Duncan

 

 

Duncan stared down at the contracts in front of him, but his mind was miles away. After his talk with Ryland a few hours earlier regarding the threat to his pack, he doubled down on protection. He did not want to freak out his members, but he needed to keep them safe the best way he knew how. He had Carrie bring over a few contracts that he needed to read over, but his mind was not on the paperwork sitting in front of him. The kids enjoyed their sleepover so much they asked to spend another night with their friends. Seeing as they were with pack members, Duncan had no problem with it. His mind kept coming back to the hooded figure. It was another of those moments where he had no control over what was happening. It was no longer about drugs, if another more powerful sect somehow orchestrated the whole thing.

He didn’t rule out the possibility that they were also working with the hunters. Kallen still refused to give him any information and Duncan was starting to believe Sebastian in thinking that the hunter wanted to be caught. But why? Duncan had to admit the guy was stubborn. His enforcers were not going easy on the man. But Duncan needed to find a way to make Kallen talk. The longer he held out the more his pack would be in danger. There was one thing that Kallen was wrong about, no one had tried to make contact to get him released. Either he was someone who just joined the Blackburn Organization, or he wasn’t important enough to bargain for his life.

Adding to his worries was Jordan, his mate. Knowing that he would not be able to stay away from Jordan, he’d heard when Jordan returned home hours before and was waiting for the right time to talk to him. Once they were mated, Duncan understood his life was going to change in more ways than one. He would have to introduce Jordan to his pack as his mate. Everything owned would also belong to Jordan. He should still be freaking out that he was going to share his life with a man. But he wasn’t, he felt calm and settled. In all his years on earth he never once thought that his mate would turn out to be a man and a human at that. He was taking the first step towards their mating, by staying very close to him.

It wouldn’t stop the discomfort he was feeling because their bond wasn’t complete, but it would help. His skin felt as if he was being burned slowly from the inside out. He had a headache that didn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. He’d lost his appetite already, and he knew that it was all because their bond was incomplete. He threw his pen down on his desk and got up. He had one mission on his mind, he needed to talk with Jordan and tell him everything. It was still early, he and Jordan had the house to themselves. Duncan searched the kitchen and found it empty. He wasn’t going to back down, he and his mate had to get a few things straight. Using his nose as his guide, it led him up the stairs, stopping in front of Jordan’s bedroom. He knocked and waited for Jordan to answer.

“I’ve been expecting you,” Jordan told him the minute he opened the door.  “Come in.” He stepped aside, leaving room for Duncan to enter.

The minute he walked into the room, he noticed the large packed bag on the bed. He turned to look at Jordan. “Planning on going somewhere?”

“I can’t stay here,” Jordan said, walking over to his bed, stuffing more things inside. “Not after what I’ve done to you.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I turned you gay!” Jordan yelled.

Shocked, Duncan stared at Jordan. Before he could help it, loud laughter escaped from his lips.

“It’s not funny, Duncan,” Jordan argued. But Duncan couldn’t help himself, he continued to laugh. “You find it funny that you're now gay? Do you know what the press will say when they find out their playboy now bats for the same team? You said it yourself, Duncan, you’ve never thought about being with a man until you met me.” He continued to throw more things into the bag he was packing, then grabbed it by the straps and slung it over his shoulder as he headed to the door. He was about to open it then stopped and turned to face Duncan. “I’m glad you can laugh this off. Are you going to tell me not to worry about it? But before you do that, think about this. If I hadn’t come here, you would have never thought about kissing another man and now…” He shook his head and crossed his arms across his chest with a sorrowful look on his face.

Duncan’s laughter died down to a chuckle as he walked closer to Jordan. He had a bright smile on his face. He had to laugh because poor Jordan thought he’d turned him gay. And it got him wondering why did everything need a label. Love had no labels as far as he was concerned.  He grabbed him by the shoulders as he reached for the door handle stopping him from leaving.

“Wait, Jordan, don’t go. Not until you give me a chance to explain.” He would have been more believable if there wasn’t a smile on his face that he could not remove. Jordan was adorable angry. “If you hadn’t come into my life, I would be alone for the rest of my life. You are my sodalis amans.”

“I have no idea what you just said,” Jordan snapped.

“It mean’s soulmate. Jordan, you are the one made for me,” Duncan translated for him. He saw the shock register in Jordan’s eyes and thought by saying the words out loud Jordan would stay and listen to him.

