They'd passed countless news vans heading towards Atherton early that morning as they'd headed once more back to the holding facility in Cairns. Damon figured the reporters had finally come through for their networks and tracked down the elusive Alpha's hometown.
The news about ASSES broke that morning. The breaking report was quickly followed up by an interview with the prime minister, who managed to fumble his way through a press conference. The question on just about everyone's lips was, "Where is Benjamin Taylor?"
Once again, Palmer had been missing for most of the morning. Everyone else was gathered around, watching reruns of the PM's press conference. There was another interview with Alex Holland as well, who was becoming quite vocal about shifters's rights and the fact that the general public had nothing to fear from them.
Palmer stormed back into the conference room, his expression icy and pissed.
Young whispered to Damon. "Word has it he got his ass reamed by the higher-ups this morning."
Damon had to fight off the grin that wanted to break free.
"You could hear the yelling through the phone with the door closed."
Damon bit his bottom lip.
"Apparently, he also tried to speak with a couple of the people in the holding cells, but they all refused to say even a word."
Palmer pulled out the only empty seat and stood. He clenched his fists as he leaned on the table and growled, "Get Taylor in here."
Someone ran from the room, and everyone else sat in relative silence as they waited. A couple of them whispered to their neighbours, but Damon couldn't be bothered trying to work out what they were saying. They were finally getting somewhere. It had taken two days longer than he'd hoped, but better late than never.
It didn't take very long until the man who'd hightailed it out of the room was back, this time with a smug Ben following along behind him. Damon guessed that meant Tommy had been keeping Ben informed of what was happening.
"Mr. Taylor, thank you for joining us."
Ben looked around the room. When he met Damon's eyes, Ben nodded at him. Damon nodded back.
"I'm not sure I had much of a choice Mr....?"
"Palmer, Geoffrey Palmer. I'm in charge of this operation."
Well, Damon didn't know how much longer that would last. The man had fucked it up badly.
"So you're the one to blame for the damage to my home, my mate being forced to flee, and my friends and I being kidnapped and brought here." The cold, hard tone in Ben's voice would have made the strongest of wolves cower. This human stood no chance. Even though Ben was barefoot, his jeans and tight shirt accentuated his muscles. His six-foot-six frame, broad shoulders, and the nearly black hair made him look intimidating. He had an air of authority about him that not another single person in this room had. And he was pissed beyond words.
Palmer swallowed hard, then took a step back, only to forget his chair was behind him and proceeded to fall into it.
Ben cocked his eyebrow as he waited for an answer.
"Yes, well, about that... We'll be happy to pay for any damages that may have been incurred."
"I should hope so, because I'm bloody well not footing the bill. Do you have any idea how much the stained glass in my front door set me back?"
Ben took a deep breath, obviously trying to get a hold of his anger towards Palmer. He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked around the room again, his eyes ending once more on Palmer. "What can I do for you, Mr. Palmer?"
"We were hoping we could talk, discuss this matter we seem to find ourselves in the middle of."
"I want to go home. I haven't showered in two damn days. I want to find my mate and son, and I want to talk this matter over with my inner circle, all of whom you're holding prisoner." He stopped and stared around the room at everyone, daring them to disagree with him. "Then, if you come knocking on my door, like you should have in the first place, I will happily have a meeting with you in regards to shifters living in Australia." Ben took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"Now see here..."
Ben slammed his hands down on the table, the force of which cracked the wood. There wasn't a single person in the room apart from Damon who didn't flinch at the action.
"No, you see here! We are a peaceful people... We've never done anything to make you think otherwise," Ben yelled.
Damon figured that thin thread had snapped. He couldn't really blame the man either.
"You attacked us. You came into my home and kidnapped us. And you put my mate and child in danger." Ben started pacing. "I am a calm and rational leader. I have led my people for over a decade without any issues until now."
Ben stopped, gripped the edge of the conference table, and leaned in, his eyes hard and glaring at Palmer. "But if you ever put my mate, child, or my people in danger like that again, you can mark my words. I will..." Ben stopped mid-sentence. He closed his eyes and seemed to gather himself.
Damon really would have liked to have heard what Ben would do. He could understand why he'd stopped himself though. It wasn't a smart idea to physically threaten a government agent.
