now, that seemed so distant, almost petty and so very trivial. He just wanted to hold on to Finn and never let go, because he'd almost lost Finn again after just getting him back, and these shocks weren't good for him.
As if guessing his thoughts, Finn broke their embrace and scanned Parker's face in obvious concern. "You're bleeding," he whispered.
Parker laughed, but the sound came out husky and raw, a broken, shattered thing. "Just a scratch. You're bleeding too."
"Not like this," Finn replied, almost absently. Without giving Parker the chance the protest further, he picked Parker up and carried him into the house.
Parker went along with it, because he sensed how much Finn needed to do this, to get him out of sight, to keep him somewhere safe. It was so... there, in the forefront of Finn's mind, that Parker could almost hear the thought in his head despite the f
act that the bond didn't work that way.
They passed the living room, where Parker caught a glimpse of Andreas comforting a crying Jessie while William sat there, petting his son's hair almost absently. After that, he couldn't see them anymore, since Finn had carried him beyond that point.
They headed back into one of the sick rooms, and Finn set Parker down on the bed. He then proceeded to rummage through the cabinets and procure a med kit. He fussed over Parker's small wound like it was the most important thing in the world.
Finn seemed completely focused on his task, and Parker surmised anything was better than reliving the memory of the female werewolf's words. He allowed his mate to sanitize and bandage the slight wound, which Finn managed to do in record time. Apparently, even werewolf Alphas knew first aid.
Once he was finished, Finn set his med kit aside and plopped down on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry for this, baby. I endangered you. Again. I truly didn't think they'd do something like that with you belonging to Saul's pack."
Parker's heart clenched at the guilt in Finn's voice. "It's not your fault, Finn, for any of it. If I hadn't been there, they'd just have threatened Saul, and the end result would be the same. There was nothing you could have done better."
He didn't say it, but there wasn't anything else he could do now. And wasn't that a kick in the teeth? Finn was so strong, but he'd lost his father, and he couldn't take action—largely because of Parker, and the baby he carried.
Finn didn't reply. Instead, he crawled to Parker's side and curled up next to him. His body was rigid with tension, so Parker wrapped his arms around his mate, petting his hair, silently telling him it was okay to grieve.
When the tears came, they were silent, almost undetectable. The heat of them still scorched Parker straight through his shirt, as if Finn's pain emanated from him through his tears, as well as the mate bond. Parker didn't wince away. He knew all about loss and loneliness, so he let his mate cry and waited, providing him with an anchor Finn undoubtedly needed.
At last, Finn's quiet sobs stopped. He broke enough away from Parker to give him a lingering, yet chaste kiss. "Thank you, baby," he said. "Thank you for sticking with me despite all the—"
Parker silenced Finn with a kiss of his own. "I'll always stick with you. My werewolf Alpha. You wouldn't be able to get rid of me if you wanted to."
Finn let out a small ghost of a chuckle and then lay back down on the pillows once more. "Let me... hold you," he whispered. "Just for a bit."
Parker nodded quietly and followed his mate's example. At one point, one of Finn's hands rested on his belly. Parker set his own palm over Finn's, and they just stayed like that in silence, wondering what the future held.
Epilogue
Werewolves didn't have time to mourn. Theirs was a violent world that didn't allow grief to run its course—especially not in the case of an Alpha grieving for another.
An hour after the debacle with the challenge, Finn tracked his brother down. He had a tentative plan on how to proceed after this point, but he needed to know where Saul stood. Predictably, he found Saul in the nursery, holding Shannon, with Gavin by his side.
The baby cooed and gripped Saul's cheeks and nose, making a futile attempt to use his father's face as modeling clay. It drew slight chuckles out of Saul, who kept intercepting his son's pudgy hands and making a show of chomping on his fingers.
Watching them, Finn felt bad for interrupting, and wanted to just withdraw and return to his own mate. But it wasn't possible, wise, or safe. They couldn't bury their heads in the sand and pretend this would get better without them having to make some significant decisions.
Saul probably knew that too, because he'd left the door to the nursery open. He looked up when Finn stepped into the room and gave him a tired smile. "Hey. How do you feel?"
Finn shrugged. "Physically? Seems I'm completely healed. Emotionally? Hanging in there."
Saul nodded in understanding. And he did understand, because he was here, with his own anchor, his family. "I don't think you got to spend too much time with your nephew before the shit hit the fan," he said.
Gavin elbowed Saul in the stomach. "Language, Saul."
Saul coughed. "Right... I meant... Just come over here, would you?"
Finn went, unable to contain a smile at the interaction. And then, Saul offered Finn the child, and Finn blinked in surprised shock. "Go on," Gavin encouraged him. "Practice for when you have to hold yours."
