Page 8 of No Honor Amongst Shifters
ROSLIN COULD SEE FROMMisha’s expression that things hadn’t gone well with Alcott again.Misha looked worried and angry at the same time, which was usually how Roslin felt about his brothers, so he understood.
Misha flopped onto the small couch next to Olsen.They were in Olsen’s room, where he and Roslin had been wasting time.There wasn’t much for anyone to do while they waited for Elijah to decide what came next.
Roslin started getting up from the armchair he was sitting in.“I’ll leave the two of you alone.”
Misha sighed.“There’s no reason for you to.You already know what I’m going to say.”
Rosen settled back down and grimaced.“He still isn’t talking to you?”
“He said a few words, but that’s it.It’s like he realized he’d spoken and decided to stop.I just don’t know how to get through to him.Why is he behaving like this?”
Olsen wrapped an arm around Misha’s shoulders.“He’s probably afraid that you’re angry with him.Everyone else is.”
“But he’s my brother.I just want to understand why he did what he did.”
Through all of this, Misha had supported his brother unconditionally.Roslin suspected he would continue doing so no matter the reason behind why Alcott had betrayed the clan.Besides, he didn’t believe there was another explanation to what they already knew.Some people might not believe Alcott, and others might think he was an idiot, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d been trying to help someone he thought loved him.
Roslin wanted to help both Misha and Alcott.He wasn’t sure how to do that, but since he’d decided to be the one to bring food to Alcott from now on, he might have an opportunity to do something anyway.Misha was trying his hardest, but he was probably too close to the situation, and he and Alcott shared a complicated relationship.Maybe that was why Alcott didn’t want to talk to his brother, or maybe there was more to it, but Misha couldn’t see it.Either way, Roslin didn’t mind helping.It would be a distraction from waiting, and it would make Misha happy.
He got up from the armchair.When Misha frowned, he shook his head.“I’ll leave the two of you alone.It’s clear you need some time to rant and be sad.”
“Thank you.”
“You have nothing to thank me for.”Not yet, anyway.Roslin hoped to change that, and the first thing he’d do was talk to Alcott again.Roslin could wait until he had lunch ready to bring upstairs, but he’d gone to the grocery store earlier, and he’d bought some things for Alcott.He wasn’t sure if Alcott would like them, but it was worth a try.
He stopped by his bedroom before heading to Alcott’s.They were on the same floor, so he didn’t have to go far.He knocked on Alcott’s door, knowing that Alcott wouldn’t answer, then grabbed the key from where it hung on the wall and unlocked it.He slipped in, locked the door again, and turned to Alcott.
Alcott was watching him.His gaze caught on the bag Roslin was holding, and Roslin dropped it onto the dresser.“I got you some snacks from the grocery store.”
Alcott stared.“Why?”
At least he was talking.It wasn’t much, but it was somewhere to start.“Because you might want a snack.I just talked to Misha.”
Alcott turned toward the window.He clearly didn’t want to talk about his brother, but Roslin didn’t care.
“He’s worried about you,” he continued.“You should let him in and tell him what happened.”
Alcott snorted.“Everyone knows what happened.”
“We do, but I’m sure we don’t have all the details.You don’thaveto tell anyone, but you should think about talking to your brother.If there’s one person who’s on your side, it’s him.”Roslin hesitated.He wasn’t sure how Alcott would take what he had to say next, but he’d come here especially for this.“Misha talked to me and my family and explained a bit of what happened to you two before you got here.I know that you only had each other for a long time, and it doesn’t feel right to take that from Misha.He loves you, and he wants to help you.Not being able to is stressing him out.He’s sad and worried, and we already have enough things to be sad and worried about without adding this to the weight he has on his shoulders.”
“I don’t want him to be worried about me,” Alcott murmured.
“What you want or don’t want doesn’t matter when it comes to that.I worry about my brothers constantly.I care about them, just like Misha cares about you.Just think about it, okay?Misha isn’t going to stop trying.He’s going to continue coming to your bedroom every day and trying to talk to you.Give him a chance.”
Roslin wasn’t sure he’d gotten through to Alcott, but he’d tried.For now, that was all he could do.
Chapter Four
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“PEOPLE ARE SCARED,”Elijah said.His words hung heavily over the room for a moment.
“Does that mean they won’t help?”Jerome asked.He made it sound as if Elijah’s answer was no, he’d go find these people andforcethem to help.
Roslin didn’t disagree.For now, the coven and the cockatrices were the clan’s problem, but what would happen to everyone else in the area if they defeated Elijah?Roslin didn’t believe that the coven only wanted to find a place to call home.They were in this for power and destruction, and once they were done with Elijah’s dragons, they would turn their attention to someone else.The dragons wouldn’t be there to help whoever that was.
Roslin prayed it wouldn’t come to that.He couldn’t think about the clan being gone.His family was part of it now and was connected to it through their partners.The clan needed to survive because it was their home.