Before he'd stopped himself, Ben's voice had been so low and controlled it sent a shiver down Damon's spine. He understood fully in that moment just what it meant for that man to be Pennaeth Alpha of Australia. No one in this room could even come close to having the sheer authority that Benjamin Taylor radiated. He was one scary-ass motherfucker, and Damon was thankful the man wasn't pissed at him.
Palmer nodded, as did several others sitting around the room. It would have been funny if it wasn't so serious.
"Right. Well, I'm glad that's sorted." Ben stood back up and paused as he calmed himself before continuing. "Now, please arrange for transport for everyone back to my house. And I mean everyone. That includes Corey, my Beta, who you abducted the other day. If you give me a card, I will have my assistant check my schedule and give you a call to set up a meeting. Does that sound satisfactory?" Ben smiled at everyone, making sure they all got a good look at his sharp canines.
Damon heard a whimper from the man beside him and shook his head. If he couldn't play with the big boys, then he should fucking be here in the first place.
Everyone important nodded again. Damon wanted to howl in triumph at them all finally falling into line but bit it back.
"Oh, and I expect to see Damon Kelly at that meeting. I want the man to be our law enforcement consultant. That is if you don't have any objections?"
"No. That should be fine," Palmer said as he eyed Damon. If looks could kill, Damon would have been dead right then.
Ben nodded. "Do you happen to have somewhere a little more comfortable I could wait while you gather everyone else and arrange for our transport home?"
"Margaret here will show you where you can wait."
"Damon, I expect to see you at my house as soon as you get back to Atherton tonight."
"Yes, Alpha," Damon agreed.
Ben smiled at him, then strode from the room, following Margaret.
Damon glanced around the table. All eyes stared at him like he'd just grown a second head.
"Surprise." Damon waggled his brows. Grant burst into laughter, and the others all sputtered. He thought Sullivan and Payton from ASIO were about to have a fit. Woods and Hayes shook their heads, and Young stood there grinning.
"You're one of them?" Palmer asked, incredulous.
"What can I say? One of his Betas is my mate." Damon shrugged. He wasn't about to apologise for being a shifter or for having met Kieran.
"I guess this means you're going to be transferring?" Grant asked him.
"Yeah. Sorry, man, but I'm not giving up the chance to be with my mate, even if he is pissed as hell at me. Hopefully, it won't last for the next fifty years."
"This is you we're talking about. Of course, the man is going to be pissed at you for that long."
Damon sighed in resignation. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"I'd love to meet him—properly, that is. I know I've already met Kieran, but that was different."
Damon nodded. He could understand that. Police investigations never brought out the best in people.
"From what I saw, he's a good fit for you. Won't let you get away with shit."
Damon laughed. "Tell me about it."
"Are you two quite done?" Palmer interrupted them.
Damon had almost forgotten they were still there. "Did you want something?"
"You're the mole."
Damon scoffed. "Seriously? I'm not the only shifter in this room."
He was, but he wasn't about to tell them that. Let them stew about it for a while. It would serve them right.
"The way this finally played out is the best result for everyone, and you know it."
"Says you."
"What were you planning, really? On holding these people indefinitely?" Damon scoffed at the thought. "They have families. Don't you think they would have asked questions? I know mine sure as hell would." Damon ran a hand through his hair. Talking to these people was like talking to a brick wall sometimes. "What were you going to do, kidnap each and every person in this country and run tests on them all to make sure you gathered every last shifter out there? Get real." He shook his head in disbelief.
"No, but we could have studied the ones we have, understand how they work."
"You don't need to understand how we work. Hell, you didn't even have to know that we're able to shift forms. It's purely your own sick fascination that makes you want to dissect someone and study them. That's called torture and murder, and both of those things are illegal in this country, if I'm not mistaken." Damon looked around, daring anyone to contradict him. No one did. The majority of them didn't look too happy with him either.
"You're not," Young piped up. Palmer glared at the man, but he didn't back down.
Damon sighed. He wouldn't hold his breath in hopes these people would understand what he was trying to say. "You don't need to know everything." Several people looked like they were about to argue with him, so Damon held up his hands to stop them before they even got a word out. "Do you detain and study aboriginals without their consent to see why their skin is a different colour to yours?" he asked as he glanced around the room. "Or why some people have pointier noses than others? How about why redheads have red hair, or why some people are born with six fingers and toes? Are they made into lab rats as well?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Palmer spat.
"Then why do you think it's okay to do that to a person who can transform into an animal?"
"Because they're stronger than us," he yelled.