“Nothing you can say could change my mind about leaving,” he told him. “I need to go, I need to get away from you. Being near you makes me want to do things I shouldn’t.”

“Fine, how about I show you.” Duncan was determined to not let his mate walk away from him. Duncan stepped back and began undressing.

“As much as I would love to see you naked, now is not the time.”

“Just give me one minute to explain,” he said, taking off his jeans. Going to his knees, in a split second he went from man to wolf.

Jordan’s eyes bugged out of his head just as he screamed “Holy shit!” and fainted. Duncan changed back just in time, catching his mate before he fell to the floor.

“Well, that went well.” He looked down at a passed-out Jordan in his arms. “Yeah, not so much.”

Jordan woke up and stretched, he had the most amazing dream. Duncan got naked in front of him and then turned into a black werewolf with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. His cheeks felt hot about what he was thinking. To think that his boss could be some mythical creature. Gods, even in my dreams, my imagination takes hold. Jordan sat up and was about to stand up when in surprise his foot hit something hard. He looked down and was surprised to see his bag packed with most of his clothes. What the hell is it doing there?

“You’re up.” Jordan’s head snapped up, and he was surprised to see Duncan standing at the entrance to his bathroom. “I’m sorry, baby, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Duncan said, walking closer to him and going to his knees. That was when floods of memories came back to him. It wasn’t a dream; it wasn’t a fucking dream! Duncan did turn into a large black wolf. Oh gods, I’m going crazy. It can’t be real! Instinctively, Jordan flinched away and scurried away from Duncan in fear.

“Y…you turned into a werewolf…no, that can’t be right,” Jordan stuttered his words. “No, I must have seen things. I’m dreaming again. Bronx is seriously going to laugh his ass off when I tell him this one or he just might fit me in that straight jacket he’s—”

“Jordan, you weren’t dreaming.”

That stopped Jordan mid-rant. “No, you don’t get it, it can’t be real.” Jordan tried to reason. “I know I have a wild imagination, believe me, I’ve come up with some weird-ass shit a time or two. But you didn’t change into a wolf.”

“Why? Because of what you’ve seen in movies?” Duncan tsked and shook his head. “Movies are nothing but fiction, we spread the narrative each time a human comes close to figuring out the kind of world they live in.” Duncan got up and sat beside him. “I know I scared you, but I couldn’t think of any other way to tell you so that you would believe me.” He looked at Jordan, who had slowly inched his way closer to Duncan, it was as if he needed to touch the other man. “I’m still the same person I was this morning that kissed you. And I still want to kiss you, so damn bad right now.”

Duncan was starting to lean closer to him but Jordan held up a hand, stopping him. “Hold on, big boy, slow your roll. Let's start with some explanations.” He couldn’t believe he was even contemplating listening to what Duncan had to say. I must be losing my fucking mind. Duncan smiled, and Jordan almost gave in and let the other man do whatever he wanted to do to him, but held back on his lust-filled thoughts. Duncan sniffed the air and Jordan realized that even the twins did that a lot around him. “Not sure why you have that cocky expression on your face, I’m still reserving the ‘I’m not losing my mind’ factor.”

“I can smell your arousal, how about we talk later and let our bodies get to know each other?” Duncan wiggled his eyebrows.

“One, that is the corniest line I’ve ever heard—and trust me, I’ve heard quite a few of them. And two, tell me everything now, and I will think about rewarding you later, if, and that is a very big if, I believe you.”

“Shit, you are murder on a man’s ego.” Jordan chuckled, and Duncan sat back up. “So where do you want me to start?”

“Who else knows about you? Were you born like this or were you turned? Are you friends with your sire or did you kill him? What’s fact and what’s fiction in the movies?”

“Hey, calm down.” Duncan chuckled then leaned back on his elbows. “The whole town, besides the tourists, we were born this way, but some are changed due to special circumstances, that must be approved by me.” Jordan was quiet. “Look, there're so many things that I want to tell you and explain to you, but the most important thing you need to know and understand is that you are my mate, Jordan, that part is not fiction.”

“What?”

Duncan chuckled. “Yeah, that part is true. Once a lykosian finds his or her sodalis amans, they cannot deny them. No matter what, or face dire consequences. I’ve heard stories of what happened to the wolves who rejected their mate because—”

“Wait a minute, lykosian, what’s that? I thought you were a werewolf?” Jordan asked confused.

