Lone Wolf Pack 06 - A Future for His Werewolf Warrior (7 page)

Despite all this, Mathias had yet to reveal the truth about where he went during the day. They also hadn't approached the topic of Ward's ex, or anything in the human's past that he might have been uncomfortable with.

They were tiptoeing around one another, and for Mathias, that was fine. His werewolf instincts screamed at him to claim the man, but in his heart, he knew that was not what Ward needed.

As it turned out, there were some things that Ward simply deserved to know, and Mathias was strikingly reminded of that a week and a half into their little not quite dating. They went out for a walk throughout the property, ironically heading in the general direction of the Lone Wolf Pack's home. Mathias wasn't alarmed. He was too happy that his mate was holding his hand to think about that. And then, Ward sat down at the base of a tree and let out a contemplative sigh. "Did I ever tell you why I came here?"

"Very little," Mathias replied as he joined his mate. He hadn't mentioned much of his reasons for the move ever since that first day, when Mathias had been a wolf.

"This was my grandfather's family home. He was among the few people who provided genuine support when I came out." He laughed lightly and leaned against Mathias's shoulder. "It's an old story. He used to say I reminded him a lot of his brother. I thought I could find some of the acceptance he gave me, to chase away what happened in New York—which I'm sure you figured out. I'm not quite there, but... It's so strange. Sometimes, that life seems ages ago."

Mathias's heart clenched. Ward was being honest, so Mathias couldn't shy away from the truth either. In his heart, he knew the real reason why he was hesitating, but he hoped that after the time they'd spent together, his mate would understand.

Swallowing nervously, Mathias braced himself for what would undoubtedly be a difficult conversation. "I have a confession to make," he said. "Or rather, there's something I haven't told you."

Ward tensed and pulled away. In the darkness of twilight, his eyes shone with a distrust that pained Mathias. "What is it?"

"It's about your great-uncle."

The shock that filled Ward's face was almost gratifying to see. Obviously, his mate had been expecting anything but that. "What?"

"Your grandfather's brother," Mathias elaborated. "I know him. He's a dear friend. Well, he's actually the reason why I came here to begin with. He needed my help with something very important, and I've known him and his son for many years."

"Wait, back up." Ward lifted his hands and took a deep breath. "Are you telling me my great-uncle Will is still alive, and here, in Willow Cove? How is that possible? And...  He has a son? Grandad told me his brother was gay."

"It's... complicated." Mathias licked his lips, unsure how to proceed. "I'm not sure how much your grandfather ever knew about what happened then, but my guess is that it probably wasn't much. The truth is that some fifty years ago, your great-uncle fell in love with a werewolf."

Ward gaped at him. "You're joking."

Mathias shook his head. "They met and fell in love. It was a difficult time for gay couples, as I'm sure you know. They had to hide." And how remarkable it was that Mathias could actually say all this while only feeling regret that his friend had to suffer so much. "It's a long story, but eventually, they made plans to run away together."

"Why do I get the feeling it didn't work out?" Ward asked in a trembling voice.

"Because it didn't. Dean's father... Your great-uncle's mate—Dean—had a very strict family. His father was the Alpha of their pack, and well... Imagine that period's homophobia, coupled with werewolf nature. Unpleasant result."

Ward's breath caught. "Did they kill him?"

"They forced him to marry someone else, threatening Will's life. It was quite horrible. They were separated before Dean could even explain, and for decades, Will thought his mate had abandoned him. And then... There was Jessie."

"Jessie? Is that his wife?"

Mathias blinked in confusion, before realizing the unisex name and his earlier mentioning of Will having a son had made Ward draw the wrong conclusion. "No. His son. You see, when Will left Willow Cove, he was pregnant. Turns out werewolf men can impregnate humans even in homosexual intercourse."

"Okay, I know that has to be some sort of joke." Ward shook his head adamantly. "It's just not possible. I can accept magic and you shape-shifting, but humans are humans. Pregnancy doesn't work like that."

"Believe me, he was just as surprised. It's how he and I met. He was confused and on the run. I found him trembling and afraid, masquerading as a pregnant woman and trying to cross the border into Canada. I ended up helping him throughout the rest of his pregnancy and then, for a while, with raising Jessie."

