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“She’s fine. According to Doc, she and the baby are doing great,” Aleks said, sounding distracted.

“Then why are you here at work at o’dark thirty?” Connor asked.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Aleks mumbled.

That seems to be going around.

“If she and the baby are fine, then why can’t you sleep?”

Aleks looked over at him and frowned.

“Talk to me, big brother. Maybe I can help.” Connor bumped his shoulder.

“I keep having dreams that I kill my son,” Aleks confessed.

Connor sat back in his chair shocked. Of all the things he thought might be wrong, it certainly wasn’t this.

“Are you concerned about controlling your strength? Like you were when you first met Rebecca?” Connor probed.

“In my dream I mean to kill him. I murder my son.”

“Aleks, you would never, ever kill your son. You are not a murderer,” Connor said firmly.

Aleks shook his head. “When Rebecca was sick with that damn virus, before Doc figured out the cure, he said that there was a way to save Rebecca, if we aborted my son. I thought about it, Connor. I went there, mentally. Before the cure was found, I was prepared to kill my own son.” Aleks buried his face in his hands.

Fuck! How did I miss this for months?

Connor pulled Aleks’s face into his shoulder and held on to his big brother.

“Aleks, you’re dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I thought I had identified most of the cases after the virus was cured. I can’t believe I missed my own brother.” Connor took a deep breath, then continued.

“Aleks, what we all went through, thinking that we would lose the people we love, that was an extremely traumatic event. We were dealing with stress and grief, with little to no, sleep or food. To say that our thought processes would be the same today as what they would have been then, is impossible. It would be like judging the choices made by soldiers in the heat of battle, in times of peace. They cannot be compared.” Connor rubbed Aleks’s back.

“I never even made the connection to PTSD. I have seen guys on the force deal with it. I never thought it would hit me like this. I wonder if the others are doing okay.” Aleks sat up and explained how each of the leaders had been prepared to die with their mates, with the exception of Caleb who would have been left behind.

Oh yeah, I’ll have to check on the others later. Who wouldn’t be fucked up over that?

“I wish you had said something earlier. I hate to think you have been suffering because I wasn’t paying close enough attention.” Connor sat back, disgusted with himself.

Aleks snorted. “It’s not like you were just sitting around, Connor.

You were racing around town, talking to everyone months after the virus was cured, making sure everyone was okay.

I don’t think I would have opened up earlier than this anyway.

I would have been too ashamed to admit what I had been dreaming.

The nightmares are what made me realize that maybe I needed some help.

Why did you come here anyway?” Aleks asked, eyeing his brother.

Connor pointed to the bag and smiled.

“Ma,” he said simply.

Aleks smiled back and nodded. “I can’t believe I’m a grown man with a baby on the way and she can still read me like a book.” Aleks reached for the bag and brightened when he saw the biscuits and honey.

“I don’t think that will ever change,” Connor said, grabbing a biscuit and coating it in the amber goodness.

“You’re probably right.”

“You good?”

“Talking about it helped more than I thought it would. I thought if anyone found out, they would hate me. But, you’re right, what we were experiencing then, cannot be compared to today.

Thanks, Connor. You always know the right thing to say.

” Aleks threw a packet of honey at Connor who caught it, smiling.

“That’s my job,” Connor reminded him gently.

Aleks stared at him blankly for a moment and then threw his head back laughing. “I keep forgetting about your degrees. It just seems like you are easy to talk to and everyone feels better after talking to you.” Aleks grabbed another biscuit.

Connor shrugged. “A diner barstool works just as well as a couch in a stuffy office. Besides, we’re shifters. We don’t exactly like admitting weaknesses do we?” Connor asked and raised an eyebrow at Aleks, who looked a little shamefaced.

“I bet you’ve been pulling away from Rebecca, too, leaving her wondering if you still love her. I’m surprised she hasn’t cooked up some half-baked scheme already.” Connor grinned down at his biscuit. His head flew up to his brother as the man stood so suddenly, that his chair tipped over backward.

“Oh God! When I left the house she was on the phone with Rian. I have to get back home before they pull some crazy-ass stunt. Later, Connor, and thanks.” Aleks left the station at a run.

Chuckling to himself, Connor ate the last biscuit and threw the bag away. Feeling proud of his work so far this morning, he tucked his hands into his pockets and headed back toward the diner.

