While Bobby slept, Darren spent the next three hours explaining everything he hadn’t been able to put in the letters he’d sent to his parents over the years. He noticed the change in body language between the pair that had once been mated in name only, and even though they’d yet to have the heir that had been the reason for the arrangement, Darren found himself wondering if that, too, had changed.

Christopher had scarcely said a word the entire time Darren was speaking, other than to ask the odd question here and there, but whenever Samantha would get upset, he’d put a hand on her shoulder or stroke her back. The touch seemed to calm her down, even though every mention of Greg’s name worked her right back up.

He had once pitied his mother for committing herself to an arranged mating where she was guaranteed to be some Alpha’s trophy wife for the rest of her life, but now, it was clear he was the one who’d made the poor bargain. There was no doubt in his mind as he sat across from them that Christopher loved her. Maybe it had always been there, and he’d simply been too self-centered and nearsighted to see it before.

“It’s not right. He should be in jail after what he did to you,” Samantha seethed once Darren was finished explaining himself. It all sounded so much more pathetic when he told the story out loud. She already knew the beginning and Darren was sure that she’d told Christopher. He was glad she’d had him to confide in when her son had shamed them both by betraying his rightful mate, the Alpha who would have made an honest man out of him and cared for him for the rest of their days, and ran off with the Alpha who’d knocked him up. A man who couldn’t be bothered to sober up for his own son’s birth, and who outright refused to ever place his mark on Darren.

Not that Darren wanted it. The idea of letting Zander mark him had been terrifying enough, after what he’d seen his mother go through. Sometimes, he wondered if that was part of the reason he’d done what he’d done. He’d blamed it on the alcohol and his heat then, but now, he wasn’t sure if those were just excuses. If he’d done it because he couldn’t bear to go back on the request he’d made of Zander in a moment of passion and trust. Because he knew he would end up disappointing him, hurting him, and he wanted to push him away before the mark, before they made a commitment that would make the inevitable fallout unbearable for them both.

“If I go to the police, they’ll have to file a report, and then he’ll know where I am,” said Darren. He’d already planned out what he was going to say to keep his mother from going off the deep end. That was one benefit of the long drive. “He has rights, and it’s just my word against his. He’s got friends in the Federation. Friends everywhere,” he murmured. “One’s a lawyer, and he’ll try to take Bobby if I press any charges against him.”

“He can’t get away with this, Darren,” Christopher said firmly. “Greg isn’t the only one with connections. You have people who love you. People who will fight for you and Bobby.”

“It’s not enough.” His voice cracked again. “Please. I’m so tired, and I can’t deal with everything that’s going to happen if he comes here right now.”

“If he comes within a hundred miles of this pack, he’s a dead man,” Samantha said in an icy tone. “Dustin and the others will see to that.”

Darren swallowed hard. He felt guilty already for what he was about to do. He hadn’t wanted to go there, but she was giving him no choice. “I don’t want to have to leave, but I will. If you make me go to the police, I won’t have a choice.”

The hurt on his mother’s face was another dagger in his heart, but it was the only way he could protect them all. Dustin was already putting his neck on the line by letting him stay. The last thing Darren wanted was to have a drunk Alpha and his thirty closest friends show up, starting a war now that he was back in town.

“Please, mom.”

She pursed her lips and Christopher put an arm around her shoulder. She finally nodded. “Alright. I won’t say anything for now.”

That was all he could ask her.

“You should try to get some rest,” Christopher said gently. “Your old room’s still just the way it was when you left it.”

Darren’s heart ached. He shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was still touched. “Thank you. Both of you. I know I can’t ever make up for what I’ve done, and words aren’t enough to say I’m sorry, but --”

“There’s no need for that now,” Samantha said, standing to embrace him one more time. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

Darren hugged her tightly and he never wanted to let go. There had been a time when he’d held her and his heart had broken because she was skin and bones, too stricken with physical and emotional pain over the separation from her mate to have an appetite or the energy to eat the food her son had brought her. Now, she had filled out and had a healthy glow to her face that made her look even younger than she had when he’d left. She wasn’t just physically stronger, either. He could sense the change in her spirit, and he knew it had to do with the Alpha waiting patiently to the side. Now Darren was the one who felt fragile in her arms.

God, he’d missed this place. He’d missed them both more than he’d ever realized.

“Sleep,” she said, teary eyed again as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. “We’ll be here if Bobby wakes up before you do.”

“Thank you,” he said, heading up the stairs.

Christopher hadn’t been exaggerating about leaving his old room the way he’d left it. It was practically a shrine.

Dustin fell into bed face-first, too exhausted to even bother changing out of his clothes. For the first time in years, he slept like the dead.