Something in his tone must have given Ward a hint regarding Mathias's past with Will. "You were in love with him, weren't you?"

This was what Mathias had feared, and it was far too soon in their relationship to deal with it. "I suppose I was, in a way," he nonetheless admitted. "He's very much like you."

It was completely the wrong thing to say, and Mathias knew it that very same moment. Ward was on his feet and stalking away before Mathias's brain could even process the full extent of his "fuck, you're an idiot" train of thought.

Mathias scrambled after his mate, hating himself for hurting Ward like this. "Wait, Ward, please."

"I think not," Ward snapped at him, continuing to walk. "I should have known better than to fall into your little fairytale. I'm done, Mathias. I won't be a replacement for my great-uncle."

"No, that's not it!" Mathias caught his mate's arm and forcibly turned him around. "Please just let me finish."

At this point, it was completely counterproductive to be vague, so Mathias told his mate everything. He explained how his long life had affected him, leaving him aching for his other half. He told Ward about Will, about the feelings that had slowly built inside him as he got to know the human. He spoke of the resentment he experienced because Will still loved Dean, and how it had eventually led to Will leaving him—and their argument decades later. Ward listened, just like Mathias had asked. He became increasingly pale when Mathias told him about what had happened at the Gathering, but he didn't try to move away.

Finally, when Mathias finished his story, Ward swallowed convulsively. "I want to meet him," he whispered.

"I expected that you might," Mathias replied. "I told him about you, and he looks forward to meeting you."

Mathias didn't say it, but he knew that it had hurt Will to leave his family behind. He hadn't regretted it. Jessie had always been the most important thing for him, and he'd seen everything he'd done for Jessie's sake at justified. Still, he'd mourned the news of his brothers' deaths during the war, and later, due to old age. But these weren't Mathias's secrets or his emotions to share, and he couldn't reveal them to his mate.

However, there was something else he needed to address. "Before I lead you to him, I have to explain his situation. Because of his pregnancy, he hasn't aged, so he looks the same as he did when he left Willow Cove. And Jessie... Well, the reason I came here is that he and some of their closest friends are starting a new pack, and he's pregnant too.

For a few moments, he waited for a reaction, knowing that most likely it would not be a good one. He could see it in Ward's eyes, in his tense stance. That didn't mean it didn't hurt when Ward whispered, "Please let go of me."

The tone was so soft, but it burned over Mathias's skin like a brand. He released his mate, his wolf whining with the rejection he heard. Ward cradled his arm to his chest, like Mathias had genuinely hurt him, although that couldn't have been the case.

"I need some time to wrap my mind around this," he continued. "Don't come to the house again."

Without another word, the human turned and started to walk away. Mathias just stood there and stared helplessly, his magic and his wolf screaming in pain as he lost the mate he'd found after so long.

He couldn't bring himself to move until Ward had already gone, disappearing into the distance toward his house. It was only then that he managed to turn away as well, his head spinning as he tried to figure out how he'd managed to screw up so badly.

He'd known Ward's history made Mathias's relationship with Will a potential problem. Fuck. He should have been more tactful. He should have explained better. He'd failed his mate.

A part of him screamed to just return to his den and lick his wounds in private, but instead, Mathias found his steps carrying him to the Lone Wolf Pack cabin. It was well into the evening when he got there, but he was in luck. Dean and Will were outside, chatting and laughing lightly.

Dean was the one who felt Mathias first. The Alpha turned, his eyes meeting Mathias's in the darkness. Something must have clued him in with regard to how Mathias felt, because he nodded in silent acknowledgment. He squeezed Will's hand, and then turned and headed into the house.

Once Dean was gone, Will immediately focused on Mathias. "What is it, Matt? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think... I think I lost him."

****

A few days later

Ward wiped his brow of sweat and critically scanned the portion of the roof within his view. As far as he could tell, he'd done a good job patching up the unexpected hole. Hopefully, he wouldn't have any unpleasant surprises the next time it rained.

