Chapter Twenty-Nine
“And you’re a tiger?” Seth’s mom was asking Max as Dara carried a sleeping Skye through to the bedroom. By the time he had the baby settled and returned to the living room, Max was sitting, a mug of coffee in his hands. When no one was looking, he gave Dara a look of bewilderment, his eyebrows raised, his lips quirked upward in a smile. There was no Sybil-like person at the den. Eve, who ran their matchmaking business, was much more taskmaster than den mother. Sybil was in a league of her own. But maybe Max could do with some mother-henning.
Seth was pulled away to deal with some pack business so Dara showed Max around the Cove.
“It’s beautiful here,” Max said, as they walked along the cliffs and looked out at the ocean.
“It is.”
They climbed down to the beach and sat side by side on the sand, watching the waves.
“I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing here,” Max remarked, drawing lines in the sand with his fingers.
“Getting a change of scenery, breathing in the sea air, remembering who you were before Red Fang decided to mess with our lives.”
“I remember who I am, Dara.”
“But-” Dara shut his mouth. It wasn’t the right thing to say or the right time to say it.
“But what?”
“Nothing.”
“Dara.”
He sighed, took a deep breath, and came out with it.
“You don’t act like you. You don’t spend time with us like you used to. There are times I can tell you’re angry but you never let it out, you just bottle it all in. We haven’t gone for a run together, in human or animal form, since you got back. You’ve changed.”
“What about you? The last time we spoke -really talked, heart to heart- you had no intention of looking for a mate or leaving River Den or having kids. I blink and you’ve suddenly done all three.”
Dara sagged against the sand. “I didn’t plan it this way. It just happened.”
“Babies don’t just happen. And not with god-awful bastards like Zane. Seth, I can understand, he’s a good guy. But having a baby with Zane?”
White-hot anger spilled through Dara at his brother’s words and he clambered to his feet, his hands curling into fists.
“Do you think I wanted that?”
Max leaned back in the face of his anger. “No, of course not. I know you didn’t-”
But now that it had come to the surface, Dara couldn’t shove it back down.
“He was going to kill you. Was I just supposed to let him?”
Max got to his feet too, staring at him in confusion.
“No, of course not. I’m just trying to understand.”
“You know this. He wanted to bond with me. I couldn’t, but I had to keep stringing him along to keep you safe. How do you think I ended up pregnant with Skye? Do you think it’s easy, having that bastard’s kid and trying to pretend that I’m okay with it?”
The anger turned to tears, which he wiped from his face, turning away from his brother. Hands on his shoulders turned him back around and he was engulfed in a hug.
“I’m sorry,” Max murmured.
“It’s not fair,” Dara said between sobs, “what Zane did to us. What he made us do.”
Max hugged him tighter. “No, you’re right. It wasn’t. But we’re stronger than he is. And we have each other, and our brothers, and our pack. And you have Seth.”
Max drew him back down to sit on the sand, holding Dara’s hands in his.
“Skye… Skye is beautiful. He’s your son. Seth is mad about him, everyone can see that. Let Seth give you both what Zane would never have.”
“And what’s that?”
“A family of your very own; you, Seth, Skye, those little ones kicking up a storm in your belly.”
“What about you? I don’t want you to think I’ve moved on. You’re my brother.”
“I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere. And I’ll always be your brother. River Den will always be your first home but not your only home. Part of growing up is spreading your wings, finding your own place. You’re doing that, and it’s pretty awesome.”
“What about you?”
“If Seth can make good on his promises, I’ll be creating a den of our own one day, just like we’d planned.”
Max’s words were bittersweet for him to hear. Creating a new den has been their plan, an idea they’d worked on together. But now…
“I know you’re going to have a lot on your plate,” Max continued, “but I’d still really like your help when the time comes, if you’re interested.”
Dara felt himself brighten at Max’s words. “I’d like that. I’m still me. There’s so much I want to do.”
“And Seth, how will he feel?”
Dara thought back to how Seth had reacted to his announcement that he wasn’t coming home. He’d be shocked, yes, but supportive.
“He loves me. And I love him. The rest is just details.”
Max laughed and Dara wiped the last of the tears from his face. “That’s exactly how it should be.”
By the time a week had passed, Seth knew that they’d made the right decision inviting Max to the Cove. Having him there seemed to take a weight off Dara’s shoulders. The two talked a lot, going for walks and runs while Seth was busy with the nitty-gritty of managing a pack. He’d asked Dara what they talked about and it seemed to be everything from their childhood, to their plans for expanding the dens, to whatever came to mind. He knew they talked about Zane and the Red Fangs too because sometimes Dara would be very quiet after spending time with Max. Seth made sure his mate knew he was there if he wanted to talk but mostly showed his support through long cuddles, hours lazing by the fire, quality time spent with Dara and Skye, and involving Dara in important pack decisions.
A quiet sob woke him one night. On autopilot, he sat up, looking to Skye’s crib. The moonlight illuminated the sleeping baby as a second sob came from Dara who lay next to him, lying on his side, his back to Seth.
Seth leaned over, resting a hand on his mate’s shoulder. “Hey, beautiful. Are you awake?”
Dara heaved a sigh and rolled toward him. Seth gathered him into his arms and Dara pressed his face to Seth’s shoulder.
He didn’t speak again, just held Dara until the omega calmed and lifted his head.
“Bad dream,” Dara mumbled, heaving another sigh.
“I’ve got you,” Seth replied, carding a hand through Dara’s hair until he settled back against him. “And it’ll get better.”
“Yeah,” Dara agreed, cuddling against him. “It will.”
And it did. As the days and weeks passed, Dara smiled more and worried less. The biggest change wasn’t that he stopped talking about Zane. If anything, he talked about what had happened more. But it was how he talked about it. He didn’t talk about being a coward, or about what he should have done, or about it being his fault. He spoke about the ways he’d coped with being all alone at the lighthouse and his hours spent staring out at the sea. How he’d talked and sang to his growing baby bump, telling Skye all about his family and home. How he’d never given up hope.
“Brave and beautiful,” Seth would say. At first, Dara would shake his head or protest. Now he just smiled.