Page 19 of Fighting Fate (Monsters of London #4)

Dax

The drive out to Hertfordshire is nice, even if Patch insists on gunning the car as we take all those narrow country roads. I try to keep my breathing even. Sure, if we crash, then we’ll most likely be fine, but I’d really rather not.

Millie’s house is in Aldbury, a little village that is mostly pack-owned. A few humans not in the know live here, but it’s like back in Cornwall where I grew up—a pack hiding in plain sight.

Robbie’s waiting at the kerb as we pull up, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. Patch chuckles as he pulls on the handbrake. “He’s not seen you in a while.”

“It’s not me he’s excited to see.”

He is, though, at least a little. One of Patch’s two nephews, they’ve both known me all their lives. He doesn’t step into the road as Patch gets out of the car but runs at him as soon as he’s on the pavement, and Patch lifts him up into a big bear hug.

I climb out and lean back against the car, watching them both with an indulgent smile on my face.

“Mum said you were coming, but she didn’t know when, so I’ve been waiting out here for ages and ages and—”

“It’s been about ten minutes,” a deep voice says from further up the path. Ed—Millie’s husband—claps Patch on the shoulder before he heads for me. “Dax. It’s good to see you. Millie’s missed you.”

I haven’t been to visit the last couple of times Patch has because of work. Millie’s spoken to me often enough. She calls at least once a week.

“I’m here now.”

“And looking better,” Ed says. “C’mon. We’re gonna have lunch.”

Robbie hugs me around the middle before we head into the house, where Millie and her other son, Finn, are waiting. Finn’s the younger of the two, only five, though just as excited as Robbie when he sees us.

Millie is too—Ed ushers her out of the kitchen so he can finish up lunch while she greets us. She greets Patch with a hug and a punch to his bicep. I just get the hug.

“Knew you liked Dax better than me,” Patch grouches. Robbie frowns, looking between the three of us.

“Mummy said she didn’t have a favourite.”

“Oh yeah?” Patch grins, picking his nephew up. Finn’s sifting through toys, trying to find something to show us. “And how did that come up?”

“Mummy said Uncle Dax was coming today and then Daddy said she was happy because Uncle Dax is her favourite, but Mummy said that she didn’t have one.”

Millie laughs. “No,” she says and ruffles Robbie’s hair. “I said you and Finn are my favourites.”

“Mummy’s my favourite,” Finn announces, an action figure in his hands as he approaches the three of us.

“Hey!” Ed shouts from the other room.

Lunch goes much the same way, the boys chattering away as we adults try to catch up. When we finish eating, I lean back in my chair with a contented sigh.

I love coming here. I love this life Millie and Ed have built for themselves, even if my future feels a little different. But I don’t want to leave the city.

Something tugs in my chest. Vince and I still have no bond, so I know it’s not that. No, it’s all me. Or my wolf.

“Let’s take the kids to the park,” Ed says once we’ve all finished clearing the table. He’s looking at Patch, not me, and when he exchanges a glance with Millie, I sigh.

“Seriously?”

Millie laughs. “You’d think you don’t want to spend any time with me.”

“I do! Just—” I know what she’s going to do.

“Have fun,” Patch says, clapping me on the shoulder as he herds the boys to the door. Finn frowns, asking why I’m not coming, but Patch says they’ll get ice cream on the way back, which sufficiently distracts him as the four of them leave the house.

“C’mon,” Millie says. “Let’s go sit out back.”

One of the absolute perks of not living in the city is the garden space Millie and Ed have out here. Rolling hills trail off into the distance as we take a seat on the bench I remember helping Patch to move.

“What’s going on with you?” Millie asks. She’s not pushing, which is unlike her. She’s usually more like Patch—though I’d never tell either of them how much they’re alike.

“Nothing new,” I say. “I talked to you on Wednesday. I’m good.”

“Dax.” She sighs. “What’s going on with you and Vince?”

What is going on with us? Nothing bad, that’s for sure. After having dinner together on Monday, I saw him at three classes this week. And it’s been… nice. I told him about visiting Patch’s family this weekend, and he remembered Millie’s name.

My heart flips in my chest. I blushed at the time, and Vince didn’t meet my eyes for a few minutes.

“We’re friends,” I say. “We’re good.”

“And how’s your wolf taking that?”

I sigh. I’ve shifted twice this week, which isn’t unheard of, but it’s not common for me. A lot of the time, I just shift at home. I run maybe a couple of times a month. But my wolf has been clawing his way out, and I need to be more careful.

“Fine.”

“ Dax .”

