Bran Cornick: The Man Behind The Marrok

The Mistake

Bran's POV

Bran was going to go insane. For the duration of the two weeks Kat had been living with him, she had managed to drive him completely nuts. Not because she was unbearable to be around. Far from it. After a few days of adjusting to one another, her dry sense of humor had steadily exposed itself. Her propensity for wearing punny shirts was also very amusing to him. Each morning he had been begun to look forward to whatever shirt she had on for the day. 

He also deliberately and forcefully stamped down any feelings of attraction that he felt, even as his wolf pushed and strained at his control, screaming 'Take her, Take her now!' No way that was going to happen. He was in charge of taking care of her, getting her adjusted to her new life. He was not meant to be intrigued by her humor, or the dimples in her cheeks that appeared when she smirked at him, or joked with him. He was certainly not supposed to enjoy how relaxed she was around him. No other member of his pack, except Mercy would regard him in such a casual manner.

This morning, she had come downstairs wearing a gray tank top that said "Adios, Bitchachos!" along with black tight workout pants and gray nike's. He had not been able to restrain his chuckle and her eyes, sparkling with humor, had met his. She grinned and declared,

"Morning, old man." As she passed to get her regular morning dose of coffee, her hand brushed slightly against Bran's, sending a bolt through him, and snapping my wolf awake and at attention. Having her in the house for the past weeks, his wolf had been the calmest it had ever been. It was almost as if it was gone. But one touch, and his wolf was once more reaching for her, straining at his control to take her. 

To his surprise, Kat leaned in and kissed his lips. And He kissed back. He found his hands burrowing themselves into her thick soft curly hair, her scent and her taste enveloping his senses as his wolf howled in triumph. Mine.

He kissed her with the passion and the longing he had tried hard not to let himself acknowledge had been building since the moment he shook her hand that first day. She kissed him back every bit as passionately, her insistent moans escaping from between the desperate meeting of their lips. 

A knock broke through the spell of their kiss, and Bran ripped himself away and stumbled back, almost looking panicked. He quickly reigned it in and composed himself. Without a word, he went to check the door, trying desperately to make sure it did not look like he was running away. Even thought that was exactly what he was doing.

He opened the door to find his son, Charles. Normally, it was impossible to catch Bran off guard. His senses were always trained to every sound, every flicker, even when he was not consciously thinking about doing so. It came with the territory of being Alpha, and especially with being the Marrok. It was very rare that people who approached his home needed to knock, unless it was his intention that they do so. He tried to play it off as one of those times.

"Charles." His son's expression would look blank to most others, but Bran knew his son well. He could see the flicker in his eye that said he suspected Bran.

"Da. I thought I would check in with you and Kat. See how things were going." His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he caught the scent of the arousal that still lingered on Bran's skin. "Anything you would like to tell me, Da?" He chose to ignore his son's knowing look.

"Kat is getting along just fine. Do come in, Charles." He stepped back to permit him into the house, and to close the door against the cool and brisk air of Montana. Kat emerged, looking just a little flustered still. 

"Hey." She said a bit shyly. And then, like she couldn't help herself, she said, "You are Charles? As in his son, Charles? How did that happen?" Bran had to struggle to keep his smile at bay. This was much truer to form. Over the weeks, he had come to find her blatant honesty amazingly refreshing, Despite her apparent lack of tact. Granted it was a sentiment shared by many, when they learned that he was Charles's father. His very Welsh coloring was a very sharp contrast to that of his son's teak colored skin, long braided black hair, and tall broad built frame. By the time, his son had been in his mid teens, he had already surpassed Bran in height. 

"His mother was Salish, of the Flathead tribe," was Bran's response to her questioning. 

"Ahh." She did seem a little sheepish at her faux-pa. "Sorry, I can't help myself sometimes. Ill just leave you guys to chat." Shooting an amusing set of finger guns at both of them, Kat headed upstairs, presumably to her room. 

"Well she is quite...interesting." Charles said blandly, raising an eyebrow at Bran. Bran responded with a shrug, feigning some non-nonchalance in an attempt to disguise his wolf's irritation at the interruption that Charles had provided, no matter how necessary it was. 

"Da. I recognize that look. Your wolf is interested in her, isn't he?" Charles was always too perceptive. It probably also helped that he had gone through much the same situation with his wife.

"She is not Anna."

"She doesn't have to be. But Da, you need a mate, you yourself said so when you chose Leah. And now that Leah is gone your wolf will become restless. That is not good for anyone."

"She is new to this. Besides, I am her alpha. I will not hoist myself and my burdens upon her for convenient sake, no matter what my wolf thinks to goad me into doing." Charles paused for a moment before saying, 

"From what I just picked up on, she may not be so unwilling, and your wolf may not be alone in wanting her." Charles avoids looking Bran directly in the eyes while saying this, so as not to present it as a challenge.

"I will not deny that there is certain chemistry, but it would be a mistake to pursue her. She is new to this and she is fragile. It would do her no good."

"Da, I am not saying mate with her now, but...I watched you mate with Leah, a woman you could never love, just to cage the beast. Perhaps...this time around you should try to find someone who makes you happy."

"My pack makes me happy, Son. You and your brother make me happy. I had love with your mother and after she passed, I nearly ripped the world apart."

"Da, that does not mean you should close your heart off. As much as you like to think you are all-knowing, even you are human. You are not just the beast, Da."

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