"So what? Studies on humans are voluntary. Shifters are still human. If you want to study them, then you need to ask! Woods and Young are both human, but I bet Woods is a darn sight stronger than Young. Does that mean he should be studied? Where do you draw the line?"
"He wishes," Young snorted. Woods looked smug.
"Fuck you." Palmer stood and stalked from the room. Everyone else sat silent for a moment, then started discussing the events of the past couple of days. Damon was glad to hear the majority of the people in the room didn't agree with Palmer, and they were happy with how things had played out.
There was still a hell of a long way to go. Damon didn't even want to contemplate what it was going to be like with the media attention at the Alpha's house. Every video so far to do with shifting had gone viral on YouTube. They hadn't just outed shifters in Australia but let the entire world know they existed. Damon was sure there'd be some backlash from other shifters about being exposed, but it was the lesser of two evils as far as he was concerned, and hopefully things could move forward.
* * * * *
"We have your mate to thank for getting us out of there," Ben said to Kieran as they sat in the back of an SUV with Corey, Ethan, and Samuel. The others were scattered throughout the cars following along behind. Corey and Ethan sat in the back cuddled together, both their expressions weary for what was to come. Kieran thought it was sweet how much his friend had changed since he'd met his mate.
Kieran wasn't ready to think about Damon just yet. He was still trying to reconcile everything in his head to do with his mate.
Ben had explained what had happened in the last couple of days, and Kieran wasn't ashamed to admit that he was a little scared about what they still had to face. He didn't like the fact they were being followed home by parties unknown to them, but he had to admit he would prefer that to being locked up in that cell again.
"Have you spoken with Tommy yet?" Kieran asked to get his mind off things he didn't like.
Ben frowned at Kieran, but he didn't care. The sun had set and the car was dark. If it weren't for their enhanced sight, he wouldn't have seen the expression, so he just chose to ignore it.
"I have, several times in the last couple of days. Damon got him away safely and out of town. I've asked him to come home now. It'll take him a few hours, as he drove all the way to Townsville to be on the safe side."
"What a fucking week," Samuel said from beside Kieran.
He couldn't help but snort. "You can say that again."
"What a fucking week." Kieran punched his friend in the leg for being such a smart ass.
Samuel tussled back, and soon all of them were involved, including Corey, who attacked over the top from the back seat.
The play fighting didn't last too long. They were in a confined space, after all, and one wrong move could have them going over the edge as they wound their way through the Gillies.
The government officer in the front seat was glancing back at them with amusement on his face. "You guys aren't dangerous. You're just big kids."
Kieran snorted at that, and Ben bumped him with his shoulder.
"That's what I'll be trying to reiterate to your superiors in the coming weeks... that we're not dangerous. Not that we're just big kids."
Corey and Ethan laughed from the back seat. Ben turned to them. "Shut up, you two."
"Whatever you say, Alpha," Ethan teased. The man was so happy to have his mate back again. Kieran wondered if he and Damon would ever get to that point. He hoped so, if they could just work through all their crap first.
Kieran sat back and closed his eyes, ready for this week to be over. He just wanted to get back to normal. Kieran doubted their lives would be anything close to normal for some time to come now, though.
We'll get there.
He wasn't too proud to admit he jumped at the unexpected voice in his head. Ben and Samuel looked at him funny.
"I'm fine. Sorry."
They both nodded, then settled back for the rest of the ride as well.
Why are you in my head?
Because you were in mine first.
Was not.
I can't believe I'm mated to a five-year-old. Damon's laughter followed.
Screw you. Not that that response made him sound any less like a child.
Anytime, anyplace.
In your dreams.
How'd you guess? You're all I've been thinking about whenever I close my eyes since the last time we were together.
Kieran shifted as the memories of them together flooded his body with heat.
Ben coughed from beside him, and Corey whacked him across the back of the head. "Gross, man. Keep it in your pants until we're not all crammed together inside a fucking car, would you?"
"Shut up. Like we haven't all been smelling the pair of you since you climbed inside?"
Ethan snickered. "He has a point."
Now really isn't a good time.
Just be aware that I'm not going away. We will talk about us.
Fine.
Oh, by the way...
Yeah?
Your mother packs a pretty mean slap.
Kieran's arousal disappeared instantly at Damon's words. You met my mum and she hit you?
I can't say we actually met. There wasn't exactly a chance for introductions. I don't think your folks like me too much.
