The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf (6 page)

Anson’s friend added, “Get inside the house. It’s cold, and you need a

bath and sleep. We’ll talk about this later, when you have a clear

head.”

“I have a clear head now,” Reed said stubbornly, just like Anson

knew he would. “And I’m telling you, I found my mate.”

“Reed, don’t mistake excellent sex for a mating,” Liam shot back.

“You’re sexually active. All right, we can accept that. But don’t turn

this into something it’s not.”

Anson felt anger course through him. He and Reed had been

through a lot to reach this point. He had suspected Reed was a virgin

even before taking the swan, as Reed had known they were mates for

years and wouldn’t have gone to another while waiting for Anson to

The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf

37

at last admit their bond. And no, it hadn’t been easy to get over that

and claim Reed without feeling like a dirty old man. Once he had,

though, he’d realized what a precious, sweet bond he had found and

nearly lost. He would not allow anyone, not even his oldest friend, to

belittle it.

There was no point in delaying the inevitable. Anson’s wolf

already demanded that he pounce forward and attack whoever was

hurting Reed. Of course, he had no intention of harming Liam and

Shiloh in any way. The couple meant well, and in the end, that was

what mattered. However, he would not let Reed defend their mate

bond on his own. He’d have liked for this to happen differently, to

notify Liam and Shiloh about this mating more gently, but in the end,

Reed was the one who mattered most to him.

“Sonny? You don’t have to come if you don’t think it’s wise.”

Reed’s tentative voice drifted to Anson through their mind link.
“I

can handle this on my own.”

“You don’t have to do anything on your own anymore,”
Anson

replied. He was kind of pissed that Reed even felt he had to say that.

For too long, Anson had let Reed down. Not anymore.
“Are you

ready for this?”

“There’s nothing I want more,”
Reed answered honestly.

Now that he had Reed’s permission, Anson stepped out of the

forest. He was somewhat grateful he’d decided to go to his

impromptu date with Reed dressed, because otherwise, the impression

he’d make would probably be even poorer.

As Anson approached, Liam handed Reed a jacket and then turned

toward Anson. “What are you doing here, Sonny? Now is really not

the time to—”

“I came to support my mate,” Anson said, interrupting his friend.

“Just so you know he’s telling the truth.”

Liam stared at him, gaping. “Say again? I don’t think I heard you

right.”

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Scarlet Hyacinth

“Oh, you heard me just fine,” Anson shot back without missing a

beat. “Reed is my mate.” He didn’t want to leave anything to doubt.

From now on, he would tell the truth, no more secrets, no more lies.

However, his friend still didn’t look convinced. “You? You’re the

one who…”

Liam seemed to have trouble processing what Anson was saying.

Anson didn’t blame the man. It was kind of mind-numbing since

Anson and Liam had once been an item. Anson himself had

previously had trouble in dealing with it, mostly because he didn’t

want to harm Reed. But now, he at last understood that his

relationship with Liam had been nothing more than a passing fancy.

Liam had found his mate, and while it took Anson a little more time,

he’d done so as well, in his beautiful swan.

Unlike Liam, Shiloh had no trouble in expressing what he felt.

Faster than Anson expected, the older swan attacked him with a

viciousness that seemed to shock even Reed and Liam. Thankfully,

Anson’s instincts kicked in, and he caught Shiloh’s hands before the

swan could do any damage. Taking heed of the fact that Shiloh was

precious to both Anson’s mate and his best friend, he gently released

the other man and pushed him back.

Thwarted from his plan, Shiloh glared at him. “I always knew you

hated me for stealing Liam from you. I suspected you’d do something

to hurt us, but I never thought you’d go so far.”

“No, you didn’t,” Anson replied. “You didn’t suspect me of any

misdeeds, beyond perhaps attempting to take Liam back—which, of

course, would never happen. If you’d ever thought I’d harm you in

any way, you’d never have allowed me near your son in the first

place.”

At that, Liam seemed to snap out of his trance. “Why, Sonny? I

trusted you.” Liam’s voice trembled as he spoke. “I vouched for you

in front of Shiloh. I genuinely thought you were my friend. How

could you do this?”

The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf

39

“Do what?” Anson regretted hurting his friend, but the truth had

to be out in the open. “Get over yourself, Liam. I did, a long time ago.

To me, you are my friend, but nothing more.” He paused, steeling

himself for what he had to say. “It’s true that, for a while, I resented

Shiloh for having Liam.” Reed’s hurt was like a dagger through his

chest, but Anson forced himself to go on. He reached for Reed’s hand,

squeezing it in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “But all that

was nothing more than an illusion. I’ve found what I truly want now.

Reed.” He offered Reed a small smile, opening his heart and allowing

his mate to see all the feelings inside.
“Love you, baby,”
he sent

through their bond.
“Only you.”

Instantly, Reed started to relax.
“I’m sorry,”
he replied.
“I didn’t

mean to doubt you. It’s just hard to accept the
you
I know is also the

one my dads are talking about.”

Seemingly oblivious to the silent conversation between Anson and

Reed, Liam pinned Anson down with a glower. “Well, I find that a

little hard to believe since it’s the first time I’ve heard about this

whole mess.”

“That’s because Sonny wanted to wait until I was ready,” Reed

offered. “With the warlock’s attack and all, we decided we simply

couldn’t wait anymore.”

“So that’s how you convinced him,” Shiloh fumed at Anson.

