BAYNE
I watched Brett from across the room, feeling his nervousness through our link. He was on the phone with his parents, and from his demeanor I guessed he was having a hard time convincing them not to come to Montana. "Kurt, can you do anything to keep his family from coming here?" I glanced over at my alpha, hoping he understood Brett's need for them to stay away.
"I'll talk to Pete, but there's no telling if he'll help. I've only heard about him, we've never met. He's a different kind of man from what I hear. Power hungry. I don't agree with how he runs things." Kurt rubbed his fingers over his jaw.
"Yeah, Brett mentioned he takes the single women at will. Using your authority for sex is still rape." I bit my lip, trying to keep from going over to Brett and offering my support. This was something he needed to do on his own but staying even across the room when I could feel his emotions was hard.
Cohen laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day you looked like you weren't in control."
I glared at him. "Don't start. This shit is overwhelming. I've never felt anything like it. It's fucking with my mind."
Kurt gripped my shoulder. "You haven't seen anything yet. Just wait until the bond fully kicks in."
I shook my head. "I don't know how you do it. I'm ready to lock him away to keep him safe."
"If it helps, he's feeling the same way." Kurt smiled. "You'll both get used to it. In time, you'll learn to deal and figure out what works best for the two of you to control it."
Cohen reached for a bottle of water on the desk beside him. "The first few days are the worst. No one can prepare you for the feeling. It's like suddenly someone else's life is more important than your own, but you're not able to do anything to make sure they're always safe. Have you two had a chance to talk about it yet?"
I ran my fingers over my beard. "Yeah, we aren't going to fight it. We'll complete the bonding tonight."
"Well, that's unexpected. I'm excited to hear that. I thought it might take some time considering everything going on." Cohen glanced over at Brett. "He's handling this better than he was yesterday."
"The bond helps, I think. He knows he's not alone. His problem is he feels like he's baggage and going to make me live half a life. I'm trying to convince him that's not how I see things, but I think the shock of being blind is too fresh for him to think of it any other way. Once he learns and adapts to not being able to see, then it will be easier. We both agree that denying the mating bond would kill us both. There's no denying what we feel. It's easier to face it and figure out what it means for us than to fight and struggle to stay apart." I took a deep breath. "It's so strange loving someone I don't even know. He is everything to me, yet I don't even know his fucking last name. I've lived my life hearing about the mating bond and how intense it is, but I never imagined this."
Kurt nodded. "Now you know why I like to have Josh with me all the time. I hate being apart. It's physically painful to be more than a few rooms away. Even with the bond I share with all of you as alpha, that pales in comparison to what the mating bond feels like."
I shook my head. "I don't know how the two of you waited to do the ceremony for so long. I don't think I'd survive."
"There were times I didn't think I would either," Cohen admitted. "I'm glad you are doing it quickly. Have you discussed if he'll stay here or you'll go to his pack?"
"We haven't talked about a lot, but he mentioned he'd stay here. If what I hear about Pete is true, I'd never last in a pack like that. I think Brett will be happy here. Bridger was trying to talk him into moving here." I glanced over at Brett again as he hung up the phone. I didn't wait for him to look for me. I went to him, pausing close by his side. "Hey, I'm here. You okay?"
"Did you hear all that?" He turned to face me.
"No, I was across the room until you hung up, but I could feel your stress." I touched his arm and he stepped closer, pulling me into his arms.
"My mom is upset obviously. She wants to be here to help me, but I told her I'd found my mate and you were helping me. I think that upset her even more." He rested his head on my shoulder. "I think she knows I'm not going back there."
I kissed his temple, right over the white gauze that was wrapped around his head. "We'll talk to your family, see if they want to come here. They'd be welcome." I was relieved to hear Brett mention again that he wanted to stay in Montana.
"I mentioned that, but I told them I needed time to get used to being with my mate. I downplayed the blindness so she wouldn't worry, at least downplayed it the best you can when it's blindness. I guess it's better to say I didn't let on how scared I am because of it." Brett pulled back, putting a few inches between us. "My alpha is mad and swearing vengeance on whoever did this."
