Hunted, Baited Love...Book 4 of the Silver Moon Shifter Series

17. Altan

When Gary told me what Brent told him that night a few weeks ago, I knew something like that was going to happen. Brent's life was never really his life, people and events made him have a life he had no choice in until he was older and chose to stay in the hunting life, after Riley was killed.

He had a future planned with her, a female, not me, a male. I remember the next day's conversation we had as if it were yesterday. 

I went to visit him after dinner to see how he was and if he needed anything. I also wanted to talk to him about his confession to Gary so I knocked on his door and he invited me in when he answered. He offered me a drink and I took it, knowing I was probably going to need it. We sat in the living room and he was looking at everything but me and biting his lip nervously. 

"Brent, calm down ok? You don't need to be so nervous around me. I'm not going to yell at you." I assured him and he slowly looked at me and that's when he started crying silently. 

"I'm sorry." He sobbed and held his head in his hands. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close, kissing the top of his head and rubbing his back, trying to calm him down. 

"Why are you apologizing?" I asked after a little bit after he calmed down some.

"Because I'm hurting you Altan, you don't deserve to be hurt because of what I want to do." 

"All your life you had your choices made for you, from a young boy until a young adult. You had no freedom and the happiness you did manage to find was ripped from you Brent, in the most cruel way imaginable. You went through a lot in the past two years alone so it's understandable that you want to live your life your way for once. I know being mated to a man was the last thing you ever wanted, let alone the very creature you were trained to hunt but Brent, I'm not going to hold you back. I want you to live your life and find out who you are as a person, without the supernatural world. Before you say anything, yes Ryker is a tiger cub but he is also your son, there is no changing that. We will work it out to when I will visit, I have a necklace that lets me do that so go, live your life Brent and if you decide to give me another chance, I'll welcome you back with open arms. Don't worry about what anyone thinks, no matter who it is. I'll always love you Brent. I want you to be happy and if being away from here, from this life is what it will take, I'll support you no matter what. Amar is even on board with this, so please don't hold yourself back for anyone or anything." It is hard to let him go, he's my mate and I love him with every fiber of my being and I can't imagine my life without him but he needs to do this, for himself, for him to find himself and to be happy with himself. Loving someone means a lot of things and you make sacrifices for those you love, I'll do anything for Brent, even break our bond so he can do what it is he needs to do.

"Why did your moon goddess have us as mate's? I mean I was straight before I met you and if it weren't for the bond, I wouldn't have fallen in love with you. I never found men attractive, only women and the moment I laid eyes on you was like the air left my lungs and I was stunned but when I learned we were mate's, I knew that was the reason. I got to know you and I think if we weren't mate's, we would have gotten along ok even with me being a hunter at the time and didn't come after you. Does she take pleasure in mating straight people with the same sex or something? I'm sure not every mated pair like us was fine with it, especially if they had a life with someone and/or kids. Don't go thinking I will go be with someone else, dating is not going to happen with a baby and me trying to find myself, I was just asking. I wonder what Colson felt because him and Jake had a similar situation. I heard people talk about things while working around the lands and someone mentioned them to me and compared us with them. Also Altan, thank you for understanding and being so kind about this. I know you must be hurting for my decision and I don't want you to resent me or have hateful feelings towards me down the road. I want you to be happy and have a life with Gary and Joseph, they are wonderful kind men. I'm sure they must have some strong feelings for what I'm going to do and I understand if they do, my decision affects all three of you as well as Ryker and myself. I'm so stressed with thinking of how everyone else is feeling, worried that you hate me, scared that I will fall flat on my face and get laughed at by everyone here." He was stressed, I could see it on his face and his fears in his eyes.