Derek watched his uncle pour them drinks with the use of a shaker. The sheen on the container looked like it was silver, but since Trent was using it comfortably, Derek knew it only looked that way. The silence of the office was punctuated only by the sound of liquid sloshing about, with the clink of ice against the metal. His uncle had called him here for a reason, if only to talk. He’d yet to say anything and Derek was content to let Trent come to the discussion in his own time.

“Heard from your father?” Trent finally asked as he poured the drinks.

Derek snorted, giving a short laugh. “I’m beginning to suspect there really is no such thing as privacy around here. Might be paranoia on my part, but I’m thinking you already know the answer to that question and in detail.”

“Well, Sean informed me you have received two calls, one verbal, the other video, from him. I don’t know the conversation that occurred on the second call, though I know the first one was unpleasant. I know you also disappeared shortly after the second one, which Sean informed me of by way of complaining that you hadn’t had the decency of bringing his computer back to him,” Trent told him with a chuckle.

“He really has his priorities set, doesn’t he?” Derek asked dryly.

“It’s nice to see you’re learning to deal with him, even if it is a passing comment in private to me,” Trent said as he handed a glass to Derek.

“He brings out the best in people,” Derek said.

Trent sampled his own drink, apparently finding it to his satisfaction. “And he is a notorious gossip as well.”

Derek’s paused before he took a drink. “He told you, about us didn’t he?”

Trent smirked. “I considered, for a moment there, pretending as if I knew nothing and that you had just spilled the beans, but I won’t do that to you. You’ve been through enough lately and you don’t need me antagonizing you further. Yes, he told me, though I’ll spare you the exact wording.”

“Oh, lovely,” Derek groaned, taking a larger drink from the glass than he had originally planned to.

“If you think it was any more pleasant for me to hear about my nephew’s sex life with what amounts to my surrogate son, then you are mistaken,” Trent told him.

“To my knowledge, he’s not aware of the blood relationship between the two of us,” Derek commented.

Trent nodded. “Let’s try and keep it that way, shall we? That lot might be like my own kids, but I’ve tried to keep my past away from them. They’ve enough to worry about without me adding my own baggage to their laundry list of problems. Well, that and I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it if Sean were to find out. He likes to complain, that one.”

Derek thought that was putting it mildly. “And to make sure everyone knows about it.”

“That too. Now, what exactly led to this little…tryst between you and him?” Trent asked.

Derek groaned. “And here I thought you saying it was unpleasant to hear about it meant I would be spared having to be interrogated.”

“Hardly an interrogation, and it was the way he went about it that made it uncomfortable. I can see the physical attraction between you both, it’s not as if either of you are lacking in terms of looks. Considering the last I heard was how poorly you two were getting along, I must express some mild surprise,” Trent admitted as he swirled the liquid noisily in his glass.

“You say ‘mild’ because like Stephan, you’ve probably already figured out that passions ran high in a moment and it’s spiraled out of control from there,” Derek said tiredly.

“I didn’t want to assume, but yes, that was my running theory. And you’ve become closer with Stephan as well? Now that’s interesting, he hasn’t been known for getting close much to anyone ever since his mate died. I’m happy to hear he’s coming out of his shell a little,” Trent said cheerfully.

Derek thought about the kiss, nodding. “I would say so. I wasn’t even aware he wasn’t the friendly type until I spoke to Richard.”

“And you have Richard forming whole sentences? My, you are full of surprises. I thought that throwing you in with Sean’s pack would stir the hornet’s nest a bit, but I didn’t know it would get everyone changing their behavior patterns,” Trent said with interest.

Derek’s eyes narrowed. “You purposefully put me in Sean’s pack to stir up trouble?”

“Not so much trouble, but I did want to shake things up a little. They’ve been struggling for reasons that have nothing to do with their personal abilities or arsenal. Everything is stagnating over there, with everyone settling into their respective roles. We may not have as many political issues here in the city, but that doesn’t mean we don’t benefit from the occasional shake up here and there. A bit of change and the struggle that comes with it is good for our kind. We need change and growth in order to thrive. I could see how you might fit in well in his pack, but I also saw how much of a struggle it would be. I never imagined you’d be dragging two men out of their shell, and somehow finding a way to rein Sean in within a month,” Trent said in wonder.

