Page 60 of Bitter Discord

“You know… I get it,” I said softly, remembering that conversation. It had only been a couple days before, but it felt so much longer. “I’m really getting tired of asking people to accept Heath and me.”

“Yeah, I figured you would understand. I spent my entire childhood, teens, and early adulthood begging for people to… understand and accept me. No one wanted to, and it broke me on a deep level. Hearing her say she believed it, I just got pissed off because I reached the point, decades ago, where I didn’t need anyone’s acceptance. She didn’t know that, though. She was trying to be kind for Dirk, give him some peace of mind. Next time you see her, let her know I’m sorry for the outburst?”

“Absolutely.” I smiled at him.

“Thanks. Oh, while you were asleep, your phone went off a couple times. I didn’t want to snoop, but I didn’t want to wake you either. Zuri cleared two more werecats.”

“That’s good,” I said with a yawn. “Really good.” I reached for my phone and saw it was Marnar and Andon. “So, where are we headed first? My house or the place of Arlo’s disappearance?”

“Do you think you’ll find something where Arlo’s trail disappeared?”

“If the pack hasn’t found anything, I’m unlikely to. Do you think I can talk to Teagan and Benjamin? If we’re going over there to talk to them, I can take another look at the place.”

“They’re at your house. When we were heading out to meet you, Teagan asked us if he could hide there with Benjamin, being it’s the center of your territory and his Alpha’s house. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

“Not at all.”

When we finally turned into the Kick Shot parking lot, then down my driveway, I was ready to get out of the car and get back to work. I saw Teagan’s truck next to Heath’s, making me wonder how my fiancé had beaten us home when he’d promised to get food. Landon pulled my car into the garage before I could get out. I found my werewolf in the kitchen with Landon on my heels.

“How did you beat us home?” I asked him.

“I called ahead and had Teagan order food for all of us,” Heath explained. “Landon would never speed in your car, so I had the definite advantage.”

Teagan blew into the room, doing a lap around the kitchen to grab a plate and fill it with food. When he reached me, he held it out.

“Here you go,” he said. His pale, tired face told me of hours of worry. There were lines by his eyes I had never seen before, and I could smell the dark self-blame.

“It’s not your fault,” I murmured, taking the plate.

“I was sleeping. I should have been more alert. I don’t know why he would sneak out and—”

“It’s not your fault,” I repeated. “When was the last time you saw him?” I moved slowly, keeping my eyes on him, hoping he would follow me.

“I told them to get to bed early, then went to lie down and read. I wanted to do a morning run with them, then go to Fenris’s for breakfast.” Teagan shuffled beside me as we entered the living room. Slowly, I sat down and started eating as he talked. He sat next to me, folding his hands together.

“We were going to do it every morning this week. I figured it would do well to burn off as much of their energy in the mornings as I could before throwing them at the old wolf. Sure, they would be skipping class, but it was easier to keep them with Fenris all week than leave them alone at the school. That was my safety precaution. I didn’t think I would lose either of them in the middle of the night.”

“Tegan also needs the boys occupied during the day so he can work,” Heath added as he sat in the armchair. “He’s a lawyer.”

“Well, I was. I just retook the bar, and I’m rebuilding my practice because the pack needs it. We had a whole host of lawyers in Dallas that could handle nearly anything, and I was helping the boys. I had the money to take time off. Now, living out here, I figured it would be best to redo the bar, get paperwork squared away, and rebuild my small practice.” Teagan sighed, looking down. “Thanks to the work I’ve done, I know exactly what Arlo’s fate is if…”

“He’s also an expert in Tribunal Law,” Heath explained, looking over Teagan at me. “He doesn’t need a bar exam for that.”

“I’m going to do everything in my power to prove Arlo’s innocence while I bring him home safely,” I promised. “You can track his phone, right?”

“I can,” he agreed.

“You can stay here, sleep on the couch. Text him and let him know you’re here so he can come here. That we’ll welcome him back with open arms and find a way to deal with this. If he goes out of his way to avoid you and decides to get something from your home while you’re here…” I looked at Heath. “Put a watch on their house. I don’t want a single minute that house isn’t being watched.”

“Can do. I’ll call in the pack after we’re done eating.”

Dirk came in the room, kissing Landon before coming to sit in the living room with the rest of us.

“Shamus just called. They’ve now done loops going ten miles out of the territory. Still no sign of Arlo,” he explained, rubbing his face as he leaned over and groaned. “If we’re putting a watch on Teagan’s house, I can get some battery-powered cameras. I think I have some stashed in the security building. I can set them up. If someone sneaks by the werewolves, they’ll be seen by the cameras.”

“Thank you, Dirk. Find what you need and get it done.” Heath nodded to my nephew before refocusing on Tegan.

“I can help with that,” Landon said, coming over and leaning on the back of Dirk’s seat.

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