Ox shrugged. “We did. But he made me mad, so now we’re even. I feel better.” His smile widened. “All right there, Carter? Do you need a moment?”
“Fuck… you,” I wheezed.
“Bitchy Alpha,” Kelly muttered. “I don’t know why more people can’t see it.”
They were all out of their minds. That was the only explanation. “You can’t just say that!”
“And yet I did,” Ox said. “Funny how that works. Circle. Remember how time is a circle that we’re stuck in? Abel couldn’t see it. Thomas, for all that he was, underestimated it. We have allowed ourselves to spin out of control trying to survive. It’s time that we take matters into our own hands.”
“And that involves me and….” I couldn’t finish.
He was amused. “What did you think would happen? What was the point of the last year? You found him. You, Carter, all on your own. And while I may not be happy how you went about it, I couldn’t be prouder of you for what you’ve done because I understand the lengths you went to, what you did in the face of the impossible. And I think Gavin knows that. He’s very lucky to have someone such as you.”
I sighed as I heard the familiar grind of bone and muscle, the tearing of clothes. The hand fell away from the back of my shirt as a timber wolf rose behind me. I turned around to see him backing away slowly, his tail between his legs. He made a soft sound as he curled in on himself, trying to make himself small. It was ridiculous, of course, given his size and the fact that there was nowhere for him to hide.
Before I could go to him, my mother was there. She took his face in her hands, running her fingers along his snout. “You can be however you want,” she told him. “If it’s easier to be a wolf, then that’s okay. I just hope you don’t stay that way forever. I like the sound of your voice. Don’t forget that.” His tongue flicked out against her palm, and she laughed. “Yes. It’s been a very strange day. I find that when things feel overwhelming, I need to be away for a little while. To hear nothing but the sound of my heart and the breath in my chest. Would you come with me? I’d like to show you something.”
He glanced at me before following her out of the office. I wanted to go after them. I stayed where I was.
“Not cool, Ox,” I snapped when they were gone. “You can’t just say shit like that. You don’t know what he’s been through. This is hard enough as it is.”
“Would you have me lie?” Ox asked. He wasn’t angry, merely curious.
“No. But I expect you to have some fucking tact.”
“You’re in the wrong place for that,” Mark said. “And we don’t have time to sugarcoat anything.”
“He’s here,” Joe said, sitting forward, his arms on the desk. “In my head. I can feel him. But it’s not like it was before. He’s being pulled in too many directions. His father has a hold over him.”
I glared at him. “And you thought dropping that in our lap would make it better?”
“No,” Joe said. “But I have to be blunt. He wants to be here, Carter. He wants to be with us. With you. You have to know that. He’s pack, but it’s tenuous. He needs something to hold him in place. Something to anchor him. It doesn’t help that he’s still an Omega.”
Kelly looked at me pointedly. I knew what he was thinking.
“Thump, thump, thump,” I muttered.
“What was that?” Ox asked.
“He’s… shit.” I looked down at my hands. “He says I’m his tether.”
Gordo laughed. It startled me, given how big and loud it was, something I hadn’t ever heard from him before. Even Mark looked surprised. Gordo sat back in his chair, arms wrapped around his stomach, and he laughed.
“Something you’d like to share with the rest of us?” Mark asked, smiling as if hearing his mate like this was conta
gious.
Gordo wiped his eyes, still chuckling. “It’s just… my father. No matter how hard he tries, no matter how much he hates wolves and Bennetts, it’s his own children who betray him the most. Me with Mark. Gavin with you. God, that must just piss him the fuck off.” His grin was more wolf than man. “I hope it does. I hope it just tears at him.”
“Did he really say that?” Ox asked. “You’re his tether?”
“He did,” Kelly said. “When we were driving back. I didn’t think he understood what it meant—the significance of it—given how easily he said it. But I don’t know if that’s quite right. It’s just that easy for him. He’s been a wolf for so long that he doesn’t need the complexities or nuances of being human. He’s running on instinct. And that instinct is pointing him toward Carter.”
“He needs you, Carter,” Joe said. “And I think you need him just as much. I know it’s not what you expected—”
“I don’t care about that.” My heart remained steady.
“Good. Because he needs to have that tether holding him in place. To keep him from feeling the pull from his father. A mate bond is just as strong as the bonds with a pack. Maybe even stronger. It’s why Chris and Tanner decided to do what they did.” He smiled quietly. “Didn’t see that coming, but it makes sense for them. It’s also why Kelly could get through to Robbie, even when all his memories were stripped away.”