He'd started to go down the staircase when he heard the car approaching. Ward jumped down and turned toward the road, squinting even as a spark of hope swelled in his heart—one he desperately tried to suppress.

Mathias hadn't come to see him at all since their argument. Ward had given a lot of thought to what Mathias had told him, and at some level, he realized he couldn't blame the werewolf for keeping the secret. He also couldn't blame Mathias for any relationship the man had before they'd met. It would have been stupid. God only knew Ward had been involved with someone too, and he was much, much younger than Mathias.

Still, it had hurt to see Mathias speak with such fondness of his great-uncle, smiling in that way Ward had hoped was reserved only for him. It was too easy to remember how things had happened with Peter and Teresa, too easy to see Mathias go through with a similar betrayal.

Ward had survived the humiliation and pain once. He didn't think he could do it again, not if Mathias was the culprit.

Despite all this, he couldn't help but wish Mathias was the one coming to see him. He was both disappointed and relieved when the car he spotted in the distance turned out to be a different one. It also confused him—again—because he hadn't bothered to meet up with any of his neighbors and he didn't see why anyone would be visiting him.

It was only when the car stopped that Ward finally got his answer. A slender man with chocolate brown hair slid out of the vehicle, looked around and inhaled deeply. For a few moments, he didn't speak, but he didn't have to, because Ward instantly knew who he was.

One look at the new arrival's face propelled him years back, when he used to sit with his grandfather, looking at old albums with faded black and white photos. There was one photo in particular that his grandfather had both loved and hated, taken weeks before his brother's disappearance, at a dance of sorts. It had been the last time the four brothers had shown up in the album together, and afterward, Will's absence from the pictures was like a jarring hole that left everyone looking either hurt or angry—or both.

Looking at his unexpected guest, Ward saw that very same image, of a young man smiling awkwardly with his larger brothers crowded around him. He supposed he should have expected the visit since Mathias had mentioned his great-uncle, but somehow, it hadn't occurred to him that it would happen.

"Well then," the man finally said after a long pause, "this place's changed very little. Brings back so many memories."

The words snapped Ward out of his trance, and that was fortunate because the little blast from the past stepped forward, smiling warmly. "You must be Ward Bennett. I'm Will Orwell, but you might know me as Will Mulligan."

Ward nodded dumbly. "I've seen some pictures, yes..." He cleared his throat, trying to gather his wits. "Of course, I didn't actually expect to ever meet you in person, at least not before coming here."

"The world's a stranger place than you'd ever dream, Mr. Bennett," Will replied not unkindly. "Believe me, I know. But all things considered, I think you suspect what I'm here to talk about."

It was still a little surreal to stand here with a man he knew from childhood stories, but he supposed that if he could get used to the idea of werewolves, having his great-uncle come back from the supposed dead wasn't that odd. "Mathias, I'm guessing."

Will nodded, but he didn't immediately speak. It occurred to Ward that they were still standing outside the house, and this was one conversation they probably didn't want to have in the open. "Please, come inside," he said, gesturing toward the door.

"Thank you," came the reply.

As Ward guided his guest into the house, he was more aware than ever that the man with him had more history here than he ever would. He couldn't hope to guess how hard it must be for his great-uncle to revisit those memories. Nonetheless, Will didn't show any further reaction to revisiting his family home. Ward didn't know if he was disappointed or not. Maybe it would have made things easier, or less awkward? Then again, maybe not.

Fidgeting, Ward turned toward his great-uncle. "Would you like something to drink? Tea? A beer?"

"Thanks, no. I'm fine. I really just dropped by to talk, and I don't want to inconvenience you."

They sat together on the living room couch, and Ward wished he'd brought tea anyway, if only to have something to do with his hands. Thankfully, Will didn't let the silence stretch for too long. "First of all, I'd like to thank you."

"Thank me?" Ward repeated, puzzled. "Whatever for?"

"For giving me my friend back," Will answered. "I'm sure Mathias explained the situation between the two of us, and our history. Recent developments— mostly rooted in the fact that I could never have romantic feelings toward him—hurt us both deeply, but since he met you, we've finally started to rebuild some of what was broken."