Morgan’s face went white, and any fight he had in his body completely drained away. “Where did you hear that name?”
“Tell me what you know and talk fast, or I swear I’ll walk away, and you’ll never see me again.” Finlay resisted the urge to reshape the curve of the hood with Morgan’s head…just.
“It was nothing. There was a minor incident…a misunderstanding. It happened years ago, before I was Alpha. The case was resolved and closed by the Shifter Council. There’s nothing else you need to know.”
“You asshole!” Using Morgan’s neck for leverage, Finlay pushed himself upright, pacing in the light beams left by the headlights.
The temptation to remove his brother’s head from his body was raging through him, and Finlay knew the only reason he didn’t do it was because he’d be left as the fucking Luna Pack Alpha, and he had no intention of ever holding that position. Doubly so now.
Whirling around, he pointed a finger at his brother who was sitting upright, rubbing his neck.
“You will tell me every single detail of that so-called misunderstanding. Every minute fact, regardless of how insignificant you think it was, and you’ll do it now.
I mean it, Morgan. Don’t push me on this. I demand to know.”
“Who’s been talking about this?” Of course, Morgan would be worried about his own reputation. “That case was supposed to be sealed by the Shifter Council. No one can access it unless they were given permission by the Paranormal Council.”
“Who the hell do you think I work for?” Finlay flung up his hands.
“What do you think I’m doing when I go away for days or even a week at a time?
Landscaping? Putting in someone’s new swimming pool?
Are you so self-centered you didn’t notice the guns and knives I was putting away when you picked me up this evening?
I’ve been a negotiator for the Paranormal Council since I left the pack.
I’m the guy who comes after assholes like you. ”
Morgan actually looked relieved. “Phew. Thanks. I can see why you wanted to keep this chat private now. That means a lot. But why is this case being investigated again? The whole thing was put to bed years ago. Has someone changed their story? Is someone in the fae realm looking into this? Do I need to get a lawyer?”
“You’re unbelievable, do you know that?” Finlay wasn’t giving his brother a compliment. “How about we start by you telling me how ‘being cruel to an innocent’ fits in with the case between you and Prince Senan?”
“I should’ve known you’d throw my words back in my face.” Morgan wandered out of the light and leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree, his face obscured by shadows. “I meant what I said. It was a misunderstanding that got out of hand.”
“I need details, none of the half-truths you gave two beta Shifter Council guards.” Finlay patted his pockets looking for his cigarette pack and lighter. Pulling a cigarette free of the crumpled package, he lit it, shoving the rest of the pack in his pocket again along with the lighter.
“Fuck. Better you know than anyone else.” Morgan sniffed. “As far as I’m concerned it was a genuine misunderstanding. I was in the Royal Oak, having a few drinks. When I went up to get another beer, I saw a fae sitting by himself, and just wanted to be friendly.”
“I’ve had experience with your being friendly, remember?” Finlay did. “That’s why we almost came to blows when we double dated that last time. You have the seduction skills of a rampaging bull in a china shop and usually cause the same amount of damage.”
“You can shut your mouth. A lot of people appreciate a dominating Alpha – a lot of them crave it. Did you want to hear the details or not?”
Of course, Morgan would get defensive. There was a good chance he was still using his “hey, you look good enough to fuck,” which was what constituted his only pickup line. “I asked him if he wanted a drink. He said no.”
Finlay nodded.
“I sniffed him.” Morgan stared up at the night sky.
“It was weird. He had the most unusual scent – like he smelled of magic and some kind of floral scent, but it was also as if he reminded me of home and pack. I knew he wasn’t my mate, nothing drastic like that.
But the scent was intriguing, and I was lonely and horny. Face it, any hole works in the dark.”
That’s my mate you’re talking about. Clenching his teeth together, Finlay nodded again. His brother was cruising for a bruising, heading for Smash Town in the fast lane. He forced himself to unclench his fist, taking another puff of his cigarette.
“I figured he just needed a spot of sweet talk, so I took the stool next to him, sitting close enough so I couldn’t be ignored, but not on his lap, you know.”
“We’re a long way from you invading his personal space, to him ending up with permanent scars.”
“Not really.” Morgan shrugged. “I was talking to him, trying to engage him in conversation. He kept saying he wasn’t interested, but he had to be, right? He had to be interested, otherwise, he would’ve just left his seat and gone and sat somewhere else.”
“I can’t believe you just said that.” Finlay took a step closer and then stopped himself.
If they started fighting, Finlay might never get the whole story.
“Maybe Prince Senan was simply staying in the chair he was in before you came along and decided he wasn’t going to get run off by an arrogant wolf shifter.
Or, maybe he didn’t know a lot about shifters and worried if he did get up and leave, he’d trigger your hunting instinct, and you’d chase him down and start fucking humping him. Did you ever think about that?”
“Nah, that can’t be true, can it?”
My brother has the brains of a gnat. “He said no to you. The only decent response from you at that point was to apologize, or if you couldn’t manage that, then you should’ve just got up and left the man alone.
” Finlay was shouting, and he pulled himself in with difficulty.
“How did he end up with your claws in his face? You said in the report that he attacked you with his magic.”
There it is. Finlay saw Morgan shift his weight from one foot to the other, shoving his hands in his pants pockets.
Finlay had seen Morgan do that a hundred times when their father used to pull them into his office for misunderstandings .
“That’s where there might have been a bit of a stretch to the story.
I put my hand on his knee, still being friendly and then when he ignored it, I moved my hand up his thigh… He zinged the back of my hand.”
