“Nope,” Ronan said as soon as Aiden finished.
“What?”
Ronan shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest—a sure sign the man intended to dig his heels in no matter what Aiden said. “I’m staying to make sure you don’t say something you regret. You might have known these boys longer, but I can promise you that I’m better acquainted with your temper.”
That Aiden couldn’t argue. When they’d been human, Aiden had been sure that Ronan specialized in making him angry and getting him to lose his temper. In contrast, Aiden couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever lost his temper with his sons. That alone should have been a sign that he was tired and not thinking clearly, but he wasn’t willing to back down. They needed to discuss as a family what the hell was going on.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Rafe’s angry voice filled the room from where Bel had set his phone on the coffee table.
“Why did you feel the need to sneak out of the house?” Marcus demanded next. “Any one of us would have been happy to accompany you.”
“We will get to that in a moment,” Aiden said sharply. He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it over one of the chairs before stepping up to the coffee table. He wanted to make sure he was heard by everyone. “I want to know why my sons no longer believe I have enough sense in my head to operate as an independent adult.”
The silence was broken first by Marcus. “It’s not about sense. You need protection when you go out. You’re the king now. The European Ministry has plans for you. Former MacPherson clan members are lurking. You have ample enemies who would prefer to cut your heart out.”
“And is that why you saw fit to go out during the day, break into Ronan’s hotel room, and threaten him?”
“What?” Marcus shrieked. “What happened? Who did this?”
Aiden’s gaze narrowed on Winter and then Bel. His youngest glared at him, his expression mutinous, while Bel seemed to fold in on himself as he sat heavily on the couch. “So you kept Marcus out of your adventure.”
Rafe sighed loudly over the speaker. “Because Marcus would never have agreed with us. It was my idea.”
“Rafe’s and mine,” Winter corrected.
Marcus was saying something muffled in the background, possibly demanding from Ethan to know if his mate knew anything about the escapade.
“And they didn’t so much threaten me,” Ronan murmured. Aiden looked over to find his friend leaning one shoulder against the wall, his hands resting in his pockets. “It was more of a courtesy warning.”
“One you didn’t bloody heed,” Rafe muttered.
“Good. I’m glad he didn’t!” Aiden snapped. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of anger and pain in his chest. “I need to know right now, as your father and your king, have you lost faith in me?” There was a loud gasp from several people before a heavy silence fell over the room, but Aiden pushed on. “Do you think I’m addled? Do you think my mental abilities are failing?”
“No! Of course not!” Marcus protested.
Aiden kept his eyes locked on the two sons he could see. Bel was shaking his head, looking hurt and ashamed.
“No,” Winter said stiffly.
“Do you not trust my judgment?”
“Yes, of course we do,” Marcus answered, but Winter gave a little shake of his head, and it hurt.
“Not when it comes to him.”
“He has a name,” Aiden nearly snarled.
“Ronan!” Winter shouted at him. “I don’t trust your judgment when it comes to Ronan. We know he comes from your past, and we’re afraid that you’re not thinking clearly when it comes to him. I can see it on your face when he’s around. You look happy and hurt and confused all at once. The fucking European Ministry sent him, and we all know they’re plotting something. It’s like I told you last night; he can use that past against you, get you to drop your guard, trust him so he can put a dagger in your back.”
“I’m being cautious,” Aiden said firmly.
“Are you?” Winter demanded. Bel rose from the sofa and crossed to where Winter was standing. He placed a comforting hand on his little brother, but Winter shrugged it off. “From where we’re standing, it doesn’t look like it. You run off to hunt with him and return covered in blood and get trapped during the daylight hours. How do we know he didn’t arrange that?”
Aiden was already shaking his head. “He didn’t.”
“Aiden knows that if I wanted him dead, I’d face him myself. No knives in the back. No secret attacks,” Ronan replied in a low, hard voice.
“That might be the man you were, but we don’t know who you are now,” Rafe muttered.
“And this is where it comes down to trusting me and my judgment. Winter took in Fox, a witch who was supposed to destroy the Variks. Do you think I was excited about my son risking his life with someone we didn’t know a damn thing about? Or that Bel was living with two werewolves linked to our enemies? Do you think I didn’t lose sleep over that? But you’re adults, and I have to let you make your own decisions.”