Kyle was exhausted, depressed and heartsick. All he wanted to do was slink off to lick his wounds, not be subjected to an enthusiastic homecoming. He appreciated the sentiment, but he’d be back on Tygeria right this minute if not for their well-meaning meddling in his affairs.
He laid his head back on the sofa in Nikolai’s main living area, closing his eyes. He knew he wasn’t being fair—they had no idea Taz was his mate. There hadn’t been time for them to receive that last message he and Taz had recorded for them.
A sudden memory of that day, when afterward they’d talked about the baby’s name hit Kyle hard and a wave of sorrow and loss washed over him. He may never even see the baby now, not if Taz chose to freeze him out and never forgive him. He felt a hand on his knee and opened his eyes to see Lucas leaning towards him.
“I’ve called the doctor, Kyle. I think he should check you over. ”
Kyle shook his head wearily. “No, I don’t need any doctor. You don’t understand the situation. ”
Konnor, leaning against the wall next to him, spoke up. “What’s to understand? They kidnapped you, abused you, raped…uh…took advantage of you. ” He made a growling sound low in his throat. “This thing isn’t over yet, damn it! We’ll make that bastard pay for what he did to you!”
Nikolai sat next to him, with Jagger perched on the arm of the sofa beside him. Nikolai threw an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him so hard Kyle thought he might be in danger of a dislocated shoulder. “Damn right. Don’t worry, little brother, we’ll get revenge for what he did to you. ”
Kyle rolled his eyes. Nikolai was older than he was by exactly six minutes, but had acted like this their whole lives. Little brother, indeed. Like he needed someone to look after him. Had Nikolai known all along Kyle wasn’t the same as he was? That he wasn’t a true alpha? Had everyone known except for him?
Shrugging him off, Kyle turned on him. “I don’t want revenge. I want to go back home to my mate. ”
A stunned moment of silence followed his words. When it went on for a bit too long, he realized they were all embarrassed for him. Lucas, who was the only one who seemed to
be able to meet his gaze, looked at him sympathetically. “Kyle,” he said in the tone of voice people used to talk to mental patients or people about to jump from a ledge. “When people are kidnapped and held for a long time, there’s a condition that makes them identify with their captors. That’s what this is. It’s perfectly understandable and…”
“No!” Kyle yelled, dry-washing his face with his hands. “It’s not any fucking condition and I’m not crazy, damn it, so everybody stop acting weird. ” He glared around at each of his family members in turn. “Taz Bonnet is my mate. I know it’s crazy, but that’s how it usually works with this damn curse of ours, doesn’t it? It just happened the moment I saw him. And he feels the same way about me as your mates feel about you. Except that now he thinks I betrayed him and chose you over him. I had to sneak away and get friends of Tarr’s to help me because he didn’t want to risk losing me!” He put his face down in his hands. “Now he probably hates me—he thinks I betrayed him. ”
Another brief, shocked silence met his words, but then Konnor shook his head. “No, wait a minute. That can’t be right. We saw the tape of you in the arena with him on Tygeria. He almost killed you!”
“What? How did you see that?”
Nikolai spoke up beside him. “The Alliance has some undercover contacts on Tygeria. Lucas had them following Taz Bonnet once we found out he had you. We saw the whole thing, Kyle. It was brutal. ”
Kyle shook his head doggedly. “No, you don’t understand. I initiated that whole thing. I’d been asking him to contact you to let you know I was fine and that he was my mate, but he was suspicious and afraid it was too soon. I insisted and made him an offer—if I could beat him in the ring, he’d let me come back for a visit. ”
“Beat him in the ring?” Blayde said from his chair next to Lucas. “Kyle, he’s huge. It took two of us to put Tarr Bonnet down when we captured him—I’m surprised you lasted as long as you did. ”
“I wouldn’t have if he’d actually been trying to hurt me. Don’t you see? He was just fooling around—when he realized I was hurt, he put a stop to it fast. He’s bonded with me. He’s my mate, don’t you get it?”
Lucas leaned back on the sofa looking thoughtful but Nikolai persisted. “No, I don’t believe it. You couldn’t have left him if that had been the case, not once you’d claimed him. And the same goes for him! Nothing would have made me let Jagger go, unless maybe…”
He broke off with an astonished expression and Kyle nodded, his lips thinned out to a furious line. “Unless some maniacs were threatening to cut your brother up in little pieces and ship him home to you one piece at a time? And I haven’t claimed him—not exactly. He’s claimed me plenty, though, and I-I love him. ”
Lucas’s face was a little red, and he was shaking his head. “We had no idea, Kyle. ”
Kyle sagged, feeling worn out. “I know. He’s just as stubborn as all of you. He didn’t believe me when I told him you’d try something to rescue me. Arrogant fool. ”
Larsson, standing behind Lucas, had been quiet throughout all of this. He spoke up quietly now. “So you never needed rescue at all. And all this was for nothing. ” Everyone in the room gazed at him sharply, but he shook his head and gripped the back of the sofa, looking down. “I’m sorry, Kyle. It’s not that I regret anything, you know that. ” He looked back up. “I’d do anything for you. But if I understand what you’re telling us, then letting Tarr go was…”
Kyle looked back and forth among his family. “What’s going on? What are you talking about, Lars?”
Lucas was the first to reply, and his tone was grim. “Larsson thinks he imprinted on Tarr Bonnet, of all people. ”
Larsson turned abruptly and stormed into the adjoining kitchen, walking over to the counter and slamming his hand down on the counter. “I told you, damn it! I told you he’s my mate! I can’t help the way I feel about him. But I’ll get over it. I have to!”
Kyle’s mouth fell open as he stared at Larsson. Konnor, Larsson’s brother, was studiously ignoring him, his mouth tight and angry. Everyone else just looked uncomfortable.
“Are you telling me…? Have you mated with him?”
Larsson shook his head. “Of course not. I couldn’t have let him go, otherwise. But he’s my mate. He felt it too—I know he did, even though he tried to deny it. ”
Kyle felt completely astounded. “So you wouldn’t have allowed them to really hurt Tarr, would you? It was all a bluff. ”