Page 39 of Midnight Rules
His dad had lost a lot. Mom and Tory. His pack and coven’s trust.
Marric met his dad’s gaze. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
Kinnison pressed his forehead against Marric’s as he held his nape. “I am too.”
Chapter Eighteen
Iven didn’t feel comfortable leaving Marric and his son here for the night. Even with the wards, it was a dangerous place to be. Taking the kid away from the only place he’d ever been safe wasn’t a great idea, either.
In the end, it was Riley who decided for all of them. “Cass is on his way with overnight bags and the case file.”
They stood in the foyer. They probably resembled football players huddling for a team meeting.
Kinnison stood nearby with his arms folded over his chest. He could hear every word. He didn’t object to them staying in his house, which was a minor miracle.
“Mom is coming too. She wants to monitor Emery and Marric.” Griffin raised his eyebrows and made his lips stretch into a thin line. “And brace yourself because she’s bringing Maggie with her.”
Riley groaned, which was the response Iven wanted to give, but he didn’t want to alert Kinnison. He deserved to be surprised by that a seemingly sweet old lady had a mouth like a sailor.
Iven smirked. “Great.”
Of course, Griffin didn’t care about Kinnison’s near future problem. He said the thing everyone already knew, except for Kinnison. “Why are you the one sweating it, Dad? It won’t be your problem. It’s going to be his.” Griffin gestured toward Kinnison with his head.
Kinnison rolled his eyes and stepped closer to their circle. “What should I be worried about?”
Iven moved over to give him space to enter their little circle. “It’s nothing.”
“Not nothing. But nothing threatening,” Griffin grinned. “Just our entire family moving in. Temporarily, of course. We can’t be too safe after all. Can we, Dad?”
Iven narrowed his eyes at Griffin.
“What? I’m trying to tell him how helpful we’ll be. Especially Maggie.”
Riley rolled his eyes. “He already knows how annoyingyouare.”
Griffin pushed Riley on the shoulder, but it wasn’t enough to make him move.
Riley chuckled.
Kinnison smiled for the first time since they’d met. He met Iven’s gaze. “You have your hands full.”
Iven snook his head. “I know, and it appears I have another son to add to the mix.”
Kinnison sighed. “I won’t talk Marric out of pursuing a relationship with you. I can see it wouldn’t work, just in the way he looks at you.”
Iven raised his eyebrows. “If you have a problem with your pack, Marric won’t fix it. Don’t you think he has enough on his shoulders already?”
Kinnison growled. “The pack isn’t any of your business.”
“But Marric is. The sooner you realize it, the better it is for Marric. And Regan.” Iven met Kinnison’s gaze, makingsure Kinnison saw the conviction in his expression. “Your pack cursed him. They aligned with the local coven against you. That’s a fact, Ransome. Wrap your head around it.”
“Are you saying it’s my fault?”
“I’m saying your pack has a motive. Care to take a guess what that might be?” Iven didn’t wait for Kinnison to answer. “Maybe Marric isn’t the only one who doesn’t like how the pack picks the next alpha.”
Kinnison growled in Iven’s face. “My pack. My rules.”
“That line of thinking has bought you a heap of trouble. It’s caused Marric a lot of pain and stress.” Iven snapped his fingers and conjured a flame. He let it dance on his palm. “I can be your problem, or we can work together. The choice is yours.”