I sigh. “Okay, not that well, but I’m doing okay. Things will settle soon.”

“You know you’re not the first person to go through this.”

I meet her eyes. Hers are soft, wisps of hair falling around her pale face.

“Yeah, I know.”

“I can’t imagine…” She trails off and sighs.

“What?”

“I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I saw Ed that day and that—That was it for us. Both of us.”

I nod. I know. Millie and Patch moved to London together—they’re only a couple of years apart in age, so she waited for him to turn eighteen and they headed to the city. Millie came back to visit her parents one weekend and met Ed, who’d transferred over from another pack.

Love at first sight.

Mating bond at first sight, anyway.

They didn’t fight it. They got to know each other, of course. They didn’t mate for nearly a year. But she came back here for him, and he stayed for her. They’re happy. Their family is happy.

“My wolf wants more,” I say slowly, “but I can’t scare Vince off. I’ve got time.”

“You do have that,” Millie agrees. “Just… let me know if it gets too much. You can come here whenever you want. You know we’d love to have you around more.”

“I know.” Millie’s the big sister I never had. “I’ve been spending more time with Kieran’s pack, too.”

This time, her eyes flash with excitement, and she sits up a little straighter on the bench. “Oh yeah? Did he really win a challenge against an alpha without shifting?”

I’m sure I’ve told her before. “Yeah, he did.”

“What’s he like? I can’t imagine he takes any shit.”

I hum. Yeah, that’s what I thought too, and I haven’t seen him with the other alphas, so it may very well be the case, but…

“He lets his pack walk all over him,” I say with a laugh. “Not… Not actually, but they’re all very casual. His second is bossy, and his mate is a vampire, so it’s different to what I’m used to.”

Millie nods. “Yeah, I bet. We heard about the vampires, too. How’s that?”

“They’re friendly,” I say. “There are only two in the pack—Kieran’s mate, Lucien, and his turn, Adam.”

“He brought his turn?”

“No, he’s mated to Kieran’s little brother and his second.”

“Kieran’s little brother is his second?”

“No. He has two mates.”

Millie’s eyes widen. “That’s…” She shakes her head with a little laugh. “I can’t imagine.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

“And the rest?”

I shrug. “There are some mages, too. And another wolf from the pack Kieran originally came from. I think he’s working through pack applications still. He said he wants to be careful about who he adds.”

He said it the first time I went to dinner there. Lucien rolled his eyes when Kieran did, like it was supposed to mean something to me.

“Makes sense,” Millie says. “Seems like you have a couple of things to think about, then.”

“What do you mean?”

She leans back on the bench, eyeing me for a moment. “Your mate and your pack.”

I frown. “But me and Vince, we’re—It’s complicated.”

“Sure. Do you have a plan to take things further? Not to rush him, but if he tells you he wants to try dating or something, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” I can’t tell her what he said about the idea of having a mate. I don’t want her sympathy.

“And if he came to you tomorrow and told you he wanted you two to be together, whose pack would you be in?”

“Axel’s,” I say instinctively.

“Really?” Millie reaches out and touches my forearm. “You need to think of Vince, too. Sounds like he’s part of another pack.”

“That’s what Patch said.”

“Do you think Kieran will just let his friend go? Have you spoken to him about it?”

My shoulders slump. “I haven’t told Vince we’re mates yet. I know I need to, but I—I don’t want to scare him off.”

“It’s not just that,” Millie says, her tone gentle. “Patch told me about how the other wolves in your pack treat you.”

I flush. “I don’t—They don’t—”

“They shouldn’t do what they’re doing, Dax. You know that. Your pack is supposed to be safe. They’re supposed to take care of you.”

“They do!” Anger flares in my chest—not at Millie, but at Patch. Why has he told Millie about this without talking to me first? “The pack is fine. Axel is a good alpha. He’s the one who asked me if I wanted to volunteer for the classes.”

“I just want you to think about it, Dax.” She squeezes my arm, and some of the anger flows out of me. “You know I’m just—we’re both—looking out for you.”

“Yeah, I know.” I’m still angry at Patch, and I think she knows it.

She’s right about one thing, though. I need to talk to Kieran sooner rather than later, especially if he considers himself to be Vince’s alpha. If nothing else, he might have an idea of how I can tell Vince.

Even if I’m sure Vince’ll run when I tell him.

Millie sighs next to me and shuffles over on the bench before she rests her head on my shoulder. “I’m glad you found your mate, Dax,” she says.

I know she means it, even if her tone isn’t excited.

“Yeah,” I say, and my voice matches hers. “I am, too.”