Chapter Seventeen
Michael couldn’t keep his gaze on one thing as they stepped into Briar House. There was so much to see, so much to take in, so many people. Drew hurried them through the corridors.
“We have a room set aside for you, next to mine,” he said, glancing at Michael over his shoulder. “It’s just temporary, we can move you somewhere else later. Right now, we’ll just get you settled in.”
“This place is big,” he murmured, glancing up yet another staircase.
“It takes some getting used to,” Drew agreed. “I’m still finding my way around.”
“Are you hungry?” Griffin asked. “We’re near the kitchen.”
“No,” Michael admitted. “Just tired.”
“Then sleep it is,” Drew said. “Things will seem clearer once you’ve had some rest.”
“What about Ryan and Eliot?”
There was a heavy silence before Griffin spoke.
“Like I said before, we have someone watching the pack and keeping an eye on them. We’ll talk more about it later.”
Michael wanted to ask the question but he was too afraid of the answer. Max was at his back, the alpha’s constant presence reassuring as Griffin showed him into a bedroom.
“Get some rest. Andrew’s room is just next door. I’ll show Max to a guest room.”
But Michael wasn’t quite ready to be parted from the alpha.
“Max? Can you stay until I fall asleep.”
“No problem,” the alpha said, grabbing a chair near the door and moving it closer to the bed. “I’ll be right here.”
“One of us can stay,” Griffin offered. “You two have been on the road for days. You need rest.”
“It’s fine,” Max said. “I won’t rest easy until I know he is.”
Griffin nodded. “I understand.”
Drew looked less understanding but Michael suspected that was a territorial alpha thing. Or maybe a protective brother thing.
Settling down on the bed, under the blanket, he rolled onto his side, keeping his gaze on Max.
“Close your eyes,” the alpha urged. “I’ll be right here.”
“I don’t want to have another nightmare,” he said.
“You won’t,” the alpha replied. “You’ll dream of holding Ryan and Eliot in your arms.”
He smiled at the image, letting his eyes slip closed.
Max was still there when he woke again, the alpha in his bear form on the floor between Michael’s bed and the door, his eyes closed, his flank moving rhythmically with each breath. When Michael sat up, his eyes opened.
The omega yawned and glanced to the window. He could see sunlight peeking through under the curtains.
“You stayed all night?”
He looked back to see Max changing form.
“You needed to rest,” the alpha told him as the change completed.
Michael stretched his arms over his head. “And you didn’t?”
“I slept.”
“On the floor.”
“It’s all the same to me.”
There was a knock on the door a moment later.
“Drew,” Max supplied, scenting quickly.
“Come in,” Michael called, moving to sit on the side of the bed.
“Breakfast?” the alpha offered.
“I could eat,” Michael answered slowly. “Max?”
“Food sounds good.”
“Do you want to wash up first? Or after?”
Michael looked down at himself and decided the emptiness in his stomach took preference over his disheveled state.
“After?”
Drew grinned. “Spoken like a true shifter. Griffin has breakfast laid out for us in his rooms.”
He glanced at Max but didn’t say anything. The other alpha seemed to understand.
“Maybe you’d like some time to catch up with your brothers?” Max suggested, watching him carefully.
Michael glanced down at his feet, taking some time to think. It was easier in the light of day, having had a night’s sleep.
“Yeah,” he said. “I guess that’d be good.”
Drew didn’t put any pressure on him, waiting a moment before he spoke.
“Okay, then we can show Max to the guest kitchen on the way. There’s bedrooms and bathrooms in the guest wing so you can get some more rest if you want or take your time washing up.”
“Thanks,” Max said.
There was still some tension there, unspoken, unacknowledged.
In daylight, the house still looked huge but Michael could see a lot of variation in the decor. He asked Drew about it.
“Everyone has their own take on interior design, their own tastes. There’s enough space to let them express it.”
“And everyone in the pack lives here?”
“Not everyone. There are cottages on the grounds. Two of those are occupied by families. The others are empty, for now.”
Drew made a phone call while they walked, and they were met by Mark at the bottom of a staircase.
“I’ll show Max the guest wing,” the beta said, “and you can catch up later.” He went to walk away.
Max looked to Michael, not moving.
“See you later,” Michael told him. “And thanks, for last night.”
“Don’t mention it,” Max said, turning to Mark. “Lead the way. I hope your kitchen’s well stocked.”