Finn carefully took his nephew in his arms, feeling warm inside at Gavin's words. Wide gray eyes fixed on Finn's face, watching him with a level of awareness that seemed unusual for a child his age.
Shannon poked him in the chin, and Finn realized he'd been standing there like a statue. "Hey, little guy," he greeted his nephew. "I'm your uncle, Finn."
In response, Shannon poked him again. Despite being a few weeks old, he managed to wiggle quite energetically, and Finn found himself laughing too as he tried to avoid Shannon's grabby hands.
At one point, he noticed a twinkle in Shannon's eye—that spark of something not quite baby-like—and he had the strangest thought. Had Shannon understood whatever his parents had discussed before and had been distracting Saul on purpose? Was he doing the same with Finn? That couldn't be right... Up to this point, Shannon seemed an entirely normal child. Then again, Jessie had seemed like a regular human, hadn't he?
He shelved that somewhat startling thought for later analysis and allowed himself the comfort of playing with Shannon for a bit longer. After that, he handed the baby back to Gavin, because his conversation with Saul was waiting.
As it turned out, he didn't even have to initiate it. The moment Finn's arms were free of wiggling baby, Saul handed him a file. Finn took it, arching a brow at his brother. "What's this?"
"Before he left, Father came to me and showed me this. He said it's a property he purchased a few years ago. He recently made the arrangements to transfer it to my name. I think... In his heart, he knew he wouldn't be coming back, and so did I. I should have never let him go."
Finn skimmed over the contents of the file. It was a deed for an area close to the Great Lakes—one unclaimed by any pack, or any other shifter group. Of course, that was not surprising. Following a twist of nature's rules, plots of lands around bodies of water were generally considered 'common space', neutral zones where all species could interact.
Still, Finn couldn't help a small twinge of unease. "Is this safe?"
Saul nodded. "I had it checked out. The area is private, if not... secluded. It used to belong to a human family and a developer had been planning to build a resort or something before Father bought it. Of course, there are shifters passing through, but I'd think that if we don't bother them, they won't bother us. We have the right to settle down there as long as we don't create an actual pack—which would involve far more people than I would ever even allow there."
"It's best for us to leave," Gavin added. "My proximity to my mother and my brothers jeopardizes them. They need a normal life."
"So it's a done deal," Finn concluded. "You're going."
Saul pinned him with a steady gaze. "The question isn't if Gavin and I are going. It's what you and Parker will do."
"You know already," Finn replied without missing a beat.
"You were already considering leaving," Gavin guessed in a whisper.
"Of course," Finn told his brother-in-law. "After everything that happened, how can we ever be safe here? I have to think about Parker's security, and that of our child. And all things considered, given the pack's attitude, I think it's what Father would have wanted."
As he spoke, he heard footsteps approaching behind him, and he stopped before he could delve into the rest of what he needed to discuss. Still, it was obvious that William must have heard at least part of the conversation, because the first thing he said when he stepped into the room was, "Dean's not dead. Stop talking like he is."
He looked far better than the last time Finn had seen him,
an hour before. Finn had expected a painful conversation with his father's true mate, but he hadn't really foreseen it starting like this. A spark of budding hope appeared in his heart, before it fizzled out. If his father wasn't dead yet, he would be soon, because there was nothing they could do to get him out of the clutches of the Gathering. They simply didn't have the manpower, and if they did make the attempt, they would be risking their children and mates. It might have been cruel, but Finn couldn't do that, couldn't put his pregnant lover in more risk than he already had.
He didn't have the heart to tell William that, but the human doctor didn't seem to be waiting for a response. "So... I take it you're making plans to leave. Where to?"
In reply, Finn handed William the file. The doctor took it and skimmed through the pages. His eyebrows shot up and he let out a low surprised chuckle.
"What?" Saul asked curiously.
"Nothing," William replied, still with that small mysterious smile. "When did Dean buy this?"
He must have missed that part of Saul's explanation, which was just as well, since Finn had a feeling the human knew more about the property itself than Finn and Saul did. "A few years ago. The date should be on the deed."
"Ah, yes. You're right, of course. I'm just a bit surprised. I didn't expect your father to have remembered this place after several decades."
But he obviously remembered, so why wouldn't Finn's father? Never mind. That was a stupid question, and something Finn was better off not asking.
"So you're familiar with this place?" he inquired instead. "Would it be safe?"
William hesitated, and then nodded. "I haven't been around there in years, but I kept an eye on the area. I'm originally from a small town nearby, and the property itself belonged to my uncle. I actually lived there for a bit when I was pregnant and not quite sure what was going on, but I left when I figured out it wasn't a good idea to stay anywhere close to familiar people who might be tempted to track me down."
Finn suppressed a wince at the images William's words conjured. The human seemed at peace with at least part of what had happened back then, but Finn could only imagine how hard it must have been for him to handle his pregnancy alone.