Page 18

Chapter Seventeen

N oah shook in his shame and his misery. He desperately wanted Alex to accept him. He wanted to belong to his pack. There was a need in Noah that Alex filled that he didn’t understand, but he wanted it desperately. Was this what family felt like? He had a similar feeling with Mo, and he knew where the shame came in. He wasn’t just risking random adults now, he was betraying his alpha, and he had no idea what to do about any of it. His dad had proved he had the ability to hurt people he cared about. And Dad was the only one that knew what he was after bringing in a scary man that forced Noah to shift. When he’d seen he was just a deer he’d turned his nose up, and thankful he wasn’t going to be of any use as a shifter, Noah had been happy.

But now he was being forced to do something else instead, but he wouldn’t, couldn’t let the one he was protecting be hurt, but he didn’t think he could protect him anymore on his own.

They ran. The run was freeing, even if it didn’t bring him the answers he needed. Then Alex’s wolf paused on an outcrop of rock and lifted his face to the heavens, howling.

Peace came over Noah like a blanket. The alpha howl challenged everyone. Alex could protect him and was announcing it to the world. Alex turned to him as if he had spoken out loud and gazed at him as if he knew. It was time he told everyone. Noah returned the gaze as if a great weight had been lifted off him, and he followed Alex through the woods and on to Hunter’s Creek. Alex gathered up their clothes just before the woods ended and handed Noah’s to him, making sure he was dressed before they walked back in on two legs. He realized Helen’s car had gone and knew only the family was there.

Alex paused just before the door. “You’re my pack and you’re safe. Let’s go explain.”

They were all sitting at the kitchen table when Noah followed Alex in, and he paused until Alex took his hand and sat him down next to him. Asher, Riley, Zack, Mo and Victor all saw the move but didn’t say a word. Martin got up and poured coffee and juice.

When everyone was sitting, Alex looked up and met everyone’s gaze. “Noah is pack, and I’m his alpha.”

The announcement was met with various astonished gazes, which Noah wondered about, all except for Martin’s disapproving one. “Alex,” Martin said cautiously. Even Mo hadn’t said a word.

But Alex simply turned to the man and spoke. “I know how old we both are, and this isn’t about that.”

He met Martin’s gaze unflinchingly until Martin nodded once and Noah felt the tension leave the room. Alex glanced at him. “I think it’s time you explained. I trust them all.”

It was time. He had been carrying this for so long. “I have a brother.” Noah whispered. “Well, half-brother.”

Riley frowned. “That’s never come up on your records.”

Noah twisted his hands together. “No.”

“Where is he?” Zack asked very gently.

“At my dad’s. He doesn’t walk or move so good.”

“How do you know he’s your brother?” Mo asked gently.

Noah ducked his head. “Because Pearson told me. Plus,” he looked up and waved at his face and knew everyone understood the eye color. “He’s three years older than me. It was Jacob that told me about shifters, because Pearson had found out when Jacob’s mom shifted when she was hurt.” Noah sighed. “He had these wild parties for his business friends, and she was one of the girls. Apparently, one of the guys slapped her real hard, and she fell and broke her wrist, and she shifted. Pearson ended up keeping her until after Jacob was born, then paid her and she left.”

“How does Jacob know all this?”

“Because our dad told him,” Noah whispered, his voice cracking. “Jacob told me Dad wanted him to see if he was going to shift, but he can’t.”

“Jacob is your half-brother? Pearson’s son?” Alex double checked.

Noah nodded. “But he can’t shift. He’s in a wheelchair. Something happened when he was born, something bad. I don’t know what, because Jacob never knew. My dad keeps him practically locked up.”

“You’re doing really well,” Mo encouraged.

Noah took a breath. “When I first went to live with Dad, he tried to be cool. Threw money around like he cared. Games, phone, clothes. Lasted a month until we got to the questions…the hints that he knew something I didn’t. I didn’t have a clue what he meant. He was asking lame questions about how fast I could run. Did I feel weird in my own body. That sort of thing.”

“But Pearson isn’t a shifter,” Victor said, “so he must have thought you inherited it from your mom.”

“I was too busy wanting to get away to appreciate anything,” Noah said. “I refused to wear the clothes he bought me. Ditched the school he tried to send me to. This went on for months with Pearson gone a lot until he came back for a longer time and two guys came around.” He paused. “They smelled weird to me, but I didn’t know why.”

“Shifters,” Riley said. “It’s instinctual, even if you don’t know the breed of shifter. That only comes with experience.”

Noah swallowed a gulp of juice and really wished he was somewhere else. He could feel his breaths getting shorter. The need to run, which would soon get overpowering. And by “run” he didn’t mean shift, he just meant get the hell out of there.

Alex turned to him. “Just tell it to me. No one else is listening.”

Safety washed over him. He was safe, wherever Alex was. He knew that instinctively, and the urge to run dissipated. And he decided he could tell Alex so he turned to face him. It didn’t matter if anyone else heard. “One of the guys never tried to hide what he was. He just loomed over me and told me he was my alpha, then commanded me to shift.” He felt the winces around the room but kept his gaze on Alex. “It hurt.”

Alex nodded. “It would, but this afternoon didn’t, did it?”

Noah shook his head.

Alex smiled. “You’re doing really well.” Alex’s words warmed Noah and gave him the courage to carry on.

