The Half-Breed Who Found His Other Half (7 page)

For a few moments, they all stared at him in silence, as if the words didn’t exactly process. “You’re kidding,” Soren finally replied.

He took a threatening step toward Isaac. “If this is some sort of sick joke, I’m not laughing.”

“I wouldn’t kid about this, Soren.” Isaac frowned at his brother.

“You might think I’m just your useless little brother, but you know I’m no liar.”

Brody caught Soren, holding him back when the Alpha wolf would have jumped forward. “Isaac, are you sure about this? Maybe you misunderstood.”

“I didn’t misunderstand,” Isaac replied. “Believe what you like if it makes you sleep better at night, but be careful. Father is meddling with your pups, Soren, and ripping open wounds better left forgotten.”

Isaac had no idea if they’d have believed him had Melanie not chosen that moment to make her appearance. “Isaac, could you come with me for a moment?” she asked tightly. “I need to talk to you.”

Soren broke free of Brody’s hold and stalked to his daughter’s side. “Is what Isaac said true?” he asked as he gripped her wrist. “Did Father really want you and Isaac to mate?”

Melanie winced, and that was answer enough. Soren roared, his fury open on his face. “I’ll kill him. I’ll fucking kill him.”

Isaac shared a look with Brody, ready to intervene if Soren did indeed attempt to commit patricide. Melanie blocked Soren’s way out, but it wouldn’t be hard for the angry Alpha to move her out of the way.

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Out of the blue, Soren’s eyes glazed over, and he seemed to be listening to a voice Isaac couldn’t hear. He realized his brother must be talking to squirrel-shifter Daniel. Thankfully, Daniel had a calming effect on Soren, and the older wolf’s anger started to dim to what looked like a manageable level, at least.

“Brody, I’m going back to the pack, and Mel is coming with me,”

Soren said in a near whisper. “Liam and Anson will stay here and help with the plan. If I remain here for one single second more, I might do something stupid.”

Without another word of good-bye, Soren pulled his daughter out of the room and disappeared down the corridor. Isaac couldn’t help but release a sigh of relief when he noticed his brother was not heading in the direction of the office.

Brody’s voice suddenly drew his attention to the other occupants of the room. “Jesus, Isaac,” the wolf said. “Did you really have to do that?”

“And I suppose you’d have liked me to keep Father’s plan a secret.” Isaac turned toward his brother and arched a brow. “Oh, better yet, maybe I should have gone ahead and mated Mel.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Brody replied. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then don’t be a self-righteous prick. How was I supposed to tell him something like that? How would you have done?”

Brody paused, obviously uncertain of what to answer. Isaac took advantage of his sibling’s hesitation and added, “Look, it doesn’t matter. Soren will get over it eventually. With luck, it will make him pay more attention to his kids. I told Father I have a mate now, and I’m not going along with any of his ploys. So we’ll be fine.”

“You have a mate?” Liam spoke for the first time. “Well, that’s some good news, among all the shit.”

“Let me guess.” Anson grinned. “That pretty half Sidhe. Chantay.

Congratulations. I could tell you clicked from the very beginning.

You make a fine couple.”

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“Thanks,” Isaac replied in surprise. That was the longest speech he’d ever heard come from Anson’s mouth. Wonders never ceased.

“Yes, it’s Chantay. We’re still working things out, but I have faith in our relationship.”

“That’s great.” Brody stepped toward him and squeezed his shoulder. “And I agree with Sonny. You two are made for each other.”

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Isaac thanked his brother as well.

Deciding he wanted to keep some things about his bond with Chantay to himself, he changed the subject and said, “All right, then. What do we do about Father? Any ideas?”

Brody grinned at him. “I’m sure we’ll come up with something.

After all, we’ve been doing it for years.”

Oddly, the comment made Isaac experience a kind of kinship with Brody, something he hadn’t felt before. He nodded at his brother and smiled. Perhaps this wasn’t so hopeless. He had allies, and they’d managed to make their own matings work, in spite of what the world had decreed. If Isaac had his way, he would do the same and claim Chantay like his wolf and his soul demanded.