“Humans call us werewolf, but what we are called is lykosian. We are not like the ones you see on the television. We’re bigger and stronger than your average wolves. We have three different forms. Each stronger than the other. I know this will take some time to figure out what is going on, but being my mate is very important because if we don’t complete the mating process…”

“Don’t tell me you will die. Please, Duncan. Don’t tell me that the only reason you are fine with me being a guy is because you could die if you reject me as your mate or vice versa?”

Shit, how am I supposed to answer that question? The look on Jordan’s face just told me I’m fucked if I don’t answer that question properly.

Duncan went to respond but Jordan got off the bed and picked up the bag that he packed earlier. “I like you, Duncan, I really do. I’m still having a hard time believing this whole we…lykosian thing. I need time to think about this. And I think you need to think about this as well. Because honestly, I don’t want to be someone’s consolation prize because they don’t want to die for rejecting someone they didn’t want in the first place.”

Jordan walked out the door and before he could get too far, Duncan got off his ass and chased after him. “Wait, shit, that came out wrong.”

Jordan whirled around to face him. “Ya think?”

Duncan walked closer to him and took the bag from his hands.  Jordan did not argue, and he crossed his arms, giving him the “you better make this good” expression.  So, no different from dating a woman. “Look, I’m going to admit it. This is all new to me. I’ve dated women for little over one hundred years. Hell, I wasn’t even looking for a mate and when you came into my life and I started noticing the signs, I ignored them. Fuck, I even tried going out on a date with a woman and you saw how that turned out. I couldn’t ignore what I was feeling for you any longer.”

“Wait, did you just say you’re over one hundred years old?”

That was all he got from me pouring my heart out! “Ah, yeah, I’m pretty old in human terms,” Duncan answered.

“This is all too much,” Jordan mumbled and covered his face with the palms of his hands. Sometimes reality can be fucking scary.

Duncan took him by the shoulders and Jordan lifted his head and looked at him. “I know this is going to take some time for you to adjust to everything. But don’t leave, stay and let's work it out together. You must have a billion questions, and I want to answer all of them. We have the house to ourselves. Maddison and Benjamin are spending another night at their friend’s house.”

Shit, I completely forgot about Maddison and Benjamin.

Jordan shrugged out of Duncan’s hold and started to back away. “I hear you, I really do.” He stopped at the top of the steps. “But I really need some time to process all of this. Look at it from my point of view, finding out that things that go bump in the night are real, even if it’s been a—” He was about to reveal something, but stopped himself; the situation was already crazy as is. “I need to go for a walk and clear my head; I promise I’ll be back. I just need to clear my head and figure out if this is reality or some dream I want to come true because I want you so much.”

Duncan sighed, pursing his lips. He rested his hands on his hips, staring down at him. “Fine, if that’s what you need right now, then I have no right to stop you.”

Jordan could tell that although he said it, Duncan didn’t mean it. He wanted Jordan to stay and talk it out, but he couldn’t do that, he wasn’t ready, not yet anyway. Jordan walked down the stairs, and that time, Duncan didn’t try to stop him. He paused at the door with his hand on the knob; he looked over his shoulder and up the stairs. Duncan was standing at the banister staring down at him. Before he could change his mind, Jordan opened the door and walked outside. He wasn’t sure exactly where he was going. Duncan told him everyone that lived in the town was a werewolf except for the tourists.

That meant the twins, Blayze, and possibly anyone else he’d encountered over the past few months. He didn’t know who he could talk to about this and not sound as if he had completely lost his ever-loving mind. Jordan sighed, thinking of the sad expression on Duncan’s face when he walked out of the house. It was as if he lost his best friend or something.

This whole thing is fucking crazy. Or am I simply overreacting? I have always wanted someone to love me for who I am, and now I have. But I don’t want Duncan to love me because I’m his mate.

“He’s not even gay for crying out loud.”

“Who’s not gay?”

“Shit!” Jordan yelled in surprise. He looked to his left to see Blayze standing beside him. Jordan had no idea when he stopped walking. It must have been his day off because he was wearing dress slacks and a blue button-down shirt paired with black blazer and a sharp navy blue tie, rather than his usual hospital scrubs. “What the hell, man, you scared the fuck out of me.”

“I didn’t mean to, but, to be fair, I called your name a few times.” Jordan gave him a skeptical look. “Now, tell me who exactly is not even gay?”