“I assure you, it wasn’t intentional on my part,” Derek grunted, feeling annoyed with his uncle.

“And yet, the results can’t be denied. It gives me joy to know Sean is struggling a little, he’s been used to running the show without anyone to give him much trouble as of late, it’s good for him,” Trent said smugly.

Derek raised a brow. “That’s interesting, since Stephan was the first one to say something to him when it came to his treatment of me. Well, he didn’t say anything so much as give Sean a look when I first arrived. Perhaps things weren’t quite as quiet and stagnant as you believe they were.”

“Did he now? Now that’s interesting too. The last I knew, Stephan was content to play second in command and allow Sean to do whatever it was he wanted so long as Stephan himself was left to his own devices. Which included raising that son of his, Rico,” Trent added at the end as if only just remembering the boy’s name.

Derek shrugged. “He still takes full charge of raising Rico as far as I can tell. He’s a good man, and a good father. I’m glad he’s come out of his shell enough to be my friend, he’s been invaluable to me the past few weeks.”

It was the truth, and Derek could feel himself warming slightly as the memory of the kiss rose unbidden in his mind once more. It hadn’t been a bad kiss, and had certainly been more enjoyable by far than the one he’d first shared with Sean. He hadn’t seen Stephan since that kiss a couple of days ago, and he wasn’t sure what he would say or do when he saw the man again. He still considered Stephan to be a very good friend, but the kiss had left him feeling confused.

“You sound sure, but you look troubled,” his uncle noted with a look of concern.

Derek shook his head. “No, I’m perfectly fine. Stephan has and will continue to be a good friend to me. As you heard, the last conversation I had with my father left me in a bad spot mentally, and he was there to help shake me out of it.”

“Which is exactly what a good friend should do, and I’m happy that someone was there to help you through it. However, I’ve yet to see anyone speak of a good friend and blush before. Is there something going on between you two as well?” Trent asked.

Derek’s eyes went wide. “No! I’m not so brazen as to be sleeping with both the Alpha and his second, Uncle!”

Trent chuckled. “I think you’re protesting a little too hard.”

“You asked if I was sleeping with my friend as well as the Alpha who’s hosting me, I think I have a right to a little indignation,” Derek said grumpily.

“Perhaps, but something tells me there is more to this story than you’re letting on,” Trent insisted.

Once again, Derek was finding himself in the position of having to keep his mouth shut about what was bothering him, or to seek help from someone else. He thought he had less of a chance of something awkward coming from telling Trent the truth than he had with Stephan. Derek had never had so many people around him at one time who seemed so interested in his life for the sake of helping him. It was nice to have, but he was beginning to find it a little exasperating as well.

“When Stephan spoke to me after my father and I talked, he…kissed me,” Derek admitted slowly, wincing as he finished speaking.

Trent’s brow shot up. “Stephan, kissed you?”

“Yes, he gave me a lovely speech about my worth and ability for self-autonomy, and then he kissed me and told me I was very much wanted around the pack,” Derek explained hastily.

“Hmm, I didn’t know that he was even remotely into males,” Trent said, setting the glass down and looking thoughtful.

Derek blinked. “I…hadn’t even thought about that. He’d mentioned his mate before, but I never gave thought that he might not have been with a male before.”

“Oh I don’t doubt that he has, at least at some point or another. Despite his calm and seemingly placid exterior, Stephan is as passionate about finding new experiences as Sean is. I just wasn’t aware that he entangled himself in a potentially romantic situation with other men,” Trent said.

Derek tensed. “What makes you think it’s romantic?”

Trent shook his head. “If you were someone he barely knew, then I would pass it off as a simple gesture of attraction. Even if it was just he kissed you randomly, I would say it was a matter of him seeking sexual gratification. However, you just explained that he gave you quite the heartfelt speech and then kissed you. If that doesn’t sound like a gesture of affection that runs deeper than mere sexual attraction, I don’t know what does.”

