Page 25 of Fighting Fate (Monsters of London #4)

Dax

Vince is beginning to warm up to the idea of a relationship, I’m sure of it, and that thought has me in a great mood as we head over to today’s class. He doesn’t bother going by his own flat, so he’s wearing my jogging bottoms and my T-shirt, and though both are a little big on him, he doesn’t seem to mind.

Luckily, Patch’s trainers fit him. I sent him a text to let him know. All I got in return were a bunch of rolling eyes emojis, so he can’t be that mad about it.

I not-so-subtly watch Vince as we arrive and start setting up. Cecile is already here, and I drag out a couple more mats as she stops Vince to ask him about what we’re doing today. She’s careful not to stand too close to him. There’s no avoiding my scent on him, not today. My clothes are like a subtle claim, too.

I’m glad Vince seems interested in us meeting after the class. I need to tell him about the mating bond. This morning, I woke up and felt something warm lodged in my chest when I looked at him. It wasn’t just the feeling of being in bed with a person I really like.

It’s beginning to form, and we only have a small window to break it without either one of us hurting too badly. I want Vince to be mine—want that more than anything—but I can’t take that choice from him. I need to be honest. I just hope that the fact he’s maybe interested in spending more time together might mean he’ll warm up to the idea of being my mate, too.

If not, we need to break it now. If we end up having to do that further along, I don’t know how much of that pain I could take.

At least he won’t have to feel that.

We’re training the mages and a couple of the more nervous wolves today, so I’m unsurprised when Kieran arrives with Quinn a couple of minutes before we’re due to begin. Quinn looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. His eyes dart around the space before he fixes them firmly on the floor.

Kieran has one hand between his shoulder blades. It might look like he’s pushing Quinn, forcing him to be here, but when he turns to talk to Enza and almost lets go, Quinn tenses up even further.

Vince approaches them both with an easy smile. I don’t hear what he says, and I don’t try to, but he coaxes a wary Quinn away from Kieran, who settles back against one of the walls to watch.

We begin the class after that. Vince pairs Quinn with Silas, which at first seems like an odd choice, both of them being so nervous, but Silas seems to recognise something in Quinn, and I watch as he takes the lead.

I’m with Ophelia and Dante. Dante’s clearly thinking something over as he practises each move, and Ophelia takes to all of this so easily. She told me she grew up in a pack, so she’s probably done stuff like this before.

As Vince calls for attention and asks Cecile to come help him demonstrate another move, I pick up Kieran’s scent behind me. He taps me on the shoulder.

“Can I talk to you? Just a sec?”

My heart speeds up, and as though he can sense it, Vince glances in my direction with a frown. He looks past me, at Kieran, then turns his attention to Cecile and their demonstration again.

The entire thing lasts a second, maybe two. It’s enough to have me nodding and following Kieran away from the group.

“How can I help you, alpha?”

Kieran grimaces at the title, though I can’t work out why. It’s an honour to be an alpha, and I know some of the other wolves doubt him, but even I can see Kieran was born to be one.

“I just wanted to check if everything’s okay with you.”

“I-I’m fine.” Is this about Vince? How can I even ask that? “Everything’s fine.”

Kieran eyes me for a moment, and I struggle to keep my breathing even. I know he can’t pick up on scents—he told me that—but he’s good at reading people. Reading wolves.

He casts a look past me, then lowers his voice when he says, “Vince is your mate, right?”

My head spins and I gasp out a breath. He knows? How can he—No one but Vince should know that, and I haven’t told him, and Kieran is his friend if not his alpha and—

Kieran cups the back of my neck, squeezing tight. “Breathe, Dax,” he says. “Or I think Vince will come over here and punch me in the face.”

The surprise of that statement makes my heart stutter, and then I can breathe more easily again.

“You—How did you—”

“How did I know?” Kieran grimaces. He doesn’t let go of me, and I suddenly understand how Quinn was feeling when he came in. There’s comfort in an alpha’s touch. “I’ve seen this a lot recently.”

His brother. Alpha Deacon and his mate, too, if all the rumours I’ve heard are right, about how much Kieran’s pack helped them.

“Does anyone else know?” I ask.

“I can’t guarantee they haven’t worked it out for themselves,” Kieran says, and I think of his mate and his second. “But I haven’t told anyone, no.”

I nod. Okay. I might still have time to make things right with Vince. I wouldn’t want him to hear of this from anyone else.

“Have you told Vince yet?”

Kieran’s tone is easy, and his scent gives nothing away. I swallow hard before I shake my head.

To my surprise, he doesn’t look angry or disappointed. He huffs out a laugh instead and squeezes my neck again. “I’m not going to tell you to drop it on him right now, so stop looking at me like that. It’d be really fucking hypocritical of me if I did.”

I frown. “It… would?”

