Chapter Twenty Five
977 Words
We stood outside the house for what seemed a lifetime. I was completely on edge. Either way, we were facing unknowns. We barely knew Mikkel and Brodie had invited him to come and live with us. It was bad enough that we were going to have Marcus at the camp. It meant I had to be on my guard and Mikkel would be added to that. It wasn't like he had done anything to make me mistrust him. I just didn't know him. We had no way of knowing for sure why he was out on his own. It wouldn't just be me who would be apprehensive about it. The pack didn't take kindly to newcomers. I had firsthand knowledge of how nervous they would be when faced with a a stranger.
"Why did you tell him to come and stay?" I couldn't work out why Brodie had even contemplated the idea. It wasn't like him.
"I want Jackson to be happy, that's all. Mikkel is a good man and he would prove useful to the camp, too." It wasn't like I thought he was mistaken. I was just shocked.
"Are you sure he can be trusted?"
"I believe what he told us. It makes sense. Most packs wouldn't accept him. Our species are hardly progressive. Most prefer to keep the traditional aspects alive and there is a heavy theme of only supporting those who are useful to the pack. Gay werewolves don't breed. It's crap and ridiculous, but it is definitely not surprising that they would exile him for it. Jackson probably would have suffered the same fate if my father had still been the alpha."
"Surely he wouldn't have kicked out his own son."
"He was even more likely to kick him out because he was his son. Some people will consider it weak that I'm only letting Jackson stay because he's my brother. That gives me a weakness. I don't care and it isn't because he's my brother. I would have done the same for any of the pack. If anything, having Mikkel there will make things better for me. That's not why I'm doing it, but I am aware of how it will work."
"I don't understand why having Mikkel is less objectionable than having Jackson."
"Because Mikkel has a valuable skill and Jackson doesn't. I mean he does, he's valuable to me and to the camp, but not in the same way as Mikkel. I don't feel like I am explaining this very well at all. The other thing is, our camp is quite different to others. They've already accepted a vampire, a gay werewolf is nothing compared to that."
I slapped his arm. "Thanks, love you too." He went bright red, and I knew I had made him uncomfortable. Brodie had been distant with me ever since I had kissed him. I had no idea why, but he had made it clear he didn't want to get back to where we had been before. It didn't change anything for me. I was still going home with him. There was nothing I could do but respect how he felt about everything, not that he had actually told me how he felt about it all.
I was saved from the awkwardness by Jackson emerging from the house. "Brodie, are you sure about this?"
"Of course I am. I wouldn't have said it if I hadn't been. Is he coming?"
"He is. He's heading straight to the farm to let them know and get his things. The farms behind us, so he went out over the fields to get there faster."
I reached out to him. He looked slightly lost. As though it had all happened too fast for him to know what he was supposed to think about it all. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah. I think I will actually be relieved to get back to the camp and have a little less drama in my life for once. About that, I'm going to head back with Mikkel and the others on the train. It's not fair to leave him with people he barely knows. Brodie, do you mind driving?" I wanted to kill him. I knew exactly why he was saying it, but it still pissed me off. It was over seven hours in the car and we would need to stop over somewhere too. With the way things were between me and Brodie, the last thing I needed was to be stuck in a car with him, let alone a hotel room.
Jackson must have noticed that I was glaring at him because his gaze hit the floor instantly. Oh, how things had changed. In an instant, he had put Mikkel's feelings above mine. It was fine, and it was normal, but it still stung a little. It was becoming clear that his obsession with protecting me and the babies had been the result of him trying to ignore his feelings for Mikkel. Once he didn't need to run from those feelings, his obsession had eased off. In a way, I was glad. It would make things easier when we got back to the camp, especially between Jackson and Brodie. It was just a shame it was going to lead to hours of awkwardness between me and Brodie.
Brodie looked at me as though he was asking for permission, but what could I say? I could hardly say I wasn't happy with the situation. "It's a great idea." I hated myself for lying. Brodie hadn't been connected with me at all since the kiss. If he had been listening to my thoughts, it would have been much easier. It was his way of avoiding me. I guessed he wasn't happier being stuck in the car with me anymore than I was.
"Sure, it makes sense. We might as well head off then."
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