The Love He Squirreled Away (5 page)

We’re inviting Carson’s mother, his friends, and their families.

Attached, you’ll find a tentative guest list. You’re welcome to come,
as well, if you think you can behave. I won’t have my children witness
any hostility.

My regards,

Brody

Soren couldn’t help a snicker as he read the short lines from his brother. It wasn’t really appropriate, given the actual content of the message, but he felt amused at Brody’s change of e-mail address. His brother had, indeed, become a one-lamb wolf.

Sobering, he focused on what his sibling was saying. It spoke volumes of the other wolf’s attitude that Brody had chosen to send the message to Soren’s official e-mail address. Sighing, Soren downloaded the document listing the guests for the gathering, and he frowned in surprise. There were far more people than he’d have expected.

He spotted Daniel’s name on the list, and he gaped as he realized the next nine persons all had the same surnames—four women and five men. His mouth went dry as he understood Daniel had told his family about their relationship. Now, they would be coming to meet him. Fuck.

His phone rang, and the display read his father’s name. Irritated, Soren took the call. “Hello, Father,” he grumbled.

“Hello, Soren. I assume you received the e-mail from your brother?”

Soren nodded, even if his father couldn’t see him. “I’d like to talk to you about it.” He suppressed a sigh, knowing he needed to tell his father about Daniel. The man was bound to react poorly. “Could we have a meeting today?”

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“Certainly,” the elder werewolf said. “I assume you’ve decided to tell me why you refuse Carlie as an Alpha bitch.”

Soren was not surprised that his father had guessed the reason of his idea, or that the other man sensed something behind his denial of taking Carlie as his official mate. In a sense, it made things easier, as Elder Kevin Wade didn’t deal well with shock.

They ended the call, establishing a meeting for later that day. On impulse, Soren pressed one on his speed dial. He knew he should be more careful, but his father would find out about Daniel anyway. He might as well indulge himself in one phone call.

The phone rang once, twice, but Daniel didn’t pick up. That was strange. A feeling of anxiety filled Soren. Daniel always took his calls. What could have happened?

Cold fear coursed through him as the phone continued to ring. At last, Daniel picked up. “Hello,” Daniel said, panting. “I apologize. I can’t talk right now. Could I possibly call you back later?”

A male voice sounded in the background. “Dani, who’s that?”

The panic from before was replaced by pure jealousy. “Daniel, where are you?” he asked in a growl. “Who’s there with you?”

“I can’t talk right now,” Daniel repeated stubbornly.

“Fine,” Soren shot back. “I’m coming there. If you don’t want me to track you down to your house, meet me in the park in three hours.”

Soren ended the connection and left the room. He hastened through the house, passing by confused pack members, and entered the garage. It was just as he entered his car that he remembered his meeting with his father.

Cursing, Soren used the hands-free option and dialed the elder wolf once again. As soon as the other man picked up, Soren said,

“Father, I apologize, but something’s come up. I can’t meet you now.”

“Excuse me? What can possibly be more important than meeting your elder and sire?”

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Soren had not intended to simply blurt out the secret he’d kept for so long, but he found himself speaking before he could stop himself.

“My mate.”

“Your mate,” his father repeated. He didn’t sound shocked in the least. “So what’s the big problem with this so-called mate of yours?”

Soren wouldn’t have known how to explain his jealousy without starting a long, complicated story that might just make him look bad.

“He needs me,” he said simply.

“He. Your mate is a man.” A deep sigh. “Why am I not surprised?

I don’t suppose he’s a wolf.”

“No, he isn’t.” He paused, considering his next words. “You’re being quite understanding with this.”

“Well, I tried forcing things once, and it didn’t work.” He paused.

“I admit I might have had a different reaction if not for Carlie, but it seems you thought of everything.”

Soren remembered the male voice coming from Daniel’s cell phone and wondered. “Maybe not,” he whispered, more to himself, than to his father.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” the elder wolf asked in his ear.

“Nothing, Father. Look, I have to go. Just one more thing. My mate will be there at the meeting with Brody and Carson.”