“Yeah.” Kieran shrugs. “Lucien told me about the bond because I spent so much time pretending it didn’t exist. Lucky for me he wanted it, huh?”

Because he doesn’t have a wolf. I sigh, that sick feeling returning. I knew from the first time Vince and I slept together. It’s not the same.

“Dax, I’m not telling you to tell him. That’s up to you, and I know you don’t want to scare him off.”

“I should have told him already, though.” I should, I should, I should.

“Maybe.” Kieran lets go of me and shrugs again. “I just don’t want you to hurt my friend. I don’t want you to get hurt, either.”

Does he mean that? He can’t. I’m not a wolf in his pack, and it’s not like we’re friends. He’s looking out for me because he’s kind and because he’s friends with Vince and—

I frown as a thought occurs to me. “Is Vince part of your pack?”

Kieran frowns, looking past me at Vince again. “Not officially, but he’s human, so… I guess so?”

Humans don’t have to build pack bonds the way we do. They can move from pack to pack, and proximity and time will build a bond between them and their alpha, though it’ll always be weak.

Weak but there. Kieran might have been collecting human pack members for a long time without realising it.

“I’ll tell him,” I say and mean it. “I want to do it tonight. I just… I worry he won’t want it.”

Kieran rubs a hand over his face. “I don’t want to lie to you, Dax, but I don’t think you’re wrong. It doesn’t mean he’ll never want it, but that doesn’t mean you need to wait around for him, either. Sometimes these things aren’t meant to be.”

It’s the first time I think he’s wrong. Our bonds are fated.

But at the same time… Maybe fate doesn’t affect humans the way it does us. Maybe sometimes it isn’t meant to be.

“I’ll wait for him.” Courage grips me, and I force the words out before it falters. “Would you have not waited for Lucien?”

Kieran gives me a small, sad smile. “I knew we had a bond, and I left anyway. I knew distance might destroy it, and I made that choice for both of us. I don’t think I’m the best person to ask.”

He pats me on the shoulder, and I stare at him, shocked, as he moves back over to the group. It takes me a moment to shake the feeling off and follow, and when I approach Ophelia and Dante again, Vince gives me a worried, questioning look.

I shake my head. I don’t want him to worry about this. It’s good he has someone as powerful as Kieran looking out for him.

But I have to tell him. Tonight.

When the class ends, I can’t manage to get Vince on his own. Cecile and I put the mats away as Kieran chats to Vince—from what I catch as I walk past, they’re discussing what to do to help Quinn, who seems more relaxed now as he stands with Ophelia, Dante, and Silas.

Cecile nudges her shoulder against mine when we’re done. She grins up at me, tucking a lock of blond hair behind her ear. “You and Vince, huh?”

I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know we’re mates. It’s obvious we were together last night.

“We just—” I blush. “It’s just fun.”

“Uh-huh.” Cecile’s grin never falters. “Looks to me like both of you want to have more fun.”

I glance up and follow her gaze. Vince is still listening to Kieran, but he keeps darting looks at me and Cecile. We’re standing close together, I realise, and Cecile laughs when I take a step to my right.

“Silly boys,” she says and walks off to where the others are waiting by the door.

I’m about to approach Vince—it looks like his conversation with Kieran is beginning to wrap up—when his phone rings. He frowns and pulls it out of his pocket, and the spike of panic in his scent reaches me as he listens to the voice on the line.

“Jamie, no, I—”

More talking. Patch would have made sure Jamie and the others got back safe last night. Is everything okay?

I don’t realise I’ve moved closer until Kieran frowns up at me, looking as worried as I feel. Vince clenches his jaw.

“No. I’m coming back now, okay? I’ve got my keys, so make sure the door’s locked.”

“Yeah, okay,” I hear Jamie say. He sounds… nervous. “Thanks, Vince.”

“No worries. I’ll be there soon. Bye.”

Vince ends the call and looks between me and Kieran. “I’ve gotta get home. There’s nothing else that needs doing, right?”

Kieran shakes his head. “You need help with anything there?”

“Don’t think so,” Vince says and sighs. “I’ll call you if I do, okay?”

“Make sure you do.”

Vince rolls his eyes, but a reluctant smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. My stomach twists. What’s going on at home? Is it dangerous? I could offer to go with him—

He looks up at me with another sigh. “Gonna have to be a rain check,” he says, and he does sound sorry about it. “Another time?”

I feel Kieran’s eyes on me, but I don’t look at him. “Yeah, sure. Whenever you like.”

Vince smiles then, for real, and reaches out to squeeze my arm. “Thanks, Dax. See you later.”

I watch as he heads off, well aware of the sappy look on my face. Next to me, Kieran lets out a sigh of his own, but I don’t ask him about it.

It’s fine. The bond won’t strengthen if we don’t spend time together, so I have time to plan something nice.

Something that, hopefully, won’t have Vince running for the hills when I tell him we’re magically fated to be together.