“Duncan,” Jordan said simply.

“What does him not being gay have to do with you?”

“Since he kissed me last night and today,” he whispered to Blayze.

Blayze’s eyes widened. “He kissed you!”

“Yes!” Jordan told him. “Then he told me something that shocked the shit out of me. It has me wondering if he’s the crazy one for saying it or me for actually listening to him.”

“Wh…what did he tell you?” Blayze stuttered.

Jordan turned and looked at the man walking beside him. He knows, he’s part of this whole thing. “It’s not important,” he said. “Forget I said anything.”

“Are you sure, I can help you work things out between you and the Al…I mean Duncan.”

Jordan heard the slip and continued to stare at Blayze. He was about to call Duncan something else. “He told me I was his mate,” he said, watching Blayze for his reaction.

“Shit, he finally told you? It’s been killing me holding what I know in.”

“That’s what I said, crazy right?” Jordan said as he started walking again. “Who the hell comes up with something so—” It was as if his brain was finally catching up with what Blayze just said. “What do you mean he finally told me? I figured you as a doctor would have told me what I just said was fucking bat shit crazy.”

“Gods you curse a lot, I sure hope you don’t talk like that around Maddison and Benjamin.”

“Stop changing the subject, Blayze!”

“I’m not changing the subject. More like I’m avoiding it.”

Jordan glared at Blayze until he finally relented. “Duncan should be the one telling you all of this, not me.”

“Well, he’s not here and I don’t feel like talking to him right now. So spill.”

“Fine, but for the record, anyone with eyes could see that you are his mate,” Blayze said to him. “Wait, what are you doing out here?” He grabbed at Jordan’s arm, stopping him from walking. “Shouldn’t you two be forming a bond?” His words trailed off. “Okay, what did the Alpha do to fuck up?” Jordan’s body felt as if it was on fire since Blayze put his hand on him. He wanted to pull away, but did not want to offend his friend.

“Alpha? Did you just call Duncan the Alpha?” he asked in surprise.

“Oh shit, he didn’t tell you? Fuck, he’s going to kill me.”

Taking pity on his friend. “No one is going to kill anyone. He just didn’t get to tell me.” Then a thought popped into Jordan’s head. “Blayze, how old are you?” He opened his lips to respond, and Jordan held up his hand stopping him. “Forget it; I guess you are just as old as Duncan.” He walked over to the bench and sat down, thankful that Blayze was not touching him anymore. The burning was still there at a low hum. He looked around, and it appeared that he’d unconsciously walked to the park. Blayze unbuttoned his blazer and sat down beside him. “Are you off to somewhere special?”

“No, I’m just coming back from meeting a friend,” Blayze answered him.

Jordan smiled. “A special kind of friend?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows making Blayze chuckle.

“Hardly, Tyson is more like a brother than anything else,” Blayze explained. “You can ask me anything, you know.”

Jordan nodded. “I know, I just keep wondering if I’m going crazy. Tell me I’m not crazy,” he whispered.

Blayze chuckled. “You’re far from it. If you’re looking for someone to blame, blame Gaia or fate. Put the blame on whoever you want. But we believe that our mates are a blessing. For a lykosian it’s the magic from the mistress of the moon, for others it’s from fate or the gods. Some lykosian historians believe, even though it’s never been proven, that she was the mistress and the true mate of the sun god.” A sad look crossed Blayze’s face, but he quickly masked it with a smile before Jordan could ask what was wrong. “Lykosians believe it’s Mistress Moon’s way of rewarding them with a mate for protecting her and the sun god while they slept.” Jordan sat listening intently. “You are his sodalis amans; his mate, Jordan. The other gods saw how lonely their protectors were and created someone that was tailored for them and no one else.”

“Mother Moon?” Jordan asked confused.

“The goddess of the moon that personally blessed lykosians with some of her power,” Blayze explained. “Sodalis amans are special for a reason, Jordan.”

“But he’s never been with a man, Blayze. Why can’t you both understand that.?”

“Should it matter?” Blayze asked.

“Yes,” Jordan answered.

“Why?” Jordan was about to answer the question but Blayze stopped him. “Once we find our mate the gender is completely irrelevant. It also doesn’t matter what sect you belong to, it is a known belief that our mate was made perfect for us. Those of us blessed enough to find our mates see that as a good thing. We cherish and protect them with every fiber of our being. Like I said, special.”