“I see. Well then, I’ll be sure to make time for this little reunion of your brother’s. Good-bye, Soren.”

Before Soren could say anything else, his father hung up. Soren would have felt relieved or pleased, but he could only think about his mate. He didn’t believe Daniel would cheat on him, and yet, he couldn’t help but remember all the stories about a squirrel’s promiscuous nature. The trip to LA had never lasted so long.

* * * *

“So, then, he’s going to be all right?” Daniel’s mother asked Dr.

Jenkins.

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The doctor removed his eyeglasses and started to clean them. He was a handsome, tall man, taller than most squirrels at least, and the gray of his hair had less to do with age than with the species of squirrel he belonged to. As a teen, Daniel had quite a crush on him.

Now, he only felt genuine affection for the man.

Daniel suspected the only usefulness the glasses had was just that—being cleaned. Their kind had excellent vision, and it was quite unlikely for any member of their species to actually need seeing aid.

But like all squirrels, Jenkins was fidgety, and it translated into a number of behavioral tics that both amused and comforted Daniel.

The man put his glasses back on and started to speak. “Like I’ve said before, his shape-shifter nature ensures his full physical recovery.” He paused. “However, that doesn’t mean the situation shouldn’t be given full attention. Daniel, the symptoms you’ve been experiencing are psychosomatic—caused by stress.”

Daniel had figured out that much. “Thank you, Doctor. I have been under a fair amount of pressure, but I will make sure to take care of myself more from now on.”

“I’m not sure it will be enough. Please, let me finish, Daniel.” Dr.

Jenkins frowned. “You probably don’t remember much of what happened when you were sick, but your body does. This is why, in moments of mental anguish, it… I suppose I could say that it believes it’s sick.”

“Yes, Doctor, you’ve told me this before. I—”

“And yet, you don’t take it seriously,” the other man interrupted him. “I highly recommend you staying in bed for the next couple of days, and avoid all sources of stress. I would prefer it to be here at the clinic.”

Daniel’s eyes widened. Jenkins might have been his once-upon-a-time crush, but he was wrong about one thing. Daniel did understand the seriousness of disease. He did remember his sickness, perhaps not completely, but bits and pieces came to him all the time. And because
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he recalled this, he refused to be hospitalized when he didn’t need to be.

Besides, Soren was waiting. He’d sounded pissed off on the phone, and Daniel really needed to talk to him. “That’s all right, Doctor,” he said, offering the man a smile he did not feel. “I promise such precautions are not necessary. I’ll take care of myself better from now on. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really must go.”

His father Benjamin glowered at him. “Dani, you’re being rude.

The doctor knows what he’s talking about.” Turning toward Jenkins, he said, “I’m sorry. He just has this idea that he’s found a mate.”

Jenkins’s brows shot up. “A mate?” he repeated.

“A wolf mate out, of all things.” His mother didn’t sound judgmental, but she did seem upset.

“Well, I suppose that explains it.” Jenkins frowned. “Look, Daniel, I really must recommend you go back on the capsules.”

Daniel got up and shook his head resolutely. He didn’t want the medicine. It made his brain fuzzy and his world strange. The time he’d spent taking those capsules had been almost the worst in his life, second only to his sickness. He already had a treatment he was taking.

He didn’t need more pills.

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m afraid I must refuse. I’m fine with my current prescription.” He stole a look at the clock at the wall.

“Thank you for coming, and for your advice. Good day.”

Without further ado, Daniel turned his back on his parents and fled the house. They’d nag him later, but now, he really needed to meet up with Soren.

Since he was unable to take the car, he chose the subway instead and reached the park just as his three hours were up. He saw Soren already waiting in front of the meeting spot.

On normal circumstances, Daniel would have been thrilled, but Soren had been behaving strangely. Daniel made his way to his mate’s side and greeted him warily. “Hi, Soren.”

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The wolf didn’t even greet him back. “Who was he?” Soren asked, his expression dark. “Who was the man?”

Daniel blinked in shock. “What man?”

