The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf (8 page)

Tyrell, some of them having parents or older siblings who’d been

affected in the first attack.

It was hard for Anson to pacify them all, especially since he

wasn’t Soren, and they didn’t look up to him as they did with their

Alpha. Having Daniel there had, indeed, helped, as the squirrel-shifter

had become a permanent fixture in the life of the pack and often

helped his mate in an official capacity. Jace and Melanie had also

been great about the whole thing, obviously seeing this as a chance to

prove their worth in front of their father.

However, the extended separation from their Alpha was getting to

the pack, and some seemed to be blaming Anson for it. It was hardly

rational behavior, but then, shifters often acted on instinct, rather than

on reason. Of course, it probably didn’t help that, for practical

purposes, Soren had decreed that both Anson and Reed should stay in

the Alpha mansion until Soren could come back.

After consuming the sandwich in a couple of bites, Anson

followed behind Daniel. The two headed toward Soren’s office where

they usually received daily petitioners. To Reed, the entire thing was

astounding since at the pack meeting, when Soren managed to be

there, people didn’t push so hard. Were they deliberately trying to

make Anson’s life difficult?

“It’s

possible,”

Anson

replied

through

their

bond.

“Unfortunately, I can’t exactly turn them away. Even if their demands

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51

are ridiculous, I have to hear them out. Soren might have said he

intends to leave me as his replacement, but my role is not to give

commands. It implies taking care of our pack members.”

“That doesn’t mean they have to abuse you.”
Reed really wished

he could be with Anson as the other man did his duty, but alas, they

had decided it would be best not to put Reed in that position. Things

were already volatile enough in the pack without making it seem that

Reed was making a bid for Daniel’s position.

Absently munching on his own sandwich, Reed kept track of his

mate through their connection. The first few meetings were quite

uneventful, and Reed even dared to sneak in a little sexual fantasy that

would distract Anson from his work. But then, something completely

surprising happened, and it shocked Reed to the core.

An older werewolf couple demanded to be seen by Anson.

“We’ve been watching you these past couple of weeks,” the man said

without preamble. “You need to stop this craziness. I don’t know

what you think you’re doing, but you’re bringing shame onto this

pack.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” Anson

replied.

“Oh, of course you do,” the woman replied. “Don’t play dumb.”

Reed already knew what the two spoke of. He’d noticed receiving

some long looks from members of the pack, oftentimes filled with

pity. It didn’t take a genius to figure out they thought exactly what

Reed’s dads had in the beginning.

Without missing a beat, the woman continued her rant. “You

seduced that poor child who doesn’t know any better. I’ve never had

anything against your sexual orientation, but this is madness.”

“Are you done?” Anson asked, his tone as cold as ice.

“No, we aren’t done by far,” the man said. “We trusted you, and

you—”

“My personal life is none of your business,” Anson cut the man

off. “I am here to deal with any concerns you may have, but those

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Scarlet Hyacinth

issues don’t extend to my mating. So if that’s everything you wanted,

you can show yourselves out.”

“You can’t be serious.” The woman gaped at Anson and turned

toward Daniel. “Will you just stand by and do nothing? I thought you

cared about this pack.”

“Are you insinuating that I don’t?” Daniel frowned at the duo. “I

am only going to say this once. This is a very difficult time for us, for

the pack as a whole. Both Soren and I have accepted the situation,

even if it implies a separation between us. He goes out there and

places himself in danger, and all for the good of this pack. Even

Derek might be in jeopardy in this expedition.” Daniel seemed to be

getting angrier with each word he spoke. “And throughout it all, what

do you do? You actively try to sabotage the man Soren put in charge

with your…I don’t even know what to call it. Stupidity? Prejudice?

Absurd behavior? I will have you know that Soren is well aware of

Anson and Reed’s mating and is happy for them. So this little show

you’re putting on has you in breach of pack law.”

“You can’t mean that,” the woman protested. “We are only

concerned for a fellow pack member. Besides, if it’s Reed today, God

only knows who will be next.”

Reed was astonished. Did they think Anson was some pedophile

now? Furious, he couldn’t contain himself anymore. He stalked to the

office and burst right in. “Last I checked,” he said, “I was in my

twenties and far from a kid. I can make my own decisions. Your

concern is useless.”

He went to his mate’s side in a silent gesture of support.

Meanwhile, Daniel calmly continued with his explanation. “Of

course, you can always come to your leaders if you have a problem or

are worried about something. But an accusation like this needs to be

sustained by more than just words. It’s easy to point fingers and throw

stones, but that’s not the way we do things here.”

The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf

53

“We all know Anson was still brooding over losing Liam for years

after Liam took a mate,” the man shot back. “I really don’t think him

suddenly figuring out Reed is his mate is a coincidence.”

“Oh, get over it already.” Reed threw his hands up. “It’s been

twenty years. That’s all water under the bridge. Besides, Sonny and

my dad have been friends all this time. I don’t get you people. Why

don’t you just mind your own business and leave the children of

others alone? Do you really think that if my dads are okay with it,

you’re justified to be here and raise hell?”

The two werewolves looked at each other, obviously placed in an

uncomfortable position. “Look,” Daniel said at last. “We have more

important things to worry about now. Give it some time, and once we

deal with the threat on the pack, if you still have concerns, you can

bring them to Soren.”