“Do you have a mate?” Jordan asked.

“We are not talking about me, let’s focus on you. So, answer my question from earlier. Why are you and the Alpha not cementing your bond this very minute?”

“I sort of freaked out and left.” Jordan bit on his bottom lip, contemplating if he should reveal his secret to Blayze. Why the hell not? “This might sound crazy, but when I was a kid, I had a wild imagination and would fantasize about being a wolf or being the mate of one. I loved camping outdoors when I knew it was a full moon. But that was all pretend and now…”

“That you know it’s all real, you don’t know how to handle it,” Blayze finished for him.

“Yeah.”

“I can see why you freaked. You probably thought you had finally lost your mind. But listen to me, Jordan, being the mate of a lykosian, or any sect for that matter, is the most wonderful thing possible. Your mate will be faithful to you and no one else. Once you're bonded, you will live as long as your mate. You won’t ever get sick, and you might even become a bit stronger.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, I’ve never gotten sick in my entire life. Well, maybe once, but it only lasted a couple of days when I was around twelve I think it was. And don’t let my height and weight fool you, I’m pretty strong,” he said shrugging his shoulders. “I think so anyway.”

Blayze chuckled. “I’ve never met a man that thought he was weak.”

Jordan was about to laugh but doubled over holding his stomach. He felt as if he was about to throw up the contents of his stomach. Sweat broke out on his body. He felt Blayze’s hand on his back and whimpered in pain, his body felt as if he was in a pit of fire. Blayze removed his hand instantly. “Oh gods,” he panted. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Jordan, did you and the Alpha share any other bodily fluids besides kissing?” Jordan shook his head.

“All we did was kiss,” Jordan answered, and it felt as if he was going to die, just trying to speak took a lot out of him. There was a fierce pain in his head, and he was starting to see spots in front of him.

“Shit. It’s the bond, it’s trying to find your mate. I can’t believe the Alpha would be this stupid.”

Jordan leaned back and was about to rest his head on Blayze’s shoulder but changed his mind, remembering what happened a few seconds prior when he was touched by the other man.

“How long will this last?”

“Until you guys complete the bond. You guys started the mating bond, and you are feeling the effects of an uncompleted bond.”

“Will Duncan be in this much pain?” he whispered.

“Yes, I think he was feeling it the minute he figured out you were his mate.”

“What will happen if we don’t solidify the bond right away?” He was finding it hard to talk or concentrate, but he needed to know. He needed to get back to Duncan. He didn’t want to cause the man anymore pain.

Blayze sighed. “I suspect it will get worse,” he answered. “The good thing is that you guys will be in contact with each other that way it will satisfy the bond for a bit.”

Jordan didn’t want to tell Blayze that he didn’t plan on going back to the manor that night. He needed more time to think about what he was getting himself into. He nodded his head. “Thanks, Blayze.” He stood up which was a mistake, a wave of dizziness hit him, and he stumbled. The last thing he remembered was Blayze screaming in his face.

Duncan was in his office, having his third drink. He grimaced when he felt the sharp pain in the pit of his stomach. The pain was getting worse. It started right after Jordan walked out the door and went gods knew where. He’d been trying to ignore the pains which was why he was drinking so much to try and numb the pain, even if it was for a short period. Because of his beast, his metabolism burned off the alcohol rapidly. His beast had been agitated since their mate left, growling and gnawing at his insides, adding to his pain.

Duncan didn’t know what to do. He understood Jordan’s apprehension and the need for space. He did spring the entire “you’re my mate” thing on him. It was foolish of him to think things would be easy to explain. He took another sip of his drink just as his phone rang. His brows creased together, seeing Blayze’s name on the caller ID. Duncan groaned, he was not in the mood to hear more bad news about another person from his pack dying from silver poisoning.

“Whatever you need, call Ryland, let him handle—”

“It’s about Jordan,” Blayze said, cutting him off.

Duncan sat up immediately. “What happened? Where is he?”

“He’s at the bunker, and it’s not looking good. I think you need to get here and soon.”

“I’m on my way,” he said, heading out the door before Blayze could finish his statement.

It took Duncan less than fifteen minutes to get to the bunker. When he burst through the door, his eyes were only for Jordan. He hurried over to the hospital bed that his mate was lying on and worry nagged at him. He didn’t like the way that Jordan looked. His skin was pale; paler than he ever remembered it being. Duncan picked up Jordan’s hand, kissing the back of it. He knew it was the bond. The pains he’d been feeling went away just being near his mate. It should be doing the same for Jordan.