There was so much logic in that explanation it felt as if it had knocked Derek upside his head. He leaned back in his seat, loosely holding onto his glass as he let the idea roll through him. It seemed so obvious now that Trent had laid it out as clearly as he had. He hadn’t given one thought to the idea that Stephan might have wanted anything but sex or something similar from him with that kiss.

He shook his head. “There’s no way, it sounds good aloud, but it’s not possible.”

“Must you fight everything?” Trent asked wryly.

“I don’t fight everything, but it simply doesn’t make sense to me,” Derek said resolutely.

“And yet you admitted that it sounds good,” Trent pointed out.

“There’s a difference between the theory and putting it into practice,” Derek said, even as he knew he was being stubborn.

“Is this because you don’t want him to be potentially interested in you in the romantic sense, because you feel you have to leave the city at some point? Or is this because you feel as if you don’t deserve the kind of attention he wishes to give you?” Trent asked carefully.

Derek opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it shut as he realized he didn’t know how to respond. While it was true that he didn’t want to think about anything romantic with anyone in the pack since he’d known he would leave one day. On the other hand, he couldn’t deny there was a part of him that shrunk away from the idea of Stephan wanting more than just a simple lay from him. It felt like the same kind of shrinking he’d experienced on the rooftop when Stephan had tried to insist there was more to him than simply a bad son who would one day have to take over from his father.

“I can see you’re going to attempt to turn this into a self-esteem issue, but that’s not it,” Derek said, trying to head his uncle off before he gained steam.

“Oh? Then by all means, please tell me what it is,” Trent said, leaning forward with the smuggest expression Derek thought he’d ever seen.

Derek cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You’re obviously assuming you’re even right.”

“Assume that I am, for the sake of argument,” Trent said, still looking confident.

Derek was growing more and more uncomfortable as the conversation continued. “He just…couldn’t want something like that from me. Not only is there an assigned expiration date to my being here, but…”

Trent waited for Derek to finish, and when he saw he wasn’t going to, he sighed. “Derek, listen to me. We both know that despite everything that happened before you came here, you’re not absolutely required to leave here if you don’t want to. Sure, that path would be difficult, and it won’t be without its pain, but it’s still possible. I won’t ask if you’ve even considered it, the guilty look on your face as I speak says enough. However, say you do stay, and say Stephan does want to be with you. What are you going to say in response?”

Derek squirmed. “I wouldn’t know what to say, I don’t even know what his reasons for kissing me were in the first place.”

“Then perhaps asking him should be your first priority when you return to the factory. Have you spoken to him at all since then?” Trent asked.

Derek shook his head. “I haven’t spoken to him, no. I’ve not even seen him, I think he’s avoiding me.”

“Well, knowing Stephan, he’s probably wondering if he’s crossed the line with you and is waiting until he has enough courage to face you. When you see him again, you can rest easy knowing he’s prepared to either discuss it with you or he’s willing to let it pass without comment. Stephan is a strong and self-assured man, and he knows that sometimes things happen outside of his control. I can almost guarantee he’ll say nothing to you unless you say something first,” Trent explained as he sipped from his glass.

“And how would I do that?” Derek asked doubtfully.

“I imagine you simply approach the topic as openly and honestly as you can manage. Stephan is a simple man in many ways, and he’d appreciate any earnest attempt to speak to him. He has, after all, made the first move with you, so now the responsibility to follow up on it is on you,” Trent explained calmly.

Derek slumped in his seat. “And what if I just want to continue on, pretending like it didn’t happen?”

Trent cocked his head. “Let me ask you something, did the kiss mean nothing to you?”

The question made him pause once again. He had been so busy thinking about whether or not he should talk to Stephan, he hadn’t considered what he might say. His uncle raised a good point, and Derek eased into silence to consider it. It hadn’t been a bad kiss, though it had been too brief to really make a big impact. Most of the effect had come from the fact that it had surprised him, rather than any other emotional impact.

