“Stay here,” Yev whispered, rolling out of bed when the loud banging continued.
“Huh?” Radek squinted but was waking fast. His sense of smell wasn’t as sharp as Yev’s, but not human either, and he’d eventually realize what the noise downstairs meant. Still confused, he followed Yev’s suggestion and started dressing.
Yev’s skin broke out in goosebumps when he took in all the tender flesh he’d held in his arms only moments ago. It was fragile and could so easily break if the pack wanted to use Radek against him.
Sweat beaded on Yev’s back, but if he couldn’t remain calm, how was he to contain the situation?
“Lock yourself in with Coal. Don’t come out under any circumstances,” Yev said, fueled by adrenaline as he pulled on sweatpants. There was no point in trying to mask his scent with cologne. The men of the pack were here, because they already knew.
Burian had done what Yev had considered unimaginable and really had brought the pack to his doorstep. Fucking snitch.
His heart squeezed into a tight ball when he met Radek’s gaze and pulled him close, into a fast, desperate kiss that might be the last in a while, and ran out, down the stairs, to meet his fate.
“Coming,” he said forcefully when he sensed the odor of Burian’s sweaty coat. The bastard.
“I could smell that much,” Father said just as Yev opened the door.
Yev’s skin crawled at the sound of his voice. He hadn’t heard it in months, since Father had refused to talk to him in person once the banishment had begun, but he came this time, and the weight of his gaze—as sharp as Yev’s own—forced Yev to lower his eyes in submission.
Father was in his sixties, with gray hair and crow’s feet, but still had the body of a much younger man and remained a respected and feared leader. With his other two sons standing on either side of him like personal guards, he glared at Yev, standing straight with his arms crossed.
Despite the pain of rejection, Yev loved his father, and in other circumstances he’d have been happy to see him. But this wasn’t a joyful occasion, neither was it a family reunion. A dozen more males of the pack had come as well, silently judging, though Yev had no doubt they’d open their mouths when the time was right.
Olek glanced up at Yev for only half a second. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
“Don’t be!” Father slapped his shoulder, but didn’t look away from Yev, the accusation in his gaze like a noose tightening around Yev’s neck. “I gave you a chance, Yevhen, and this is how you repay me?”
Yev’s stomach sank, but he had nothing in his defense, and the silent pain in Father’s gaze was way worse than words of disappointment.
But it wasn’t right, and as Yev thought about the boy waiting for him upstairs, anger became a scorching presence in his chest. “How is this right? You know exactly why you’re willing to give me a chance. I’m a better fighter than each one of the fuckers standing behind you. I’m fast. I’m strong, and I won’t hesitate to put my life on the line to protect the pack.”
He hadn’t even noticed when his voice got growly, hurting his throat, but he swallowed hard, suddenly emotional when Father looked away, as if Yev had struck just the right note and planted shame in his heart. The others could screw themselves, for all Yev cared.
“Don’t you want to say anything? I might have apologized for not being like you in the past, but I won’t do that anymore! I will never love a woman this way. It’s just not gonna happen, no matter how many times you banish me, or curse me. It’s not Radek’s fault that I’m like this. The Moon-Eyed God made me this way.”
The werewolves hissed, their teeth growing in a display of fury. They must have all come here as werewolves, because despite the lingering snow, each man stood naked like primal forces of nature in their purest form. Burian loomed on the edge of this vision like a nightmarish shadow come to life.
“So this is your choice? You abandon your pack for him?” Father asked, shaking his head.
Yev saw red. “No! I demand you reconsider. I stand before you admitting this is who I am, and not giving up on my pack. Fucking a man, wanting to be with one, wanting to mate with one, even if it’s not possible, doesn’t make me any less of a werewolf than any of you!”
Father shook his head, his short gray beard unable to hide the twitch of his lips when he stepped closer, and Yev remained in the doorway instead of moving aside, as was the custom.
“You defend this man who I hear is not only your lover, but also a witness who could harm our business, and some kind of fox shifter himself? Have you lost your mind, Yevhen?”