Page 9 of Scar Bonds: The Scars That Bind Us

“Well, fine, but what else did you expect me to do?” Morgan huffed. “If I told them I overreacted, I’d have looked like a fool. I couldn’t look bad in front of the Shifter Council. They would’ve told Dad and I could’ve lost my position as heir. So, I just agreed and figured the fae would make the best of it. They usually do. You know, I have to say, it’s a relief to be able to talk about it, to be honest.”

Finlay ran his hands through his hair. He’d been running on fumes before the damn dinner event, and it was only the needto do right by his mate that was keeping him upright. “So let me just make sure I’ve got all the details right, do you mind?”

“I don’t care. I feel so much better now it’s out in the open.”

“I’m glad for you.” Finlay wasn’t. “To hear you tell it, you approached a man at a bar. He said he didn’t want a drink when asked. You ignored his clear cue to be left alone and encroached on his personal space. He told you he wasn’t interested. Then you put a hand on his leg, and when he ignored that, you moved your hand up his leg, I assume you planned to cup his dick and see what he was packing?”

“I thought it was a friendly thing to do, you know. Let him know I would take care of his needs while he was letting me fuck him.”

“How fucking big of you.” Finlay exploded. “Why the hell didn’t you just leave him alone?”

“I thought he was just playing hard to get. People do that, you know.”

“No they fucking don’t.” Finlay lunged, his fists flying before he landed on Morgan’s body. They both fell to the ground. “No means fucking no, asshole,” he grunted, pummeling his brother’s face and chest as he straddled him. “He said no. Not once. Not twice. A dozen times he said no. And you fucking ignored him.”

“Fin! Fin! What the fuck man, that hurts.” Morgan tried to evade his fists, but while he’d been playing with spreadsheets, Finlay had been working in the trenches, taking out assholes just like his brother. “I don’t understand. The case was four years ago. It was a misunderstanding, no one else needs to know about it. Fin, stop it. As your Alpha I’m ordering you.”

“You are not my Alpha.” Finlay grabbed Morgan by his jacket lapels, lifting his chest off the ground as he snarled. “You will never be my Alpha. I’m breaking my bonds with the Luna Pack.”

“What the fuck, Fin, why? It was one little mistake ages ago. I don’t even know where Prince Senan is right now.”

“I don’t know where he is right now, either,” Finlay said through bared teeth. “But I know where he was earlier this evening.”

The surprise was evident in the white of Morgan’s eyes. “You’ve seen him? Where?”

“He was washing the dishes made dirty by your fancy guests this evening.”

“Fuck.” Morgan winced and wouldn’t meet Finlay’s eyes. “That’s a step down for him. He used to be part of the Fae Court. But I still don’t see why you care. I’m your only brother, he’s a random stranger.”

“Is he?” Pulling Morgan’s head up so their foreheads met, Finlay said quietly, “There was a reason why Prince Senan’s scent smelled of home and pack when you came across him four years before. It was because he was meant to be family, to be part of the pack.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Prince Senan of Blackstock is my fated mate, and thanks to you being an absolute asshole of the highest order, he won’t even talk to me.” Finlay shoved his brother’s chest back on the ground and stood up. “And from now on, I have no intention of having anything to do with you, either.”

“He’s your mate? Fin, that’s great news.” Morgan scrambled to get up. “You can bring him into the family…we can chat about it…I’ll even apologize…we can look after him. Finlay, where are you going? Fin, come back!”

Finlay flipped his brother off behind his back and headed back down the road on foot. The moment he was out of sight of the car and his brother, he shifted, making sure to keep his phone securely in his jacket which he picked up in his jaws. His wolf wanted a run, and they’d cover the ground to home a lot quicker that way.

After that, he’d get a few hours’ nap, and then it was time to start tracking the elusive Prince Senan. Finlay just had to hope that the mating pull for fae worked the same as it did for shifters. Although, that was a double-edged sword as well. If he didn’t find the prince soon, they could both be in the shit.

Chapter Eight

Senan was wrecked. He knew that he had overdone his magic usage on the Friday night event. Somehow he’d managed to maintain his magical glamour for more than twelve hours without a break, and that was without the scent suppression magic he’d been using while he was at the second event.

He had been working during that time as well, which had its own physical toll. And then, with the confrontation with the wolf shifter at the end of the night, he expected to at least feel tired over the weekend.

But it was now Monday afternoon, and Senan couldn’t muster up the energy to produce enough glamour to even get him into work, let alone act like his life was normal.

For the first time in his two years employment, Senan called in sick. He hated lying to anyone – his wearing a glamor every day was enough of a lie in itself - but his voice as he made the call sounded croaky and out of sorts even for him. Betty, who had taken the message for Jeffrey, assured him that no, he was doing the right thing in staying home and that there were plenty of colds and flus going around. “You’ve been working a lot lately, so you were bound to come into contact with germs.”

She recommended that he have hot lemon and honey drinks, and to make sure he got plenty of sleep. Senan had tears in his eyes as he thanked her and got off the phone. That simple act of kindness reminded Senan how lucky he was with the non-paras in his life.

If only I did have the flu or a cold.Paranormals didn’t get sick in the same way non-paras did, and Senan knew he was suffering from more than just a virus. One could hope that a flu or virus might eventually pass through the body, but Senan was startingto think he might be permanently afflicted with whatever it was that was making him feel so exhausted.

His brain wasn’t doing him any favors either. Senan didn’t understand why he couldn’t stop thinking about the mysterious wolf shifter from Friday night. The man admitted he was a twin to the man who had wrecked his face and chest and, more than the physical act, had wrecked his life. That first wolf shifter had no thought, caring, or respect for him, who he was, or his right to exist in his own space.

No, on that fateful night, that first wolf shifter had just decided that, for some reason, Senan didn’t have the right to say no, didn’t have the right to just enjoy a quiet drink on his own, didn’t have the right to just be alone in a public space.

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