Wild (Savage Alpha Shifters 1)

“No. This wasn’t about picking sides. We’re all tethered, cuz. If we weren’t, you’d have been able to go through with ripping his throat out.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you protect my mate?” I shout.

They should’ve put me down.

No. Then she’d be free for Mason to take her.

Fuck. The urge to shift is overwhelming right now. To shift and tear apart everything in my field of vision.

“That’s something beyond us, Ty,” Riley says softly. “She’s yours. And she’s your responsibility.”

Fuck. And I failed at that spectacularly. I slump.

“Here. This’ll help.” Cat hands me a glass of water.

I drink it down.

“What was it?” I ask as I pass her back the empty glass. It wasn’t just water. Something bitter sits on my tongue.

“Just a mild sedative. It might not do much, but it should help you sleep. Your heart rate is too high. You won’t let me take your stats, but I can see by your skin tone, can hear that it’s too high. And you’ll need rest. What you’ve been through tonight? You and Ivy both need rest.”

“You drugged me,” I accuse. “Don’t give me shit without telling me,” I hiss.

She jerks back, face falling. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to help.”

“Fuck,” I snap. “I don’t take pills.”

“Talk to Mason,” Lorenzo says, coming back in. “He’s confused. If she were his, he wouldn’t be confused.”

“He won’t be anywhere near her,” I state, pointing at them all.

“He doesn’t wanna be near her, Tyson,” Lorenzo raises his voice. “He wants you outside. Talk to him. You’ll see. He regrets–”

I shake my head. “I can’t worry about Mason Quinn right now.”

I have to fix her.

I know that every individual in this pack is my responsibility. I know this deep in my gut. I can’t deal with him right now.

She comes first.

But I’m failing.

I’m failing at being a mate.

I’m failing at being part of this pack. There’s no way in the world I can think about leading this pack.

I fucked up huge.

I’m not worthy of their adoration, their loyalty, or their welcome home.

I don’t belong here.

“I’m taking Ivy home.” I rise with her in my arms.

“Stay,” Cat says. “Rest. Deal with all of it in the morning.”

I glare at her, but she doesn’t back off this time. She puts her hand on my arm. “Tyson. This isn’t a typical situation. Please don’t go. Please stay while we try to sort it out. I’m heading to go examine Mason now. I’ve already been in touch with specialists in Scotland at the university for some advice on what this could be. I hope to hear back in a few hours from them. Please, don’t go. Stay here while we figure this out. Let’s try to figure this out together. We’re all stronger together than we are apart. That’s what a pack is, my son. We’re here for one another.”

“I just want peace and quiet. To take her home and–”

Atticus touches my shoulder and gives me an expression steeped in emotion. “Stay, Tyson. Please. Let us help you both through this. We’re here for you.”

“We’ll go. We’ll leave you two in peace,” Riley adds. “Me and your mom will be downstairs. We’ll sleep in the family room and be here if you need us.”

I sit on the bed with a sigh.

“We’ll figure this out,” Cat says and leans over to touch my temple with a kiss and then she drops a kiss on the top of Ivy’s head. “I promise we will not stop until we figure it out.”

Ivy’s cradled close to my chest, but I can’t see her face. I listen for her breathing. She’s not sleeping.

Riley, Lorenzo, and Atticus have gone.

“Did he ever do this to you?” I ask my mother.

She shakes her head.

“And Cornelius wanted you? He showed that to him? With no confusion?”

She nods. “He was terrible at hiding it. Most times he didn’t even try.”

“Why? Why could my father control himself and I can’t? Mason Quinn didn’t… his mind isn’t…” I stop speaking.

I can’t describe what I felt from him. I can’t describe that he wasn’t crossing a line but that it felt, to me, like Ivy belonged with him, not me. With him. As if she was supposed to be his. I felt like an imposter. I felt like I had no right to the pack, to the family, to her. And I wasn’t fucking having it, not the Ivy part.

Cat kisses my head again. “Tiberius wasn’t perfect. Not even close. You’re not perfect, either. You’ve had a very different journey from his and this is all part of your journey with her. It’s gonna be work to fix it, but you can fix it. The thing with Mason… I don’t know what it is, but it’s not like with Cornelius. He’s not an unstable person, but he hasn’t been well since Monday.”

Monday, when he got back to me and Ivy in their village.