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“Would you look at that? My nephew is at it again.”

Chantay followed King Sterling’s gaze and looked toward Prince Winter. Indeed, Winter seemed in a particularly bad mood today. His mate hovered around him, looking concerned, apparently trying to coax him to calm down. It partially worked, and even from the distance, Chantay could sense Winter’s erratic emotions.

“I think it’s time to tell them,” the king said. “I thought Winter might figure it out on his own, but he must not realize a pregnancy is still possible for male Sidhe.”

“I agree, Majesty,” Chantay replied. “There is no point in worrying them. They must think that Prince Winter’s condition could be caused by something more sinister.”

“You have a point.” King Sterling nodded. “Come. Follow me.

We’ll talk to them now.”

They made their way through the crowd, nodding at various people as they passed. Chantay felt astonished that no one seemed to realize how much he’d changed since the day before. After his coupling with Isaac, Chantay had expected everyone to give him knowing looks and change their behavior toward him. While he’d caught some ugly gazes from the werewolf elder, the rest of the guests at the meeting were acting exactly the same.

In a way, Chantay supposed he’d been arrogant in assuming that everyone would notice it. What had been a life-altering event for him meant nothing to all the important people who’d come to discuss the
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fate of the world as they knew it. With the assassination plot looming over them and now Winter’s pregnancy, it was a wonder that even the werewolf elder had paid any attention to it at all.

But in the end, it didn’t really matter, did it? Isaac was right. Their bond was their business, and while Chantay hadn’t figured out exactly how he felt about Isaac, he would focus on that, not on what other people thought.

They reached Prince Winter and his mate just as Winter got up and swooned. Thankfully, Corbin caught the prince before Winter could hurt himself. The concern irradiating from Corbin nearly choked Chantay. They were right to have approached the couple with the news. Clearly, a pregnancy hadn’t occurred to them, and given Winter’s previous brush with death, this worry was completely justified.

“Well, then, I guess congratulations are in order,” Sterling said without preamble.

“What?” Corbin’s voice was full of disbelief and a good dose of fear. “He’s sick. The spell must be making a comeback or something.”

Sterling chuckled, and it might have been inappropriate except for the way the king introduced his knowledge of the issue. “No. Nothing like that,” the fae leader said. “Come now, Winter. Surely you must suspect what’s going on.”

It didn’t seem like Winter realized anything, and Corbin looked even more concerned than ever. “Don’t look so put out, Your Highness,” Chantay piped up in an attempt to calm them down. “This is a moment of joy.”

Slowly, he and the king revealed the situation to his nephew. Once Winter’s pregnancy was confirmed, the happiness that came from the two made Chantay yearn for something similar for himself.

“A baby, Corbin,” Winter was saying. “Our baby.”

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Corbin didn’t seem to be able to get enough out of touching Winter and caressing his still-flat stomach. “Thank you, sweetheart.

Thank you.”

It was time to leave the happy couple alone. The king nodded at him and started to walk away. While they were still away from the crowd, the king turned toward Chantay. “Keep this to yourself, all right, Chantay?” he requested. “We don’t want the news of the incoming Sidhe heir to spread.”

“Of course, Majesty,” Chantay replied. In a way, the king’s reaction to Winter’s condition surprised him. After all, the supposed heir would be a half-breed, like Chantay. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Not even Isaac Wade?” When Chantay hesitated, the king arched a brow. “I suppose I should be concerned about that, but I’m not. You can mention it to Isaac, but keep it under wraps.”

Chantay was more than a little relieved about being granted the permission to discuss this with Isaac. Even if they’d only spent a couple of hours together, he already felt so close to the half wolf that he didn’t think he could have hidden it in the first place.

With that in mind, Chantay slipped into the crowd again and scanned the area for Isaac. If he had to guess, his lover should be around here somewhere, probably with one of his brothers. Yesterday, after Isaac’s meeting with his father, Chantay had seen the half wolf looking for his siblings, Soren and Brody. He didn’t know what Elder Wade had wanted to discuss since Chantay and Isaac hadn’t managed to meet up again, but it must be serious. Chantay had a feeling Isaac needed him, if only for emotional support.