“Dad told me I was just a deer.” Noah’s face flushed. “I was glad when he was disappointed, and he left me alone for a while.”

Alex looked up and around the room. “He’s a white stag.”

Noah felt the shock on everyone’s faces running through his body and would have crumpled if not for the steady weight of Alex’s hand. “Does that mean anything?”

Riley smiled. “There’s not many of you is all, but nothing to worry about. And I’m guessing that’s why you haven’t been eating much.” Mo shot a puzzled look at Zack.

“Vegetarian,” Zack supplied.

“I eat meat,” Noah said, a little defensively. “It just doesn’t sit okay in my stomach.”

Asher nodded. “It’s an easy fix and nothing to worry about.”

“Dad didn’t seem to care after that, and for ages nothing happened, but then I got curious.”

Zack huffed, but it was done with a smile on his face.

Alex seemed to be his center. He didn’t care about the others. “Go on,” Alex encouraged.

Noah sighed. “I could smell something after that shift. Something I couldn’t identify, but something I had to discover, and eventually snooping about—because his house is insanely big—I found another floor I didn’t know existed.”

“Sean Pearson’s house was built in 1912,” Asher said. “It was an old farmhouse originally, but the land was sold and the house was remodeled extensively. Pearson bought it twenty years ago when the original owner died with no immediate family,” and Noah looked at him in surprise. Asher grinned. “Five minutes on the internet if you know where to look.”

Noah returned the smile and felt better. He didn’t know Asher very well, but he seemed cool, and he didn’t make Noah feel like he’d done something wrong, and it made him brave enough to carry on. “Well, I found Jacob.”

Everyone was silent a moment and then Mo spoke. “I can’t believe how hard that must have been.”

Noah shook his head. “It was hard to keep it a secret, but Jacob was amazing.”

Mo nodded in agreement. “I have a sister, but I’ve always wanted a brother as well.”

“We met in secret, or I thought we did. Turned out he had hidden cameras.”

“Pearson?” Victor asked.

“Yep. Jacob’s in a wheelchair like I said. We talked for what seemed like forever. As soon as his nurse left, I would go up, and this carried on for weeks.”

Asher looked up from his phone. “There’s no Jacob Pearson registered anywhere.”

“Jacob said he didn’t exist,” Noah explained. “That he remembered his mom, but Pearson had paid her to go. He knew about shifters, but didn't know why he was in the wheelchair.”

“So just to confirm,” Martin clarified. “Same father but different moms?”

Alex pushed his juice toward him and he took a couple of swallows, but nodded agreement.

“We were chatting one day and Sean just walked in through this panel in the wall. Like a secret door. I could hear the bottom door open, and I had time to hide, but he caught us from there.” Noah gulped, and he struggled to stay calm. “He left Jacob in his chair without a nurse to care for him for two days.” It had been a mess. He was sure from the sharp inhales that he didn’t need to spell it out. “They made me watch it on the camera, but they locked me in. I couldn’t go to him. Couldn’t help.”

It wasn’t just Alex this time, but Mo who got up and folded his arms around him, which made the burning in Noah’s throat way worse. “They said I had to come here,” he whispered. “Get you to like me.” He looked at Mo, and Mo smiled.

“Well good, because that was easy. We do like you.”

Noah just gulped again, then jumped up and fled to the bathroom and Mo watched as Alex pulled his shoulders back and stared at Riley, Asher, and Zack. Mo wanted to intervene, but he knew this was about shifter children and he was out of his depth.

“I’m an alpha,” Alex started. “And I know Noah is pack. I also know he’s fourteen.”

Riley smiled. “And you’re not eighteen for another month.”

“Which is why I’m not in a hurry.” Alex paused. “I thought I might talk to Raschid.” He glanced at Victor when he said that, and Victor inclined his head.

“I can advise you on how to navigate submitting to another alpha. It takes a strength—”

“I won’t submit to another alpha,” Alex said. Not in any way a challenge, simply a matter of fact. He wasn’t even defiant, simply implacable. He turned to Martin. “And as I said, I’m fully aware of how old we both are, so you don’t need to worry about that. I just need to keep him safe. Rescue his brother,” Alex added.

Martin glanced at Riley, seeming out of his depth.

“I know,” Riley said. “I know you have his safety and wellbeing at heart. As an empath, I know that better than anyone. Just…”

Asher winced, but Alex’s gaze never wavered, “He has a serious case of hero worship for you.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Alex rejoined. “He recognizes his true mate even if he doesn’t know what that means.”

Mo watched as each shifter looked stunned but then nodded in acceptance. “It’s going to be incredibly hard for you,” Riley said.

“Not really,” Alex rejoined. “I just need to keep him safe and happy. I won’t claim him until he’s ready. He has a lot to work through and he needs to enjoy being a kid first, because I don’t think he’s had much of that.”

Martin leaned forward. “Alex, you’re still a kid.”

“I’m an alpha,” Alex rejoined. “And I’m lucky enough to live in a place with people who love me for that. I’ve had six years to grow. Don’t for one second think I wouldn’t allow my mate, who is the most important person to me in the entire universe, to do the same.”

Martin leaned back and gave him a rueful smile, then glanced at Riley. “You sure this kid’s only seventeen?”

Everyone laughed, but as Mo took in the faces around the table, he thought that they all looked a little shell-shocked, even for shifters.

Alex got to his feet. “I’m going to make sure he’s okay. Let me know when you have a plan.”