Page 28

Silas

Silas’s cock pressed heavily against the front of his boxer briefs, the anticipation growing at what was going to happen tonight.

His focus had been on little else when he’d overheard Monty and Bowie talking about Ziggy being out of work from today.

After that, he couldn’t stop himself—not that he tried very hard—from checking the heat calendar to see if Ziggy was off because of his heat.

His suspicions confirmed but unable to leave work due to how full his calendar was, he’d impatiently willed the day away. Hidden Desires was the only place he wanted to be. He’d gotten his secretary to reorganize the following two days without explaining himself.

There was no way he could tolerate the idea of some other alpha touching Ziggy. Nor could his wolf side, who had given him the silent treatment for the last couple of weeks while Silas tried to go about his business and pretend he felt nothing for Ziggy.

After his talk with Popi, he had used Booker’s situation and his new niece to avoid thinking, because any time he did, he just ended up angry at himself. Popi had encouraged him to talk out all the tumultuous feelings. He was never very good at that. It was why he and Booker got on so well.

Talking wasn’t his strong suit. Had he felt better at Popi’s nagging? Not really. If anything, he was more conflicted by the growing desperation over the fuck up that he’d created by not being honest with himself and Ziggy.

“Where are you off to, all spiffed up?” Jupiter lounged against the doorframe, an unwelcome interruption. He had Emmy in his arms, something that always made Silas’s heart ache a little for his brother.

Silas’s gaze dipped for a fraction of a second, to check his untucked shirt covered what he was sporting in his pants, before giving his full attention to the man who was a natural with Emmy.

“I see you have your little companion with you. If you’re not careful,”—Silas used his thumb to point outside the open door—“they’ll think you’ve gone soft.”

Jupiter chuckled, bringing the bright green-eyed baby up so she was looking at Silas.

“We know, don’t we Emmy, that Uncle Silas is only jealous ‘cause he wants to have all the Emmy cuddles, but you prefer Uncle Jup, don’t you?

” She made a gurgling noise that made Jupiter smile in such a way that left Silas a little awestruck at his true beauty.

He smiled often, and his smile was beautiful, but the true depth of emotion that he displayed to the little girl in his arms was something very few got to witness.

Silas felt the ache in his chest for the man who’d known nothing but torment as a child.

The one he held in his arms had suffered a trauma, one she might be far too little to understand, but Jupiter did.

Without Frey’s bravery to help the omega, that little girl would have been lost, and Jupiter was the only one of them that truly got that.

“She’d probably poo on me, I’ll be late and stinking up the place.

So you’re welcome to her cuddles right now. ”

Jupiter had a fake look of horror as he cuddled Emmy closer and stage whispered, “Don’t listen to him darlin’, he doesn’t mean it.”

Laughing, he went to Jupiter and bent to kiss Emmy on her tiny button nose, getting a gummy lipped look. “See, she’s smiling at me, she knows who the best uncle is.”

“That’s wind!” Jupiter scoffed at him.

“Are you two squabbling over my daughter?” Frey came into view.

“Not me, I’m off out.” He skirted past them both and headed down the hallway, not listening to Jupiter argue he needed to change Emmy’s diaper. The man had lost his mind.

“Where are you off to?” Popi asked, appearing as Silas reached for his car keys in the dish by the front door.

Silas ground his teeth together to stop the curse and glanced at Popi, thinking on his feet. “I’m going to meet a friend for a beer.”

How weak was that? Why hadn’t he come up with something better than that?

“Oh, who?” Popi asked, coming and messing with the collar of his shirt, his gaze pinning Silas.

“I…”

“Leave him alone, my love,” came a shout from the direction of the small downstairs office.

Taking that as a sign, he kissed Popi and shouted a goodbye to Dad. Barely seconds later, he was out the door, not stopping to catch his breath until he was in the car and on his way.

He drove faster than usual, and he felt sweaty by the time he parked outside Hidden Desires. Once inside the private entrance, he didn’t have a chance to key in his code because the door opened.

Sax was frowning as he stepped aside to allow Silas in. “Why, this is a surprise. You normally check before you come, to see if we have an omega that meets your needs.”

Silas stared blankly at Sax. “Isn’t the snake shifter here?” he questioned, without thinking.

Sax’s frown deepened, furrows appearing over his usually smooth brow. “Which one? You’ve had several over the years. And sorry, my darlin’, we don’t have a snake shifter omega here tonight. I could have told you if you’d called me. But we have other omegas you might be interested in.”

Silas hadn’t even given it a thought to call, and that showed just how messed up he was. “No!” he snapped, then took a breath. “Sorry, I… are you sure the omega snake shifter isn’t in tonight? The one I met last time I was here?”

“I know every person in the club, and that little treasure isn’t here tonight. He’s not booked in for a room, either.”

It was a gut punch, and he visibly jerked back at the one question that tore at his control. Who was helping Ziggy through his heat?

“Tell me what’s wrong with you?” Ethan questioned.

“Too much on my plate,” said Silas, knowing the fact they were on a video call made it pointless to deny it.

“That’s the best you’re gonna give me? Those black circles under your eyes look like you’ve gone all goth and put on eyeshadow.”

Silas rubbed at his tired eyes before he remembered he still had contacts in. “Fuck!” He wriggled his finger over his closed eye, putting the lenses back in place. “Let it go, alright? How are the new ranch hands doing?”

“Amos quit.”

It was the first laugh he’d had in two days. “I knew it.” He met Ethan’s gaze. “Was this before or after you tried to get him naked?”

“I never have to try,” Ethan replied cockily. “Before. But it was actually Cassidy’s chickens… or more, should I say, how he dresses them up.”

Silas ran a hand through his hair, body shaking with unrestrained laughter. “It does take a little getting used to Cassidy’s quirks.”

“That’s one way of putting it. The damn things are now in tutus,” Ethan spluttered while trying to restrain himself. He gave up and roared. Rocking forward, he wiped his leaking eyes. “If Cassidy wasn’t such a hard worker, I’d fire his ass for all the crazy he brings with him.”

“Stop that shit. You love Cassidy ‘cause of his crazy,” Silas pointed out. Cassidy was adorably sweet with his chickens. Heck, he just plain loved animals and fitted right in at the ranch the moment he’d stepped foot through the gate.

He’d come from a program that offered non-shifting omegas with family issues the opportunity to come and experience ranch life with the potential of a job.

Cassidy had come and never left. He was one of the best decisions for the ranch and he’d come up with some ideas that contributed towards the overhead expenses.

“I do. And he probably did me a favor with Amos.”

“Then why do you sound peeved?” asked Silas, ignoring Ethan’s mock glare. “Anyway, let's talk about the others. How are they working out?”

“It might be a little too early to say, but they seem to be fitting in. Cranny has been working with them and has nothing but good stuff to say about them.”

“Good. Anything we need to talk about? Deal with before I start with the rest of my day?”

“I’m gonna say I don’t know how the fuck you juggle everything here and working for your dads! I’m exhausted with all the damn paperwork I’m drowning under.”

“Welcome to my world!”

Ethan gave him a toothy grin. “You can keep your world, I want mine back.”

“This is yours, so get over yourself.”

“You’re not fucking funny,” he scowled.

“Neither are you. See ya.” He held back his laughter until he closed the call, then chuckled to himself, until he saw the pile of paperwork on his desk he needed to go through before his first meeting at ten.

“Fuck my life!”