Beau’s fingers rapped out an angry tattoo on his leg as he waited for his Father to pick up his damn phone. Liam was curled up beside him, freshly showered, fed and now sleeping. Beau was torn between giving his mate some peace and not wanting him out of his sight. The possessive side of his nature won. On the way back to the beach; thank the Fates, one of Noah’s friends lived near to where Liam had been held, Liam explained all he’d heard. Noah agreed confrontation with his father was the only answer.
“I see you’ve come to your senses. What’s the matter? Did your surfer boy run out on you?”
“You know exactly what happened to Liam. You fucking hired the hunters to take him. Did you think I wouldn’t find out about it?” Beau tried to keep his voice low as Liam twitched in his sleep.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about and even if I did, you can’t allow trash like that to run around claiming to be your mate. I’ve ordered a helicopter to pick you up first thing in the morning to take you to a private facility I’ve arranged. One quick operation and we’ll have you back to your own self in no time. Then we can start finding you some suitable female mates who’ll carry your offspring for you.”
Beau gave up being quiet. “You listen to me and you listen good. Just because your own true mate ran out on you, does not give you the right to interfere with mine. Liam is my true mate. I’m having our child. You will stop this nonsense or I’ll…I’ll….”
“You’ll what?” His father’s sneer was evident in his tone. “You need to step up and be the heir I sired. That means no wallowing around with a fat belly and thick ankles. It means taking mates suitable to your station and living the way the Fates intended.”
“I have the full support of the Fates regarding my mating; more than you know,” Beau snapped. “And as for what I’ll do to you if Liam’s harmed again, that’s simple. You see, Father, whether you realize it or not, times have changed. If you make one more move against my mate, or threaten my child just one more time, I will personally ensure that every major publication, television outlet and internet news station gets the in-depth story of the great man behind Ferris Industries. How he had a male mate and drove him away. How he tries to pass off two women as Fated mates when they’re only bonded and has affairs on the side which everyone turns a blind eye to. How he hired human hunters, the scum of the earth, to kidnap his son’s true mate and made arrangements to kill his first grandchild before it’s even born.”
“There won’t be anywhere you can go where people won’t know. Your investors will shun you, your stock will plummet. You’ll be lucky if your wives don’t leave you and don’t think I won’t tell them the truth because I will. This is your very last warning. You harm one hair on my mate’s head, or interfere with my pregnancy in any way and you will spend the rest of your miserable existence in exile. Shamed by our kind, shunned by humans, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a visit from the paranormal council as well. And if for some reason, I can’t do this, I have Noah’s word he will. If anything happens to me, Liam, or the baby, your face will be plastered on every news outlet from here to freaking Peking.”
There was a long silence and Beau checked his phone to ensure the call was still active. Finally, his father said, “You have no idea what I went through before I met your mothers. You’ve no idea the sacrifices I’ve made to ensure you had a place in society and a name to be proud of.”
“I don’t care, Father.” Beau’s blood boiled at his father’s attempts at justification. “The fact still remains that among paranormals and humans alike one truth holds strong. True mates are sacred; their bonds regardless of species are sacrosanct. True mate bonds are more important than pride, pack or family. It’s a criminal offence under paranormal council laws for any person to interfere in a true mating for any reason. And as for what you’ve sacrificed? Tell me, father, does your money and reputation keep you warm at night or do you fall asleep with the name of your dead lover on your lips?”
His father’s gasp let him know he’d hit the nail right on the head. “You might not have been strong enough to hold onto your mate, Father, and now you have to live with the knowledge that because of you, he’s dead. Not by your hand maybe, but without your mark, he didn’t have a hope of the longevity you could offer him. You made your choices and you have to live with the consequences. Do not presume you’ve got a right to interfere in mine.”
Another long silence and then his father said just one word. “Understood,” and the phone went dead. Beau stared at the phone, his body trembling under the weight of his emotions. A part of him wanted to call his father back; ask him to explain what did happen with the man he lost so long ago. What must his father have gone through, losing or giving up his mate that way? Beau couldn’t bear to think of life without Liam now he’d met him.
But another part of him still carried the anger. It seemed every time he turned around his poor mate’s body was battered and bloodied and so far, he’d been useless to stop it. Being pregnant wasn’t going to help him keep his vow of holding Liam safe. For now, he knew he had no choice but to continue living with Ra and his band of merry men once their vacation was over. At least they cared for Liam and until he was convinced his father had stopped his meddling ways, they would both need all the help they could get.
“Hey, at least I didn’t die this time.” Liam’s voice, full of sleep, pulled him from his thoughts. Beau turned and met a face full of concern. “You okay?”
“I will be, babe. Now you’re back in my arms, I will be,” Beau said, chucking his phone on the bedside table. Snuggling down, he pulled Liam into his arms as he rested his head on the pillows. His hand automatically gravitated to Liam’s soft hair, and he gently tugged his fingers through it as he tried to calm his erratic emotions.
“No matter how angry you are, and lord knows you’ve got every right to be, remember you’re the one holding your true mate in your arms and creating a new life in that belly of yours,” Liam said softly. “Your father will never have what we have right here and while that might’ve been his fault, he’s got an eternity to wish he’d done things differently. The root of intense anger always stems from pain. He’s hurting really bad and has done for a long, long time.”
“I thought you were sleeping.” Beau looked down at his young mate. “And when did you get so wise?”
“It’s a gift,” Liam smiled as he snuggled closer. “Now shut your brain off and get some sleep. We’ve still got just over a week of vacation to enjoy.”
And for once, Beau did as he was told.