“I was hoping with you being here he would’ve woken up, but it doesn’t seem like it’s helping.” He looked up to see Blayze standing on the other side of the bed. The phone sitting on the bedside table started ringing. Duncan looked over and saw “Mom” on the screen. “She’s been calling him since I brought him here. I refuse to answer because I don’t know what to say to her.”

Reaching over, Duncan picked it up. “Hello?” he answered clearing his throat.

“Who is this?”

“I’m Duncan Pryde, Mrs. Sutton, Jordan’s boss.”

“Where is he? Where is my son, Mr. Pryde? Call it mother’s intuition, but I can feel it, something is wrong.”

“H…he’s...”

“Are you his mate?” she asked not giving Duncan a chance to find a better explanation.

That question threw Duncan for a loop. “Uh…what do you mean? What are you talking about?” He looked up at Blayze and saw the confusion on his face, with his perfect hearing he could hear the conversation perfectly.

“Don’t play games with me, Mr. Pryde. My son might not know what you are, but I know exactly who and what you are. Now, answer my question. Are you his mate?”

“Yes.”

She sighed. “I thought I had more time to tell him,” she whispered. There was a short pause before she spoke again. “I need you to listen carefully to what I am about to tell you.” Duncan nodded forgetting that she could not see him. “On Jordan’s right hip.” Duncan got up and walked around the other side of the bed as she talked. He rolled up Jordan’s shirt. “What do you see?”

“A tattoo, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you have another person in the room with you?”

Duncan looked over at Blayze, and tilted his head for him to come closer. “Yes, our pack doctor,” he answered as he put the phone down and turned on the speaker so that Blayze could hear as well.

“Good, now you need to make sure Jordan is held down tightly.” Hearing that, Blayze went to the head of the bed and held down Jordan’s shoulders.

Duncan didn’t look at Blayze, he knew the question that was going through his mind. One, why the hell were they doing this? And two, what the fuck’s about to happen? “Okay, he’s secured down. What do you need me to do? And when we are done, I’m going to need you to explain to me what the fuck is going on.”

“Language, young man, I am much older than you and will not be afraid to put you over my knee.” Blayze snorted, and Duncan scowled at him. Blayze cleared his throat and hid his smile in his arm. “I need you to let a few drops of your blood fall on the markings on his side.”

“Markings? You mean the tattoo?” Duncan asked

“Yes,” she answered, “that child and his rebellious ways.”

Duncan brought his wrist to his lips and his canines pierced his wrist. Blood flooded into his mouth and instantly he brought his wrist over to the Mayan sun tattoo on Jordan’s hip, letting the blood fall freely. The markings began to glow around and started to spread all over his body. The tattoo started taking on a different shade as it grew larger, spanning from his hip to his side and stomach.  Jordan was whimpering and groaning as if he was in a lot of pain. Duncan moved his hand and licked his wound closed still watching Jordan. He wanted to help Jordan, but he didn’t know what to do. Jordan’s head was thrashing from side to side and he began to struggle against Blayze’s hold.

The more Blayze held him down, the more Jordan struggled. The second Duncan’s hands touched Jordan, his eyes and mouth snapped open. Jordan let out a loud scream that pierced and shook the entire room. A bright light filled the room and surrounded Jordan. It was a good thing that Blayze and Duncan were holding him down because Jordan’s body was trying to float off the bed.

What the bloody fuck is going on?

The entire thing went on for a few more minutes before Jordan stopped moving and the screaming stopped. Jordan stopped screaming just as the blinding light disappeared. Duncan looked at Jordan, who was staring at him, but not looking at him. His eyes glowed brighter and redder. There was a large black ring around his irises making his pupils smaller, giving him a feline appearance. It seemed as if Jordan was going through a transformation while Duncan and Blayze were forcefully holding him down. His hair grew longer and his skin glowed.

Duncan was not sure what or who he was looking at. It was still Jordan but different. He was beautiful before, but now, he could not find the right words to describe how gorgeous he looked. Duncan knew he was staring, but he couldn’t take his eyes off his mate. Jordan smiled at him just as his eyes fluttered closed. Duncan didn’t miss the other new addition of his canines in Jordan’s smile.