Kieran could feel the hurt that caused Damon, and he didn't like it at all. Kieran had told his folks about finding his mate but hadn't wanted to introduce Damon to them until they'd actually had a chance to sort things out between the pair of them first. He should have known his mother would have tracked down Damon when Kieran went missing.
They'll come 'round, he tried to reassure.
I hope so. I really don't want your family to be pissed at me for the rest of our lives.
They don't know the full story. We just need to give them time.
I trust you. I'll see you later tonight.
Kieran closed his eyes, then his stomach growled. Everyone laughed. "Man, can we stop for some food? I'm fucking starving."
"Me too," Ethan piped up.
"Me three," Ben agreed.
The problem was, there wasn't really anywhere to stop to get anything to eat. They'd have to wait until they got back to Atherton. Hopefully, they could order some pizzas or something.
The drive took them another hour. When they were roughly ten minutes out, Corey retrieved his phone, which had been returned to him, and started dialling.
"The usual?" he asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Make sure to order extra for Max and his guys," Ben said
"Of course." The car lapsed into silence as Corey placed their order.
Ben swore a blue streak when they turned down the drive and saw an entire media shit-storm camped on his front lawn.
Ben grabbed his phone and dialled.
"Max?"
"Yeah, I see them." Kieran could clearly hear Max through the phone in the confined car.
"Get everyone inside. Don't stop for any reason. I'll deal with the media."
"Yes, Alpha," Max replied, and they hung up.
"That goes for the rest of you as well. Inside with you all. No stopping, I'll deal with the media."
"Yes Alpha," they all chorused.
They finally pulled up out front of Ben's house. The other cars rolled to a stop behind theirs. The media swarmed the cars. Thankfully, it was night, and with the dark tinting on the cars, they couldn't see inside. Cameras flashed, questions were yelled at the closed doors, recording cameras were pointed in their direction. Kieran had never experienced anything like it before.
"Everyone out that side." Ben pointed to the opposite side of the car, away from the media.
Kieran watched his Alpha clench his jaw, then he opened the door and climbed out. The flashing of cameras was bright against the night backdrop. Kieran and the rest of them did as their Alpha commanded and exited from the other side. They ignored everyone as they made their way to the front door. Someone had been by early that day, by the looks of things, and replaced the front door.
They were lucky that everyone was too busy listening to what Ben had to say to worry about them just yet. Everyone filed inside—everyone but Damon. Kieran hadn't really been paying that much attention when they'd been released, but he just assumed Damon would be there with them. The fact he wasn't upset him more than he thought it would. Corey must have seen him looking through all the people, and he walked over and clapped Kieran on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. He'll be here a little later. Ben mentioned he had some things he needed to sort out before he could leave. You didn't hear him earlier?"
Kieran shook his head. He couldn't remember Ben saying anything of the sort. He smiled in thanks and looked around. The place was a mess. Broken glass covered the floor in several places. Spilled juice and water had soaked into the carpet and dried, staining it. Ben's beautiful stained glass image from the front door now littered the entrance hall. Furniture had been ripped and torn in the fight, dining room chairs had been tipped over and broken.
Figuring he may as well make a start on helping to clean up, Kieran headed for the laundry. He grabbed a broom and the vacuum and made his way back to the living room.
"Let me help," Ethan said as he took the vacuum from Kieran.
"Thanks, man. I can't believe how bad this place is. Looks like a bloody bomb hit it."
"Yeah. Understandable though."
"Who did that?" Kieran asked as he pointed to the front window, which someone had boarded up with a massive piece of plywood. Someone had obviously been thrown through it.
"Ben. He picked a guy up and threw him clean through it before he was shot with a half a dozen darts. I don't remember much else after that, as I was shot then as well."
Kieran grunted. It really was impressive. Made a hell of a mess as well. He started sweeping up the tiled areas, careful to gather as much of the glass as he possibly could. Others came in to help set the house back to rights as well. Max and the guys from his pack went about picking up all the large shards and placing them in the outside wheely bin. They righted what furniture could still be used and threw out whatever was broken beyond repair, making sure to stay well out of view of any cameras.
"I hope the government is planning on paying for this," Kieran said as Ben finally came through the front door.
"Too fucking right they are."
"Media gone?" Corey asked as he came to stand next to Kieran.
"For now. I gave them a little interview but told them they would have to wait for more, then kindly asked them to get off my land before I called the cops."