I nodded, not surprised by his alpha's reaction. "We'll let Kurt handle Pete. You've got enough to deal with." I caressed his chin with my knuckles. "You ready to talk to Kurt and Cohen?"
"Yeah, might as well. What about Bridger's family?"
"They're here. Kurt's mate is with them. They are waiting to talk to you as well, but Kurt wanted to talk to you first."
Brett nodded. "I don't know how I can help, but I'll answer what I can."
I linked my fingers with him and led him across the room to where Cohen and Kurt were still waiting. Once I made sure Brett found his chair, I sat down beside him.
"How are you feeling, Brett?" Cohen asked.
"Better than I was. Shifting helped a lot. I'm still freaked out over my eyes, but I guess it's just something I'll have to get used to. Can you do anything like secure my eyelids shut so it won't freak people out to look at me?" Brett still held my hand tightly in his.
"Let's wait on that. I have a friend who deals with eye injuries. He's a wolf and is willing to come and see what he can do. They have prosthetic eyes if we need to go that route, but he was actually talking some other ideas, but he needs to examine your eyes first to see what the full extent of the damage is." Cohen turned and reached for something behind him. "Until then, I thought this might be more comfortable than the gauze wrap. It's eye patches. They should stay in place better for you and won't draw as much attention from a distance." Cohen handed them to me. "I'm giving them to Bayne. He can help you put them on once we're done if you want."
"Thank you." Brett smiled. "I'm sorry I've caused all this work for you."
Kurt frowned. "You haven't done anything. I'm sorry you were attacked on our land. That should never have happened. We are the ones who should be apologizing."
"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known." Brett sighed.
"And neither could you. So, for right now, how about we stop with the blaming and apologizing," Cohen said. "Let's find who did this and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."
"Cohen's right. We need to focus on finding who did this. We can't change the past, but we can make them pay for what they did. You lost your sight, and one of my wolves is dead because of whoever did this. We need to find out who it was. Have you remembered anything that might help us?" Kurt asked.
"No, nothing. It's all blank until I woke up alone and hurt. I remember the pain in my leg, then nothing. I don't know how long I laid there before I heard the bears. It could have been hours or days. Like I said, I am guessing I faded in and out of consciousness." Brett's grip on my hand tightened.
"Neither of you had enemies?" Cohen asked.
"There were some girls that were put off because Bridger wasn't interested, but they wouldn't have a way of knowing we were wolves or that we were going to be out running that day. As far as I know, he hadn't talked to those girls in a while. We made sure we were well into the woods before we shifted and that there was no one around to see us. We did everything by the rules. We were cautious. Safety and the protection of our kind was ingrained in us growing up, just like it is with all wolves." Brett sighed. "I wish I could help, but there is nothing I can think of."
"You have no enemies?" Kurt asked.
"No, seriously no one. The sibling rivalry with my sister is about as problematic as my life gets. I like it simple and calm. I've tried to think of anyone that would be upset with either Bridger or me, but there is no one. I even thought about the students I teach, but I get along with all of them. I don't have a clue who would do this." Brett reached up and touched the bandage over his eyes. "This takes real hate. What they did to Bridger takes hate. We weren't the type of people to make someone that mad at us."
"What have you found at the site?" I asked.
Kurt sighed. "Not much. There is a strong scent of humans. Two of them. We think they were who did this. Their scent is all over the scene. We managed to track it back to a small dirt road. It seems they were parked there. We followed the scent of the vehicle to the main highway, but there we lost track of it. Smells like two men, but we can't be one-hundred percent sure. We have footprints, typical hiking boots, tire treads give us no leads unless we find the vehicle. It's a common brand that many trucks in the area would use."
"Can I go to the site? Maybe a smell will help me remember something." Brett asked.
Kurt glanced at Cohen, who glanced at me.
"I can get you there. Might be a good chance for your wolf to try and navigate the blindness. We'll take it slow and work together." I was happy Brett wanted to go. It meant his suicidal thinking wasn't front and center any longer, but I would still keep an eye on him.
"Thanks." Brett brushed his thumb over my hand.
"You up to talking to Bridger's family?" Kurt asked softly.
