The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate (2 page)

relieved. He might have his shortcomings, but his family’s rejection

must not be based solely on that. At the same time, though, Paris had

always considered the man in front of him his father, regardless of the

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11

treatment he had received. And then, there was the question as to the

identity of his real parent. He surmised that his mother had, indeed,

given birth to him, because otherwise, he would not be here in the

first place. Even so, he needed to know for certain.

“What about my mother?” he asked. “Is she really—”

“Yes, Aria is your birth mother,” the Alpha said brusquely,

interrupting Paris. “As for your father’s identity, I do not know, and I

do not care. I thought you needed to realize the truth and stay out of

pack business. Since you are not my child, Tucker is the eldest, and

he will one day take over my position. I do not want you confusing

him in any way.”

Paris couldn’t fathom what that meant, so he just nodded. “Thank

you for telling me. I appreciate you protecting me all these years in

spite of everything.”

That was a huge lie, and they both knew it, but the Alpha made no

further comment. Instead, he showed Paris the door. Taking the

dismissal for what it was, Paris left the Alpha’s office, still musing

over the newly acquired information.

As he headed back to his room, Paris dared to steal one more look

toward the gardens. Through the large windows of the hallway, Paris

could now see his mother talking to a young female werewolf a little

farther away from the main group. He wondered what in the world

she had planned now. Whatever it was, he obviously couldn’t stop it.

Questions assaulted his mind. Who was his father really? Why did

his mother resent him so much? Would Alpha Marrow eventually end

up exiling him? And more importantly, did his brothers even know

about this?

There was no one to answer Paris’s questions. As always, he was

all alone. When he finally returned to his room, Paris plopped down

on the bed, closed his eyes, and wished for what he always did. A

mate, someone to hold him and understand him, someone who would

never belittle him. Love, passion, and a life together.

12

Scarlet Hyacinth

Just before Paris at last surrendered to a restless slumber, he

couldn’t help but wonder if he had a chance of finding his true place

in the world, or if a mate was just as unlikely for him as a family.

The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate

13

“Paris, I’ve told you before. It’s not safe for you to leave pack

lands. Your father wouldn’t want you in danger.”

Paris struggled not to scream at Alpha Soren Wade. In a way, he

knew the older werewolf was right, but at the same time, he couldn’t

just stay here and hide. He’d brought a lot of pain on this pack by

making all the wrong choices. Because of this, his real father’s mate,

Reed, had been injured and nearly killed. Paris could still remember

how wrecked his dad had been when Reed was struggling for his life.

And now, his mother, the one who’d hurt Reed in the first place,

had fled with the aid of infamous warlock Tyrell Hall. Paris didn’t

think he stood much of a chance in front of the magic user, but he

could lend a hand with the search. Anything was better than just

sitting around, moping.

“I would be with my father and Reed,” he tried to coax Soren.

“They would keep me safe.”

“Paris, they have a job to do,” Soren explained. “How can they

accomplish it if they constantly have to worry about you?”

It hurt that everyone here seemed to look upon him as a child who

needed to have his hand held and be kept away from the rest of the

world. It hurt, and it was very unfair. Reed was just a little older than

him, and Soren’s own pups were about his age. Both Reed and one of

Soren’s boys, Derek, had joined the expedition. Why couldn’t Paris

do so as well?

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Scarlet Hyacinth

Paris sighed to himself. Trying to reason with Soren would be an

exercise in futility. Perhaps things had not changed so much after all

when he’d come here from his previous pack.

“I understand,” he told the Alpha wolf. “I should go. You

probably have a lot of things to do, so I won’t disturb you anymore.”

Soren gave him a skeptical, somewhat suspicious look, but

nodded. “Take care, Paris,” he said. “Remember, we’re only thinking

about your own good.”

Paris had a distinct feeling of déjà vu from the time his adoptive

father had told him about his parentage. He’d asked himself many

questions then, and now, most of them had received their answer.

Paris just wanted to get out of there and be with the one person who’d

never once looked down on him.

He thanked Soren and fled the Alpha’s office as quickly as he

could. His wolf already ached to be with his mate. Thankfully for

him, Jace must have had a similar thought, as they ran into each other

just as Paris was heading toward the main mansion foyer.

Their bodies briefly came into contact, and heat flooded Paris.

Quickly, he took a step back, struggling to leash the beast that simply

wanted to pounce on Jace. “Hey,” he said lamely.

“Hi, Paris,” Jace greeted him in a soft tone. “You talked to my

father?”

Paris nodded. Jace knew all about Paris’s doubts, about his wishes

and guilt. The other wolf’s presence had helped him brace the horrible

time when Reed had been sick, almost killed in Paris’s stead. From

the moment they’d first met, Paris had felt attracted to Jace, and while

he’d never had the courage to pursue it beyond the tentative

relationship they had, everything inside him screamed they were

meant for each other.

“I did,” he replied. “He refuses to let me go.”

Jace took his hand and pulled him to the vacant living room. Once

they sat down, Jace gazed deeply into Paris’s eyes. “Maybe he’s right,

The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate

15

Paris. I mean…Going all the way to Japan? We have so many people

there already, and it’s been all for naught.”