Kieran burst out laughing. That sounded just like his Alpha. He was glad to see the man hadn't lost his sense of humour though all of this.
The pizza arrived half an hour later, and everyone stopped to eat. Joey's Pizza had been catering to their pizza-loving needs for years now and apparently didn't care that Ben had been outed as a shifter. Kieran was thankful for the common sense of some, as he was starving. He wondered if everyone was in shock from the events of the last few days, as no one was really talking about what had happened or what was going to happen now.
Kieran pulled his phone out while he ate and searched up Alex Holland's interview. Others gathered around to watch as well on his small screen, while some pulled out their own devices to do the same thing. Kieran didn't even think Ben had seen it yet for himself.
"Whose idea was this?" Kieran asked when he closed the phone down and shoved it into his pocket several minutes later.
"Damon's," Ben said.
"Seriously?"
"Yes. He came up with the plan while he was helping to get Tommy and Joseph to safety. He mentioned it to Tommy, who relayed the idea to me when I woke up from the tranqs. By that time, though, Damon had already spoken with Alex and set the wheels in motion."
Kieran nodded. "I suppose it was the only option."
"I believe so, yes. With that one move, he saved each and every one of us. The fallout from this is going to be massive. It already is. But I have no doubt we'll get through it, just like we've gotten through everything else in our lives."
Others murmured their agreement.
"Things are going to have to change from here on out. The world now knows that we exist. But those are discussions for another day."
Kieran couldn't agree more. Too much had happened today to even try to concentrate on anything more.
"Max, have you managed to get in contact with the members of your pack who you believe were taken hostage in Haven?" Ben asked.
"Not yet."
"Okay. Keep trying, if you can't reach them, then I'll speak to the government again. They may hope we've forgotten about them, which isn't going to happen."
"Thank you. I appreciate that. They're good people."
"I'm sure they are. For now, why don't you take your pack members and get them settled into some rooms for the night? You might have to double bunk, but this is a large house, and we should have enough room for you. You should find some clean towels in the linen closet so you can all shower and clean up."
"Thanks. I might just do that." Max stood, as did the rest of his small pack, and they disappeared upstairs.
"You guys may as well head home for the night as well. There's not much else that can be done here tonight," Ben said to Corey, Ethan, Liam, Declan, Samuel, and Bradley. He then turned to Kieran. "I take it you're going to want to hang around until Damon arrives?"
"If you don't mind." He had an overwhelming need to see Damon, make sure he was all right. They had a lot to work through in the coming days. Kieran knew a lot of it was his own hang-ups. He hadn't forgotten what Ben had told him that night. Damon was doing a job, trying to protect their entire race.
"You don't have to tell us twice," Corey said, and he squeezed Ethan's ass. Ethan gave his mate a hard stare, but Kieran could see Ethan was just as jittery as Corey to get out of there.
They said goodbye to the others, who all slowly left, promising to be back the following day.
Ben disappeared into the kitchen and came back with two beers. He handed one to Kieran, and they sat down in the lounge room to wait. The sounds of people moving about upstairs as they got ready for bed filled the house with a nice ambiance as they sat in silence, waiting for their mates to arrive.
Ben was in for a longer wait than Kieran was, as Tommy had to drive all the way from Townsville, which was at least a four-hour drive, and he would be doing it at night as well, which might make it even longer.
They'd just finished their second beer, and all sounds from upstairs had ceased, when they heard a car pulling up. Kieran and Ben both climbed to their feet and made their way to the plain wooden front door, which Ben scowled at.
Kieran chuckled and clapped his friend on his back. "Don't worry. We'll get you a new one soon enough."
Kieran really was glad they lived so remotely. Not really much chance of someone breaking in out here, even with a poor excuse for a door.
They watched as Damon and his partner climbed out of their car. Damon walked over to the car that had followed them. He bent and said something to the guys in the front seat. Not long after, they drove off.
Damon and his partner walked across the grass and came to stand in front of Ben.
"Benjamin Taylor, I'd like you to meet my partner, Grant Davis. Grant, this is the Pennaeth Alpha of Australia, Ben Taylor."
"Nice to meet you," Grant said as he held out his hand.
"You too."
"And this is Kieran Baxter, one of Ben's Betas."
Grant smiled as he held out his hand for Kieran to shake. "So, you're the mate?"
Kieran stood shocked to his core. He didn't think Damon wanted to tell anyone—especially his partner—about him.
