164
Tony
They were on the floor getting along better than I expected. I never thought about what Matt would be like with children.
Quillan turned and looked at me, stunning me as his eyes met mine. Something stirred in me.
I had a son. Though I had always known that, eventually, I would have a son, I had never expected it like this. My heart twisted with the knowledge that this child, my son, had been out there, and he wasn’t the child of me and my mate.
I looked at Matt.
Our mate, rather.
I shook my head. Lucy was our mate. Ginevra and Quillan were mistakes. It was all unexpected, and I found myself grappling with conflicting emotions.
Matt.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t even seem to notice that I was calling him. His mind was so distant from mine. Not just closed off, but it felt as if I would never be able to talk to him through our link ever again. I narrowed my eyes. I had to be imagining things. After Oren's talk about using the Bonds of the Moon to bring the White Moon people into Blue Moon, Matt seemed completely closed off.
Matt was pouting, as far as I was concerned. The thought of it made anger and frustration build up inside me. Sure, this wasn’t what we planned, but was now really the time to throw a tantrum with our father here?
"Matt, we need to talk," I said, my voice tense.
Matt didn’t look up at me, but his jaw tensed. "What is it, Tony?"
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check.
Matt, what’s going on?
Again, there was no response.
“Well?” Matt asked without looking at me.
I swallowed, trying to keep my voice calm despite the growing unease in my chest.
“I said we need to talk,” I glanced at Quillan. “In private.”
There was a strange tension in the air. It wasn’t like Matt to not just do as I asked.
Slowly, Matt looked up at me, his expression guarded and distant. It was as if I couldn't reach him, as if he had built a wall around his mind, shutting me out.
“And what if I don’t have anything to talk about?” Matt narrowed his eyes. “Then, what?”
“This isn’t the time for a tantrum, Matt.”
He cocked an eyebrow at me and turned back to look down at Quillan. “How about a snack, kid?”
“Matt,” I said, growing closer and reaching out to touch his shoulder. He pulled away from me, almost flinching.
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
"Don't shut me out, Matt," I pleaded, my heart sinking.
Our mind link had always been a strong connection between us. We needed that now more than ever.
The door opened behind me, and our nanny arrived. “There you are! Come on, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the children.”
As our nanny got Quillan up and led him out, I grabbed Matt’s arm.
“We need to talk. Now.”
He looked at me for a moment as if debating whether to let me in. Then, he hardened his jaw and ripped his arm out of my grip.
“Not here.”
He turned toward the hallway and led me out.
Why are you acting like this?
No reply. I felt a mix of frustration and worry. Matt and I had always shared everything with each other. This distance felt like a betrayal.
As we stepped into my office, the tension between us was palpable. The return of our father had stirred up a whirlwind of emotions, bringing back unresolved issues and traumas from our past. Some of which Matt had clearly never shared with me. He closed the door behind him and locked it. We stood facing each other in tense silence. He looked at me with so much anger and disgust in his eyes that it made me flinch.
“You give me one good reason I should even humor you,” Matt said. “Going along with Oren’s plan?”
“He’s still our father—“
“Fuck that! He's dangerous, and his plans could put us all at risk." Matt's expression hardened. "What about Quillan?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What about Quillan?”
“You want Quillan to grow up like us? Without his mother?”
I frowned and scoffed, shaking my head. “That’s what you’re in such a mood about? Ginevra? You and I both know that he and our nanny are right. No matter what happens, she’s in the supernatural world now—”
He shook his head in disbelief. "That doesn't excuse his or your actions. Or your plans! After everything he’s done, you want to just toss your lot in with him, hm? Mine, too? Are we going to start massacring the pack too?"
My jaw clenched. I could see the turmoil in his eyes, but he was being stupid.
"You just don't get it, do you?" I asked, practically shaking with frustration. “I thought you would understand, but I can see that you’re being too damn emotional to think, like usual.”
He threw up his hands. “Oh, don’t start this shit—”
I reached out to try to connect with him through our mind link, but I was met with a wall of resistance. Matt had blocked me out completely. It was like slamming into a brick wall.
"Matt," I said slowly. My eye twitched from the twinge of pain through my head. “Let me in. We—”
“Fuck off,” he said, his expression closed off.
I swallowed, stunned at his reply. I couldn't believe that he was shutting me out like this. We had always been able to rely on each other, but now it felt like there was a huge wall between us.
If Lucy were here, if our mate were here, we wouldn’t be in this state.
"Why are you doing this, Matt?" I finally asked, my voice raw with emotion. "Why are you pushing me away?"
“And we don’t need the link for you to listen to me,” he snarled. “And I don’t want you in my mind.”
“What?”
Matt sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I don't want to fight with you, Tony," he said. "But I can't help feeling that I can’t trust you either…”
He didn’t look at me as he whispered, “Not now."
Frustrated and hurt, I couldn’t find the words. I felt a pang of guilt at his words.
“Where is this even coming from?”
Matt glared at me, his voice tight with anger and frustration. "After all that talk about Peter recklessly turning people, you want to cross that line now?" he said, his eyes boring into mine. “Just because he thinks it’s a good idea? Because our nanny thinks it’s a good idea?”
I scoffed. "It's just one woman, Matt. One human woman. She’s not even my mate. You wouldn’t be like this if one of your flings walked in here with a child.”
“Don’t try to make yourself feel better because you think I’m just a fuck up.”
“Matt—”
“So what, I don’t give a damn about the pack’s finances? I’m not contemplating murder.”
“It’s not murder.”
“Say what you want, Tony.” He shook his head, his face flushed with emotion. "If she dies, it’s fucking murder.”
“But if she doesn’t—”
“If!” He screamed. “You’re thinking about gambling with her life because of what?”
Matt's eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of pain in them. “You’re my brother, Tony. I’d stand with you through hell. I have. Against him, but I'm not going to be a part of this.”
“You’re just being sensitive,” I said. “Our father—“
“Killed his own pack members, and when we took him down and had him carted off, didn’t we promise to protect them? To be nothing like him?”
“Yes, of course—”
“He hasn’t been back a week, and not only is the whole pack falling at his feet, but you’re letting him take over!”
I growled. “Watch your mouth. I’m not letting him do anything!”
“You’re damn sure not thinking,” he snarled. “You’re damn sure not being an alpha about it.”
I charged across the room, grabbing him by his shirt. “You shut the fuck up. After everything I’ve done for you—”
Matt gripped my wrist and squeezed hard, prying my hands off him. His eyes were full of wolf light. I felt my heart skip with real fear.
When had Matt been so strong?
“If you attempt it, I'm going to report you.”
I felt a surge of anger rise within me. "Report your own brother?" I growled. "You'd really do that?"
Matt's gaze didn't waver as he glared at me and shoved me back. My wrist throbbed.
"My brother would never turn someone knowing they could end up dead. That sounds more like Oren's son."
His accusation hit me like a punch to the gut. It was true that Oren's ruthlessness and disregard for the lives of others had caused us pain in the past, but to hear him say that after everything I had done for him was too much.
Before I could speak, though, and tell him exactly what I thought about his high-handed bullshit, he left me, standing in his office alone.
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