Paris’s hackles rose. He’d thought that Jace understood, but

apparently not. He pulled his hands out of Jace’s and glowered at the

other wolf. “I just want to help. How can I stay here and pretend

everything’s fine when I nearly killed my father’s mate?”

“You didn’t do anything, sweetheart,” Jace said. “That was all

your mother. She’s insane, and you’re not to blame for her mental

issues.”

Paris shook his head angrily. “I should have seen it. Out of

everyone here, I knew her best. I just…” He broke off, not knowing

how to explain the conflicting emotions he still had about his mother.

Even if she had never shown him true affection, he’d always loved

her. It was why he had defended her in the first place when his

adoptive father had attacked her. He’d gone so far as to knock the

man out to help her, not knowing what his choice would end up

causing. But what else could he have done in those circumstances? It

wasn’t like he could just let his mother die. “I just don’t know what

I’m supposed to do,” he told Jace at last. “What I should have done.”

“You acted in the best way you could, given what you knew at the

time.” Jace tried to soothe him. “How could you have possibly known

things would turn out the way they did? Besides, you shouldn’t dwell

on what could have been. Reed is fine now, and I’m sure our forces

will eventually catch the warlock and your mother.”

But would they? There was one question that kept tormenting

Paris ever since his mother had escaped Soren while being transported

to Elder Wade’s lands. What would the warlock want with Aria in the

first place? All evidence showed that Tyrell hated shifters.

Therein lay the gist of the issue. A small part of Paris still feared

for his mother, still hoped that she could be redeemed. Even after she

had nearly killed him, he didn’t want her to die. Oh, he could never

forgive her for what she’d done, but that didn’t change the fact that

consorting with the warlock could easily get her killed.

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Scarlet Hyacinth

“Jace, I need to go after her,” he said. “I don’t really understand it

myself, but I have a feeling I will be needed.” Knowing he was being

unfair, he gave Jace a pleading look. “Help me. You can do it. You

can help me sneak out of the States and into Japan.”

He came closer to Jace, half because he didn’t want anyone to

overhear them and half because he simply craved Jace’s touch. “I’m

not an idiot. I realize the risks. But I can protect myself just fine. I’m

not a helpless pup.”

“Sweetheart…” Jace took a deep breath, and Paris’s nostrils flared

as he scented the werewolf’s arousal. The other man’s proximity

roused Paris’s own beast, and he had the yearning to simply climb

into Jace’s lap and rub against the other wolf’s cock. But then, Jace

spoke again, and his words were like a bucket of ice water over

Paris’s excitement. “We can’t do this,” Jace said. “I can’t do this. It’s

not safe.”

Paris moved away from Jace, recognizing the rebuff for what it

was. Fine. No matter. Paris had always been on his own. He’d just

have to make his way out of this without anyone’s help. He should

have known that not even his mate would truly grasp what Paris was

trying to say. In the end, they all thought he was nothing but a child,

which must be the reason why Jace had made no move to touch him

in the first place.

“Fine,” he snapped at Jace. “I get it. I’m an idiot who doesn’t

understand what’s right in front of his nose. And on that note, I’m just

going to play with my action figures now. If you’ll excuse me.”

He shot to his feet, ignoring Jace’s attempts to stop him. Perhaps

he was being a selfish brat, but there was just so much going on. He’d

had hopes that he would find a home, but pack members could be

very unfair when hurt. In their eyes, Reed was one of their own, and

their concern had manifested in trying to separate Paris’s father from

his mate, but also in a general dismissive attitude toward Paris. He

had told no one, not even his mate, about that, and he was glad he

The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate

17

hadn’t. In the end, they’d probably think he was whining when he had

been the one saved from all the pain.

His angry steps carried him to his room. As soon as he shut the

door behind himself, Paris made an inventory of what he’d have to

take for an extended trip to Japan. It was a bit mind-boggling really.

Paris hadn’t done much travelling, so he didn’t even have papers to

take an official flight. He would have to sneak in on one, perhaps in a

shifted form. He was small enough as a wolf to pass for somebody’s

pet. That would entail several difficulties, though. He’d have to be in

a cage, and if someone figured out the truth about him, God only

knew where he’d end up and what would happen to him.

But the alternative was staying here, and while his wolf craved

Jace’s presence, he spent every waking moment wondering,

questioning himself. Even if he went to his own death, he had to try.

Otherwise, he’d go mad here, waiting to receive news and

increasingly burdened by the pack’s hostility and his friends’

disdainful affection.

Decision made, Paris started packing a bag. He wouldn’t need

much stuff if he went with the plan to escape the country in shifted

form. He went with some clothes and whatever money he could find,

putting everything in a small backpack that would go unnoticed in a

crowded plane cargo room.

Once he was ready, he looked out the window. There were always

a lot of guards watching the Alpha mansion, and evading them, as

well as the security systems, would be a challenge. Paris had faith that

he could do it, though. As inexperienced as everyone considered him

to be, he did have one skill that had served him well so far. He could

memorize and assess the perimeter of a large compound, and if he

saw the plans beforehand, he could even find blind spots that could be

used to his advantage. It was how he’d managed to run away from his

former pack in the first place. He was also quite fast and agile, his