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Bryan drew the robe tight around his body. Not yet. Not until everything in New Pixia was taken care of.

* * *

He waited until the cover of night to emerge from the forest, leaving his new sacred decorations under the safe care of his Alphas. Gan had wanted to escort him, but Bryan had refused. It was his own battle to fight, but he was worried about triggering violence between New Pixia and the Uridimm and wanted to mitigate that possibility as much as he could, though it felt like an inevitability. He couldn't expect anyone to believe or understand what had happened to him. He was afraid of what Josef would do, but Bryan was prepared to tell the man the truth. He wasn't going to continue to be subjugated by him, and wasn't going to allow him to get his hands on the baby.

Making his way through the clearing, Bryan saw the lights of his parents’ home were on. He slowed, thinking it was odd that they were still awake at this hour. It was for the best—he'd intended on speaking with them anyway. He crossed the field of stumps and walked up the path through the tall grass next to the graveyard, and the closer he came to the house the slower his legs seemed to move. It was like walking through mud. His heart pounded nervously, but heneededto tell them. Not just about the Uridimm but about Josef, too. They needed to know what kind of man he was.

His mother answered the door and gasped when she saw him. "Bryan, where have you been?" She was on the verge of tears. "We've been in a panic. The minister was here today looking for you!"

"Can I come inside?" he asked, finding his calm.

His father was sitting at the kitchen table, frowning at a series of maps he had spread out. He looked up when the two of them entered. "Hounds ofHell," he cursed. Finding a long absent strength, he tried to stand from the wheelchair.

Bryan rushed over to his side and stopped him. "Father, don't."

"Where the hell have you been? Minister Josef came by thinking you were here. Said you've been missing for two days! He was talking about putting together a search party to look for you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Bryan noticed something about the maps that were out on the table. "These maps are of the forest."

"The minister thought you'd gone to one of the other colonies. I just couldn't understand why he'd think that. He didn't explain why."

"Your father got the ridiculous idea that you'd gone to the Grimault Forest. I haven't the faintest idea why he’d think something so ridiculous, especially when the minister said he might've gone to New Lykia."

"I told you," his father grumbled. "One of my old site maps went missing." He looked up wearily at Bryan.

"Kramer, you lost it. In your state, it’s not a surprise. That's it. It's nonsensical to think that Bryan would go to the forest."

"It's not," Bryan said.

His mother gaped at him. "What?"

"Mother, I think you'd better sit down. There's a lot I need to tell you."

He went over everything, omitting no detail. He told them about Josef and what he'd endured. He told them about the dreams and his journey into the forest. He told them about Gan, Nugai, and Munok. His father had his eyes closed, his hands clenched tightly in his lap. It was what he did when trying to control his anger. His mother's face was ashen.

"Bryan, they've done something to you," she said, a panic in her voice. "They must've... It's some kind of brainwashing. Kramer, what do we do?"

"It's not brainwashing," Bryan said angrily. "From everything I just told you, that's what you choose to believe?"

Her eyelids fluttered and she began to stammer. "He's the minister! He would never do something so terrible."

"I'm yourson."

She sank into a chair, shaking her head. "I don't believe it. Those barbarians kidnapped you. It's too much to handle. It's too dreadful... Kramer! Say something!"

The old man opened his eyes. "It's my fault. I should never have allowed you to be mated to that man. If I hadn't gotten sick, none of this would've happened."

Relief flooded through Bryan. His father believed him. "I don't regret this. This was the way it was always meant to be."

"We need to take you to Healer Fielding," his mother declared. "She'll know what to do. We'll correct this immediately, you'll have this child—Minister Josef's child. Everything will be fine."

"Did you not hear a word he said?" his father barked. For a flash he looked like the Alpha he'd once been before he sank back into the wheelchair, coughing. "Dammit."

Bryan brought him a glass of water which he accepted gratefully, still coughing as he struggled to drink it.

"I'm going to see Josef and tell him the child doesn't belong to him."

"Bryan, you can't!" his mother pleaded. "He'll break the contract! Bryan!"