Page 27 of Kept
Scott filled the doorway—golf shirt stretched over a gut that hadn't been there in his service photos, jaw set in that expression of perpetual dissatisfaction. The big bad drill sergeant, reduced to terrorizing his own family to feel powerful.
"I asked you a question." His voice dropped to that dangerous quiet. "You've got some balls coming back here after what you pulled."
After what Eli pulled. Like being gay was something he'd done deliberately to spite Scott. Like getting thrown out on the night of the mating run—and they both knew Scott knew what that night meant, had chosen it specifically—was somehow Eli's fault.
Eli folded his grandfather's watch away carefully, tucked it safe. The familiar pattern playing out for the last time. Scott needed complete control, absolute obedience. Anything less was insubordination that couldn't be tolerated.
"Your mother's not here to protect you." Scott stepped into the room, using his bulk to block the doorway. "No one will come running when you cry this time."
The irony almost made Eli laugh. When had his mother ever protected him? She'd been too busy protecting herself, maintaining her comfortable life, choosing not to see what was right in front of her.
Eli stood slowly, shouldering his backpack. Met Scott's eyes directly—something unthinkable even weeks ago.
Scott's face flushed at even that slight challenge. "You think you're tough now? Think you're a man?" His hands flexed at his sides, old muscle memory from decades of intimidation. "I'll remind you what happens to disrespectful little shits."
The laugh bubbled up unexpected out of Eli, soft but genuine. This man who'd seemed so powerful, who'd ruled their house through fear and fury… was just another washed-up bully clinging to glory days that were never that glorious to begin with.
"Something funny, boy?"
Boy. Always boy, never his name. A dozen little ways to keep him small, keep him less than.
Eli's hand went unconsciously to his neck, fingers brushing over the mark hidden by his shirt’s collar. The touch sent warmth spreading through his chest. He knew what real strength looked like now. What real love felt like.
The words came out clear and calm. "Yeah, actually. You are."
Scott's mouth opened and closed soundlessly. Then his face went purple with rage. "What did you just?—"
"You heard me." Eli moved toward the door. "Twenty years of playing soldier in the suburbs. Must be exhausting, keeping everyone in line when deep down you know you peaked at twenty-five."
Scott's hand shot out to grab his arm, the same grip that had steered him toward walls, toward locked rooms, toward nights sleeping in the garage. But Eli was already moving, flowing around him with grace he hadn't possessed before. Scott's fingers closed on empty air, and momentum carried him stumbling forward.
Eli walked down the stairs without hurrying, without looking back. Behind him, Scott's voice rose to a roar about respect and knowing your place andhow dare he. Words that used to trigger panic now just sounded like the tantrum they'd always been.
The morning air hit Eli’s face like freedom itself.
And there?—
Kade leaned against his motorcycle, sunlight catching gold highlights in dark hair. Those eyes found Eli's immediately, scanning for distress. The slight tension in those broad shoulders eased when he saw Eli's smile.
Three strides and Eli was pressed against that familiar chest, breathing in cedar and strength and home. Strong arms wrapped around him, one hand cradling the back of his head with infinite gentleness.
"Got what you needed?" The rumble of Kade's voice sent pleasant shivers down his spine.
Before Eli could answer, the front door slammed open. Scott stormed onto the porch, then stopped dead.
Even relaxed against his bike, Kade radiated controlled power. Six-four of barely leashed danger, with presence that made primitive instincts scream predator. His arms tightened fractionally around Eli, and though his expression remained pleasant, something shifted in the air.
"You must be Scott." Kade's voice carried an edge like silk over steel. "Eli's told me a lot about you."
Scott's face went through several shades. His mouth opened but nothing emerged. All his military posturing, his alpha-male act, crumbled in the face of an actual apex predator.
"Werewolves take family seriously," Kade continued conversationally. "Especially our mates' families. The kind of man who'd endanger his own family..." He let the sentence hang, his smile showing just a hint of fang.
Scott gripped the doorframe, but for once, he didn't say anything.
"If you come near him again," Kade's words stayed pleasant but carried weight, "I'll consider it a threat to my mate. You don't want to know how werewolves handle threats."
No bluster. Just fact, delivered with casual certainty.