The couple didn’t look too happy about the prospect. “And then

what?”

“Well, what did you expect?” Anson arched a brow. “It isn’t like

Soren will just boot me out of the pack on your say so.”

At that, the couple found no reply. Daniel ushered them out with

far more gentleness than they deserved. As the squirrel led the two

older werewolves to the entrance, Anson hugged Reed tightly. “Jesus,

baby. How much longer will it take for them to accept that I have a

mate?”

“I don’t know, Sonny.” Reed kissed Anson’s chin. “I wish I did,

but this whole thing is just so…disappointing. They’ve known you for

years. How can they just judge you like that?”

“They’re seeking someone to take their tension out on,” Anson

replied, “and we’re a convenient target. If not for Soren’s absence and

the whole Tyrell thing, we’d have probably gone completely

unnoticed.”

That actually made sense, in a twisted sort of way, but it also kind

of pissed Reed off. In the end, whatever justification these people

might have, they shouldn’t be taking out their anger on Anson. At the

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Scarlet Hyacinth

same time, Reed knew the root cause of this all was Tyrell, and for

the millionth time, he wanted to go find the warlock and tear his

throat out.

“Uh, uh, uh.” Anson shook his head. “No throat tearing for you.

Soren spared us both having to face that danger, and we should be

grateful.”

And Reed was, indeed, very grateful to the Alpha. Just the few

minutes he’d thought Anson might join the second expedition to

attack Tyrell had been hellish. “You’re right. We should just ignore

these guys and focus on the tasks from Soren. That’s the best thing to

do.”

Just as Reed finished speaking, Daniel reentered the room. “Guys,

take a break today, all right? You’ve been swamped with

unreasonable stuff lately. Most issues should probably be dealt with

by now.”

Anson shook his head, just like Reed had known he would. “Soren

is relying on me.”

“Soren knows all about it.” Daniel tapped his forehead.

“Remember? Mate bond.”

Sometimes, Reed forgot that Soren knew everything Daniel did. It

was actually quite convenient, as that way, the Alpha had eyes and

ears in the pack even without being there.

“And Soren wants me to take a break?” Anson still sounded

doubtful.

“Please say yes,”
Reed sent to his mate. As irresponsible as it

might have seemed, he desperately needed a few hours in Anson’s

arms.

Thankfully, Anson grinned at Daniel. “Well, who am I to refuse

our dear Alpha?”

“Excellent. Now off with you. I’ll have Jace and Mel help me if

anyone has urgent problems.”

“Thanks, Daniel,” Anson replied. “And thank Soren for me. I

really appreciate this.”

The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf

55

“Don’t mention it.” Daniel laughed. “Now off with you. Shoo.

And have fun.”

By now, Reed was already dragging his mate out the door. This

reprieve was, for him, a godsend, and he couldn’t wait to have Anson

touch him, hold him, fuck him.

Anson grabbed Reed and draped him over his shoulder like a sack

of potatoes. “Those naughty thoughts will get you in trouble, baby,”

he said as he caressed the curve of Reed’s buttocks.

“I like your idea of trouble,” Reed replied. His cock was already

rock hard in anticipation of what would soon happen.

Chuckling, Anson carried Reed upstairs. Reed could only hope

that their shared room was far enough from the office, because

clearly, Anson intended to make him scream.

56

Scarlet Hyacinth

Paris stood in front of the gates that signaled the entrance of Soren

Wade’s pack lands. His heart hammered and his hands were sweating.

He half expected that any moment now someone would appear, intent

on harming him. Not only that, but he wasn’t certain as to what

reception he would receive. Whatever his mother said, Paris didn’t

think his real dad would be very pleased with them.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked her. “What if he has a family?

He’ll hate us for sure.”

“Don’t worry about that.” She waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve

distantly kept tabs on him, and he’s still single, even after all these

years.” She released a small laugh. “Perhaps he’s been brooding over

losing me.”

Paris highly doubted that. He loved his mother, but she had placed

him in a position no one should be in. Perhaps it wasn’t her fault. This

entire debacle had been brought about by circumstances, and truth be

told, without those troublesome events, Paris might not even exist.

But to Paris’s mind, his mother had handled it all badly, which was

why they’d ended up here in the first place, running for their lives.

“I still think we should have gone to the elder instead,” he told

her.

“Your father would have thought of that as well,” she answered.

“We’d have gotten caught.”

“He’s not my father,” Paris snapped at her with far more irritation

than he’d have liked. Shaking himself, he decided waiting here would

not bring them any closer to their goal. “Okay. Let’s go.”

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57

They walked to the gates, and Paris attempted to look more

confident than he felt. There were a lot of guards around, it seemed,

so it was unlikely that they would get attacked, at least by outside

forces. Of course, there was no telling if they’d actually find help here

or not.

Clearing his throat, Paris tried to get the attention of the guards.

He opened his mouth, but he didn’t even get the chance to speak.

Unsurprisingly, he and his mother had already been detected. “What

do you want?” one of the men inquired.

“We’re here to see the Alpha,” Paris’s mother replied. “Let us

pass.”

“The Alpha’s not here right now, and we’re not receiving any