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No, as much as I want to be with her, there’s a reason she calls me the dad of our group. I might hate that stupid nickname, but it’s fitting, and right now, I need to handle this mess.
Storm has no such obligation, though, and after a moment, he follows them.
Lucky bastard.
Pike and Sol have handled the others and come up behind me as I make my way to Victor, who still sits on the floor. Rebecca lies on the floor not far from him, whimpering, but makes no move to shift back or try to go to Victor.
It would be sad if I cared how his mother tried to earn his love, much like Pike did, only to be treated like garbage. Even after she put herself in danger to try to help him, he couldn’t give a shit about her.
I don’t care, though, because, despite knowing what a monster her husband is, she let him sink his claws into her children. And I have no doubt she knew about his plans to harm Serena.
Nobody touches Serena.
Pike’s father sits on the floor, his chest heaving as he tries to get his breathing back to normal after being deprived of oxygen, thanks to Blair.
I plant my foot on his chest, slamming him flat on the ground once again as I look down at him. Leaning forward I meet his gaze, letting the weight of my body sink into his chest, and I can’t help but feel sick satisfaction when I feel him struggle to breathe beneath me.
“If you come near my family again, it will be the last thing you do. Pike is ours. You no longer have any right to him, and Serena is in our care. If I hear that you’ve so much as said her name, I will come back and handle you myself.”
I don’t yell; my voice is steady, as if I’m merely talking about the weather, but he knows better. His eyes widen just a fraction, regardless of how big and bad he’s trying to be, but I see it for what it is.
Fear.
Good, he should be afraid.
That fear might just keep him alive.
“I will take everything from you. Your pack, your home, your family, and then your life. It will be slow, and it will be painful, and mine will be the last face you ever see.”
I don’t wait for a response before I push down hard on his chest, pushing what little air he has from his lungs before turning and walking away.
The guys follow, and we head out without a word. Blair sits in the passenger seat, Serena tucked close to his chest. I see their lips moving as we approach, but whatever they say isn’t loud enough for me to hear through the steel. The second I pull the door open, they both fall silent, and I have to bite back a growl from my beast, who’s already on edge.
She needs them as much as we need her.
I’ve had to remind myself of this repeatedly for years now. No matter how much I want her to be mine, I’m not sure she’s capable of it—not when she’s so much to all of us.
Could I do that to my brothers? Knowing they need her? My beast wants me to, but that’s because he’s a selfish asshole. I know as well as he does it would tear them apart, and as much as I want her all to myself, I’d rather eat my pride than cause them harm.
We load up into the car, and I have to push the thought away as I begin the drive home. Thinking about that will only put me more on edge, and while we’ve dealt with Pike’s parents for the moment, I still have a lot to do now.
I don’t have time for jealousy, especially not when Serena’s already upset.
Tonight was a lot. In one dinner, everything changed again, and somehow, I get the feeling it’s not over yet.
Storm is almost physically vibrating next to me on the way home. He’s been on edge since the night Rena blacked out at the library, and it only seems to be getting worse. The only time he seems okay is when he’s with Serena, but even then, I can see how this bond is wearing on him. Lyle doesn’t seem to believe Garrett. I didn’t want to at first either, but now I’m not so sure. We’ve all always looked out for Serena. It was an unspoken rule we followed since the day we found her, but hovering has always been more Blair’s style.
Hell, Storm isn’t even one to usually reach for someone, but over the last few days, he can’t seem to help himself with Rena, and it’s not just to comfort her. It’s as if a magnet draws him to her, not that I blame him. I’ve felt that way with her for years, but it’s not normal for him.
The thought of them being mated hurts, but I can’t explain why. It’s like a deep ache in my chest. It’s not jealousy, exactly; maybe it’s sadness, but it’s not just me that feels it. My beast is restless, constantly at the ready.
It came in handy tonight when we had to fight off Pike’s brothers and sisters, but it’s not easy to deal with daily. The urge to shift and protect, to be near her, is normal, but the sadness I feel watching her around my brother is new. I feel guilty about it, but I can’t control it.
I love her. I have since we were children, and while I think my brother might as well, he didn’t choose to bond with her, and she didn’t choose to bond with him. This was an accident, one that might get him everything I ever wanted, and he doesn’t even want it.
Lyle pulls up and into the garage, and we all head into the house without a word.
Storm and Pike disappear up the stairs, probably to get clothes. If shit weren’t so crazy right now, I’d expect them to be gone for a while as they sometimes do, but I doubt that will happen right now. I’m not judging them. They can do whatever they want, but I don’t think Lyle will appreciate them vanishing after the shit that just went down. He looks about two seconds away from losing it as it is. We all know him well enough to know he expects us back here to go over what we’re going to do now and probably pull more information out of Pike about our parents and the shit show that is the council. He’d probably already be going off, if not for Serena.
