As soon as the light flooded the space, Maddox threw his head back and let out a pained howl.
“Are you done?” Colt asked dryly.
Maddox blinked rapidly, getting his sight back against the bright light. When the amber sheen rolled away, leaving the rich golden gaze staring up at him, Colt knew his brother was still in a state where he could make sense of this.
Of course, that just meant that Maddox was teetering between anger and whatever it was that did this to him.
He opened his mouth. No fangs in sight. The wolf was there, but it wasn’t riding Maddox. Colt would’ve preferred dealing with Maddox’s beast. The hierarchy was easy there. When Maddox let the man be in control?
Anything goes.
Maddox didn’t say anything for a few seconds. It was like he was searching for the words when he shrugged. “I— damn it to hell, Colt. She found someone else.”
Colt tried not to wince at the news. It was super difficult.
Ah, fuck. That would explain it.
Maddox shook his head. “So that's it, I guess.” He lifted his hand, brought the bottle to his mouth, missed, then tried again. After a few pulls off the whiskey, he wiped the back of his mouth with his other hand and slumped back into the armchair. It looked like it was trying to swallow him whole. “I have to accept that the bond’s not coming back.”
Oh no. No, no, no. Drunk Maddox declaring he was giving up was a very bad thing. Because, when he sobered up and realized he couldn't have Evangeline, he would be back on his way to the Cage—if he was lucky. Colt remembered the way Maddox told him he would never willingly go back to the prison.
Maddox would choose death this time. Colt was sure of it.
Hell no.
Crouching down, careful not to meet Maddox’s gaze straight in case his wolf felt like it was being challenged, Colt kept his voice calm. Reasonable. “Listen to me. Do you feel the bond?”
“Yeah. It’s not as strong as it was, but it’s come back since I saw her myself. Doesn’t mean shit.”
“Like hell it doesn’t. You feel it, she’s gotta feel it, too. If not now, soon. Give her some time. It took you ages last time before
you even talked to her, and even longer before you guys were dating. Remember? Sneaking around her house, following her to work, spending nights apart? You nearly drowned in all those cold showers.”
Maddox didn’t crack a smile or even wince at the reminder.
“You don’t get it,” he said, a slight slur noticeable. “You’ve never been bonded. Once you find your mate, it’s not that you don’t want anyone else—it’s like you don’t see anyone else. You only want her touch, you only want to hear her voice… everyone can just fuck off and you’d still be happy. Angie made me wait because she was scared, but she never mated with anyone else. She is now. It’s over, Colt. I lost her.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I heard—”
“With your ears. What about your nose? Did you smell a man on her?”
“I can’t even smell her scent anymore.”
“That’s not what I asked,” Colt said firmly. “Does she smell like someone else is fucking her?”
Maddox growled, probably from the image Colt had purposely put in his head. “No.”
“So don’t give up yet. You said you wanted her. Grow a fucking pair and take her. She’s your mate. If you don’t want anyone else to touch her, do something about it.”
“I had a plan,” Maddox told him. There was a whine in his voice that couldn’t quite hide his slur. Nope, still wasted. “I was gonna take my time, make her fall in love with me again. It was a good plan.”
“A good fucking plan,” Colt agreed. “It worked once before.”
“But she’s with someone else. She wasn’t then.”
“Does it matter?”