Mark’s laughter followed them down the corridor.
Left alone with Drew, Michael felt an odd sense of awkwardness.
“Which way,” he asked, casting about for something to say.
Drew just gestured them onward.
There was so much Michael wanted to say. So much he wanted to ask. It was clear his twin had been through a lot, the scars on his neck made that clear.
“Griffin’s mated,” Drew said over his shoulder. “I don’t know if anyone told you last night. To that tall alpha, Beau. He’s a bear too.”
Michael slowed to a stop. “They’re bonded?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Do they have…” The word kids stuck in his throat, the idea too raw.
“A little boy, Aidan. He’s thirteen months.” Drew looked like he was about to say more but stopped himself.
“Will they be there, at breakfast?”
He wasn’t sure he was ready for that.
“Griffin would like you to meet them. But I think the plan for breakfast is just the three of us.”
He didn’t quite sigh with relief, but it was a close thing.
“How about you? Do you have… a mate?”
Michael could see the tension his question caused in his brother and immediately regretted asking it.
“No,” Drew said shortly. “I haven’t had that kind of life.”
His hand went to his scars. Not the prominent ones, on the front of his neck, but the more decorative ones on the nape. They did that to fighters, to stop them bonding.
“I’m sorry,” Michael said softly as they continued up a flight of stairs.
“Don’t be. We all have hard roads to walk, Michael. You most of all.”
Drew stared resolutely ahead and Michael was almost glad, unsure what he’d see on the alpha’s face. From everything he’d seen so far, he wasn’t sure his life had been that much more difficult than Drew’s. Unless his brother meant the road to come. The hard truth he was trying not to think about because he knew it would break him.
“Here we are, these are Griffin and Beau’s rooms.”
Drew pushed a door open and waved Michael through. The decor was understated, elegant, and maybe a little rustic. It didn’t remind him of the Griffin of his childhood. He was starting to realize he was going to have to get to know his brothers all over again.
A door opened, and Griffin stepped out into the corridor.
“Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Pretty well,” he said.
“Great.”
Michael glanced around, wondering where his brother’s mate and son were.
“Beau has taken Aidan to play outside, so it’s just the three of us. I hope you’re hungry.”
He led the way into a room that took Michael’s breath away. There were long windows, the light spilling through, with large cushions spaced along the floor and a comfortable sofa in the center. There was even a hammock in one corner.
“This is the lounge. Hands down, Beau’s favorite room, and maybe mine too, though I’m partial to my study.
There was a low table filled with plates of food.
“A lot of the pack pitched in to make you a welcome home breakfast. They brought some of it to the guest kitchen for Max.”
They sat down, Griffin perching on the sofa, Drew stealing a cushion and sitting cross-legged on it. Michael hovered, unsure what to do.
“Sit wherever you like,” Drew said.
He slipped onto the couch next to Griffin. The other omega handed him a plate.
“Help yourself.”
It was such an innocuous statement that the sudden urge to cry took him by surprise. It had been such a long time since he’d had even the simplest of freedoms.
A hand settled on his shoulder.
“Take your time, Michael. We’re both here.”
“It’s so stupid,” he said, wiping a tear from his cheek. “It’s just breakfast.”
“How long has it been since we last all ate together?” Drew asked.
Michael struggled to remember. How old had they been when Griffin was sent away? Five? Six?
“Over a decade,” Griffin said. “Far, far too long.”
The omega wrapped an arm around Michael, hugging him close.
“I used to dream about this,” Michael told them. “The three of us, together again.”
When had he stopped, when had he lost hope? Maybe it was when he realized that getting his brothers back would mean giving up his babies, a choice he’d never wanted to contemplate.
“Then let’s enjoy it,” Griffin said, reaching for a pot. “Coffee?”
“How about a croissant?” Drew added, holding out a plate. “Or a bagel?”
“Are those muffins?” he asked, spying another plate.
“Uh-huh. Blueberry.”
Reaching around Griffin, he snagged a muffin. When he pulled back, he found both his brothers grinning at him.
“You always did love blueberries.”
Maybe he hadn’t changed as much as he’d feared.
As they ate and talked, now and again his thoughts turned to Max. It almost didn’t seem real, being with his brothers, in the safety of Griffin’s pack. He’d have thought he was dreaming if it wasn’t for Max, the alpha bridging the gap between his life as a captive and his life since their escape.