At last, he located his quarry, sitting with his mother just a few feet away from the group of leaders clustered together. Sterling made his way to the men and women in question, and Chantay took advantage of the occasion to go see his lover.

As he approached Isaac, he overheard a snippet of conversation.

“I know your father’s suggestion sounds unreasonable,” Annabelle
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Wade was saying, “but don’t say no outright, not on account of an illusion.”

“It’s not an illusion,” Isaac snapped back. He must have sensed Chantay coming as he turned toward him. “Let’s not talk about this anymore,” he told his mother.

Chantay didn’t need to be an incubus to know the conversation had most likely been about him. Still, he let it go and beamed brightly at Isaac. “Hi, Isaac. Hello, Mrs. Wade. How are you?”

Annabelle offered him a tight smile. “I’m fine, thank you. Just a bit concerned. My son seems to have suddenly developed a rebellious streak. I don’t suppose you know why that is.”

“Well, he is a wolf,” Chantay replied. “It’s in his nature and his genes to be Alpha and follow his own path.”

He caught the grin on Isaac’s face and knew he couldn’t have said anything better. His answer effectively shut Annabelle up, as any other comment she could make might have ended up as a slur to her husband’s older sons or Elder Wade himself.

“Indeed,” Isaac said. “Well, it’s been nice chatting with you, Mother, but Chantay and I have a conversation pending.” He kissed her cheek and added, “I’ll see you and Father later.”

Before she could protest, Isaac dragged Chantay away. Together, they fled the ballroom and found refuge in the gardens. It wasn’t exactly private, but at least some of the pressure eased from Chantay’s mind.

“She doesn’t like me much, does she?” he asked Isaac.

Isaac sighed. “She doesn’t believe you’re my mate. Or perhaps she doesn’t want to believe. She’s convinced that whatever my father decides is the right thing to do.”

Chantay’s eyes widened as Isaac’s words processed. “Mate?” he repeated, dumbfounded.

Isaac blinked at him, as if he’d just realized what he’d said. “I suppose I shouldn’t have mentioned it like this.” He released a heavy
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sigh. “Yes, you’re my mate, baby. My parents aren’t exactly happy about it, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”

“And when were you going to tell me?” Chantay asked, torn between excitement and frustration. They really did need to work on communicating.

“I planned to wait a while, take things slow, not rush you into anything.” Isaac smiled weakly. “Guess very few things turned out the way I wanted them to.”

The emotions coming from Isaac were a confusing mix of concern, sadness, and apprehension. “What’s wrong, Isaac?” Chantay asked. “What did they tell you?”

He was swept away by the idea that he might have found his mate, but he couldn’t focus on his own feelings now. Isaac obviously needed his support.

“Remember when I mentioned growing up with Reed and my brothers’ kids?” When Chantay nodded, Isaac continued, “Well, it seems it occurred to my father that the best way to ensure succession for the elder position was by marrying me off to my niece. It seems the idea struck him after finding out about former Sidhe legislation.”

“I take it you refused and told them about me,” Chantay said, dazed at the idea the elder wolf had come up with.

Isaac reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I did, baby, but don’t get things wrong. You
are
my mate. I didn’t lie to get them off my back or anything like that.”

“I know,” Chantay replied with a smile. He leaned against Isaac, feeling warm inside. “You wouldn’t use me like that.”

And oddly enough, he did know. He might not be absolutely certain of his feelings for Isaac, but their bond was undeniable.

Chantay was considering how to approach Isaac regarding their future course of action when he felt something was not quite right. He tensed, scanning the gardens within his sight for any intruder.

Through all the affection coming from Isaac and the distant feelings
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he grasped from the guests at the meeting, there was something else, a dark hatred watching.

“What is it, baby?” Isaac asked, obviously sensing his mood.

Chantay wished he knew. He couldn’t identify the exact source of the feeling, not with so many people around. He felt exposed out in the open like this. Perhaps he should go call Alexis. Alexis was one hundred percent incubus, and he might be able to detect something Chantay didn’t.