Thankfully, Mathew had decided everything was okay and gone back to his toys. Plodding over to the sofa, Eva sighed and flopped down with a big huff. “John, feed me,” she mumbled, swiping at the remnants of her tears.
With a smile, he did just that, placing the tray of food on the coffee table in front of her.
“Pancakes and Pop-tarts.”
Eva pressed a hand to her heart dramatically. “You’re the best.”
“You know, Eva, you kinda just told your dad you love me before you actually told me.” His grin was wicked, his eyes alive with laughter, and Eva wanted nothing more than to drag him back to bed and show him just how much she did love him. But Mathew crashed his cars together loudly and reminded her things weren’t as simple anymore. As if reading her mine, John glanced at Mathew then back to her. “We’ll have help, Eva. A whole pack full of help. Once Matty knows we aren’t going anywhere, he’ll open up to other people.”
She nodded. “Hey, Matty, come eat.” John sat beside her, sticking nearly a half of a Pop-tart into his mouth. “Hey, John.” She hooked her finger on his chin, tilting his head her way.
“Mmm?” he mumbled around the food, causing her to laugh.
“I love you.”
He grinned, showing her a mouthful of food.
“Don’t do it,” she said breathily through her laughter.
“I wouve uo, too.”
Clutching her tummy, Eva tried to catch her breath, Mathew joining in with their amusement, and though Eva’s heart had been in a million pieces only moments ago, John had somehow found a way to pick a few bits up and make her feel nearly whole.
Chapter 32
Bass
Bass had never expected this job to be easy, but some days his brain was at risk of exploding. If it wasn’t real life and death problems he was navigating, it was family squabbles he had no place in, yet found himself in any way. Like the Eva, John, and Tim situation. Bass wasn’t sure what he was expected to do. He wasn’t exactly an expert on functional family dynamics; his father had been a narcissist at best and a psycho the rest of the time. He had vague, hazy memories of a man who’d smiled and treated his mate and son with respect, but they were fleeting glimpses of a life that was nothing more than imaginary.
He certainly didn’t know how to help John handle his current predicament. Eva hadn’t been swayed into taking Mathew on; he’d been there. He’d watched the emotions play over her face and the silent argument she’d had with her fears. Eva might be human, but she was no coward, and though her instincts terrified her, she was facing them anyway. Bass couldn’t ask for a better addition to his pack. The fact she was human made no difference to him. He’d given up fighting change a battle or two ago.
“He can’t take them, right? You’ll not allow it, Bass?” John asked, as if he, a young man of twenty, somehow possessed the power to stop a father from taking his children back to the home they’d left to find help. Bass had helped Zackary. The kid wasn’t going to have an easy ride, but Bass was sure he’d stay in control of his wolf half. Whether he could blend back into his old life was another story, but it wasn’t for him to decide. He was alpha, but not their makers. That was where his father had gone wrong.
“He’s their father, John,” Bass answered gently.
“I don’t care,” John growled, pacing the cabin as the other enforcers and senior soldiers watched his unusual display of anger. John was one of the most inhuman members Bass had, but it didn’t make him cruel. He was simply more in tune with his wolf’s nature than most, and therefore usually took great effort in keeping his emotions in check.
An angry wolf was a dangerous wolf.
“I’m not sure physically stopping Tim from leaving is going to help your situation. I will, however, talk to him about the importance of Zac staying here.”
“And Eva?” John asked.
“Is a grown woman, John, and has already made her intention quite clear.”
“Give them all time to cool off, John,” Tyler added. “Look what happened with Regan’s parents and me, and we’ve managed to speak… a little.”
“And anyway,” Bass jumped in before John could counter another argument, “all he’s asked for is to go home and pack up their belongings. Not take his children away, and I’m pretty certain Zac said he wasn’t leaving. So really all we need to decide on is whether Tim needs pack protection while he’s away.”
Bass was unsure about which call to make. He sensed Tim needed some alone time to deal with his wife’s death and his children’s new lives, but it didn’t mean there wasn’t at risk of Indiana hunting him. Though why Castor would send someone to harm Tim was beyond Bass. It seemed unnecessary, but Castor had done many pointless acts in an attempt to get the upper hand.
“How long is he planning to be gone?” Nico asked from his position sprawled out on a giant bean bag. His shoulder had been giving him grief today. Bass had caught him more than once grimace as he’d shifted position, not that it would slow him down. Battle was on the horizon. Bass could almost taste the blood destined to be spilled, and he needed every able-bodied man ready to act.
“He said a week, maybe two. I honestly don’t think he really knows. He’s going back to pack away his dead wife’s things…. It’s not a quick task,” Bass explained.
“Stop making me feel sorry for the guy,” John muttered
Quiet laugher filled the air before they
