“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“He’s my blood match. I think I have to be with him. ”
“No, Rory, you don’t have to be—not if you don’t want to be, or if the two of you can’t work things out. I know some of the others have said you can’t fight it, that you can’t live without him. It is possible to live without your true mate, even if it’s hard. Unfortunately, I know that for sure. ”
Rory dropped his gaze, remembering how terribly the beta had grieved for his mate after she died. The entire pack had mourned along with him and had been upset by his inconsolable grief.
“I don’t know how you do it,” he said softly.
Ian shrugged. “You do what you have to do. ”
“I don’t want to stay away from him. ”
“Nicky did until Marco gave in and realized he had to make the changes. If you feel as strongly about the total submission, and Casey can’t accept that, you can too. If you and Casey can’t work it out, it doesn’t mean you have to be alone forever. You can love someone again—it may not be a blood match, but you can fall in love. Maybe even deeply in love. ”
Rory shook his head firmly. “There’s no one else like Casey. I still want him. I just don’t know if I can forgive him for wanting to deliberately hurt me, Ian. He doesn’t mean his dominance as any kind of love play. He means it to hurt me. He hates me. ”
Rory couldn’t help it; his eyes filled with tears. Ian nodded. “All right. Let me see what I can do. If that’s true, you need to know it now, so you can walk away. ” He went over to the phone, dialed a number and spoke softly into the receiver for a few moments. “Marco’s bringing him. Rory, are you sure about this? He hasn’t changed, you know. He’s the same Casey he was a little while ago. ”
“I know. I still need to talk to him. I said some things I maybe shouldn’t have because I was so hurt and angry. Now that the shock’s over, maybe we can talk. ”
“We’ve never had a pairing like this before, Rory—two wolves. We don’t know exactly what it means for the two of you even without the added issue of his vengeance for his brother. Do you think your wolf is really gone?”
“I did at first, but a while ago, when I heard Casey howl, I felt something. I wanted to shift and go to him. I don’t know if I could have or not. I think maybe if I needed to shift—to protect my mate or for some other really good reason—I think I might be able to. ”
Ian patted his hand. “I heard your howl. For now though, I suggest you keep that to yourself. ”
Marco opened the door and pushed Casey into the room in front of him. Casey’s hands were tied in front of him, and his face was flushed with anger. His eyes searched the room for Rory, and he seemed to relax a bit when he saw him sitting on the couch.
Rory got up immediately and went to stand by him, appealing to Marco. “Please, Marco, untie him. ”
“No, not until I find out exactly what’s going on. Sit down, both of you. ” Marco shoved Casey, and Casey turned to snarl at him.
Rory took his arm. “Please, Casey. Sit down with me. ”
Casey pulled away from Rory’s touch, but allowed him to sit beside him on the sofa. He was sullen and furious, his face bruised high on his cheekbone. He glared up at Marco. “When I get my hands free, we’ll finish this, Alpha. ”
Marco laughed shortly. “You’re already finished. The only reason I haven’t thrown you in a jail cell already is because of Rory, and I still might. ”
Ian came over to stand beside his alpha. “Rory says he hasn’t been abused. I’d like to talk to Casey about the way he’s seeing things, but not now, I think it’s best if everyone calms down tonight and gets some rest. We can talk in the morning. ”
Marco hesitated, looking doubtful, perhaps still caught up in his anger. Ian put a hand on his shoulder. “Go on to your suite, Marco. You know Nicky will be dying to find out what’s going on.
Nicky was everybody’s favorite around the compound, because of his beauty, his quirky charm, and his courage in forcing Marco into making changes for all the pets. At the mention of his name, Marco seemed anxious to go, but he still hesitated in leaving Rory.
“What about sleeping arrangements for the night?”
“Rory belongs to me. He stays where I stay,” Casey stated in challenge and frowned at Marco belligerently.
“That’s not up to you, you son-of-a-bitch!” Marco took a step toward him, and Casey tried to get up off the couch but Rory pulled him back.
“I’ll stay with him, Marco. We need to talk. ”
“They can stay here tonight in my other bedroom if that’s okay, Marco. You can post a guard outside if it will make you feel better about it. ”
Marco nodded. “I will. ” He looked at Rory. “Are you sure this is what you want? If you don’t want to stay with him, you can go to your own room or I’ll take you with me. ”
Casey made a move as if to jump up off the couch again, but Rory put a restraining hand on his arm. “I’ll stay with Casey,” he said.