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Exhausted and sore from the torture his body had taken during the night, August leaned his head on the arm of the sofa. “I don’t exactly read the labels.”
The couch dipped near his feet, and a large, warm hand squeezed his thigh. “I’m sorry, Ant. I’m just worried, but I don’t mean to take it out on you.”
“I know,” he answered around a yawn. “I also know that you’re hiding something from me, but I’m too tired to argue with you.” Reaching over his head, he fumbled around on the end table for his cell phone. “Did I have any missed calls this morning?”
“I really didn’t check. Expecting lots of birthday wishes?”
Honestly, his birthday didn’t hold quite the excitement for him as it had just the day before. “No, I just need to check my answering service.”
Surprisingly, all had been quiet back in Oklahoma. He didn’t even have a message from Callum, but then again, he probably wouldn’t until their usual appointment time. Callum’s emotional dependency had ended several of his attempted relationships, but it was his inability to achieve an erection because of these obsessive feelings that had landed him in August’s office.
He’d made tremendous progress, but being thrown out of his normal routine could cause him to digress. August felt a little guilty about that, but he couldn’t tailor his life around his patients’ needs. Just like he couldn’t live his life looking over his shoulder, always waiting for the Queen to try to murder him.
Which brought him back to a very important question Micah still hadn’t answered. “What changed?”
“Hmm?” The dark circles under Micah’s eyes attested to his troubled night, but he’d stubbornly refused to go to bed, even for an hour.
“What changed?” he repeated. “Why did you come back now?”
He’d thought about the night Micah had kicked him out, viewing the scene through a different light. Micah had hurt him to protect him, and he understood that now. He’d chased August away to combat his grandmother’s orders, and for all this time, he’d been forced to suffer silently.
“Annabeth isn’t just going to let you walk away, not after you disobeyed a direct order. And what if she tries again? Why risk it?”
“I’ve already told you, Ant. I love you.”
“Which is a piss poor excuse. So, what? You just stopped loving me for twelve years?”Stubborn, ridiculous fool.“Try again.”
Rolling his head to the side, Micah looked at him through squinted lids and sighed. “Fine, you want to know the truth? My dad died. I came back because my dad died. And I do love you. I never stopped loving you.”
“I never stopped loving you, either.” Despite everything that had happened, he could at least give Micah that much. “You didn’t bump into Meredith by accident, did you?”
August believed in a lot of things like werewolves, vampires, and even fairies. He believed people made mistakes and accidents happened. He didn’t, however, hold much stock in coincidence.
“It’s been a long night,” Micah hedged. “You need to be resting.”
“Damn it, Micah! Just give me a straight answer. What are you keeping from me?”
“No, it wasn’t an accident.” In contrast to August’s frustration, Micah sounded rundown and defeated. “I could come back, I could be with you again, because whether I like it or not, I’m the Alpha now. Annabeth can’t control me anymore.”
The system of checks and balances ensured no one member of the pack had total power. The Alpha led the pack and carried out the Queen’s wishes, but she couldn’t compel him like she could the rest of the pack. The Alpha followed her with a sense of duty and respect, not because he had no choice.
“You can also understand,” Micah added, “why I’m not champing at the bit to officially take the title public just yet.”
The doorbell rang, followed by a whole-hearted curse. August winced in sympathy as he craned his neck, eager to see who had come to visit. His curiosity took a backseat to shock and denial when not one, not two, butsevenmassive men followed Micah into the living room.
“Wardens?” Trying to remain calm, August reminded himself that he wouldn’t murder his mate. Yet. “Do you really think we need so many?”
“They’re not here for me.” With that dismissive statement, he led the men through the house, rattling off instructions as theywalked. “I want eyes on the house at all times. Nothing, not even a fucking bunny, gets within fifty feet of the house without me knowing. Got it?”
“Yes, sir, Alpha,” several of the Wardens answered in unison.
Then they disappeared through the patio doors, leaving August to shake his head in disbelief. It wasn’t uncommon forLobosmales to be territorial and fiercely protective of theiralmas. However, most of them didn’t have the resources afforded to the Alpha of the pack.
“Seven fucking Wardens,” August muttered around an indulgent grin. “I guess I should be flattered.”
Somehow, he didn’t feel he needed trained soldiers watching over him, though. He’d been poisoned, or more to the point, he’d managed to poison himself. It seemed unlikely they’d be able to protect him from accidents and misunderstandings, no matter how good they were.
Minutes later, Micah reappeared, sans six of his enforcers. “August, you remember Dr. Owen from the hospital. He’s the pack medic. He’s going to check you over, make sure we didn’t miss anything.”