When he got to the corner of High and Market Streets, he noticed that Marcus Evans had Johnny Lawson pinned to the side of the theater. He growled under his breath and picked up his pace until he was close enough to hear what was being said.

“You need to quit playing hard to get. Just go out with me already.” Marcus gripped Johnny’s arm tightly.

The smaller man’s face was full of anger.

“Get the fuck off me, you psycho! The reason no one in town will date you is because you are a douchebag. Quit being lazy and look for someone outside of Arkadia, because I can almost guarantee that no one in town wants your pathetic ass. Just remember, no means no, or you’ll find yourself locked up in a human jail,” Johnny said, struggling to free his arm.

Marcus hissed at him. “You little shit.” He pulled his arm back to punch Johnny, who raised his other arm up to protect his face.

Connor stepped forward and grabbed Marcus’s fist before it could connect. “I know you weren’t about to assault Johnny. That would not be advisable,” Connor said, squeezing Marcus’s fist until he heard several bones snap.

Marcus howled in pain and turned his rage-filled face to Connor. “Go flip some burgers and mind your own business. You’re just a short-order cook.” Marcus spat at Connor’s feet.

Grinning, Connor tightened his grip and several more bones cracked.

“Short-order cook or janitor. My last name is Arkadion. I was born and raised to defend Arkadia and her people. So, no matter what, I will always outrank you, even if all I’m doing is flipping burgers.

Now, head home like a good kitty, and as you’re letting that hand of yours heal, you really might want to rethink if Arkadia is still the right place for you to live. ” Connor released Marcus’s hand.

Cursing under his breath, Marcus cradled his broken hand to his chest and hurried away.

Connor turned to Johnny. “You okay?” he asked.

“Thanks for the help. That guy has been getting worse lately, especially after he was humiliated by Prince Gabriel, when he chased him away from Ashby. I think he feels like he has to prove he’s a big strong man or something. Too bad he’s just coming across as an asshole.” Johnny rubbed his arm.

“Let’s get out of this weather,” he said and nodded toward the diner.

“Good idea. I was on my way there when the jerk-off waylaid me,” Johnny said, falling in step with Connor.

When they walked through the diner’s doors, Connor could smell that Ma had started the bread rising for lunch. Before he knew it, breakfast was over and they were in the middle of the lunchtime rush. He was serving up another bowl of his award-winning chili when Kate, Caleb, and Bran walked in.

“Caleb, hey man, glad you’re here. Can you give me a hand in the back real quick?” Connor asked, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

“Sure thing, be right there.” Caleb dropped a kiss on Kate’s head and walked with Connor to the back of the diner. Connor opened up the door to the large walk-in freezer and both men walked inside. Connor shut the door and turned to Caleb.

“What are we grabbing?” Caleb asked.

“I lied actually. I just wanted to get you back here where Kate and Bran couldn’t hear us,” Connor said.

Caleb tensed. “This can’t be good,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Just checking on you, man. Someone recently told me what kind of decisions you all were making when you didn’t think there was a cure to that virus. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Connor watched Caleb’s face carefully. The man’s brows snapped together.

“That’s none of your damn business,” Caleb spat out.

Connor sighed. “Do you really think I got your hairy ass back here to be nosy? I know if it had been my mate dying from that virus, the kind of choices you all were facing would have fucked me up for a while,” Connor said honestly.

Connor could tell the second the fight went out of Caleb, as the larger man’s frame relaxed and almost began to collapse in on itself.

“He was going to leave me. My Alpha was going to leave me to face their deaths alone and raise the twins. I would have lost them both.” Caleb turned to face the back of the freezer.

Shit, it’s worse than I thought.

“Have you talked to Bran about this?” Connor asked.

Caleb shook his head.

“No, after Kate recovered, it was like nothing had ever been wrong. I didn’t want to mess that up for him.”

“So, he put on a smiling face and acted like everything was okay?”

“I guess.”

“Kinda like what you’ve been doing?” Connor suggested and Caleb turned back to face him.

“Do you really think it’s bothering him, too?” Caleb asked.

Connor nodded. “Look, I’m not trying to get in your business. But, I really think you need to talk this out with Bran. If you need a friendly ear, call me. We’ll take up ice fishing or some shit. Just the two of us,” Connor offered.