"Yes, that's him," Damon said a wide grin on his face.
"You also the reason I'm losing my partner, hey?"
Kieran stared at Damon, not knowing what the hell he was supposed to say to that.
"Did you really expect me to move back to Brisbane and just forget about you?" Damon asked as he stepped closer to Kieran.
Kieran shrugged. He hadn't known what they were going to do. But to hear Damon talk now, it sounded like his mate had already made up his mind.
"Why don't you both come inside? It's been a hell of a day, and I'm sure you could both use a cold beer."
"That sounds amazing. You have anything to eat to go with the beer? I'm starving," Grant asked as he followed Ben inside.
"There's some leftover pizza, if you're interested."
"Aw, man. Pizza and beer. Isn't that like the Aussie staple or something?"
Ben chuckled, and they disappeared inside.
"You told him?" Kieran asked, still a little in shock.
"Of course I did. There was absolutely no reason to hide you after the events of the other day." Damon stepped up close to Kieran, his large solid hand cupping Kieran's cheek. The warmth felt so good, his wolf happy to once again be close to their mate.
"You're leaving Brisbane?"
"My place is with my mate, and as he's a Beta for the Pennaeth Alpha, his place is here, which means so is mine."
Kieran grabbed the front of Damon's shirt and pulled him close, their mouths colliding in a fierce kiss. He groaned as Damon's tongue pressed for entry. Kieran opened up, their tongues tangled together. Damon wrapped his arms around Kieran, grabbed Kieran's ass, and pulled him in hard against Damon's body. Kieran could feel the hard ridge of Damon's dick through the denim of their clothes. He wanted to feel it skin on skin again. Before he got too carried away, though, Kieran pulled back.
They stood there, foreheads pressed against one another, their laboured breathing sounding harsh in the stillness of the night.
"Fuck. I missed you," Damon whispered.
Kieran wanted to tell Damon he'd missed him too, as he had, but the words got stuck in his throat. He was just thankful and happy to be free and with his mate. It gave him a little hope for the future.
"You two lovebirds coming inside, or are you planning on standing outside smooching all night long?" Ben asked as he stepped up behind them.
"Smooching all night long sounds like a really good plan to me," Damon said, his voice low and husky. He ground his hips once again into Kieran, making him moan.
Ben chuckled. "Get your ass inside."
Damon stepped back reluctantly after placing one last kiss on Kieran's lips, this one soft and gentle, then walked past him inside. He grabbed the beer Ben held out to him and disappeared into the lounge room.
"He's a good guy, Kieran," Ben said quietly behind him. Kieran turned to face his Alpha. "What he did for us all—I have no doubt you were the driving force behind it."
"But, we're not... "
"You're his mate, and that's all that matters. Yes, what he did ended up helping us all, but make no mistake, it was you Damon wanted back."
Ben held out another beer for Kieran, then turned and disappeared into the living room with the others. Kieran stood outside for a moment longer. He looked up at the stars. They really were beautiful. The Southern Cross shone brightly in the sky. Kieran watched it for a time, taking a pull from the beer bottle, then closed his eyes and just breathed in the night air.
The peacefulness of the night helped to calm his racing thoughts. He'd been thrown for a loop with the arrival of Damon and his partner. He'd been so angry at this mate for the way things had gone down last time they were together. Then, finding the man at the facility the other afternoon, Kieran had jumped to the wrong conclusion. He should have known better, but his anger had got the best of him.
Now everything was different, and Kieran was having trouble reconciling all that had happened. He took a deep breath, then turned and headed inside with the others. He could have chosen one of the single recliners, but he really didn't want to. Instead, he sat next to Damon on the couch. Grant and Ben sat opposite them. An open pizza box graced the coffee table in the centre. Both Grant and Damon were halfway through eating a slice.
"I want to thank you, Damon, and you too, Kieran, for what you did for my mate and son. Because of you, the government didn't get their hands on Tommy or Joseph."
"It was nothing. If it hadn't been for Kieran here, we wouldn't have managed to get away in the first place." Damon reached over and squeezed Kieran's hand. Kieran expected him to let go, but he didn't. The feeling was nice. Damon's hand was cool, probably from the beer, but it soon warmed up. Kieran didn't pull away. He didn't want to bring attention to their embrace lest Damon let him go.
"Is he coming back? The last message I received from him was last night to let me know his friends, Chase and Jackson, had found the info on ASSES so they could leak the info to the media to help push the government over the edge," Damon said.
