Page 16 of Back to You
The man had hated shifters.Vincent had been delighted when he’d told him that his only son was a shifter’s mate.He’d never thought Fulton would do everything he’d done and that he’d hurt Ronan.
He should have known better.The one thing Fulton had always wanted was to control Vincent.Vincent had never let him, not even after Ronan had vanished.It would’ve been easy to ask for Fulton’s help to find Ronan because Fulton had enough money to hire a dozen PIs, but Vincent had made do, and he was glad he had.He had no doubt that Fulton would have taken advantage of his pain and tried to pull him closer while lying to him.
He couldn’t do that anymore.
Peter shook his head.“I’d say I can’t believe it, but it sounds like something your father would do.So it’s really him?”
“It is.”
“And you’re going to talk to him.”
“I can’tnottalk to him.I thought he ghosted me for years, and now I know he didn’t.He was locked up and thought I was dead.I can only imagine how much pain he was in.”
Peter leaned forward.“You were in pain, too.I’m not saying you shouldn’t talk to him because you definitely should, but you’ve made your peace with losing him.I’m scared to think about what this will do to you.”
Vincent was, too, but what choice did he have?“Ronan didn’t want to leave me.That means there’s a chance we can be together again.I don’t know what happened to him or what my father did, but I never stopped loving him, Peter.It’s one of the reasons I never managed to have a serious relationship with anyone else.I always compared them to Ronan and the bond we shared, and if there’s a chance I can get that back, or maybe get a version of it back, then I won’t waste that chance.I can’t.”
Peter sighed.“At least promise me that you’ll be careful.I’d offer to come with you, but we both know it wouldn’t be a great idea.”
Because Lou would lose his shit if Peter even mentioned visiting a pack.He hated when Peter talked to other men, but he hated it when Peter talked to shifters even more.Vincent thought it was because he was scared that Peter would meet his mate and leave him, and he wished it would happen.Peter deserved better than Lou.Hell, he’d be better off alone than with the dickhead.
“Of course I’ll be careful.I want Ronan, but I don’t know what he went through, and I know the pack even less.I need to do this, though.I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try.I want to be happy, and I know I can be with Ronan.”And only with him.Vincent had tried, but even when he’d thought Ronan had left him, no one had compared.Ronan was Vincent’s mate, and even though Vincent was human, it meant something to him—and to his heart.
Vincent had thought he’d lost Ronan forever, but thanks to what felt like a miracle, he hadn’t.He wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.If there was any chance he could be happy with Ronan, he’d take it.
He just wished his father was still alive so he could tell him all about it and watch his reaction.
* * * *
RONAN WAS BOTH EAGERand terrified to see Vincent.He wanted to know everything that had happened, but at the same time, he was afraid to find out.Even though he knew that Vincent wasn’t dead, there was no way for him to be sure that Vincent wanted to be with him.Hell, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to be with Vincent.
He snorted to himself as he drove the car out of pack territory.Cam had offered to have Vincent inside pack territory again, but Ronan wasn’t sure he was comfortable with that.He had to be able to escape if he felt the need to put space between himself and Vincent, and the only way to do that was to meet him outside of pack territory.It meant Ronan wouldn’t have the support of his new pack if something happened, but he could deal with that.
Ronan had been alone most of his life.Even when he hadn’t been, he’d only had a few people on his side.This was the first time a pack would support him if he needed them to, and it was overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as what was happening with Vincent.
It wasn’t like Vincent would hurt Ronan, not physically, anyway.He never had, and that wasn’t the kind of person he was—or rather, the kind of person he’d been.Ronan had no idea what kind of person Vincent was now.They hadn’t seen each other in years.
But he couldn’t have changed that much.He’d been Ronan’s mate before, and he still was.No matter how much he might have changed, that was something that never would.
Ronan didn’t think that Vincent would hurt him.He believed that Vincent was as confused as he was, and they’d need time to talk about it.Even though Vincent had never liked his father, the man was dead.That had to mean something to Vincent.Beyond that, though, the entire situation was a mess.Ronan had no idea how they would get out of it.
But they would.No matter how much time had passed and everything that had happened, he had faith in them.Even if they never got back together, their bond would always be there.
He wasn’t sure whether that made him want to cry or smile.
He couldn’t imagine a life without his mate, even though he’d lived that way for a while now.He’d thought Vincent was dead, while Vincent had believed Ronan had left him, but they both knew the truth now.If Fulton wasn’t already dead, Ronan would kill him himself.It was all the man deserved for hurting his son the way he had.
It wasn’t a surprise.Ronan had always known that Fulton hated him because of what he was and because he’d felt that Ronan had the kind of influence over Vincent that Fulton never did.He hadn’t wanted his son to be with a shifter and hadn’t made a secret of it.Vincent had tried to ignore his father and to keep him out of his life, but Fulton had never taken no for an answer.
Things hadn’t gotten better after Fulton had told Ronan that Vincent was dead.He’d put Ronan in a cage and had auctioned him off.He’d been giddy over earning money from a man he despised.He hadn’t realized that he’d already hurt Ronan in the worst way he ever could and that the auctions didn’t really matter.For years, Ronan had lost his will to live.It was why he’d been auctioned so many times.People bought him because they wanted a powerful wyvern shifter who would protect them and scare their enemies.Instead, they’d gotten Ronan, who barely left his cage even when he was being forced to.He hadn’t cared about anything because his mate had been dead.
It had been a lie.
Ronan was almost panicking by the time he parked on Main Street.He didn’t know the little town well yet, but he liked it.He felt comfortable enough here to meet Vincent, and knowing that he wasn’t far from the pack and a place where he felt safe helped.Vincent would never hurt him physically, but there was no way to know what his words would do to Ronan.
The same went for Vincent.Ronan wasn’t sure which was worse—him thinking that Vincent was dead or Vincent thinking Ronan had ghosted him and had left him willingly.How had Vincent dealt with that?How had he come to accept that his mate hadn’t wanted him?Was it something he could get over, or would Fulton continue to ruin their lives from the grave?
Ronan had never imagined he’d be in this position, but he was.He and Vincent had a second chance.Ronan didn’t know how Vincent felt about it, but he wasn’t planning on wasting it.He’d believed Vincent was dead, and part of him had died with him.That part could be reborn.
