Jai

“I didn’t know Lorcan was coming today.”

I shrug my shoulders at Adam because I didn’t know either. My uncle Lorcan isn’t one for dropping by unannounced unless it’s an emergency. As Dad didn’t mention anything, and Lorcan is smiling at the little girl in his arms, I’m clueless.

“I wonder who the kid is,”

“Yeah,” Adam answers me, seeming miles away.

Adam is my father’s cousin; their fathers are brothers. The man is your typical tall, dark and handsome prick. He holds himself like a wolf, dresses like a vampire, and has eyes women seem to get lost in. Dad always said that had more to do with Adam’s ability to hypnotise people than women falling at his feet.

Not to be confused with Adam forcing anyone to be with him, he would never do that. Although, Adam is known for hypnotising people to watch them make fools of themselves for fun.

Weirdo.

I’ve always felt sorry for Adam, he may look to be in his twenties, but he’s, in fact, in his fifties. Adam is the same age as my father, but Adam has never found his mate. I can’t imagine waiting years to find your mate but never catching a glimpse of the one you’re supposed to spend your life with.

Adam says he’s not bothered and doesn’t need a mate, but no one believes it. Every wolf craves the other half of his soul; Adam is no different.

Adam dropped by yesterday, saying something was calling him here. None of us knows what, and he doesn’t know himself. Dad told Adam to stay a few days to try and work it out, wondering if something was bothering him. If Adam stayed, then perhaps whatever is on his mind, he’ll work it out, or at least, we could help him do so.

Adam is closer to my uncle Luther than anyone and always has been. I had wondered why Adam hadn’t gone to Blue Water, yet it was Greenrock and my father he decided to come to. Of course, Adam is close to my aunt Lilly, Dad, and uncle Lorcan, but Luther seems to be the one he gets on the most with.

Dad asked me to keep Adam occupied today and to try and figure out what’s on his mind. Adam and I decided to go for a walk, hoping that would clear his mind a little, but it doesn’t seem to have worked. Now I’m at a loss at how to help him.

I haven’t been able to determine what’s wrong, but the two of us have been walking for two hours, and I’m about ready to kick him in the nuts.

I’m frustrated here, so fucking shoot me!

Adam told me that something was pulling him toward the packhouse, which is why we made our way home.

Back to Lorcan.

I don’t know if he’s collecting kids now, but I know the little girl in his arms is not his. No one mentioned another child, and this one looks around three years of age. I think we’d have noticed if Gianna had given birth again. Plus, the kid isn’t a member of our pack, so he must have brought her here from Silver Paw.

Perhaps he’s babysitting?

Lowly job for an Alpha, but each to their own.

Lorcan walks down the front steps of the packhouse with Dad by his side. They seem to be talking quietly, which means nothing for hybrids like us, though I don’t listen in on their conversation.

Adam’s eyes suddenly wolf over. I stare at him for a moment, not knowing what’s going on or why his chest is heaving.

Adam walks away from me, quickly towards Dad and Lorcan. I follow him because I’m nosey and interested in what his problem suddenly is.

Since Adam arrived here, he’s been on edge. He’s been jittery, a little jumpy, and even quieter than usual.

Adam might be Dad’s cousin, but we’ve always been close. When I was a little boy, Adam would visit and take me out, just the two of us. We’ve been close friends my whole life, and I’d do anything to help him.

I had thought Adam had come to help with Drew, especially when Adam won’t tell anyone what’s wrong. Plus, he spoke to Dad about Drew and what was going on with him.

Why wouldn’t I think he’d want to help?

My brother found his mate a couple of years ago, and they were so in love it was sickening. Lana had been visiting Greenrock with her father from Crimson Shadow. She stepped out of the car, and Drew was on her like white on rice.

At first, Lana tried to push Drew away, to which Dad held him back. Pat, Lana’s father, explained how Lana had been adopted by him and his destined mate when she was born. A pack member had given birth to a defective wolf – a deaf child. It’s practically unheard of, but Lana was deaf.

The birth parents hadn’t wanted a deaf child, so they gave her up for adoption. When Kitty, Pat’s destined mate, saw Lana, she wanted to be her mother, so they took her in.

Pat’s destined mate died when Lana was a little girl, and Pat had since found his second chance mate. He explained that he hadn’t spent much time with his children since then, so he decided to bring Lana along on this trip to try and make it up to her.

How do you make up for abandoning your child?

Pat then explained how Lana was afraid that Drew would reject her once he realised what she was. The girl couldn’t speak unless it were through the pack link, which she didn’t have with Drew.

My brother smiled and signed to Lana that he didn’t care that she was deaf. Her smile lit up the courtyard; the fact my brother knew sign language was incredible. It’s not something we shifters learn because deaf wolves are so rare; there had been none in a hundred years.

However, Drew was a language buff and had learned a dozen or so before he was ten. Our auntie Jenna gave Drew the gift when he was three years old. She saw how eager he was for knowledge, so my brother can now understand every language he hears or sees, as it were, including sign language.

I remember how tears fell from Lana’s eyes as she threw herself at Drew. He held her close, and that was that they were mates.

It was ridiculous, really, but they loved each other something fierce.

Lana moved to Greenrock, and they were beyond happy for two years. Then suddenly, an argument erupted between them, and Lana took off. No one believed we’d never see her again, and Drew searched for months but never found her.

Drew has since taken to his room and refuses to leave. Mum takes food to his room and sits with him sometimes, but nothing seems to snap him out of the hopelessness he feels.

I had hoped Adam would get through to him, but it seems I’ve gotten that wrong.