"Yes. He's currently driving back as we speak. He should be home in about an hour or so."
"That's great."
"I have to admit, Damon, I don't think I ever would have thought of doing what you did to free us."
Damon stilled. "I hope you're not too angry with me for it."
Kieran squeezed his hand.
Ben sat back on the couch, the picture of relaxation. He lifted the beer to his lips and took a long pull before lowering the bottle again.
"A great many things are going to have to change, now that we've been exposed."
Damon nodded. "I know."
"There are going to be some that won't be happy with what's happened. I expect I'll receive some challenges shortly."
"I'm sorry."
The last thing Kieran wanted to do was watch his friend have to fight for his position. But he had faith in Ben. The man was frickin' strong.
Ben took another pull of his beer, then placed the empty bottle on the coffee table before sitting back again.
"No, I'm not angry with you." Ben paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm fucking furious at Ms. Stacey Carr for betraying her kind in the first place, though. As for you, you did what you could to save the situation. If you hadn't spoken with Alex Holland and convinced him to do what he did, then we'd probably all still be locked up, looking at a life full of being drugged to make us easier to handle and being experimented on so the government can understand how we are what we are."
"I'm sorry it was the only thing I could come up with. I wish there had been another way."
Ben waved him off. "You know as well as I do, there was no other option. If you had tried to rescue us, then it would have just ended with us being on the run for the rest of our lives or you locked up right beside us. The government would have gone after others. They already had most of the Haven pack, what's to say the Leyburn pack wasn't going to be next?"
"I can't believe the government still thinks it can get away with something like that in this day and age," Grant piped up.
"They're scared. That's all. We're new and powerful and scary as hell to them. Some people don't like what they don't understand, so the only way is to get rid of it. We were either going to end up dead or as science experiments."
Kieran nodded. He had to admit, the last few days was something he never wanted to experience again. He let out a massive yawn, more tired than he thought he should be.
"It's late. You guys should all head off. Tomorrow is soon enough to discuss what's going to happen now," Ben said as he stood and gathered the empty bottles.
Kieran grabbed the now empty pizza box and followed Ben into the kitchen. "I don't mind hanging around if you want some company while you wait for Tommy to come home."
Ben clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. Head home, get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be another big day."
Kieran nodded.
"Hey, Ben?" Damon called out.
"Yeah?" They walked back to the entrance where Grant and Damon were now gathered.
"You know what happened to my laptop?"
"I'm assuming the government took it. All electrical devices were gone when we got home. I'll be asking for them back first thing in the morning, you can bet on that."
Damon chuckled. "Good luck with that. The government doesn't like to give anything up if they absolutely don't have to."
"Oh, I think they'll see things my way." Ben grinned.
"See you in the morning," Kieran said as he headed outside. Damon and Grant following along behind him.
Damon stopped Kieran just as he reached his car. Damon curled his large hand around Kieran's bicep and turned Kieran to face the man. "I have to head back to the hotel with Grant. We have a hell of a lot of paperwork to do tonight. Plus I need to be there when we call the boss in the morning."
Kieran didn't know if he felt relieved or disappointed that Damon didn't want to come home with him.
"There's nowhere else I want to be more than curled up with you in bed, but if we're going to do that, then we'll do it right, when I don't need to leave you in the morning. I've done that before, and I won't do it again. You deserve better. We deserve better."
Kieran smiled weakly. He couldn't believe how much he appreciated what Damon was saying.
"So, I'm going to kiss you good night, tell you I'll be dreaming of you, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Kieran chuckled. "I can deal with that. Lay it on me." Kieran puckered his lips exaggeratedly, and Damon laughed. Kieran softened his lips when Damon's touched his. The kiss was sweet and tender, not at all what Kieran expected.
"I'll see you in the morning," Damon said as he stepped back.
"See you then." Kieran watched Damon jog the ten meters or so to his vehicle, where Grant stood patiently waiting for him. Grant gave him a quick wave goodbye, then climbed into the car. Kieran stayed where he was, watching until Damon had driven away.
"Go home and get some sleep," Ben called out, making Kieran jump. He'd completely forgotten the man was standing there watching them.
"Yes, boss." Kieran mock-saluted his friend.
Ben laughed. "And don't you forget it."
Kieran flipped Ben the finger, then climbed into his car and headed for home. It felt like today had gone on forever.