Page 11 of Salvation
His baby.
He stared at the threadbare carpet in the back room of the saloon. He scratched at the jeans Soren had loaned him, wondering what to do or say. Finally, he forced himself to raise his eyes to Soren and face up to facts like the man he’d been raised to be. His jaw was locked, but even that didn’t leave him with a way out because he could send his thoughts into his cousin’s mind. He had to. He’d done wrong, and the only thing left to do was own up to it. Not to make excuses but somehow try to explain.
But how the hell would he explain, when he didn’t understand it himself?
I never meant for it to happen, Soren. And it wasn’t Sarah’s fault, either. It was like something—
He’d expected Soren to cut him off with the outraged bark of an alpha, not with a single word whispered in his mind.
Moonlust.
Todd took a step back and stared.
Moonlust,Soren said again.That night, I was thinking about Sarah, and somehow…
Moonlust? Todd swayed a little on his feet. Moonlust was one of those legends old folks loved to talk about. The power that mates had to reach out to each other over great distances to touch and love and unite. When a wish became an action that played out not just in the mind, but in the body. When two lovers could feel each other, hear each other, and reconnect.
I never knew it could influence someone else,Soren said.I shouldn’t have let it happen.
Todd stared. His cousin really was apologizing.
It was my fault,Soren went on.
Mine, too,Sarah added, her voice tight and trembling in his mind. She clutched the baby harder, and the shadow of fear colored her face.
Fear? Why would she ever be afraid of him?
One look at Soren, whose face had folded into fierce lines, told him why.
They’re afraid we’ll want the baby,his bear whispered inside.
I love this baby,Soren all but roared. He didn’t say it aloud or voice the notion in Todd’s mind, but his body sent out ferocious vibes all the same.I’m never giving him up.
Todd didn’t want him to give up the baby. Why would he? That baby was theirs. A baby born of Soren and Sarah’s love. He was just the…the…
Jesus, what did that make him?
Nobody, not in an equation of one plus one makes three.
Pain deeper than any he’d ever felt from any wound seeped into his bones. That baby wasn’t his in the way that truly counted. He hadn’t even known there was a baby until now. And yet, it felt as if something had been ripped from him. A piece of his soul, taken away.
I owe you everything,Soren said, shedding some of the tough alpha veneer he carried around like armor.You saved my mate. You gave us a future we never thought we’d have.
Soren didn’t actually say,You helped create the son I adore,but Todd could see it in the lines of his brow. Along with the worry.Please, please, don’t try to take him from me. Don’t make this a fight it doesn’t have to be.
What was he supposed to reply? That all the fight had gone out of him? That it would never have occurred to him to claim that child? He would never, ever break up a family. And hell no, he wouldn’t pick a fight with Soren. Soren was family, and Sarah was Soren’s mate. Todd had had no business getting between them in the first place.
Besides, what did he know about babies, other than the fact that they belonged with their parents?
Doesn’t take much,he remembered his grandmother saying.A little feeding, a lot of holding. A lot of love.
Yeah, well. He was pretty sure it wasn’t that simple. And deep inside, he knew that, even if Sarah slipped Teddy into his arms now, holding him would feel wrong. That was Soren and Sarah’s child, not his.
“Todd,” Soren called into his mind.
He shook his head and studied the diamond pattern in the faded rug. Clearly, he should have died when he’d had the chance. Why was fate toying with him? Why make him endure a months-long trek here, only to be treated as an outsider? Worse, as a threat to his own clan. Why?
Without thinking, he started for the door. Fate had taken everything away from him. His family. His home. His purpose. A big chunk of his pride. It had permanently scarred his body. And as if that wasn’t enough, now fate was taking away what he didn’t even know he had.