Finlay squeezed his eyes tight, trying to blank out the mental image of the scene Morgan was describing. “What the hell is a zing? Is that like a zap? A little twinge of electricity on your skin, probably used as a warning to stop your hand from going anywhere near his cock? That kind of zing?”
“Well, yes,” Morgan blustered. “But it stung, and it was a shock. He wasn’t dealing with a regular shifter, I was Alpha-heir at the time.
It annoyed me, and I lashed out, not even realizing because of the zing, my claws were out.
He was bleeding, his top torn and everything else.
I was horrified by what I’d done. I was trying to work out if I should apologize or get him medical treatment when the shifter guards were there, putting him in cuffs and dragging him away.
There was nothing else I could do at that point. ”
Huffing out a long breath, Finlay said, “So, you never told the shifter guards you’d been attacked? They made that bit up?”
“No, I did say that. But what would you do if two guards were suddenly in your space, dangling cuffs and looking like they were going to arrest me for goodness knows what? Dad would’ve been horrified, and I was terrified he’d find out.
So I just yelled, ‘he attacked me with magic,’ and yeah, they took him away.
I don’t even know what happened to him.”
“Don’t you dare start bullshitting me now,” Finlay snarled.
He stubbed out his cigarette and stuck that in his pocket.
It was getting full. “According to the case notes, Prince Senan of Blackstock was banished from the fae realm and ordered to wear his scar as penance for what he’d done for the rest of his life.
The case notes specifically state that you personally agreed to that punishment. ”
“Well, fine, but what else did you expect me to do?” Morgan huffed.
“If I told them I overreacted, I’d have looked like a fool.
I couldn’t look bad in front of the Shifter Council.
They would’ve told Dad and I could’ve lost my position as heir.
So, I just agreed and figured the fae would make the best of it.
They usually do. You know, I have to say, it’s a relief to be able to talk about it, to be honest.”
Finlay ran his hands through his hair. He’d been running on fumes before the damn dinner event, and it was only the need to do right by his mate that was keeping him upright. “So let me just make sure I’ve got all the details right, do you mind?”
“I don’t care. I feel so much better now it’s out in the open.”
“I’m glad for you.” Finlay wasn’t. “To hear you tell it, you approached a man at a bar. He said he didn’t want a drink when asked.
You ignored his clear cue to be left alone and encroached on his personal space.
He told you he wasn’t interested. Then you put a hand on his leg, and when he ignored that, you moved your hand up his leg, I assume you planned to cup his dick and see what he was packing? ”
“I thought it was a friendly thing to do, you know. Let him know I would take care of his needs while he was letting me fuck him.”
“How fucking big of you.” Finlay exploded. “Why the hell didn’t you just leave him alone?”
“I thought he was just playing hard to get. People do that, you know.”
“No they fucking don’t.” Finlay lunged, his fists flying before he landed on Morgan’s body.
They both fell to the ground. “No means fucking no, asshole,” he grunted, pummeling his brother’s face and chest as he straddled him.
“He said no. Not once. Not twice. A dozen times he said no. And you fucking ignored him.”
“Fin! Fin! What the fuck man, that hurts.” Morgan tried to evade his fists, but while he’d been playing with spreadsheets, Finlay had been working in the trenches, taking out assholes just like his brother.
“I don’t understand. The case was four years ago.
It was a misunderstanding, no one else needs to know about it.
Fin, stop it. As your Alpha I’m ordering you. ”
“You are not my Alpha.” Finlay grabbed Morgan by his jacket lapels, lifting his chest off the ground as he snarled. “You will never be my Alpha. I’m breaking my bonds with the Luna Pack.”
“What the fuck, Fin, why? It was one little mistake ages ago. I don’t even know where Prince Senan is right now.”
“I don’t know where he is right now, either,” Finlay said through bared teeth. “But I know where he was earlier this evening.”
The surprise was evident in the white of Morgan’s eyes. “You’ve seen him? Where?”
“He was washing the dishes made dirty by your fancy guests this evening.”
“Fuck.” Morgan winced and wouldn’t meet Finlay’s eyes. “That’s a step down for him. He used to be part of the Fae Court. But I still don’t see why you care. I’m your only brother, he’s a random stranger.”
“Is he?” Pulling Morgan’s head up so their foreheads met, Finlay said quietly, “There was a reason why Prince Senan’s scent smelled of home and pack when you came across him four years before. It was because he was meant to be family, to be part of the pack.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Prince Senan of Blackstock is my fated mate, and thanks to you being an absolute asshole of the highest order, he won’t even talk to me.” Finlay shoved his brother’s chest back on the ground and stood up. “And from now on, I have no intention of having anything to do with you, either.”
“He’s your mate? Fin, that’s great news.” Morgan scrambled to get up. “You can bring him into the family…we can chat about it…I’ll even apologize…we can look after him. Finlay, where are you going? Fin, come back!”
Finlay flipped his brother off behind his back and headed back down the road on foot.
The moment he was out of sight of the car and his brother, he shifted, making sure to keep his phone securely in his jacket which he picked up in his jaws.
His wolf wanted a run, and they’d cover the ground to home a lot quicker that way.
After that, he’d get a few hours’ nap, and then it was time to start tracking the elusive Prince Senan.
Finlay just had to hope that the mating pull for fae worked the same as it did for shifters.
Although, that was a double-edged sword as well.
If he didn’t find the prince soon, they could both be in the shit.