Waking Bel (Lords of Discord 3)

From what he’d seen during their short time together, they were intelligent, kind, funny, and loyal men. They’d fought with and followed Brett because they’d struck a bargain with him.

Now Brett was dead, and they had a chance at freedom again, but freedom also meant their lives were in danger.

Bel sighed and dropped his hand from his face. Could he in good conscience agree to be their new “master”? Especially when turning them away meant putting them back in danger.

He wasn’t anyone’s master. What the devil was he supposed to do with them? He had important research to complete. His family needed him. What were they going to do with themselves while they were stuck with him? He didn’t want Wyatt and River trapped when they undoubtedly had their own hopes and dreams.

A low chiming rose from his phone, growing in volume until he finally picked it up and turned it off. His daily reminder. Sunrise was one hour away. The shades over the windows would be sliding into place within the next thirty minutes. The metal shades and special locks would be engaging ten minutes after that unless he hit the system override.

If the wolves were going to leave, he needed to get them out of the house now. It was a pain in the ass to override the system and then reset everything.

Shoving the phone into his pocket, Bel walked over to the wall of windows just behind one of his worktables. The snow had stopped falling a few hours ago, but everything had a nice, heavy coat. A bitter cold had settled over the area, dipping down into single digits.

While he felt horrible, he wasn’t sure he could sleep with them in the house. Would he feel safe?

He didn’t realize he was walking until he was halfway up the stairs to the second floor. As silently as possible, he crossed to the guest room he’d always left for Rafe. His twin didn’t stay over during the day too often. In fact, it had been a couple of years now since he’d last passed the daylight hours at Bel’s, but he always kept a room ready for him.

At the door, he could hear soft snoring from one or maybe both of the men. Quietly, he opened the door and stepped inside the dark room. His eyes instantly adjusted to the lack of light, and he could make out two bodies curled up together under the blankets. It looked as if River was lying on his side with Wyatt wrapped around him. The clothes he’d brought into the room were still neatly folded and had been moved to the dresser.

The blankets were tousled about them so that he could make out a hint of bare skin, but for the most part, there was only a sense of warmth and closeness. They looked safe. Content.

Bel had never given much thought to mates and love. His work had always occupied his brain. But now that he watched Marcus so happy with Ethan, even Rafe falling for his Philippe, Bel found himself wondering what it would be like to have a pair of strong arms waiting to wrap around him at the end of each night. To have someone to talk to about his failures and triumphs. Someone who needed him.

But finding that someone? Well, he hadn’t a clue as to how he should go about such a thing.

And as he told Wyatt and River, now was definitely not a good time.

Frowning, Bel watched Wyatt and River sleeping, knowing there was no way he could ask them to leave at sunrise, even if he didn’t feel safe falling asleep with them in his house. He could always catch up on his sleep later, or maybe even lock himself in his lab. They needed their rest.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and started to turn away when Wyatt shifted to lean up on his elbow. Dark-brown eyes reflected some little snatch of light. Damn it! He’d woken Wyatt.

Bel pressed a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence before he shook his head. He wasn’t sure if Wyatt understood, but he hurried from the room all the same, trying not to make more noise. Hopefully, he would return to sleep.

But Bel wasn’t that lucky.

He’d just reached the stairs when Wyatt stepped into the hall, buttoning his jeans. He hadn’t pulled on a shirt, and his feet were still bare. Dark hair was beautifully sleep-tousled about his head. Something whispered in Bel’s brain that he would be snuggly warm and smelling of sleep, soap, and River.

Stupid, relentless heat burned his cheeks. He was sure he’d never blushed so much in his entire long existence, but something about Wyatt and River brought it out constantly.

“Bel?” Wyatt said softly.

“No. Everything is okay. Go back to sleep,” Bel replied in a voice barely over a whisper. He couldn’t risk waking River as well. Without looking at Wyatt, he hurried down the stairs and darted toward the kitchen. But once he stood in the spotless room, he couldn’t figure out why he’d chosen it as a hiding place. His lab would have been much smarter. Or maybe the library.