Page 23 of Broken Trust

“Let me ask you this,” Sam said. “Have you actually talked to Atlas?”

What in the hell did that mean? “I talk to him all the time.”

“You’re hopeless,” Sam groaned. “When Morgan found me in that house and stayed with me in the hospital, the only thing I thought when I looked at him was that he had an ulterior motive, because that was all I’d ever dealt with. Nothing is ever free. Once I moved in, we had a lot of deep discussions.”

“Until you saw my polar bear,” Morgan reminded his mate.

“I freaked out for a moment,” Sam replied, as if the two had forgotten that Kellen was on the phone. “But it was the heart-to-heart talk my doctor gave me that helped shed a different light on things. Atlas already saw your wolf, so you got the hard part out of the way.”

“Sam, I think the world of you,” Kellen said. “But please tell me there’s a point to this before Atlas walks out my door.”

The thought made Kellen’s chest ache and his wolf snarl. He didn’t want to lose Atlas. The guy was his mate, but Atlas was also starting to mean the everything to him.

He’d gone into a full-blown panic over a broken wrist, something Atlas would have healed from. And Kellen had wanted to kill those two at the hospital for making his mate cry. He’d never been that close to showing his wolf in public, and it had taken the anguish in Atlas’s eyes to refocus him.

“My point is lower your walls, Kellen,” Sam said. “If you don’t share anything about who you are or where you came from, how is Atlas ever going to trust you?”

“Gotta be vulnerable for him,” Morgan said. “I thought for sure Sam wouldn’t want me if he knew about my past.”

“Farthest thing from the truth,” Sam replied. “If anything, it made us closer. You flirt a lot, but have you ever laid yourself bare to anyone?”

The last time Kellen had, his heart had been broken. “Not in eighty years.”

“Jesus,” Sam said. “I’m finding you some hug therapy.”

Kellen grinned. “The only hug therapy I want is from Atlas.”

“Then stop being an asshole,” Sam said. “You made me family, so I can say that. And stop arguing with him, Kellen. It’s not always about what your mate says. Sometimes you have to read between the lines.”

“I have to be a mind reader?”

“Consider yourself lucky I’ll be home tomorrow.” Sam chuckled. “You’re adorable when you have no idea what to do with a guy.”

“Hey!” Morgan snarled.

“We’re family, so it’s like me saying that to a brother,” Sam argued. “Gross if you take it any other way.”

“All joking aside…” Kellen rubbed his chest. “I want this to work more than anything. I know Atlas feels the pull, but honestly, I want what you guys have.”

“It didn’t happen overnight,” Morgan said. “It took a lot of patience and understanding, and still does at times. Just like Sam, Atlas is new to our world. Your mate is still wading through that, dealing with you, your brother, those vampires, his best friend betraying him, and his sister’s wedding.”

“I thought I had a lot of issues,” Sam said. “What Atlas needs is a best friend who won’t screw him over.”

“You?” Kellen smiled.

“No. You,” Sam replied. “You’re mates. But you have to learn how to be friends, too. You’ll get there, Kellen. I know firsthand how terrifying it is being vulnerable, but it’s worth it with the right person.”

Kellen looked toward the hallway. “Should I talk to him now since he’s pissed as hell at me?”

“That’s when you do it, Kellen. Atlas is hurting,” Sam said gently. “Think about all the stuff Morgan just listed that your mate is going through. Who’s there for him? Don’t you want someone there for you, too?”

Kellen squeezed the back of his neck, swallowing around the burning lump in his throat. “More than anything.”

“Then take the first step, you big goofball.” There was a smile in Sam’s voice. “Go to Atlas and talk to him. Share a part of yourself, and I bet he’ll take a step closer to trusting you. A mating can’t work if don’t have trust.”

“We’re going to let you go, Kellen,” Morgan said. “We have to pack and get ready for our flight in the morning. I’ll call you when we’re home if you want to bring Atlas by so we can meet him.”

Kellen tilted his head back, trying not to let any tears escape. He had no idea when he’d met Morgan sixty years ago how much he would treasure the guy’s friendship. It was hard being close to Colt because of their past. Kellen had learned to rely on only himself.

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