“Well, yes and no,” I admitted with a half-smile. “I didn’t officially get introduced.”
“I’m right there with you, babe,” Nico said to me.
Maximus ran a hand through his dark hair, much like his brother often did. If you looked at their features, besides them both being handsome, they looked so very different. Still, they had similar little mannerisms—weird, because they weren’t raised together.
“I honestly only found out about you this year,” Maximus admitted. “I think my father was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop me from finding you, so he wouldn’t let anyone tell me about you. I can promise you, our mother didn’t stay away from you willingly.”
Nico’s jaw ticked, and I knew he was having a hard time believing what Maximus was saying.
“Can we go inside?” Maximus asked as he cautiously looked around. “I’d rather not discuss this out here.”
“I’ll stand guard outside,” Phoenix offered.
The other man who had traveled to town with them stepped up. “I’ll wait out here too.”
“Thanks. By the way, I’d like you all to meet Dare, my second.” Maximus gave a chin lift in the man’s direction. That’s when I realized they all had the same green-gold eyes that Nico’s mother and my daughter had. Huh.
We went inside, and I checked to be sure Ehria was still okay. Both fists up by her ears, she slept peacefully. Nico’s hands slipped around my waist, and he lowered his head to rest his chin on my shoulder. “She’s beautiful… like her mommy,” he whispered.
I pressed my palms over his hands before I turned to look at him and Maximus. Reluctantly, Nico let me go, and we sat on the other bed as Maximus sat in one of the chairs at the little table by the window.
“For several years, my aunt watched over you. At least until Amos found out and killed her. Mother said he was in a rage and told her that he would kill everyone she loved if she didn’t stay away from you.” He slouched back in the chair, legs spread and gazing at the ceiling.
It turned out it wasn’t one of the bodyguards on the job that had shot Nico. It was one of Amos’s people. He and his men were pissed because Ehria was refusing to stay away from us once she knew she was having a grandchild. Turned out she’d been the wolf that I thought I saw.
“My father threatened to kill your baby and your woman if she didn’t stay away. At the time, he thought you were dead. That was the night I found out about you. Mother was beside herself, crying in her home when I stopped by to see her. I didn’t understand why he hadn’t killed my mother over the years. I think it might’ve been because in his sick twisted way, he loved her. He didn’t want you in the pack because he hated that you were another man’s child with our mother. That was when we began to officially plan for the overthrow. Dare and I had discussed it in secret in the past, but I was young. I didn’t think I would have the support of the pack. After we found out about you, we gathered a group of loyal supporters who would rebel. We had everything ready to set our plan in motion when he sent my mother off and wouldn’t tell me why. Then she showed up with you and your daughter. I almost shit myself. It was a complication we hadn’t anticipated. I’m so fucking sorry.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs and bowed his head.
“Maximus. None of this is your fault. Tell him, Nico,” I urged. Nico wrapped his big, tattooed hand around mine and squeezed.
“She’s right,” he began, and Maximus looked up at him in disbelief. “None of us decide who our parents will be. The fact that you turned out to be a decent man is testament to our mother’s influence in your raising.”
“You want to know a secret? I’m not sure if I’m ready to be the Alpha,” he said with a mirthless laugh before he chewed on his lip and glanced out the window.
“Look, man, I don’t know much about the inner workings of the pack—hell, until today, I didn’t realize my mother was a fucking wolf. Still, I think you have a good head on your shoulders and you’ll do fine,” Nico told his younger brother.
“What I can say is I love my pack and I have their best interests at heart. And I pray you’re right,” he said with a sad smile.
“I know I am,” Nico said. “Now, I’d like to get my brothers and head home, if that’s okay.”
“One of my men will drive Jasmine and the baby home. Unless you’d rather rent a vehicle. I’d understand.”
“Maybe you could?” I asked, thinking it might give him and Nico a chance to bond if I could convince him to stay when we got back to Ankeny.
“I would if I could. With the state of things in the pack, it’s important for me to be here. At least until I establish my place,” Maximus apologized.
“Well, hopefully you’ll be able to visit one day soon,” Nico said, and I knew there was hope for the two brothers.