“Mr. Pryde!” Duncan snapped out of his daze remembering that he was on the phone when everything had started. He released Jordan’s wrists, and went in search of his phone. He spotted it on the bed and picked it up just as Jordan’s mom yelled his name once again, causing him to wince.

“I’m sorry about that,” he apologized, taking it off speaker and bringing the phone to his ear.

“How is he?” she asked. Duncan could hear the worry in her voice.

“Fine, I guess. He’s alive. His eyes were open a few seconds ago.” He looked up at Blayze, who was checking Jordan’s vitals nodding his head.

“Good,” she sighed.

“Do you plan on telling me what the hell just happened?!” He didn’t mean to yell, but Duncan really wanted an explanation.

“I will, but first I need to explain it to Jordan. I will once he wakes up.”

“How do you know where we are?” Duncan snapped. He was irritated and wanted to hit something. He felt as if he was lied to.

“I’ve visited your home when I was a younger woman,” she told him.

Duncan realized where Jordan got his bossiness from. “I have your address; would it be alright to have one of my enforcers come to get you?”

“Yes, that will be fine. Also, it would be wise not to have the children around Jordan for a couple of days until he comes to grips with what he is.”

“How do you know about the kids?” Duncan demanded. “I did not give Jordan permission to tell you.”

Duncan’s mother sighed as if annoyed with Duncan’s question. “Mr. Pryde, may I call you Duncan?”

He saw no harm in it. “Yes.”

“I’ve told you, Duncan, I know who and what you are. Your father was a good man, someone I used to call a friend.”

That shocked Duncan, she knew his father? “You knew my father?”

“And your mother, before the great war,” she answered. “I was sorry to have heard about his death, I never trusted Bradley.” That took Duncan back and before he could ask her more questions, she spoke up. “Now, I am a bit rusty, I haven’t used my powers in a very long time and will not be able to phase to your location. My husband and I will be waiting for your enforcer. There are things I need to explain to you and to Jordan.”

Duncan couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he wanted to ask more questions, but understood they would have to wait. They said their goodbyes and immediately Duncan called Sebastian and told him what he needed. One thing he appreciated about his Beta and enforcers was that even though they may be curious about certain things that he may ask them to do, they still followed his lead, trusting that he’d never put them in harm's way on purpose. Duncan rested the phone on the table and stared down at Jordan. He still had no idea what he was, one thing that didn’t change was that he and his beast still saw Jordan as his mate.

Thirty minutes later, a beautiful, regal woman with long jet-black hair with a white streak down the middle walked into the bunker along with a tall, strapping man. They both looked older, but not old enough to be Jordan’s parents. Jordan and his father looked nothing alike, the man standing in front of him was the same height as Duncan with long blond hair and almond brown eyes. There was a slight resemblance between him and his mother. Both people had the same feline-shaped eyes that resembled Jordan’s. Following behind them was Sebastian with confusion written all over his face. Duncan studied the woman as she walked closer to the bed and rested a hand on Jordan’s forehead. She looked so much like Jordan.

“Hello,” he said getting her attention.

She looked up at him and smiled and it reached her bright green eyes. “You look like your father,” she told him. “He would have been proud of the man you’ve become.”

Duncan didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure what to say. He’d always been told he looked like his father but had his mother’s heart of forgiveness. He nodded sharply in a way to say thank you. He was more worried about his mate than anything else.

“Please, forgive me,” she responded then looked back down at Jordan. “He looks so much like her now. There’s no hiding their resemblance. He’s just as beautiful as she was; that’s one thing I couldn’t hide no matter how much I might have tried.”

Duncan was confused by that statement. “Who…who does he look like?”

“My sister, his mother,” she answered caressing Jordan’s forehead. She looked back up at Duncan, then at Blayze and Sebastian.

“You’re not his mother?” Blayze asked.

“No,” she answered. “He is mine in my heart and the family blood that connects us. I’m his aunt and my mate is his uncle.” Everyone gasped at the revelation, but she went on as if she did not hear. “We were tasked with protecting him.” She brushed a lock of hair from his face. “By his mother, the night she died. Or should I say the night she was killed.”

“Well, damn,” Blayze said.

“Very eloquently put, young man,” Jordan’s father, well uncle, said.

“He’s going to freak out once he wakes up,” Blayze said to the group.

“As he should,” Duncan said, looking at Jordan’s aunt and uncle.