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Owen hugged me tight. “I get it, I really do. Sleep well Theo.”
“Nite Owen, thank you for being my friend.” A bright smile broke out on his face as he headed into the guest room.
Chapter Seventeen
Mako
Morning came, and Imissed it completely. Well, not completely. Usually, I was up either with or just before the sun. A habit I got into when I was younger. Both Pops and Gramps were early risers, no matter how late the night went. I remembered many a day in my youth forgoing sleep because the night went too far into the morning and sleep would have been a wasted effort. With the emotionally draining day yesterday, especially after spending two days with my Theo in heat, I wouldn’t beat myself up.
I hadn’t even opened my eyes, but I could see and feel the light through the window. It had to be closer to eight or nine as compared to my usual five of six. Even though I was alone, the bed was comfortable, and I had no intention of moving yet. Church wasn’t due until later in the afternoon. I doubt anything could get me out of this bed at the moment. Except…
“Dammit, Bear, get the fuck outta my way. Where the fuck is he? Which room? I swear to fuckin Goddess, if you don’t let mego, I’ll kick you so hard in the nuts you’ll cum blood for a fuckin week!” Only Owen could promise to maim a man like that and make it sound funny.
I wasn’t laughing long before the door to the room burst open with a furious omega staring me down. “Goddess damn you Mako, president or not, you’re a son of a bitch, bastard. If I thought Bear wouldn’t kill me before I finished, I’d kick your ass all over Misty Pines, you fucker.” Every bit of a smile dropped from my face as I saw Bear and Teach standing behind him, both with mouths dropped wide.
A deep growl reverberated in my chest. “Boy, you better remember who you’re speaking to. I don’t know who you think you are, but I can promise you you are not him. You will NEVER speak to me like that again. NEVER. UNDERSTAND!”
“Fuck you, ALPHA! He’s my friend, MY FUCKIN FRIEND! Do you know what you did to him? Do you care how he felt when you walked out on him? Do you even care what he’s b-b-been through?” Owen broke. Sobs wracked his body, and he held onto the door frame to stay upright. Bear stepped forward and picked him up, swinging his head towards the sofa so I knew to follow. Every bit of anger at his outburst drained from my body.
“Teach? Mind grabbing me a cup of coffee? I got a feeling this will not be a simple conversation.” Bear sat down with Owen in his arms, holding him like a child while he sobbed into his chest.
I rubbed my hand over Owen’s back, trying my best to soothe him. I hadn’t seen him in a state like this since just after he arrived here. It brought up memories best left in the past. “Owen?” He pulled his face from Bear’s chest to look in my direction, although with his eyes swollen and glazed over, I wasn’t sure he was actually seeing me. “What did Theo tell you?” I kept my voice steady; not really sure I was prepared for what I was about to hear.
Owen turned away from me as if he couldn’t look at me. Yeah, I got it. I wouldn’t want to look at me either. I still felt like shit over what I’d done. I didn’t deserve anyone’s forgiveness, much less their love. “Everything, Boss. He told me everything.”
“Owen, baby boy, that’s vague. Bear, Teach and I know a lot, but that doesn’t cover everything. What do you mean?” Owen continued to focus on fisting Bear’s shirt like it was the only thing holding him to the earth.
“He knows nothing about the shifter wars or fated mates. Any mates, really. We were going to kill him, he thought. During his heat, he felt the bond with you and that overrode his fear. He believed you were going to kill him when it was over.” He sobbed again. Nothing he said was shocking. “The things his parents said to him, the things his brother made him do. He only went so far because his father had the doctors check him regularly to make sure he didn’t seduce one of the staff to help him escape.”
Anger edged my voice. “Owen, what did Gavin make him do?” Owen just shook his head and curled further into Bear’s chest. Bear wrapped protective arms around him and rocked. “Owen, baby boy, I can’t fix it if I don’t know.”
He shuddered with a deep breath. “He told me as a friend, I can’t really tell you. You won’t look at him the same way again and oh Mako, he loves you so much, he needs you. You can’t turn him away. He won’t survive.”
I growled out, “I’m never turning him away. He’ll be wearing my mate mark before church tonight if he’ll have me. Nothing and I mean NOTHING you tell me will EVER change that.”
Owen looked at me, really looked at me. I guess he saw my truth. “Be careful with him, Mako. There are things he can’t and won’t do and you can never ask him to. It’ll break him.”
“You can never ask him for oral sex. Gavin forced him to do it to him and a few of his friends, sometimes cutting off his air until he passed out. They wanted to rape him too, but Gavin stopped itcuz their father had the doctor check on Theo every month when he made him take the heat suppressant. They beat him up and sometimes broke bones. That made his father mad, cuz he had to call the doctor early to s-s-set the breaks.” Owen’s voice slipped into his Little space. We all knew he was a Little, but no one ever brought it up because it rarely happened anymore. Only when he was really hurt or scared. I had a feeling it was a bit of both this time.
I shook my head at Bear. I knew he could see the rage simmering just below the surface, so he took over speaking to Owen. “Come on baby boy, let’s get you settled for a nap in Uncle Bear’s bed. When you wake up, we’ll have Bethie make you some pancakes.” Owen just nodded and gripped tightly around Bear’s neck as he rose off the sofa.
I watched them move across the room towards Bear’s master. Owen looked over his shoulder at me. “Uncle Mako?” My rage was too close to the surface, and I didn’t trust myself to speak. “I know I don’t get a vote in church, but here is different, right?” I just nodded my head. Owen’s eyes cleared completely for a moment, “I vote they DIE.” Again, I nodded my head‘Me too buddy, me too’.
Once Bear was in his room putting Owen to bed, I looked towards the kitchen. Teach stood frozen with what I assumed was my coffee in his hand. “You heard?” He, too, just nodded his head. He put the coffee on the table and walked over to me, laying his hand on my shoulder. Without a word, we walked out Bear’s front door.
Once we were in the hall Teach spoke. “I’m sorry, Mako. I suspected, but it wasn’t something I could prove. I wish I could have done something sooner, saved him somehow.” The man was hurting. Hurting for Theo, feeling every ounce of his pain.
“Not a thing you could have done. I’m stubborn and set in my ways. If you would have come to us with this when you joined,we would have blown you off and made you bide your time. No one knew Theo was my mate, no one. Hell, I didn’t even believe I had a mate. You did everything you could. Given the circumstances, you probably saved yourself. Now you’re here to help eliminate this shit once and for all.” I doubt he thought so, but every word I said was true.
“Yeah, I get it, I do, man, but I still feel as though there was more I could have done.” He just stood staring at the wall. “None of us will ever mention this in front of the others. It stays between the four of us, OK? I’m not sure how Theo would react to this shit being common knowledge. Hell, he may be really pissed that Owen told us anything.”
“You let me handle my mate. I got a feeling that you and Clip just bonded without him even knowing. He’s the one who beat the shit out of that little bastard and laid him up.” There ya go, silver linings.
“Yup, I’m buying that fucker anything he wants tonight, from alcohol to ass.” Teach cracked a grin.
“Man, that shit’s all free here, brother.” I had to laugh.
Teach headed down the hall towards the stairs. Over his shoulder, he shouted, “It’s the thought that counts!” That got us both laughing.
