Page 8 of Scar Bonds: The Scars That Bind Us

Morgan’s face went white, and any fight he had in his body completely drained away. “Where did you hear that name?”

“Tell me what you know and talk fast, or I swear I’ll walk away, and you’ll never see me again.” Finlay resisted the urge to reshape the curve of the hood with Morgan’s head…just.

“It was nothing. There was a minor incident…a misunderstanding. It happened years ago, before I was Alpha. The case was resolved and closed by the Shifter Council. There’s nothing else you need to know.”

“You asshole!” Using Morgan’s neck for leverage, Finlay pushed himself upright, pacing in the light beams left by the headlights. The temptation to remove his brother’s head from his body was raging through him, and Finlay knew the only reason he didn’t do it was because he’d be left as the fucking Luna Pack Alpha, and he had no intention of ever holding that position. Doubly so now.

Whirling around, he pointed a finger at his brother who was sitting upright, rubbing his neck. “You will tell me every single detail of that so-called misunderstanding. Every minute fact, regardless of how insignificant you think it was, and you’ll do it now. I mean it, Morgan. Don’t push me on this. I demand to know.”

“Who’s been talking about this?” Of course, Morgan would be worried about his own reputation. “That case was supposed to be sealed by the Shifter Council. No one can access it unless they were given permission by the Paranormal Council.”

“Who the hell do you think I work for?” Finlay flung up his hands. “What do you think I’m doing when I go away for days or even a week at a time? Landscaping? Putting in someone’s newswimming pool? Are you so self-centered you didn’t notice the guns and knives I was putting away when you picked me up this evening? I’ve been a negotiator for the Paranormal Council since I left the pack. I’m the guy who comes after assholes like you.”

Morgan actually looked relieved. “Phew. Thanks. I can see why you wanted to keep this chat private now. That means a lot. But why is this case being investigated again? The whole thing was put to bed years ago. Has someone changed their story? Is someone in the fae realm looking into this? Do I need to get a lawyer?”

“You’re unbelievable, do you know that?” Finlay wasn’t giving his brother a compliment. “How about we start by you telling me how ‘being cruel to an innocent’ fits in with the case between you and Prince Senan?”

“I should’ve known you’d throw my words back in my face.” Morgan wandered out of the light and leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree, his face obscured by shadows. “I meant what I said. It was a misunderstanding that got out of hand.”

“I need details, none of the half-truths you gave two beta Shifter Council guards.” Finlay patted his pockets looking for his cigarette pack and lighter. Pulling a cigarette free of the crumpled package, he lit it, shoving the rest of the pack in his pocket again along with the lighter.

“Fuck. Better you know than anyone else.” Morgan sniffed. “As far as I’m concerned it was a genuine misunderstanding. I was in the Royal Oak, having a few drinks. When I went up to get another beer, I saw a fae sitting by himself, and just wanted to be friendly.”

“I’ve had experience with your being friendly, remember?” Finlay did. “That’s why we almost came to blows when we double dated that last time. You have the seduction skills ofa rampaging bull in a china shop and usually cause the same amount of damage.”

“You can shut your mouth. A lot of people appreciate a dominating Alpha – a lot of them crave it. Did you want to hear the details or not?”

Of course, Morgan would get defensive. There was a good chance he was still using his “hey, you look good enough to fuck,” which was what constituted his only pickup line. “I asked him if he wanted a drink. He said no.”

Finlay nodded.

“I sniffed him.” Morgan stared up at the night sky. “It was weird. He had the most unusual scent – like he smelled of magic and some kind of floral scent, but it was also as if he reminded me of home and pack. I knew he wasn’t my mate, nothing drastic like that. But the scent was intriguing, and I was lonely and horny. Face it, any hole works in the dark.”

That’s my mate you’re talking about.Clenching his teeth together, Finlay nodded again. His brother was cruising for a bruising, heading for Smash Town in the fast lane. He forced himself to unclench his fist, taking another puff of his cigarette.

“I figured he just needed a spot of sweet talk, so I took the stool next to him, sitting close enough so I couldn’t be ignored, but not on his lap, you know.”

“We’re a long way from you invading his personal space, to him ending up with permanent scars.”

“Not really.” Morgan shrugged. “I was talking to him, trying to engage him in conversation. He kept saying he wasn’t interested, but he had to be, right? He had to be interested, otherwise, he would’ve just left his seat and gone and sat somewhere else.”

“I can’t believe you just said that.” Finlay took a step closer and then stopped himself. If they started fighting, Finlay might never get the whole story. “Maybe Prince Senan was simply staying in the chair he was in before you came along and decided he wasn’t going to get run off by an arrogant wolf shifter. Or, maybe he didn’t know a lot about shifters and worried if he did get up and leave, he’d trigger your hunting instinct, and you’d chase him down and start fucking humping him. Did you ever think about that?”

“Nah, that can’t be true, can it?”

My brother has the brains of a gnat.“He said no to you. The only decent response from you at that point was to apologize, or if you couldn’t manage that, then you should’ve just got up and left the man alone.” Finlay was shouting, and he pulled himself in with difficulty. “How did he end up with your claws in his face? You said in the report that he attacked you with his magic.”

There it is.Finlay saw Morgan shift his weight from one foot to the other, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. Finlay had seen Morgan do that a hundred times when their father used to pull them into his office formisunderstandings. “That’s where there might have been a bit of a stretch to the story. I put my hand on his knee, still being friendly and then when he ignored it, I moved my hand up his thigh… He zinged the back of my hand.”

Finlay squeezed his eyes tight, trying to blank out the mental image of the scene Morgan was describing. “What the hell is a zing? Is that like a zap? A little twinge of electricity on your skin, probably used as a warning to stop your hand from going anywhere near his cock? That kind of zing?”

“Well, yes,” Morgan blustered. “But it stung, and it was a shock. He wasn’t dealing with a regular shifter, I was Alpha-heir at thetime. It annoyed me, and I lashed out, not even realizing because of the zing, my claws were out. He was bleeding, his top torn and everything else. I was horrified by what I’d done. I was trying to work out if I should apologize or get him medical treatment when the shifter guards were there, putting him in cuffs and dragging him away. There was nothing else I could do at that point.”

Huffing out a long breath, Finlay said, “So, you never told the shifter guards you’d been attacked? They made that bit up?”

“No, I did say that. But what would you do if two guards were suddenly in your space, dangling cuffs and looking like they were going to arrest me for goodness knows what? Dad would’ve been horrified, and I was terrified he’d find out. So I just yelled, ‘he attacked me with magic,’ and yeah, they took him away. I don’t even know what happened to him.”

“Don’t you dare start bullshitting me now,” Finlay snarled. He stubbed out his cigarette and stuck that in his pocket. It was getting full. “According to the case notes, Prince Senan of Blackstock was banished from the fae realm and ordered to wear his scar as penance for what he’d done for the rest of his life. The case notes specifically state that you personally agreed to that punishment.”

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