Brett nodded. "Yeah. They'll hate me, but I need to talk to them. It's the right thing to do."
My heart ached for the blame he was putting on himself. "It wasn't your fault."
"I know, but maybe if I'd been paying more attention—"
"That's pack land. You shouldn't have had to worry about it," Kurt told him.
"Doesn't mean we should take our safety for granted." Brett stood. "Will you take me to them?"
I stood beside him. "Sure. I'll leave you to talk to them, but as soon as you're ready, I'll be right here waiting for you." I pressed my hand to his back as I led him out of the room and into the one next door where Bridger's family was.
His family sat on a small couch, his mother clinging to her husband's hand as Bridger's younger brother and sister sat on either side of them.
"I'm so sorry for your loss." I stopped in front of them, my hand wrapping around Brett's waist.
"Thank you." Bridger's father, Darren, stood, coming over to stand before us. "Brett, I'm so sorry." He gently touched Brett's shoulder before drawing him in for a hug.
I stepped back, giving them room. When Darren released Brett, I softly said, "I'll be in the other room. Call me if you need me." I kissed his cheek before giving a soft nod to the family and leaving Brett to talk to them.
I tried to ignore the pull to go back and stay with him, wondering how I would ever get used to the bond between us. Even being a room apart was hard. It was as if I needed to be touching him to ease my soul.
"You have that look." Kurt grinned as I sat back down.
"What look?" I grumbled, not in the mood for teasing.
"The one that says if anyone touches him you'll tear them apart." Cohen laughed. "It gets easier, I promise. Once you complete the bonding, the trust settles in and you're more secure in the knowledge that you two belong together. I'm not saying the feeling goes away, but it fades. I still struggle to let Stephen leave for work every morning."
"Seriously, this is going to drive me insane."
"Is he still suicidal?" Cohen asked.
"I think it's still a thought. It's only our bond that is stopping him. He hasn't mentioned it really, but our bond gives him something to hold onto. He knows he won't be alone to confront whatever is coming. I'll be there with him to face the future." I ran my hands over my jeans. "I don't know how to help him. I've never dealt with blindness. How do I do this?"
Kurt sighed. "I don't know. I can't imagine not being able to see. It would make everything so hard. All I can suggest is let him learn what works for him. Find ways to do it. Take it slow, and in time, things will become second nature."
Cohen nodded. "Don't give up. I don't want to give you too much hope, but this doctor I have coming to visit, he has a few ideas that might possibly help, but until he examines Brett, he won't know if they are possible."
"It's not like he'll get his sight back. His eyes are gone. Honestly, what can this man do other than stick some glass eyes in to make it not so gruesome to look at?" I stood, feeling a wave of sadness from my mate. I sent him back a wave of support and love, hoping he could feel it the same way I felt him. "How do I do this, you guys? I'm not mate material. I have no idea how to love someone."
Kurt laughed. "You don't think we felt the same way?"
"You two at least dated, had relationships here and there. I fuck and walk out the door. I don't do serious. I don't do romance. Now, suddenly I have a mate and I want all that shit I never wanted before, but I don't have the first clue on how to be what he needs, what he deserves."
"It will just fall into place. You two are perfectly matched, even if you don't see it yet. I wondered what the hell I was doing more than once, but I've never had to worry about it. Things just work. The two of you will figure it out. Don't worry. He is your perfect match. Your other half. Everything you thought you knew about yourself is about to change and you'll see how much stronger a person you are with him by your side." Cohen stood, coming over to grip my shoulder. "Trust your mate to show you what he needs from you. It's not as overwhelming as it seems right now. It's new. Once you complete the mating, then you'll be able to feel him better, understand him and his emotions. He'll feel yours. It's as if you are honestly two parts of a whole, making you both stronger."
"And, when he's ready, if he decides it's what he wants to do, he's welcome to join the pack. I'd be proud to have him with us. His family too, if they decide that's what they want." Kurt smiled.
I nodded at my two best friends, hoping they were right. No matter what, I wasn't going to deny the mating bond. I never thought I'd find my mate, and now that I had, blind or not, I was going to hold on to him and never let him go. I just hoped he felt the same way about me.