The simplest way to an answer would be to determine whether or not he wanted to kiss Stephan again. He knew that to try again would invite more complication into his life, even if it was short-lived. There was always the possibility that they could kiss again, or more, and find out there was nothing there, or that only one of them had feelings and not the other. That would be awkward and would put a considerable strain on their friendship. The idea that there might be more there, shared mutually between them, sent a wave of both fear and eagerness through him. It would be easier on them both if there was nothing there.

Derek had never shared an emotional bond with another person before, not a romantic partner anyway. He was no stranger to sex or mutually beneficial arrangements between himself and another, what he had heard referred to as “friends with benefits.” None of those previous partners had sparked anything in him. Neither the heated passion he shared with Sean, nor the comfort and warmth he felt when he spent time with Stephan. He still couldn’t say whether he felt anything that could be called romantic feelings for Stephan, but he knew he felt more comfortable and at ease with him than he had with anyone else before.

“I don’t…know,” he admitted finally.

“Which means you have doubts,” Trent noted.

“It wasn’t a very long kiss, and he did take me by surprise. The surprise is mostly what I remember, save for a couple of small and private things,” Derek said with emphasis.

Trent chuckled. “Fear not, I won’t pry into your personal feelings over the kiss. It does sound like there might be something to talk about with him though. Unless of course you wish to leave things alone, which if you do, I’m sure he will respect that decision and so shall I.”

Derek chewed his bottom lip in thought. “Still, I probably should at least…acknowledge what happened. If he really does have some sort of feelings for me, I do owe him a conversation at the very least, don’t I? What kind of friend would I be if I were to ignore his feelings simply to save myself the awkwardness?”

“Why does it have to be awkward? Couldn’t it simply be two friends having a serious conversation? Surely you’ve had a serious conversation with him in the past?” Trent asked with a knowing chuckle.

Derek nodded. “You know full well it’s not the same.”

“Eh, no, I suppose it’s not. But I think it’s important that you do talk to him. I might have stirred the pot further by talking to you, but I think some part of you wanted to talk about it. For all your courtesy, you can be far more stubborn than even your father could dream of being. You were like that as a child, and I can see it in you as an adult. I’m honored that you decided you could trust me with this,” Trent said, smiling warmly.

Derek sighed. “Well, it seems that my being here is opening all sorts of doors for me, including learning to trust others. It’s a strange thing, feeling as if the people around me genuinely do care about me.”

Trent frowned. “I remember you being quite fond of your sister, and of your mother. Has that changed in the intervening years since I last saw you?”

“My mother is bound by the same rules that hold me in the place I’m in. She loves me very much, and sometimes I wonder if perhaps she wanted something different for me. It doesn’t free me however, and she must watch and allow things to pass as they will, with or without her permission. Erin…I think in many ways, she’s simply disconnected from everything around her. I don’t know if she simply doesn’t care, or if she’s just trained herself to not care. Neither of them are capable of saving me, even if Erin does step up to the plate now and again to help when she feels my father is perhaps being too stern for her taste,” Derek explained.

“The only person who can help you is you,” Trent told him gently.

It was remarkably similar to what he’d heard his father say in the past, except it was said with more care. His father never quite said it exactly, but it always felt to Derek as if he was disappointed in his eldest son’s lack of directness and willingness to confront a problem head-on. To his father, it would seem weak. Derek had spent a good chunk of his life wondering if his father was right, but he found he didn’t wonder if his uncle thought the same. It felt more like the sort of paternal advice Derek was supposed to expect from his real father.

“I know, but I suppose the theory sounds a lot easier than actually trying,” Derek said with a heavy sigh.

“It usually does, but I think in your case, you’re more likely to make it seem harder in your head than it will be in reality,” Trent told him with a knowing smile.

“I’m going to have to talk to him, aren’t I?” Derek asked with a wince.

“Would you be able to live with yourself if you didn’t?” Trent asked.

Derek’s answer was quick. “No, I wouldn’t.”