Page 72 of Finlay

“Well I hope that’s a lie,” I murmured, stroking along his spine. “I happen to adore needy men.”

This time, Chester didn’t attempt to hide his blush from me. “Well maybe it is a lie. You’ll have to wait and see.”

I kissed along his neck, desperately wishing I didn’t have responsibilities waiting for me. A clan to run. A shifter to punish. Humans to protect. “I can’t wait to find out.”

After hours of talk, we were no closer to finding a solution to Reid’s family dilemma. To our surprise, he wanted to avoid violence at all costs. Not out of fear of his family being hurt, but because he didn’t want it to escalate.

Like us, he had no idea what his father wanted from him. According to Reid, they hadn’t parted on the best of terms, with him fleeing in the middle of the night. Being born human in a shifter clan had meant he was at the very bottom of the pecking order. His role had been that of aservant, doing the menial tasks that were supposedly beneath his more powerful kin. Instead of protecting him as the weakest member of their clan, they’d chosen to exploit him. It was his desire for a better life that had led to him escaping and seeking refuge in our lands.

I suspected there was more that Reid wasn’t telling us, but as with Chester, I knew it wasn’t right to push.

Reid was adamant that he didn’t want us to do anything yet. He’d even pleaded with me to not approach his father about threatening Chester.

“It’ll just make things worse for me,”he’d begged through tears.“Please, Finn. He won’t hurt Chester. It’s me he wants.”

Clyde and I would be having a discussion at some point, if for no other reason than I hated that Reid still cried over him. I reluctantly agreed to hold off for now, but I had insisted that one of us pay a visit to the clan. To try and find out exactly what they wanted from Reid and why.

I specifically didn’t say who though.

Evan didn’t show his face while Reid was in the clan house. He was close by the whole time though. Right outside the study window, if I had to guess. He’d paced and prowled along the length of the house while Reid spoke, his quiet anger palpable even with a wall between us.

Whether Reid liked it or not, Evan was the one with the closest ties to the Clarkson Clan. He’d cultivated a relationship that wasn’t friendly, but at least cordial. If we wanted to resolve this without violence, Evan was our best option.

That was assuming he’d even be able to step foot onto the Clarkson lands without slaughtering the lot of them. He’d barely been able to tolerate them before, but now? Knowing what they’d done to Reid? That they’d intentionally concealed it from him?

Going back there and expecting him to be civil might be pushing things a step too far.

That discussion was for another day though. Logan had driven Reid home, offering to take the first guard shift. Calan was ready to take over in twelve hours’ time. I’d take the shift after that, with the others checking in on Chester.

As much as I hated to admit it, Chester wasn’t the one in danger here. Reid was. Now I knew several hundred miles lay between Chester and his ex, there was no need for me to watch over him twenty-four seven. And although Clyde had threatened Chester, it was Reid he wanted. It made sense for us to guard Reid around the clock, which meant someone would be watching Chester while they were both at work.

I hated it. My wolf fucking hated it, but this was part of what it meant to be a leader. Sometimes you had to make the hard decisions others didn’t want to. Even if it was a decision you didn’t want either.

Having a guard on Reid was something none of us were willing to negotiate on. He’d tried to insist he’d be fine, but it had taken Logan under a minute to have him seeing it his way. That was the dangerous thing about him. He was charming. Persuasive. The picture of innocence.

Until his claws came out to play. He didn’t seem so innocent then.

Sometimes I still had nightmares about what Logan had done to the shifter who’d hurt Danny’s mate, Riley, all those months ago. I’d never seen a wolf skinned before.

I hoped I never would again. One could never be certain of anything where Logan was concerned though.

With a plan in place, there was nothing needed from me right now. I knew what I wanted to do, but it was too late to hit Chester up for a date. Hell, it was too late even for abooty call. Chester kept early hours most of the week, and he’d been up late last night. I didn’t want to keep him awake later than necessary.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t pay him a visit as Buddy though. If he happened to be awake and happened to invite me into his bed again, then all the better. I’d sleep much better at his side, knowing he was safe and happy.

If he was asleep, I’d find a comfortable spot on his porch. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d slept there, and I doubted it’d be the last.

As Chester’s house appeared through the trees, I spotted the light on in the kitchen. If I could smile in my wolf form I would have. The knowledge that he was awake spurred me on, and I was outside his back door in seconds. Remembering how I’d startled him the night before, I let out ayipbefore scratching at the door.

I could hear Chester’s laughter before he even unlocked the door. “Here’s my Buddy!”

I rushed inside, remembering to wag my tail. It wasn’t hard. My wolf was practically vibrating with the need to be close to Chester, to bask in his presence, to feel his hands on us.

“I’m glad you’re here, Buddy. Come on, let’s get you some water.”

Chester said something similar every time I came around. I’d started to hate it. Not that he was happy to see me, but that he was so lonely that a stranger’s pet was all he had for company.

Hopefully he’d let my other form in more. After tomorrow, he wouldn’t have Buddy as an option anymore. Well, he would, but he’d know it was me.

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