“The guy I heard over the phone.” Daniel had never seen Soren look so furious. “Jesus, you smell like him.”

Daniel gaped as he realized the reason behind Soren’s little fit.

The wolf had overheard Daniel’s father and thought Sean was his lover. The disgust on Soren’s face clearly illustrated it.

Daniel bit the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted blood. He’d been the one to make all the compromises. He’d been the one who’d accepted Soren’s every demand. And what did he get in return? Just doubt and the occasional romp in a love hotel. Great, just great.

Without bothering to say another word, he turned his back on Soren and stalked off. He didn’t know where he’d go. He couldn’t return home since his parents would drive him out of his mind. Nico!

Nicolas always stood by his side when Daniel needed him. Alas, Daniel hadn’t been the best of friends these days and had abandoned Nicolas to deal with his book store on his own. How could he in good conscience go there now? He’d built his life around his need for Soren, and it had all been for nothing.

He was so lost in his depressing thoughts the car honks around him were a distant symphony. He snapped out of his trance when Soren’s strong arms pulled him close. He tried to struggle, but his resistance melted when Soren began to speak. “Dani, stop. Stop, okay? Jesus, are you all right?”

Daniel sensed his mate’s concern and stopped fighting. As he looked around, he noticed startled passersby and realized he’d walked straight into traffic without paying any heed to his own safety.

That didn’t mean he’d forgotten Soren’s behavior. He took a deep breath and focused on calming down. Werewolves were possessive people, right? Even if Soren had doubted him, it didn’t mean their relationship would be doomed to fail. It was just one thing they
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needed to make clear. A ridiculous misunderstanding like this shouldn’t make him have a breakdown.

“I apologize,” he replied stiffly. “I overreacted. But if you must know, the man you overheard was my father.” He didn’t know what made him continue, but he added, “I was seeing my family doctor.”

“Doctor?” Soren’s voice sounded choked now. “Why? Is anything wrong?”

Daniel broke away from his mate’s embrace. “No, not really. I believe we should take this conversation someplace else. Perhaps we’ll find a private spot around here.”

Soren allowed Daniel to drag him into the shape-shifter-reserved park. There were a lot of people around, mostly parents with children, but with some luck, Daniel managed to come across a less busy area.

They sat on a bench together, and Daniel stared into the trees, knowing he should have told Soren this before, but that he’d lose his nerve if he looked at him.

“When I was a child, I fell severely ill with an acute form of shape-shifter squirrel pox. It’s very contagious, and it can’t be treated.

Against all odds, I survived. However, to this day, many still believe I’m a latent carrier of the virus.

“The thing is… I’d almost thought I’d managed to escape that part of my past, but these days, I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather. I didn’t want to risk being around you, Carlie, or the pups if I was sick, even if I don’t truly think the virus would affect werewolves. So I settled on calling the doctor.

“Physically, Soren, I’m fine, but sometimes my body doesn’t understand it. I’m told that back then, during the worst of it, my heart stopped and I was actually in clinical death for a few minutes. So according to him, there’s some sort of trauma that emerges in moments of stress.” Daniel droned on with the facts Dr. Jenkins had hammered into his head so many times. “It’s a psychosomatic thing, but it doesn’t affect anyone else. At any rate, that’s what I was doing today.” He turned toward Soren and glared. “And if you’re going to
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suspect me of cheating on you, well, I could very well do the same.

After all, who says you haven’t slept with Carlie? Who says you don’t have a lover in the pack?”

“I don’t have anyone there,” Soren replied hastily. “God, baby.

I’m so very sorry. I just… I don’t even know what to say.”

Daniel sighed. “You don’t have to say anything. Just stop judging me after your fucked-up standards. I don’t know what you’ve heard about squirrels or what your previous relationships were like, but I can’t take this bullshit.”

Soren looked startled, and Daniel wasn’t surprised since he rarely, if ever, cursed. “I never meant to judge you. I…I didn’t even think how hard this must be for you.” Soren paused, looking conflicted and lost. “Your affliction… Is it back because of me? Did I hurt you?”