Is he kidding? Of course, I’m not.Shaking, Ollie knew his body was in danger of going into shock so he burrowed in as tight as he could to his mate’s chest, hoping Mac’s heat would chase away the frigid chills that had overcome him after Oracle’s announcement about his role in saving their world. The thought of his gift being used to kill was so abhorrent to him that his mind had just shut down.
Noticing Ollie’s distress, Jackson stood and walked toward him. Stopping behind him, he looked at Mac and murmured, “May I?” After receiving permission, he placed his hand on the back of Ollie’s neck, sending his Alpha power through him.
It took several moments before Ollie felt the warmth surging through his body and several more before he realized it was Jackson who was doing it. Slowly, his shaking stopped, and as his mind settled, his body regained its equilibrium.
When Ollie had finally calmed down, Jackson murmured, “I know this is a lot to take in right now, but trust me, everything will be all right…every person in this pack will support you… now and in the future. You aren’t alone anymore.”
Nodding briefly, Ollie kept his face buried in his mate’s neck, wondering how his life had gotten so complicated so quickly. Just the thought of being responsible for saving their world—and his doubts about being able to do so—threatened to consume him once again.
Sensing that his mate needed some time to come to grips with what he’d learned, Mac softly kissed Ollie’s hair and then,shifting his gaze to Jackson, he said, “If there isn’t anything else, I want Oliver to get some rest before tonight’s mission.”
“That’s fine,” Jackson said, removing his hand from Ollie’s neck before heading back to sit at his desk. “I’ll let you know when Dylon has his plan ready for the rescue.”
“Thanks,” Mac murmured as he and his mate left the room.
Jackson waited until he was alone before he slammed his fist down on the desk in frustration at the Fates for their refusal to give him the complete picture of what his pack would face with the humans.
Chapter 23
Closing the bedroom door behind them, Mac guided Ollie over to the bed and gently pushed him down onto it. Then, kneeling at his mate’s feet, he removed his shoes and socks before unzipping his jeans and slowly tugging them off when Ollie lifted his hips. Rising, he pulled Ollie’s T-shirt over his head, tossing it onto the chair in the corner. Then, turning his attention back to his mate, he studied him carefully. Ollie’s eyes were blank and emotionless, but even more worrisome was the fact he could not see his mate’s bear in them. That wasn’t a good sign.
Pulling back the comforter, he lightly pushed on Ollie’s chest until his mate was lying down. Moving his mate to the center of the bed, Mac quickly undressed and climbed in next to Ollie, before pulling the cover up over them and wrapping his arms around his mate.
In the quiet of the room, Mac listened to the faint hitches in Ollie’s breathing, aware of its cause, but until the Fates revealed the other powers Ollie possessed, there was nothing he could do. And while he couldn’t speed up the timeline for it to happen, he could help Ollie live with the news. To start with, that meant getting his mate’s mind off it. Brushing his lips lightly against Ollie’s cheek, Mac murmured, “I was born in California, but when my grandfather fell ill, we moved back east so my father could take his place as the Alpha of the Rolling Hills Pack. I was very young when it happened, so I don’t really remember much of my time here, but from what I do recall, it was okay.
“What surprised me when we finally arrived at the Pack was that everything was so green and the air smelled differently…more like moss and decaying leaves, but fresh…if that makes any sense. But when autumn arrived, and the leaves began falling, Irefused to go outside and sat by the window, crying over the loss of my beautiful green world. The only one who understood how I felt was Sawyer, who, instead of laughing at my behavior, just sat by my side, saying nothing but letting me know he was there for me.
“It’d always been that way with my twin, even though he and I had, and still have, very different personalities. I’m very much an introvert while he’s the opposite, but that isn’t the only difference. I always toed the line, while he thought breaking the rules was what life was all about. Even today, I still don’t know how he survived his childhood, considering the number of injuries he suffered because of his shenanigans. As far as Sawyer was concerned, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t try at least once, whether it was skiing, white-water rafting, mountain climbing or anything else that would feed his need for an adrenaline rush. And when he came home, bruised and battered, our mother would demand to know why he risked his life…and that’s when he would tell her it was because I didn’t stop him.
“I can’t tell you how many times he got into trouble, but somehow it always ended up being my fault because I was the older twin and should have stopped him. Mind you, I’m only older by two minutes, but Sawyer used those two minutes to his advantage all the freaking time. Truth be told, I never really minded because he always made me laugh when I was feeling down, and I figured it was a fair trade.”
Pausing for a moment, Mac kissed Ollie’s forehead gently before continuing to gently massage his back. His mate’s breathing had settled as the tension in his body had lessened, but Mac wouldn’t be satisfied until it was totally gone. “We were different in another way…I knew I wanted to be a doctor early on…looking back, I think it was because of how often I patched up mybrother in secret to keep our mother from finding out about his latest stunt.”
“I think you did it to keep from getting punished,” Ollie whispered.
Chuckling, Mac said, “You’re probably right. At first, I told him he should shift before he came home so our mother wouldn’t know, but he told me he viewed his wounds as proof of his success. Just as he understood my tears, I totally understood what he meant by that.”
“I don’t,” Ollie muttered against his mate’s chest.
“I’m not surprised,” Mac said. “Of all their kids, Sawyer was the one my parents understood the least since he didn’t fit into any mold…or place within the family or pack. Hunter was heir apparent to the Alpha position, Mason played the role of second to Hunter, my goal to become a doctor was easy to understand, Robin set his sights on being a singer, and Quin…well, he was the baby who everyone adored. But Sawyer, he was the indomitable spirit who loved taking risks and conquering his fears and just didn’t fit into the pack…and that left him on the outside for most of his youth.”
Mac took a deep breath. Ollie’s distress had opened up a plethora of memories that he hadn’t revisited in years, and he was now finding it difficult to stop.
“Don’t get me wrong, my parents loved him just as much as they loved me or my brothers…but they just didn’t know how to handle his exploits. What should they say to him, for example, when he told them about his latest adventure? Should they praise him for his fearlessness or chastise him for putting himself in danger? In the end, they settled on silence, which hurt my brother the most.”
“So you became his cheering squad?”
“I did,” Mac murmured. “I made sure Sawyer always knew how proud I was of him, whether or not he succeeded.”
“My parents were like you…they never judged me but always praised me, even if I wasn’t very good at something. They used to say that you never have to be ashamed to fail at anything as long as you’ve overcome your fear by trying.”
“They were right,” Mac said softly. “That’s what Sawyer taught me…it was a lesson that served me well throughout medical school, especially those days when the fear of failing a patient would bring me to my knees. But then I would think of my brother and how he never let his fear stop him, and it gave me the strength to go on.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do right now,” Ollie whispered. “When Oracle told me my gift would save our world, it was frightening because I never wanted that burden. That’s the reason I chose nursing instead of becoming a doctor. The responsibility of making a life or death decision was something I knew I couldn’t do because the consequences of being wrong were more than I could bear.”
“You aren’t in this alone, babe,” Mac said.
“That’s what Jackson said…”