Page 20 of Monster

Chapter Four

A trip down memory lane…

Bull lifted the lid of his old footlocker now settled in a spare bedroom in the new home he shared with his mates.

New? The peeling paint outside didn’t seem to agree with that assessment.They’d purchased the old farmhouse in the valley with the plan to renovate it.With all the influx of new shifters to the valley, homes and land were at a premium.Their only option had been a fixer-upper. Bull had been so preoccupied as of late, their renovations were way behind schedule.

Kneeling, he hunkered down before the locker and began to sort through the contents.It didn’t take long to find the two items he’d been searching for.A tattered olive drab t-shirt and a photo album.

He closed the locker and laid them both on top, drawing in a shuddering breath.

When he was finally ready, he opened the first page of the album. An old photo of his mother’s beautiful smiling face appeared. He smiled, too, and ran his fingertip along the side of her youthful face. His chest tightened with emotion, tears stinging the backs of his eyes.

His gaze slid from the warmth of her smile to the man standing beside her.

Luca.

His father.

A man he’d never had the chance to know. There had always been this empty spot within him, a hole he’d sought to fill his entire life. Would he have that chance now?

Years of searching… praying to the shifter gods… hadn’t prepared him for this moment. It had always felt as if he’d never reach his goal, so much so that he’d never taken a moment to think of what he’d do once he found his father.

I still don’t know if he’s my father.

Bull scanned the other pages, seeing the love his parents shared.He’d been a product of that love—and had been wounded by it.After his mother’s race for safety, she’d been left broken.The smiles he saw on these pages weren’t ones he’d ever seen her share.There had always been a glimmer of heartache in her eyes and lips, even after she’d eventually found a new partner to share her life.

“There you are.”

Bull turned to see Pablo standing in the doorway, a look of love in his eyes. The same kind of look he’d seen in the pictures of Ella staring up at her Luca.

He closed the album, smiling.

Pablo entered the spare room.“What’s that?”

“Nothing,” Bull said.

Pablo’s smile faded.“I sense something’s wrong. I can’t help you unless you tell me.”

Bull looked down and ran a hand over the cover of the album. When he’d gathered his thoughts, he lifted his stare and met Pablo’s. “I…” He swallowed back the tide of emotion crashing into him. “I…”

He looked down at the tattered t-shirt, unsure. “It’s too soon to say.” He didn’t even know if it was truly his father.

Pablo knelt before him. “You’re hurting. I can be an ear. A shoulder.” He tilted his head and looked at the album.“What’s that?”

“My… my parents.”

Pablo’s head turned to face him.“I’d love to meet them,” he said softly.

“My mother is dead. My father… I don’t know…”

Pablo frowned. “Have you heard news of him?”

“Maybe,” Bull murmured, looking away.He hated Pablo seeing him feeling this weak and vulnerable. He was supposed to be strong.He was supposed to protect Pablo and Jericho. In his current state, he wasn’t sure he could protect anyone.

Pablo took Bull’s face in both his hands. “Jericho and I share your life… now and for always. That includes where you came from. Your past. What made you into the male I love now.”

Bull closed his eyes, the look in Pablo’s eyes tearing him apart even more. When he reopened them, he opened the first page of the album.

---