“Clearly, we all misjudged you. You’re right about one thing. I never

thought you’d stoop so low.”

With the ruckus that had formed, it was no surprise that Brody and

Carson eventually appeared as well. Their house was very close to

Shiloh and Liam’s, and they watched the confrontation with wide

eyes. “Everything okay, guys?” Brody inquired carefully.

“No, everything is
not
okay,” Liam answered. “Looks like Anson

decided that since I wasn’t available, he should fuck Reed instead.”

Anson struggled to keep his anger in check. He could deal with

his friend insulting him, but he couldn’t accept the man speaking

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Scarlet Hyacinth

about Reed like this. “Watch your mouth,” he said, his voice nearly a

growl. “Reed’s right here.”

Taking a deep breath, he leashed his wolf. “You need time to

process this. I get that. I’m going to go now and leave you to do some

thinking.”

“Well, that’s a great idea.” Shiloh actually smirked. “Get the fuck

away from my son.”

“I think not,” Reed piped up. “You’re already planning to send me

off somewhere. I can tell. Since Sonny and I don’t have to hide

anymore, I’m going with him.”

The expressions on Liam’s and Shiloh’s faces were priceless.

Brody and Carson seemed almost as dismayed, and they approached,

probably intending to intervene should the exchange turn to blows.

Liam and Shiloh shared a look, obviously in silent communication,

and then they both turned to their son.

“Reed, no.” Shiloh shook his head, fixing his son with a pleading

glance. “We just want what’s best for you.”

“We might have overreacted a little,” Liam added. The words

clearly grated on the man, and they seemed to be said through gritted

teeth. “We’re willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“Are you really?” Reed arched a brow. “It just sounds like you’re

saying what you think I want to hear.”

“You don’t have to be worried,” Anson said at last. “I’m not

taking him from you. We’re not running away into the big wide world

or anything like that. So whatever it is that you’re thinking, you’re

way off base. We just want to be happy, here, in the pack, with

everyone else.”

A hint of relief flashed through Shiloh’s eyes. “You mean that?”

“Of course.” Anson released a sigh, wondering how he could

convince his friends he truly meant well. Hell, it was likely that they

would have never backed down and dropped their hostile behavior

had Reed not shown such decisiveness.

The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf

41

“Besides, look at it from my point of view,” Reed said. “When

you guys were mated, you wanted to be together, no matter what

stood in your way, right?” He paused and offered his parents a

tentative smile. “I want that, too. So please, let’s not fight. I don’t

want to lose you.”

“You won’t ever lose us,” Liam replied. “If you’re sure about this,

we’ll trust you.” Liam met Anson’s gaze. “Sonny, I can’t say I’m very

convinced about this whole thing, but it looks like I don’t have a

choice except to wait and see.” He took a deep breath. “You’ve been

my friend my whole life. I…It’s hard for me to understand this whole

thing, but…I may have judged too soon. I have to believe you

wouldn’t do anything to hurt Reed.”

Anson knew better than to think the doubts were gone, just like

that, but he took the olive branch for what it was. In the end, it

couldn’t be easy for Liam and Shiloh to accept such a shock, sprung

on them out of the blue.

“Perhaps you’re right.”
Reed’s mental sigh echoed through their

bond.
“Do you think I should stay?”

“I don’t want you to,”
Anson replied,
“but they’re your parents.

The last thing they expected tonight was for you to announce you’re

leaving the nest.”

“One more night,”
Reed at last decided. “
One more night for me

and them to get everything in the open and clear.”

“After that, you can move in with me.”
Anson couldn’t wait. His

house, even if small, always felt so very empty. Even one minute

would be difficult without Reed, but, for his mate, he could withstand

it.

With that settled, Reed focused on his parents once again. “I’ll

sleep here tonight, and we can talk more tomorrow. It’s too late now,

and it would be ridiculous for me to move in with Sonny in the

middle of the night. We can discuss this more in the morning.”

Shiloh’s smile lit up his face, and in that moment, even Anson

could see the beauty that had drawn Liam to the older swan. “That’s

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Scarlet Hyacinth

great. Now hurry up and come in. We’ve been standing here forever.

You must be freezing.”

Much to Anson’s surprise, Shiloh added, “I’m not sure about this,

either, but I know my son wants you here. So come on in. You can

take the guest room.”

Anson wouldn’t have been more surprised if someone had told

him the moon was made of cheese. It seemed he had underestimated

Shiloh and his affection for Reed.

Speechless, he was distantly aware of Liam reassuring Carson and

Brody. “It’s okay, guys. You can go. We’ll deal with this. I promise.”

“If you’re sure,” Brody replied. “If there’s anything you need,

anything at all…”

“We’ll talk.” Liam still sounded a little dazed. “In the morning,

okay? I think we all need a little sleep right now.”

There were good-byes all around, and Anson managed to muster

enough coherence to mutter one as well. As Carson and Brody started

walking away, Liam and Anson followed after Shiloh and Reed as the

two swans entered the house.

Crossing the threshold of the small home, Anson felt as if he’d

reached a turning point in his life. Liam and Shiloh had predictably

been angry about Anson’s relationship with Reed, but they were

trying to accept it. And seeing Reed with Shiloh gave Anson hope that

they could make this work yet.

He watched his mate walk in front of him, the graceful way he

moved, the soft swish of his blond hair. There was something

hypnotizing about Reed, and Anson simply couldn’t look away.

It was only when Shiloh took Reed upstairs, presumably to get