Page 22 of Threads of Fate

Gideon had been a bit confused, but he’d always been philosophical and surprisingly flexible. So even though the whole thing had been surreal, he’d left the glen just as the rain began to fall. The trip home was short, and he hadn’t been more than ten minutes away from the cabin this whole time. When he arrived, his mother was no longer in her chair outside. He was sure that the rain had forced her inside. He’d set the potatoes to cooking, and when he called for her, he found her in her bed and knew right away that she was gone.

He understood now that her changing scent, constant fatigue, and weakness had meant she was hiding pain and illness. He vowed he would never again be so unaware that those he loved suffered, even for a second.

And for what Gideon thought would be the last time, he cried.

How wrong he was.

And now here he is, standing in the waiting room and listening to Riordan reveal all the many ways that their mate had been hurt. Memories of the Moon Goddess’s reassurance swirled in his mind—protect them, trust them—but all he could feel was the raw, aching need to avenge Nix. He knows Riordan is withholding some key information. He could smell the surgeon’s intent to—well, not deceive necessarily, but he knows that his words are not the entire truth.

Gideon isn’t so easily fooled, as his entire early childhood was a lesson in deceit and violence. He learned at his father’s knee how to keep his emotions buried deep so he could see the intentions of others and use their own emotions against them.

Heknowsthat there are a host of things being left unsaid, and just the idea there might be more orworseinformation has Gideon seething. He is rapidly losing control of his instincts to hunt and seek vengeance. The growls that are forced out of his very soul are so menacing that Luca and Leo cringe. Even Ewan visibly flinches.

Gideon’s wolf is demanding vengeance, and he cannot disagree. Not knowing where he’s headed, he bolts from the room and into the stairwell. His wolf needs out, or he will tear the entire ICU to pieces in search of the name of the perpetrator. His wolf is in charge now, calculating and vicious.

The stairs lead down and down and down each step fueled by his wolf’s snarling rage. There’s a locked fire door at the bottom, and a single well-placed kick has it flying off its hinges and onto the concrete slab at the rear of the facility. He can hear thundering steps behind him and Leo’s brave (so brave)voice calling him.

Gideon tries to get his wolf back under control, but the alpha is too incensed. Leo barrels through the door behind him and tackles him to the ground. Flinging him off, Gideon staggers into a run around the side of the building toward the parking lot. Leo tries again, but Gideon’s wolf spins, grabs his shirt, and forces him, heels dragging backward toward the brick wall of the hospital. The impact of him hitting the wall is hard enough to force out a gasp.

“Alpha. Please,” Leo begs hoarsely. He wheezes, eyes downcast, and his hands are gripping Gideon’s shirt.

Gideon lets him slide to the ground and slams his fist into the wall with such force that brick and mortar rain down on the beta’s head.

“Gideon.” Leo’s hand is calloused from his music and his dedication in the gym, but so strong and always so gentle. “Alpha. Please.” Gideon feels the touch on his bleeding hand and lets himself be pulled down to the ground, some of his rage flowing out as his beta brushes away his tears.

His. Tears.

Leaning into Leo’s neck, he lets his tears fall unchecked. He cries for all the pain Nix has endured and for his mate’s fear. Impotent rage dials back to a slow simmer as the scent of cinnamon works to calm him like nothing else.

There would be time to rip out the throat of the one who dared hurt one of his.Please, Goddess, help me.Simple words of worship that Gideon has prayed so often are second nature.

“What do you need, love?” It was something Jay always asked. Always. In work, in the bedroom, and in life. Leo had picked the habit up, especially in times of stress. The beta has always tried to be the best mate he can be.

He sniffles in a really undignified way. “I’m sorry, Leo. So sorry.”

“What? No! You’re allowed to be upset. We all are. But Riordan has it under control, right?”

When Gideon stiffens, Leo deflates and it’s his turn to comfort. “It’s not good, is it? What are we going to do? Fuck.”

“I don’t know. But I need to do something. I need to find the Were who did this to Nix and…” Gideon is afraid his blood lust will rise again if he thinks about it for too long. His wolf is pacing relentlessly, unsatisfied, in the back of his mind.

“Okay.” Leo shrugs his massive shoulders.

Shocked disbelief must show on Gideon’s face. “What do you mean,okay?”

The beta reaches for Gideon’s bloody hand and wipes the blood off onto his own t-shirt. Gideon slaps his hand away, tsk-ing at the bloody mess they both are now. So Gideon wipes his runny nose on Leo’s shoulder, adding to the mess.

“Gross! What I mean is, let’s find that asshole and end him.” Leo was normally one of the more level-headed pack members and a peacemaker among the more volatile tempers in the pack. It’s a surprise to hear him be this aggressive. “But…Riordan said they’ve called in the Were Law Enforcement Division, so maybe we wait to see if they can catch him so we don’t go to jail. You might do well in prison, but I’m too soft.”

Gideon laughs softly. “And too damn pretty, baby.” Leo blushes hard, and his spicy cinnamon scent blooms. And as far as distractions go, it’s satisfying.

“Fuck off. How can I be so sad and also so turned on?”

“It’s a gift.”

They sit for long minutes until Gideon gets to his feet. He lets Leo lead him back the way they came with their hands swinging between them. “Alright. I’ll let the authorities do their thing for now. But I’m not going to sit on my ass. I’ve got a few calls to make. Maybe you should go inside.”

“You think I’m letting you out of my sight? Fuck that. Your calls can wait. The smell of your blood is freaking my wolf out, and I’m hungry. Come feed me.” Gideon is far from calm, the rage still simmering under the surface, and apparently, he’s not concealing it from his observant beta as well as he thought.

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